We are so glad that you are here with us at Puesta del Sol! We understand that things can feel overwhelming when starting a new school so we created this page of helpful tips to get you through the first couple of months.
While waiting for school to start…
Neither of these groups are not sponsored by Puesta del Sol Elementary School, Bellevue School District, or the Puesta del Sol PTA. These are closed groups, so you will need to request to join and will be admitted by one of our moderators, who are Puesta del Sol seasoned parents.
Thanks and Welcome!
- The Puesta Del Sol PTA Board
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What is PTA?
Puesta del Sol PTA mission statement is: To support, reinforce, enhance and promote our children’s Spanish immersion experience and overall education, health and wellbeing.
And how does this look in real life? The PTA helps to organize community-building events (like the ice cream social or fall Pumpkin Bash), classroom experiences, and before and after school activities. They also help organize and fund the Amity Interns and provide grants to teachers and other school departments.
Joining the PTA
It costs $18 per person or $30 per family (two adults) to join the PTA. Financial aid is available. Memberships are valid from the day they are purchased through October of the following school year. Joining the PTA does not obligate you to donate or volunteer or attend any of the events. PTA membership also comes with some community perks! Learn more about joining at the PTA Membership FAQ page.
Communication
Email is the preferred method of communication for both the school and the PTA. If you do not receive these communications during the first month of school, please reach out to the responsible group to get added. Emails gathered will only be used by Puesta del Sol PTA and will never be shared with advertisers or other organizations. There is a lot of great communication so make sure you receive ALL of the following:
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From the PTA: |
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If you do not receive these communications by the end of September please reach out to the responsible group to get added. If you have another email address you would like to add or a community member would like to have access to our communications, please use the same two subscribe links above. If you have further questions about communications, please contact [email protected].
There are also multiple apps that are beneficial to have for the school year.
Back To School Forms
There is a link on the main Puesta del Sol PTA website to complete back to school forms. This is an opportunity to add yourself to the school directory, pay for PTA membership, learn about volunteer opportunities, order a yearbook, and enter a size for your child’s free Walkathon t-shirt (the free t-shirt is actually really important, as the teachers will often request kids wear them for field trips).
Student School Supplies
Please find the suggested school supply list for 2024-25 here. Items that are unique to your child (backpack, headphones, lunchbox, notebook, back-up clothes) should be labeled clearly with their name; supplies that include multiple pieces (like crayons, wipes/tissues, pencils, etc) do not need to be labeled because they will be pooled and shared with the class.
Transportation – Dropping Off
Transportation – Riding the Bus
Transportation – Changes to pick-up
Please e-mail your child's teacher and the office ([email protected]) in the morning (or as soon as you know) to let them know if there is going to be a change to what your usual afternoon plan is.
School schedule
PTA-Sponsored School Events
Throughout the year, there are many social events that are sponsored by the PTA. The entire Puesta del Sol community is invited to attend these, regardless of whether or not you are a member of the PTA. The events page on the PTA website does a great job of detailing what some of these events are. The big ones that you can plan around this fall include:
In general, the events at the school are free to attend. There are outside events like Mariners Night, where a ticket must be purchased (but even then, there is financial aid available if ticket cost is a barrier to attending). Many of the events at school will have groups selling concessions to raise money. You have been warned in case your kids see these food table setups before you do.
PTA Fundraisers
Other than membership dues, the main way the PTA receives money to fund events and programs is through fundraising. There are several fundraisers planned for this year, beginning with the Walkathon at the end of September.
Classroom Volunteer Roles
In addition to all of the school wide volunteer opportunities, there are also opportunities to volunteer in your child’s classroom. For kindergarten students, your teacher will give you something at WA Kids conferences to fill out if you are interested in any of these. If you are not attending a WA kids conference, you can e-mail your teacher directly after school starts. Each classroom ideally has at least one person in each of these roles:
In the fall, once the classroom volunteer assignments are all figured out, you’ll get an e-mail from your room parent about collecting class-level funds. This money is held by the class treasurer and used to purchase items for the class parties and if there is money leftover, it can be used for a gift for the teacher. Room parents are separate from PTA so they do not receive money for class parties outside of what is collected directly from classroom parents. Contributing to classroom level funds is always optional, nobody outside of the class treasurer (and maybe room parent) will know if you did/did not contribute, and your child will still be able to participate in class parties if you are not able to contribute anything.
Volunteering
School Photos
Lost and Found
The lost and found is located in between the main office and the stairs that lead down to the gym. There are parent volunteers that help try to keep it organized. If this are found with a name label, they will get returned to students. If they are unlabeled, they end up in the lost and found. Use this as your motivation to label things! The lost and found is emptied out and the contents are donated several times a year, usually right before a school break. If your child loses something that is high value (like a wallet or glasses), they will go to a separate lost and found in the office.
Yearbook
One of the PTA projects is putting together a yearbook each year. If you want a yearbook, you must order it at the beginning of the school year. The form to order is included in the back to school forms, and there is a link on the PTA website. You must authorize your child to be in the yearbook; this can be done in the ParentVue app.
Before & After School Care - Before and after school programs may be available at Puesta del Sol through Right at School for children kindergarten through 5th grade. Here is more information from the school district with links to enroll: Before & After School Programs
Preschool - Please note that if you are picking up for preschool, there is limited parking in the Preschool parking spots. Be prepared to park and walk the first few weeks of school if you are not in the lot by 3pm. Starting around 3:15pm, you won't be able to get to the parking lot until the pick up line starts moving at 3:35pm. The line is usually done by 3:45pm.
Communicating with office or PTA via child's binder - If you need to get a note to the front office or PTA, you may put it in your child's binder/backpack. And please look in your child's binder/backpack for communication from the front office or PTA.
School Directory - The School Directory is an Online Directory, searchable only by name or teacher, which is on the side menu of our website. Only authorized users will have access to our school directory. An authorized user of the Online Directory is someone who is a paid PTA member and who has a student enrolled at Puesta del Sol.