Librarians play a critical role in helping students access information and resources. At Emery, our library is a place for community and lifelong learning, thanks to the dedication of Ms. Turner! Superintendent Dr. Scott shares, “Ms. Turner has been an educator at Emery Unified School District for almost 22 years. As the librarian, she offers an inviting space to read and spends time reading engaging books aloud that ignites our students’ love for reading! Ms. Turner curates a collection of books that reflect our school community and brings relevance to each student’s library experience.

Overall, she provides our students with books, digital literacy, and coding opportunities that feed their curiosity as lifelong learners. We are so thankful for our librarian, Ms. Turner!”

This summer, we encourage students to visit their local library, check out books, and read as a family! Reading every day supports lifelong learning and literacy skills. Literacy provides the foundation for lifelong learning and success. It helps children develop critical thinking and communication skills, and it can open up a world of knowledge and opportunities.

There are many upcoming changes to our facilities that will improve the quality of our classroom environments. Upgrades are necessary to improve the safety, functionality, and appearance of facilities. They also support energy efficiency and the overall atmosphere of our school site. Jody Clarke, Director of Maintenance and Operations at Emery, shared these updates:

• Carport installation in the parking lot along the field will begin in June 2023.
• New solar panel canopies will be installed to provide more coverage than existing canopies. Construction is expected in early August 2023.
• Anna Yates Elementary will receive updated learning space materials including furniture and hallway bulletin boards.
• Emery Secondary School will also receive updated learning space materials including furniture, tables, a trophy display, and front office seating.
• New turf will be installed outside.

To read the full Facilities Update, check out the Board Meeting agenda for April 26, 2023 under “Facilities Update.”

As we have previously shared, parking spaces will be removed on San Pablo Ave for the installation of bike lanes outside of our front office. The San Pablo Avenue Bus-Bike Lanes Project proposes to construct side-running bus-only lanes and protected bike lanes along San Pablo Avenue within Oakland, Emeryville, and South Berkeley. We understand this is a big shift for the community. The anticipated finalization is the year 2025. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding as Alameda County works to make modifications to the street. If you would like to voice a concern, please contact Amber Evans, Community Development Coordinator, Economic Development and Housing Division, Community Development Department, City of Emeryville (1333 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608) by phone at 510-596-4382 or by email at aevans@emeryville.org.

According to project details, San Pablo Avenue Corridor Bus-Bike Lanes Project Benefits include:

• Safer crossings along a busy, higher speed arterial street

• Faster, more reliable bus transit service

• Multimodal network gap closures

• Environmental sustainability and equity benefits from improving non-driving options

The project will extend 3.5-miles along San Pablo Avenue between 16th Street in Downtown Oakland and Heinz Avenue in South Berkeley. The project scope also includes improvements to make it easier for people walking and biking to cross San Pablo Avenue, bus stop spacing optimization, and bus stop amenities/streetscape improvements.

The project will convert one travel lane in each direction to a bus-only lane and convert the on-street parking lanes to protected bike lanes. Parking and loading activity will be relocated to side streets, existing off-street facilities and a limited number of new loading zones on San Pablo where alternatives are not available. The project was identified based on the first phase of San Pablo Avenue corridor planning and outreach from 2017-2020. It is part of a package of three projects being advanced along San Pablo Avenue within Alameda County.

Read about the San Pablo Avenue Corridor Project here. Read the fact sheet here.