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MARCH
 
* Please note the March 11th PTA Meeting will be rescheduled for April.

March 1st - 5th: Golden Sneaker Contest. Walk, Roll Wheel and MORE! The This year, students in the winning classroom will be awarded a Zoom background image, a certificate, and a video from the Golden State Warriors. details below.

March 2nd: Mandatory Student Preference Form Due. TK-5 Families MUST Fill out your OUSD Student Preference Form by Mar. 2nd. details below.

March 3rd: PTA Nominations!! The PTA is looking for volunteers and nominations for the PTA Executive board! details below.

* March 11th: PTA Meeting. POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL. Date to be announced in the April Newsletter.

March 11th: OUSD Enrollment Letters. Families with on-time applications should recieve their OUSD enrollment offer! details below.

March 12th 9:00am: Judd Winick's Author Visit! Judd Winick's visit has tentatively been rescheduled for 9:00-9:45.

March 15th: Last day for the Virtual Book Fair with Ashay By The Bay. The fair was extended until March 15th. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 books!! details below.

March 16th 5:30pm: School Site Council (SSC).  Zoom link TBA.

March 25th: OUSD Enrollment DUE. Families must accept or decline their OUSD offers by this date to secure their student's school placement! 

March 26th 11:00am: Zetta Elliott's Author Visit!  details below. 

March 29th: Cesar Chavez Day, No School.

March 30th - April 2nd: Parent Teacher Conferences. Modified school schedule. Look for details in the school Cheetah Check-In or ask your student's teacher for information.

UPCOMING

April 5th-9th: Spring Date, No School.
Vote by March  5th!! 

We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical
is nominated for a NAACP Image Award  in the category of Outstanding Children's Program! Please take two minutes to vote for this OUSD legacy so that it can continue to shine at the national level! VOTE HERE by Mar. 5: https://vote.naacpimageawards.net
 

EXTENDED UNTIL MARCH 15TH
Ashay By The Bay - Virtual Book Fair

 

Fill your home library with a diverse selection of books to promote social emotional learning and meet core curriculum standards. Help us reach our goal of 1000 books!! Ashay specializes in African American  and bi-lingual spanish language children's books. You will find a solid lineup of classics and favorites that students enjoy and want to read!



Click HERE to Visit the Virtual Book Fair Page!
School Site Council - March 16th 5:30–7pm
Calling all Emerson Families! Join us!!
 
This is one of the most important meetings of the year!
 
We will hear about our school's budget and decide where to invest our precious dollars, with a focus on our collective dreams for our kids. Come get your voice heard and meet other Emerson parents and teachers! All are welcome! We need everyone's input! No experience required.
 
Translation available. 

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://ousd.zoom.us/j/86036037378
 



For questions or comments click to email Courtney, SSC President.

Zetta Elliott's Author Visit!
March 26th 11:00am
 
Zetta Elliott, award-winning author of the Dragons in a Bag series, A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart, and many other books, is coming to visit Emerson on Friday, March 26th at 11:00 a.m. Every Emerson student from 1st through 5th grade was given a paperback copy of Dragons in a Bag in the materials distribution on January 22nd, and the ebook and audiobook are also available on Sora. 
https://soraapp.com/home/330240/3962317


Photo credit: Zetta Elliott 

To learn more about author Zetta Elliott, go to: 
https://www.zettaelliott.com/
We are looking for candidates for Next Year's PTA Officers:
• President • Vice President • Secretary • Treasurer • 
DEADLINE MARCH 3rd

We are also soliciting volunteers to serve as PTA Room Reps and committee members for Arts Integration, Communications, PTA Monthly Newsletter, SpEd Families, and Events/Fundraising Committees.

Click HERE for President, Secretary + Treasurer position duties. 
Executive Vice President helps to fulfill the President's duties when President cannot. 


Click and fill out THIS FORM, or text Coach Jason, Nominating Committee Chair, at 510-878-8098 with questions, your interest to participate or to nominate someone else at Emerson!
  • Candidates for President, VP, Secretary, or Treasurer must be a current member of the PTA for at least 30 days.
Officer Elections take place at the rescheduled April 8th PTA Meeting.

Join the PTA by clicking the button below to join online or in meeting.

 
Click Here to Join or Renew your PTA Membership Today!

The Oakland Unified School District is Now Providing
Free Home-delivered Meals to Families. 

The district has made millions of meals for students during the pandemic, but up until now families have had to pick up food at school campuses. School leaders decided to shift to the delivery option in order to better support students in distance learning, and because some families don’t feel comfortable going to a school campus.

Families can sign up for the new free delivery service by filling out an online request form, also available in SpanishChinese, and Arabic

To qualify, households must have at least one student enrolled in a district-run school and must provide that student’s OUSD identification number. But all children in a qualifying home will receive meals, even if they’re not enrolled in OUSD schools. The once-a-week deliveries will include a week’s worth of ready-to-eat meals for every child in the home: seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and five suppers. And twice a month, the delivery will also include a box of fresh produce.

Click HERE to read the Oaklandside Article 

TK-5 Families Fill Out Your
Mandatory Student Preference Form by Mar. 2nd.

 
OUSD is asking all TK-5 families to answer two questions in the Mandatory Student Preferene Form for EACH TK-5 student(s) by March 2nd.  This will let us know if you prefer that your student continues with distance learning for the rest of the school year, OR if you prefer your student return to in-person learning, if it becomes available. 

Resources to help inform your decision.

 
Click HERE to read the Feb 19th Letter to Famlilies from GO Public Schools Oakland on this imporant decision all Oakland families face.

GO Public Schools Oakland is an nonprofit that informs, advocates, and cultivates leadership within the Oakland community so that all our students have the opportunity to attend quality public schools.


gopublicschoolsoakland.org
 
Enrollment for the 2021-2022 School Year Has Begun!

If you are the family of an 8th grader, 5th grader or incoming TK/Kindergartner...

Accept/Decline Offer - On-time offers will be released on March 11th. Families must accept (or decline) their school offers by March 25th.

Offers to late applicants and/or offers from the waitlist will be made on a rolling basis in April to August. 


Visit the OUSD Enrollment Page for details and dates.

Harvest of the Month Virtual Cooking Classes
4th Monday of Each Month.

Harvest of the Month (HOTM) celebrates the bounty and diversity of fruits and vegetables grown in California. Each month, we will be highlighting a seasonal and locally sourced fruit or vegetable on our school menus, through recipe videos, newsletters, giveaways, and more! Learn more at the HOTM website and join us for upcoming virtual cooking classes Mar. 22. Spread the word! Get flyers in multiple languages here.
Looking for a Newsletter Editor - Next School Year 2021/2022.

Hello Emerson Families!! The Emerson PTA is looking for a member of our school community to manage the Emerson PTA Newsletter next school year! Our current editor will retire in May.
  • Newsletters send once a month.
  • We use Mailchimp, an intuitive template program.
  • The current editor, Karen, is happy to help train and assist.  
  • This is a great way to contribute to the Emerson community in the background (within your busy schedule) while remaining connected to Emerson Staff and the PTA leadership!
From Emerson Librarian Jennifer Vetter 
Message to Families!

Hi Emerson Families!  

Introducing SORA for Ebooks and Audiobooks!!

OUSD students now have access to ebooks and audiobooks through an app called Sora by Overdrive. Sora is easy to use and has a great selection of books. In addition to accessing OUSD content, kids can get to Oakland Public Library ebooks and audiobooks through the Sora app without using a library card!

Kids sign into Sora using their OUSD student username and password. Kids can sign in through Clever, a browser, or the Sora app. Want to know more? Visit the Sora Resource Page or click this link: Sora Introduction Video 1:46 HERE

Give it a try! 

As you explore Sora with your child, look for "eReadalongs" at the top of the cover image -- these are both ebooks and audiobooks at the same time. Your child may have already listened to Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews during library class, and possibly a few pages from Jazz by Walter Dean Myers, but we didn't have time for the whole book. I hope you will enjoy these books together, and discover other books your children are excited to read! 

If you have any questions or would like some reading recommendations, please contact me. I would love to hear from you!

Happy reading!
Jennifer Vetter


RUN, WALK & RIDE 4A REASON
​A special edition of R4R is coming!


While different from years past, 2021 will be bigger and better because that’s what this time demands. We're also doubling down on our commitment -- we are all in when it comes to making sure all kids get what they need when it comes to education.

So, we have decided to forge full speed ahead with a virtual event and will welcome runners and walkers to join our family of cyclists in 2021! That's right -- we are running, walking AND riding for a reason!

rideforareason.weebly.com

Click HERE to contact Emerson R4AR rep, Liz Delph
The Oakland Public Library
NEW Virtual Family Event
 
The Oakland Public Library is collaborating with MOCHA to offer free, online art classes for families and kids!

Click HERE to sign up through Eventbrite!

 

Support Reading at Home!
 
Book + DVD Bundle Information  HERE.
A number of OPL locations that offer sidewalk pickup service have bundles of new books and DVDs for check out. No reservations necessary. These bundles offer books and videos selected by library staff for your enjoyment. Ask if your local branch has new bundles available, drop in, and check out at the curb!

Sidewalk Pickup Service Information HERE.
Sidewalk book pickup has been expanded with extended hours and more locations! In addition to Rockridge, the Temescal branch is now open!

Sign Up for a Free Library Card Online HERE.
Any member of your family can have their own library card, no matter how young, and then you can request materials online and pick them up when they're ready at the branch that's most convenient for you.

Oakland Library Reading and Learning Resources for Kids HERE.

If you need help accessing library materials, go to oaklandlibrary.org or call 510-238-3134.

 
  
Bundles of picture books (at Rockridge Library curbside pickup spot) about firefighters, bears, bicycles... holiday themes, early readers, graphic novels, the first few books in a popular series, new books just published this year...

PTA Ad Hoc Committe on Housing

Need a Place to Stay?
As eviction moratoriums end, more people are struggling with housing insecurity. For free assistance with issues around housing insecurity, please email Emerson parent and PTA committee member Erin Hanley (ehanley@eastbayinnovations.org). Erin runs an organization that works on just these issues, and she has volunteered to help provide resources and guidance to Emerson families. (Thank you, Erin!)


Click the buttons below to be directed to local agencies

Eviction Defense Center
Centro Legal de la Raza
Midpen Housing
Oakland Housing Authority
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation
Housing Authority of the County of Alamada
East Bay Innovations
 
New Families - Join the PTA today!
Please click HERE to join the Emerson PTA online.

Returning Families - Renew your PTA Membership today!
Please click HERE to renew online.

Membership dues are $5 and must be renewed each school year.

Supporting Emerson Families in Need

If your family is in a position to support Emerson families in need, please consider making a donation below. Currently we are prioritizing support to families that are homeless, are newcomers (and not eligible for unemployment, or stimulus checks), and/or families that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.  

Click HERE to Make a Donation - To Support Emerson Families in Need.

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Upcoming Meeting Dates: 2nd Thursdays of Jan, March + May.

  • Must be a current member to vote!
  • Join the Emerson PTA for $5 at the next meeting or click the button below to join online.
  • Dues must be renewed each year. Please click the "Join the PTA" button below to renew now if you have not done so already!
Submit Your Items to the Cheetah Check-In!
News deadline: The 25th of the Month. 
News publication date: The 1st of the Month. 
If you have photos, Emerson related announcements or flyers to add, please send them to our Parent Newsletter Editors, Karen + Myra.
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