A New Beginning at Emerson Middle School

[EmersonMS]

Welcome back to the Google Group for Emerson Middle School Information
for 2011-2012. This Google Group is largely populated by families of
Westwood Charter Elementary School who have expressed interest in
Emerson, but is open to all of Emerson’s feeder elementary schools and
is usually not tailored to the interests of any one elementary school.

40 Westwood Charter Elementary graduates were among the 237 sixth
graders entering Emerson Middle School this fall, an increase from
prior years. Many had participated in Camp Emerson, a three-day
transition program over the summer for sixth graders. The success of
the program has prompted other middle schools to explore replicating
it in the future.

Along with former Westwood students, Emerson has benefited from the
active involvement of many Westwood parents. The following current
and former Westwood parents sit on Emerson’s PTSA Board: Jeremy
Bollinger (president), Julie Bank (treasurer), Larry Dalconzo (VP,
Finance), Kathryn Bowers (secretary), Wendy Globerman (hospitality
chair), Hadas Grinfeld (8th grade parent rep), Kandy Ringquist (7th
grade parent rep), and Angela Gervasio-Hewett (6th grade parent rep).
Emerson’s parent organizations, the PTSA and the Arts & Education
Foundation, benefit from the active involvement of parents from many
other elementary schools as well.
This week the parent reps with many parent volunteers catered
breakfasts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for each grade. It was a
festive way for parents and teachers to meet, and it gave the students
a taste of the fun activities that teachers and parents have planned
for students throughout the year as incentives for maintaining a
certain grade point average.

As many of you know from an earlier posting, Emerson is in the process
of hiring a new principal. The search committee has been formed,
consisting of parents, teachers, students, staff, administrators and
community members that have been active stakeholders in the school.
The committee begins interviewing candidates next week. The District
hopes to have a new principal announced as early as mid-October.