Hello Emerson Families!

My name is Jennifer Almer-Johnson and I am the very proud Principal of Emerson Elementary! We welcome you to our community!  I have been working for BUSD for 27 years. I spent 17 years in the classroom where I taught mostly 4th and 5th grade. However, I have also taught 2nd and 3rd. I spent seven years out of the classroom as a TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment). As a TOSA, I have served as a specialist in the areas of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development, Teacher Mentorship, and Gifted and Talented Education. I am a graduate of UCSB's Teacher Education Program and UCLA's Principals Leadership Institute, where I earned a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership focusing on Social Justice and Equity. I also have 3 kids of my own, 22, 20, and 11. All three attend or have attended Burbank Schools. My husband, kids, and numerous pets (We have a bouncing Bernadoodle, 2 cats, and a Crested Gecko) enjoy hiking, camping, and adventuring.

I believe there is nothing more important than the school experience in bringing our community together. I want to help to make sure that everyone’s experience at Emerson  is positive, purposeful, and powerful. I want to help build a culture where we “[honor] the everyday moments that make a school a place of care, a home…” (Ewing, 2019)

My Commitments to Our Children, Families, and Staff: 

• I will work with you to build a community where everyone feels “a sense of comfort, a willingness to take risks and be oneself, and a feeling of acceptance.” (Nasir, et al)
• I will work with you to cultivate a culture of joy. I believe joy must exist for deep learning to endure.
• I will work to honor and focus on the amazing skills and stories we bring with us into learning and education. There is power in creating an atmosphere that “cherishes individuals with particular gifts and skills as a mechanism for growing diversity, and childhood is an excellent time for individuals to focus on those particular gifts and hone them into excellence.” (Simpson, 2014)
• I will work with you to help build teaching and learning experiences that are relevant and purposeful and experiences that encourage children to “find their joy and place it at the centre of their lives.”(Simpson, 2014) 

It is with great honor and humility that I work to lead this amazing and special place. I believe that we are all leaders, teachers, and learners. And I am so looking forward to learning, leading, and teaching alongside you.

With Much Admiration, Respect, and Joy,

Jennifer Almer-Johnson

Principal

jenniferalmer@burbankusd.org

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