BearFacts News - 04.14.22

 
 

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


Message from the Principal

Dear Emerson Families,

We are in the final stretch of the school year- let’s make the best of it!  Despite the many challenges, with your help, we have succeeded.  The students have made great academic progress, as reflected by our reading, writing, and math scores.   Students, staff and parents have reconnected with each other.  We have emphasized the importance of inclusion and diversity, and our students are allies with each other.  It is heartwarming to reward students with monthly Shoutouts in the All School Meetings and every Friday with Caught Being Good prizes in the main office.  We are thriving! 

Mark your calendars for a few fun events to celebrate the end of the school year:

  • You are invited to an outdoor on-campus All School Meeting on Friday, May 6, 8:30- 9:15 am.  We will award the final Student Shout Outs and have lots of fun on the blacktop- come join us!  

  • The next morning, Saturday, May 7, we will celebrate with the Move- A- Thon (formerly known as the Walk- A - Thon).  Let’s get some exercise and party together, from 9 am to 1 pm.  

  • The 5th Grade Class Promotion will be on the last day of school, on Friday, June 3rd, from 8:30- 9:30 on the schoolyard.  

Spring, summer and good times are on the horizon.  We hope to see you on campus for these events. 

We are looking for Board Members for the 2022- 2023 PTA.  Parent volunteers are vital to the success of our school community.  Detailed descriptions of each position can be found at https://emerson.berkeleypta.org/pta-board. Co-sharing a position with a friend is possible (good communication is key). Nominations are due by May 17.  Here is the link to the flier with more information:  PTA Board Nominations 2022- 2023.  Email questions to Ericacarter@berkeley.net.  We hope you will consider joining the PTA. 

Thank you for your support, 

Jana Holmes 


Upcoming Events and Key Dates

May 2 - 6: Staff Appreciation Week

May 6: All School Meeting, on the yard - 8:30- 9:15AM

May 7: Emerson Move-a-Thon (formerly called “Walkathon”)

May 9: School Site Council Mtg

June 3: 5th Grade Class Promotion

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.


EMERSON PTA UPDATES

After School Yoga at Emerson

Beth Houghton of Yama Yoga (2009, teacher to over 2000 kids) will be teaching a 1-hr yoga class on Mondays and Fridays beginning April 18. Please see the attached flyer for details. Enrollment is limited to 15 per class, and each class will be Kindergarten through 5th grade held outdoors.

Please sign up at https://www.yamakidsyoga.com/class-registration. This class has a special designation on the website, so the tab is the only way to sign up. Beth can be reached at 650-520-1937 or beth@yamakidsyoga.com.

There will be one scholarship slot (fees waived) per series (Mondays or Fridays) for families who are interested but have financial limits. Please email the Emerson PTA to apply: emersonbearcubspta@gmail.com

Move-a-thon - May 7th Saturday 9am - 1pm

Save the date for the biggest (and only!) all-school event this year! Forest Avenue will be blocked off for our traditional Walkathon laps, while hula hoops, dancing, jump-roping and more will be on the schoolyard with a DJ and LIVE BAND! We’ll compete for points to add up to a grade-wide prize, and everyone who shows up gets a prize, especially teachers and staff! Start training now!

Moveathon Party Sponsorships

Please consider sponsoring our Moveathon PARTY as an individual or business at $250 or $500 levels. The Emerson PTA will proudly display your name at the Moveathon Party, and related communications. Payments via PayPal or check (to "Emerson Elementary School PTA" and mail or drop off at school).


Teacher’s Corner

Moroccan Khamsas

Third grade artists created these Moroccan khamsas using 36 gauge aluminum tooling metal. First we looked at many examples of khamsas, learning that the word khamsa (or hamsa) means five in Arabic. Even when a khamsa doesn't look much like a hand we could always find five sections of the khamsa. We touched briefly on the five pillars of Islam, and we also saw Jewish and Christian symbols in some pieces as khamsas have been used for centuries by people of many backgrounds.

We started by practicing different textures on a small piece of metal. We continued by creating "thumbnail" (small) sketches. Once we had decided on the shape for our khamsa, we drew one actual size. Finally we could work on the metal. We added textures and lines from both sides of the metal and then colored them with sharpie.

Lucy Ames, Art Teacher (she/her)


April SHOUT-OUTs


Help Needed: Annual Staff Appreciation Week

This year continues to be like none other and our Emerson staff have remained steadfast in their support of students and families! Every month of this school year, grade levels have led the way in offering a monthly luncheon for staff, food for the soul! Staff have been so grateful! We will go deeper with our appreciation and celebrate for a whole week in early May for the National Staff Appreciation Week (May 2-6). This is our annual celebration, and we are looking for enthusiastic individuals to assist in planning for this week of thanks. If that is you, please contact Rose Lynn at roselynn20@gmail.com or Carol Wang at carol.wang@gmail.com!


Watch Baile Folklorico - From Cesar Chavez Day

Watch the Baile Folklorico performance at Emerson - from last month’s Cesar Chavez Day. https://youtu.be/ihuQLIwj_2w


Equity Corner: RAMADAN

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar and this year, it began in the evening of April 2, 2022 and will end the evening of May 2, 2022 (following the lunar calendar). This holy month is observed through fasting, prayer, study, and increased charity and generosity. Fasting is when you do not eat food or drink water. During Ramadan, families gather to eat before the sun comes up and after the sun goes down. Please check out this PDF lesson created by a student to learn more about Ramadan! Please also check out this resource on how to support students during Ramadan, books about Ramadan, and the BUSD Arab American Heritage Reading reading list full of wonderful stories to share with your student.


April is Arab American Heritage Month

April is Arab American Heritage Month and linked below are the Family Resource Guides in Arabic, Spanish, and English. While these are resources for all year round, we hope they will support a joyful celebration of Arab American contributions and history this April!

The AAHM Family Guide in English is HERE.

The AAHM Family Guide in Arabic is HERE.

The AAHM Family Guide in Spanish is HERE.


Order the 2021-2022 Yearbook!

All Grades represented!!

The book + plus tax is ONLY  $20!
Orders need to be placed online by Friday April 29th.
 

https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/Emerson-Elementary-School-2022

The PTA wants every 5th grader to get a yearbook. If you can pay, please do.
Any purchasing questions please contact David Miller at dmiller297@yahoo.com 
Books will be distributed the last week of school


Find Emerson Online

Websiteemerson.berkeleypta.org

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

Facebookwww.facebook.com/emersonpta (or follow @emersonPTA)


About BearFacts News:
BearFacts News is a weekly publication created by parent volunteers and posted online at emerson.berkeleypta.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 emersonschoolnews@gmail.com. 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. The deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.

Copyright © 2021. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA  94705