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,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Winter Break. My family celebrated Kwanzaa and we enjoyed many rich discussions centered on the holiday’s themes of collective commitments, creativity, and faith. We looked back on the last year and recognized what is truly important: family, community, and gratefulness for what we have. As good as it feels to turn the page away from 2020, I can’t help but anticipate that things may become more difficult before they get easier. Despite all this, I continue to be extremely thankful for the Emerson community. I know that we will push on, dedicating ourselves to nurturing and educating our cherished students in the safest manners possible.
We have reason to hope, with the release of the Covid 19 vaccine. Unfortunately, we anticipate there may be an infection surge with infection rates rising after holiday travel and gatherings. The California State plan includes a proposal for school staff to be vaccinated in the next Tier 1B (approx 8 million people). Although there are some mixed feelings surrounding the vaccine, this does bring us light at the end of the tunnel. According to Governor Newsom, 92% of the ICU hospital beds are filled in Northern California. In addition, a new more aggressive strain of the Covid 19 virus has been detected in Southern California. We need relief from this pandemic and believe it is coming. You can stay up to date with Covid updates by visiting the https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/.
You should have received a letter with an information packet from the school recently. This mailing contains more information about Emerson’s Covid Liaison Team and how we are responding and preparing for the return of students to campus. Please take the time to read through the packet, which includes guides from the City of Berkeley Public Health. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
Believe it or not, January is a time to begin thinking about registration for next year. The district Admissions staff are working remotely, so all enrollment will be done virtually. The incoming Emerson Kindergarten Night Zoom is scheduled for January 12 at 7:00 pm. Each Middle School will hold a January Zoom information Night. Elementary and Middle School preference forms are due between January 4 and February 5. Please visit the admissions website at www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions for the Middle School Zoom schedule, enrollment forms, and more information. Questions can be mailed to: www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions.
Good news: we are very close to meeting our Heart of Emerson Fundraising goal. It’s not too late to contribute if you have not done so already. Thank you for your participation with Coach’s Winter Break workouts. We have received so many beautiful student HeART projects, which will be laminated and put up to decorate our playground fence. It’s been so wonderful to see the support for our fabulous Art and PE programs, which are needed now more than ever.
Again, Happy New Year, and may this year bring us all health and peace.
Jana Holmes
Upcoming Events and Key Dates
Thursday, Jan 7: Kindergarten Literacy Night, 5-6pm
Tuesday, Jan 12: Kindergarten Info Night, 7-8pm (for Zoom links go to www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions)
Friday, Jan 15: Dr Martin Luther King Jr All School Meeting, 9-9:45am
Monday, Jan 18: Dr Martin Luther King Jr Holiday, No school for students
Wednesday, Jan 20: School Site Council meeting, 5:30-7:00pm
Thursday, Jan 21: Racial Equity Discussion, 7-8:30pm
Monday, Jan 25: Staff Development Day, No school for students
Find more dates/details: emerson.berkeleypta.org/calendar
Green Program for 4th and 5th Graders
Check Out Coach Robinson’s New PE Website
The website is full of health and fitness tips and includes links to videos. Bookmark it and check back often - it’s a work-in-progress and more material is being added. Let's stay healthy together!
We're looking for Spring Enrichment Recommendations...
In this era of zoom learning, we are looking for recommendations for fun and engaging after school enrichment classes that other Emerson students might enjoy. We're collecting a list to share with Emerson families along with the Spring 2021 BUSD catalog of online enrichment classes.
Please send ideas and recommendations to: emersonenrichment@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Thank you from the Heart of Emerson
In only one month, the Heart of Emerson is at 85% of our dollar goal of $110,000! Thank you to teachers and staff, families, and each student. The support is inspiring and puts us in good shape for next year.
Please donate if you haven’t already. We are so close to our dollar goal, and participation counts, too!
More Heart of Emerson updates can be found here.
Another way to help: choose Emerson Elementary PTA as your Amazon Smile donation charity, and 0.5% of your purchase amount will be donated to Emerson. You must have an Amazon account, and use the smile.amazon.com link EACH time for the purchase to count towards Emerson. Click on this link to choose Emerson as your Amazon Smile charity.
Support Emerson PTA - BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
The Emerson Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) brings together parents/guardians, teachers/staff and friends of Emerson to work for a positive school experience for all children at our school. As a member, you can vote on programming and spending decisions. Parents, guardians, extended family members or friends of all Emerson students are invited. Please renew membership every year. Please sign up ONLINE at https://emerson.berkeleypta.org/pta-membership. A donation of $10/person is suggested but NOT required. For questions, contact cluetters09@gmail.com.
ZOOM FRIENDLY RULE REMINDERS
Be prepared for class by wearing clothes, putting away toys and ready to participate
Be aware of your surroundings- remember your teacher and class can see behind you. Try to find a quiet place to join the Zoom meeting.
Mute yourself when you enter the meeting use the microphone bottom and wait for the teacher to call on you to unmute.
Raise your hand and wait for the teacher to call on you- take turns and practice being patient.
Be respectful- contribute to class positively and be a Zoom leader by participating responsibly.
Find Emerson Online
Website: emerson.berkeleypta.org
Remind: Text @7f6hb to 81010; or go to www.remind.com/join/7f6hb
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emersonpta (or follow @emersonPTA)
About BearFacts News:
BearFacts News is a weekly publication created by parent volunteers. Typically, it is distributed each Thursday in students' Look Folders and posted online at emerson.berkeleypta.org. During Distance Learning, it is only posted on the website.
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. The deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.
Copyright © 2020. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705