BearFacts News - 10.05.23

 
 

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


MONTHLY LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

It’s the ‘Heart of Emerson’ fundraising campaign season! Your generous contributions help Emerson maintain the outstanding academic and social-emotional program that our students enjoy. With your help, we are able to offer Physical Education and Art classes to all grade levels. Classrooms are fully-equipped with academic supplies and students experience hands-on learning through field trips. We fund an Office Attendance Clerk, professional development training for staff, parent education programs, and much more. We couldn’t do it without you! Please consider a generous donation- we are asking those who are able to donate $700 per family– if you can give more, please do! Here is the link to donate. 

The month of October is a busy one! If you haven’t done so already, please reach out to your classroom teacher to schedule your Parent/Teacher Conference during the week of October 23rd. Students will be released early all week, with TK and Kinder dismissed at 12:30pm and Grades 1-5 at 1:10pm. Kids World classes will be in session but there will NOT be PTA After School Classes. There will NOT be school on Friday, October 27.

We are enjoying Latinx Heritage Month here at Emerson. Students have been learning about Latinx Culture and History in the classrooms, and we are pleased to offer the Second Annual Latinx Bilingual Storytelling Night hosted by Ms. Medina next Tuesday, October 10 from 6:00- 7:00 p.m. in the Emerson Multi-Purpose Room. Ms. Medina will read children’s books in Spanish and families will be invited to share why Latinx Heritage Month is important to them. This event is open to all, and we hope to see you there!

You are invited to the Emerson Playground on Saturday, October 21st for the PTA-sponsored Fall Festival. This will be a great opportunity to play games, enjoy treats, and have fun as a school community. Save the date and more information is coming. 

The annual Halloween Parade will take place after lunch recess at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31st. Parents are welcome to meet us on the blacktop to join our parade down College Avenue. Students should come to school dressed in their costumes. We will have donated costumes in the office for students who do not have one. Refrain from sending your child in scary costumes that include blood or weapons that can scare our younger students. We ask that you avoid costumes that represent a person’s culture. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or your child’s teacher. 

I would like to end this message by saying thank you to everyone volunteering this year. Our School Site Council is newly-elected and we welcome Shahram Aarabi, Jeffery Cross, Nancy Gage, Diana Gordon, and Karla Schlags to the team. Thank you to our Cal Football parking volunteers who have spent game days on the blacktop raising money for our school. Shout out to the PTA After School Enrichment team and parent volunteers who have supported this program. Big Smile to the PTA fundraising team who have kicked off the Heart of Emerson! We are off to a strong start, and we appreciate your help!  

Sincerely, 

Jana Holmes 


HEART OF EMERSON FUNDRAISING

https://emersonelementary.org/heart-of-emerson

As Ms. Holmes mentioned in her letter, The Heart of Emerson fundraising campaign is in full swing! This is the one major annual campaign to secure your financial support for our school. This fundraising advances the Emerson education beyond the level of district funding and support that our students would otherwise experience. 

To continue the same level of services for the 280 Emerson students in TK through 5th grade, we need to achieve an average contribution of $700+ per student. Please give, knowing that some cannot. Every dollar matters and donations are tax-deductible. 

Thank you!


UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Thursday, October 5: Picture Day

Friday, October 6: PTA Coffee & Snacks, 8:00am (Emerson blacktop), followed by October All School Meeting, 8:30am (Multi-purpose room)

Monday, October 9: Staff Development Day (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, October 10: Latine/x Bilingual Storytelling Night with Ms. Medina, 6:00pm - 7:00pm (Multi-purpose room)

Thursday, October 12: PTA's First Association Meeting, 5:30pm. Open to all. (Emerson Library).

Thursday, October 12: PTA Equity Committee Meeting on the Bridge #2, 5:30pm - 7:30pm (Emerson library)

Monday Oct 23 - Thursday Oct 26: Parent-Teacher Conferences (Early Dismissal, PTA After School Classes Canceled)

Friday, October 27: Elementary Conference Day (NO SCHOOL)

Saturday, October 21: PTA Fall Festival! 10:00am - 1:00pm (Emerson yard)

Saturday, October 28: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (Emerson blacktop)

Tuesday, October 31: Halloween Parade, 12:45pm (Emerson blacktop)

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 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1st PTA ASSOCIATION MEETING AND MEETING ON THE BRIDGE #2!

We are merging our first PTA Association Meeting of the year with our second Meeting on the Bridge in the Emerson library on Thursday, October 12th. Dinner and childcare provided. Open to all Emerson caregivers, although only PTA members can vote. Not a member yet? Register here: https://emersonelementary.org/pta-membership

After official PTA business is completed, at 6:00pm, we will offer the following program: Meeting On The Bridge, Pt. 2 - Microaggressions: Navigating Cultural Boundaries and Empowering Caregivers to Discern Between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation. RSVP at: tinyurl.com/MOB91234

EMERSON FAMILY HANDBOOK

The 2023-24 Emerson Family Handbook is now available online in English and Spanish. If you would like a hard copy, you may pick up one from Ms. Michelle in the front office at morning drop-off, or by emailing her at Leahlopez@berkeley.net to send one home in your student's backpack

NOTE FROM PTA TREASURER

At our PTA Association meeting on October 12th, we will vote on the 2023-2024 Budget. You can review the documents online: https://emersonelementary.org/budget-programs/.


EQUITY CORNER

CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY

In October, Emerson honors the rich diversity of our communities, celebrating Latine/x Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15), LGBTQ+ History Month (Oct), and Filipino American History Month (Oct). BUSD's Ethnic Studies Teacher Joemy Ito-Gates has compiled these excellent resources for teachers and caregivers!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Families are also welcome to join in for Emerson's Second Annual Latinx Bilingual Storytelling Night with Ms. Medina, on Tuesday, October 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm in the Emerson Multi-Purpose Room. We will offer a sampling of some traditional Latinx treats (eat dinner before or afterward on your own).

You are also invited to join our next Meeting on The Bridge on Thursday, October 12, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.


YEARBOOK EDITOR STILL NEEDED

We still have no one handling the 2023-24 Emerson Yearbook. It can be a solo project, or you can assemble a team of contributors. Online yearbook platforms are available to streamline designing and printing the book, and handle orders—we are happy to share what we've used recently. The bulk of putting Emerson's yearbook together happens January to April, though it's nice to start capturing photos now. If you're interested in taking this on, reach out to Michelle Falise (mfalise@gmail.com). The kids love the book, and it's a nice send off at the end of the school year!


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 submission deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.

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Berkeley, CA 94705