BearFacts News - 06.01.23

 
 

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,

Thank you for another successful year at our beloved school! As we say goodbye for the summer, we are thankful that the pandemic has ended. The restrictions have been lifted and we were able to enjoy each other’s company. This year we came together at Grade Level Play Dates, and enjoyed the Family Art Night, The Move-A-Thon, Equity Circles, Meetings on the Bridge, All School Meetings, and more. The Spring Open House was a big success, with parents enjoying an opportunity to see many exciting classroom projects. 

We look forward to even more community events in the future. The Emerson Dad’s Club is hoping to revive and bring back some more pre-pandemic events while building camaraderie, if you are interested in joining please email Nathan Stahlhut at dadsclub@emersonelementary.org

Let’s welcome our new PTA Board and President Merlin Edwards II. Rachel Terp will join Krysten Curtis, who is continuing as Vice President. We are still looking for more help with Communications, which involves the weekly BearFacts publication and the Where’s Waldo student directory. Please email board@emersonelementary.org if you are interested in helping.  We thank our outgoing PTA Treasurer Scott Hoffmeister, who volunteered for seven years, putting in many hours overseeing the finances to ensure we were accountable and successful. Big Smile to Rose Lynn Abesemis-Bell, who has been pivotal to our Communications, Staff Appreciation, and much more. We are also grateful to President Rana Cho, and Vice President Arabelle Malinis, who contributed in huge ways during the past two school years. Thank you to our PTA Leadership - we appreciate you!

We encourage you to fight the “summer slide” by challenging your student to read this summer.   You can keep track of your child’s reading using these tools provided by our Literacy Coach, Ms. Jeannie. Although these are optional and will not be turned in, you may find it motivational to track summer reading using this fun log: OPTIONAL Emerson Summer Reading Log. Here are some bingo reading cards as well: Summer Reading Bingo, Summer Break Reading Bingo, Spanish version, and Let's Read Summer Bingo. One more option is the 1st - 8th Grade Summer Reading Challenge, hosted by Cal Football player Patrick Laird. All students who complete their summer log will receive 2 free tickets to the Idaho game on September 16th. Get information here. Let’s make this a summer full of books! 

Finally, it’s not too late to register for summer school. There is one last chance to sign up for summer school, if you haven’t done so already. Here is the information for the BUSD Summer LEARNS program at Oxford (offered June 5- August 11). To register, click here.

If you are returning to Emerson in the fall, please mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 16th (early release day) as the first day of school. Class lists will be posted the previous Friday at 4:00 pm on the blacktop. This a friendly reminder that Emerson does not accept requests for particular teachers or friends in classes. The class lists are carefully designed by our experienced Emerson staff to balance student needs and we do not accept parent requests.   Thank you for your understanding.  

Have a wonderful and safe summer,

Jana Holmes  


UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, June 2: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 8:30am (Emerson blacktop, gates open at 8:00am)

Friday, June 2: Last Day of School (regular release, Kids World pick-up by 5:30pm)

Friday, August 11: Class lists for 2023-24 posted, 4:00pm (Emerson blacktop)

Wednesday, August 16: First Day of 2023-24 School Year (early release)

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.


PTA UPDATE

Our Emerson PTA closes out the year with bounce houses and the Fifth Grade Promotion. Each year since the pandemic began, our community events have gradually built trust by meeting each other where we’re at. Slowly but surely we’re reconnecting our Emerson community.

We thank our PTA board members for supporting Emerson families, teachers and staff, and Principal Holmes, through fundraising and supporting programs and resources for every Emerson student. A special spotlight on Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell and Scott Hofmeister who leave Emerson so much stronger after the years they have dedicated to the PTA Board.

And more thanks to our Grade Parents who make the school day more complete, supporting classrooms and grade-wide events.

Please support our Emerson community by renewing your PTA membership when we return in August. Look for our next PTA President Merlin Edwards and the incoming elected board - we are already planning for an engaging and inclusive school year for Fall 2023!

Best,

Rana Cho

EMERSON PTA TECH TALK - IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The presentation by Matt Small and Kaolin Fire on Gaming and Online Safety is now available online. The materials will also be made available on the Emerson website.
Video and resources HERE


GIFT COLLECTION FOR ENRICHMENT TEACHERS AND SUPPORT STAFF - THANK YOU!

The generosity of this community is nothing short of amazing. In just one week, we were able to collect enough funds from families to give generously to 43 enrichment teachers and support staff at Emerson - WOW! What a way to send all of these incredible humans off into summer break! Thank you all again for your generosity and for acknowledging ALL the people who interact with our kids. Have a great summer break!


EMERSON SUPER READERS ICE CREAM PARTY!

Congratulations, Emerson Readers!!

Emerson readers read more than 360,000 minutes - crushing the school-wide goal of 300,000 minutes! As a reward, Brown Cap Ice Cream Truck will be on the school yard during lunch recess on Thursday June 1st, serving up soft-serve ice cream for every Emerson student! 🍦🍦🍦🍦


Where's Waldo - Emerson's Community Directory

Stay connected with Emerson friends over the summer by getting Where’s Waldo on your phone!  It’s all available securely online. The directory is available on the Emerson PTA website and also by downloading the MembershipToolkit App for iPhone or Android. If you have not done so already, create an account to access the directory, make your own updates, and adjust your communication preferences by using the email you provide. Click here for the steps to join Where's Waldo online. Questions, want help getting started, or want to volunteer on the Where’s Waldo Team for next year? Email whereswaldo@emersonelementary.org.


JOIN THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR 2023-24

The BearFacts is just one piece of Emerson’s PTA communication universe. This includes the Family Handbook, Communications Card, Where’s Waldo School Directory, BearFacts, Emerson Website, Remind, and more! As you can imagine, it takes a team of people to hold different parts to make it all happen. As you think about next year and your participation in the life of Emerson School, consider joining the Communications Team. For more information or to volunteer, email communications@emersonelementary.org… you won’t regret it!


Thank you BearFacts Team!

This is the last issue of the BearFacts for the 2022-23 school year, your weekly Emerson newsletter that has kept you in-the-know. Behind the scenes, every week, without fail, was a team of parent volunteers who rotated as editors preparing the newsletter. This team and a handful of PTA Board members and Ms. Holmes would then review the draft so it was ready to go live on the Emerson News page on our website, in your Remind, and in your email inboxes every Thursday morning!

We want to acknowledge those who submitted content: community information, special events, student artwork with Ms. Ames, Library Corner with Ms. Rachel, the Equity Corner, PTA updates, Ms. Holmes’ weekly letter, and so much more. Thank you to our Editors: Amy Fire, Nathan Fisher, Ashleigh Kanat, Jenn Petrucelli, Carol Wang, and Robert Lewis, with support from Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell. We want to give special recognition to our graduating editors who have been serving for all or most of their years at Emerson as Editors and PTA Communications Leads: Nathan (Tommy), Ashleigh (Helio), Jenn (Ari) and Rose Lynn (Nora).


Yearbook Gratitudes!

Special thanks to 5th grade Aksel’s dad, David Miller for serving as the head editor of the Emerson Yearbook starting during the pandemic to this year’s issue! Thank you David for helping create a special place for our community and our kids to hold their memories of Emerson.

Find Emerson Online

Websitehttps://emersonelementary.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 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 deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.

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Our mailing address is:
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Berkeley, CA 94705