Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, May 29: More Good Days Together, West Berkeley Family Wellness Center at 1900 Sixth Street in Berkeley, 4pm-7:30pm.

Monday, June 1, 8:30 am: Pride March and School Unity Picture

Tuesday, June 2: FUN Day- volunteer to help HERE

Thursday, June 4, 8:30 am: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony (Emerson Blacktop), volunteer to help HERE

Thursday, June 4: Last Day of School, Minimum Day, 1:30 pm dismissal

Monday, June 15:Food Pantry, Rosa Parks Elementary School, 12pm-1pm.

Add the Emerson Google Calendar to yours!

Note to Readers: BearFacts articles and calendar items are based on submissions from the community and reviewed and edited under the PTA communication policy. Inclusion of an item in BearFacts by itself does not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by the PTA, Emerson school staff, or BUSD.

Join us for the Annual Pride March on Monday, June 1st, at 8:30 am.

We will walk in the community to show our support for the LGBTQ community.

Caregivers are welcome to join us.

We will take a school-wide Unity Picture afterward in the yard.

Don't forget to wear your Rainbow Colors, assigned by Grade Level.

Classroom/Grade Colors:

TK- Pink, Light Blue
K - Red
1 - Orange
2 - Yellow
3 - Green
4 - Blue
5 - Purple

🎉 End of Year Teacher and Staff Gift 🎉

Dear Emerson Families,

What a great 2025-26 school year this has been! We continue to be amazed by the many ways

both our classroom teachers and staﬀ support our kids and families.

To recognize our gratitude for those who make Emerson the school we love so dearly, we are collecting cash gifts for teachers and the 41 support staﬀ at Emerson. Funds for an End of Year Cash Gift are being collected from now until Monday, June 1, 2026. These cash gifts will be delivered on the last week of school. We have one fund for classroom teachers and one fund for staﬀ.**

Please participate in any way you are able--EVERY little bit helps...of course, 100% participation is ideal. Truly, any amount is wonderful, but please honor teachers and staﬀ in the way that best suits your family!

If you prefer to contribute through cash or check, please contact Daisy Holman (Ramona’s

mom) directly at daisy.holman@gmail.com or (646) 594-3211 to arrange a time to connect.

TEACHER GIFT:

@Daisy-Holman

https://venmo.com/u/Daisy-Holman

STAFF GIFT:

@Benicia-Rivera

https://venmo.com/u/Benicia-Rivera

LEARNS GIFT:

@jennystahlhut17

**While it may seem redundant to send three separate transactions, it helps those of us

preparing the gifts so much. We appreciate your help!

Farewell

It has been an absolute privilege and joy to be Emerson's art teacher for more than two decades. Some time in the next few days students will bring home their last pieces of art, along with a goodbye postcard from me. Even though I am sure I will love my (semi) retired life, I am truly sad to be leaving this remarkable school. As Winnie-the-Pooh said, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

An enormous and heartfelt thank you to all of you for making my experience so wonderful.

With Love,

Ms. Ames

Planning Ahead: 2026- 2027 School Year at Emerson

Class Lists posted on the Emerson Blacktop: Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 4:00 pm

First Day of School: Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Minimum Day

Back to School Night: Thursday, August 27, 2026, 5:30 - 7 pm

Important Note: Emerson Staff do not accept teacher requests. Staff create mindful class lists that factor many facets of the whole child in order to create carefully balanced classes. We can not and do not accommodate requests based on individual families' preferences. There is no acceptable reason to make a teacher request. Thank you for respecting this policy, which has been in place at Emerson throughout the years.

THANK YOU BEARFACTS TEAM!

This is the last issue of the BearFacts for the 2025-2026 school year, your weekly Emerson newsletter that has kept you informed about school and community events. Behind the scenes, each and every week, was a team of dedicated parent volunteers who took turns preparing the newsletter. This team made sure that the newsletter was accurate and ready to go live on the Emerson News page on our website, on Remind, and in your email inboxes every Thursday morning!

Thank you to our contributors who submitted content for the newsletter: community information, special events, Art Corner with Ms. Ames, Library Corner with Ms. Rachel, the Equity Corner, PTA updates, Ms. Holmes’ monthly letter, and so much more. Special thanks to our crew of rotating editors: Carol Wang, Lizzie Kendrick, Xiaole Ni, Vanessa Leonardo, and Tim Wilson with support from Ms. Holmes, Amy Fire, and Rachel Terp.

The weekly newsletter can’t happen without the involvement of caregiver volunteers! If you’re interested in becoming a BearFacts editor next year, or would like more information, please reach out to: vanessaleonardo@gmail.com or lizziekendrick@gmail.com

YEARBOOK SHOUT OUT!📚📚📚

Thank you to our amazing yearbook team: Aly Mostel and Agnes Kwan.

You gathered the photos, you edited with care,

You brought all your creativity and flair!

We'd be lost without you — that much is true,

So a big, giant THANK YOU to our yearbook crew!

🎓🎓🎓5th Grade Promotion🎓🎓🎓

The Emerson 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony will take place on the last day of school, Thursday, June 4th, 2026, at 8:30 am on the Emerson blacktop. Two seats will be reserved for the family of each fifth grader. Families are welcome to bring additional chairs for extra guests. Emerson siblings may attend the ceremony, but should go to their own classrooms from 8:10 to 8:30, then join their families on the blacktop at 8:30.

Upcoming OFEE Events for the last week of May and June 2026

Event: More Good Days Together

OFEE will host More Good Days Together in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in partnership with BYA, Soul Space, and the City of Berkeley on Friday, May 29th, 4pm-7:30pm. This is a celebration of wellness for students, families, and the Berkeley Community. The event will be held at the West Berkeley Family Wellness Center at 1900 Sixth Street in Berkeley. Come and enjoy performances and activities for all ages, dinner, prizes, information about self-care, and a variety of resources available locally.

Event: Food Pantry
On Monday, June 15th, OFEE and BFN will host a food pantry at Rosa Parks Elementary School, 12pm-1pm. Families and staff are welcome to pick up fresh produce, frozen items, and shelf stable groceries.

Join BUSD in Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month in May

Three things you can do to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month: BUSD Family Guide

Join BUSD in Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May

Three things you can do to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month:BUSD family guide

check out our new EMERSON FAMILY DIRECTORY!

You can access the new ONLINE Family Directory at: https://emersonelementary.org/directory

Anyone who is in the directory can log in via Google or Yahoo to access. Note that anyone, not just Gmail users, can create a Google account with their existing email address to access.

Families can submit their information or updates via the "Update Your Information" link. Responses are manually reviewed by our webmaster before access is provided.

This is a new platform and a work in progress. Please email us with any questions or concerns at communications@emersonelementary.org

The Family Directory is organized by the Emerson Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The Emerson Elementary Family Directory is a tool for families to coordinate and communicate. For example, families have used the Family Directory to coordinate carpools and playdates outside of school hours.

The Family Directory is not used by Emerson Elementary School administration to contact families; School Administration communications are sent using the Remind Application

FIND EMERSON ONLINE

Website: https://emersonelementary.org/

Remind: Text @7f6hb to 81010; or go to www.remind.com/join/7f6hb

About BearFacts News:

BearFacts News is a weekly publication created by parent volunteers and posted online at emersonelementary.org.

BearFacts articles and calendar items are based on submissions from the community and reviewed and edited under the PTA communication policy. Inclusion of an item in BearFacts by itself does not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by the PTA, Emerson school staff, or BUSD.

If you have a news item or announcement to include in the BearFacts News, please send an email to bearfacts@emersonelementary.org. Please keep your message brief and include all the pertinent details including dates, times, locations and contact information. Send images as an e-mail attachment and include alt-text. The submission deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.