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April 19, 2019 * ISSUE 4.19.19
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Dear Puesta del Sol Families,
I have a motto right now in my family, "finish strong". As we wind down the school-year, our PTA is not only finishing strong, but we have already made plans for next year.
I have a few personal goals for our PTA next year including getting spirit wear back up and running. But largely my goal is to have a team of passionate parents join me to lead the PTA. I have such a love for our Puesta del Sol students and the staff; I want to see them supported as much or greater next year. We are still missing 3 key roles on this team; VP of Educational Enhancement, VP of Special Events, and VP of Fundraising. To make these roles easier to fill, our current board is filling the chair positions as we speak. These roles will be fully supported by seasoned and experienced chairpersons. Additionally, if you know me at all, my goal is to come alongside of PTA board members in a supporting role.
Please read the 3 articles below that describe each role and consider joining the PTA board for next year. Help us continue the amazing programs, events, and supports we already have in place.
Wishing you a happy Spring!
- Anne Wilson
Puesta del Sol PTA co-President
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Upcoming Events
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4/22
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Homework Survey deadline
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4/22-26
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Spirit Week
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4/23
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PTA Fundraising Focus Group (7pm - Ricardo's Restaurant)
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4/24
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3rd (6pm) & 4th (7pm) Grade Concerts
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4/26
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Movie Night (6:30, doors open 6pm)
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4/27
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Math Olympiad Competition
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4/27
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Mariners Night (6:10 pm)
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4/30
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Passport Club Check Day (9:30am) |
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5/1
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Art Fest (6:30pm)
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5/3
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Academic Challenge Final Submission Forms Due
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5/22
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PTA General Membership Meeting (7pm)
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View Full Calendar
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Homework Survey Deadline is 4/22
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Please take the time to fill out an important homework survey! The administration and staff would like to know what your student's experience is with homework and how it aligns with teacher goals.
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Spirit Week, April 22 - 26
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Our community will be celebrating Spirit Week in an effort to build and strengthen community at our school. Each day there will be a theme. If your student plans on participating, please ensure that they are making choices that follow our big three: Somos respetuosos, Somos responsables, y Tomamos buenas decisiones (we are respectful, responsible, and make good decisions).
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Monday
4/22
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Mustache Day
(Día del bigote)
Wear or grow a mustache! |
Tuesday
4/23 |
80's Decade Day
(Día de la década de los 80)
Rock that 80's look! |
Wednesday
4/24 |
Favorite Color Day
(Día del color favorito)
Show off your favorite color! |
Thursday
4/25 |
Rodeo Day
(Día del rodeo)
Dust off your cowboy hat and boots! |
Friday
4/26 |
Famous People Day
(Día de las personas famosas)
Dress like a famous person or artist! |
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Enrichment is Important for Young Minds
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As you probably already know, young minds need stimulation beyond the rigor of academics. Studies show benefits in literacy, health, creativity, and cognitive ability with exposure to the arts. Our parent community at Puesta del Sol has long believed that the standard school curriculum does not provide enough enrichment and diversity in studies for our students especially considering the needs of our specialized Spanish immersion program.
"
The growing body of research on the topic of arts integration in
education
makes a strong case for the increased use of the arts in language learning. And at a time where budget deficits are threatening arts funding for schools across the country, this research lends even more weight to the argument that the arts are absolutely necessary for our students' success." -
This is why the PTA needs your help. We have committees in place for many of our enrichment programs and
we need a VP of Educational Enhancement to oversee these programs. The current board is working hard to secure strong chairpersons for these programs for next year and most are already in place (e.g. Amity committee, art appreciation, science fair, after-school dance and music programs, Reflections, etc.).
The time required for this position can be scaled back from what past VPs have done. The minimum requirements would include collecting budgets from each program committee to present to the board for review and serving as a liaison for the various committees when they need additional support from the PTA.
Please help the PTA help our students! Submit your name to the nominating committee today for the role of VP of Educational Enhancement. If two people serve in this role together, the time needed is even less! Email
nominations@puestadelsolpta.org
and help enrich our students.
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Creating a Community
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What are the most fun events at Puesta del Sol? Our parent community says they love coming to the ice cream social at the start of the year, our fabulous Walkathon, the annual fall Pumpkin Bash, movie nights, Art Fest, International Festival, Mariners events, Field Day, and our PTA coffees on the first day of school and throughout the year. The PTA wants to make sure these events continue and possibly add other fun events like school dances or game nights to continue improving our school community. The VP of Special Events oversees the committees that run these great events by collecting budgets for review, ensuring proper communication takes place with the school office to avoid confusion, and supporting the various chairpeople when they have questions.
Please consider joining the PTA board in the role of
VP of Special Events so that we can continue to support these fun events and bring our community together across all grade levels. Send your name and statement of interest to the Nominating Committee at
nominations@puestadelsolpta.org.
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Supporting our Students
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Which programs at Puesta del Sol are most important to you?
Our survey participants last fall answered this question and told the PTA that they most highly value our six Amity Spanish-speaking aides for each grade, the support the PTA offers to our students and teachers through many additional books and classroom learning materials that the school district doesn't supply, and the PTA-sponsored on- and off-campus experiences for each grade like the Kindergarten Beach Lab, the Toymaker, Botanical Garden visits, 3
rd
grade rocket launch experience, 4
th
grade Pacific Marine Research experience, 5
th
grade visit to Olympia, and more!
Our fundraising proceeds each year are needed to cover the costs of these high value enrichment experiences for our students as well as other
PTA programs and events that support our student's learning and Spanish immersion experience. The PTA Board has been holding Fundraising Focus Groups to gather ideas from our PTA community to help develop a fundraising roadmap for next year. Now we need a
VP of Fundraising to help execute the plan we are putting together.
If you can help oversee the fundraising plan, we have tremendous support already lined up for you next year. Our Walkathon committee for next year is in place already, and also our Big Give Envelope Drive coordinator, as well as several of our passive fundraising chairs. Please send your name and note of interest for the
VP of Fundraising position to the Nominating Committee at
nominations@puestadelsolpta.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Fundraising Focus Group Discussions - Join Us!
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The PTA has held 2 Fundraising Focus sessions so far and we have one more scheduled for next Tuesday night, April 23 at 7pm.
Join us at Ricardo's restaurant in Factoria for light appetizers and to share your input on fundraising for the next school year.
Our goal for active fundraising is $145,000 in order to continue to fund our amazing enrichment programs at Puesta del Sol and to pay for our six Amity interns, classroom experiences and field trips, and additional classroom learning materials and books for our students.
Come hear about some of the great ideas born from our first two fundraising sessions and bring your creative ideas to help develop our fundraising roadmap. If you can't make it on Tuesday, please email your ideas to president@puestadelsolpta.org. We welcome all input!
Tuesday, 4/23 @ 7:00 pm - Ricardo's Restaurant (Factoria)
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Art Fest!
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Wednesday, May 1 from 6:30-8pm
in the Puesta del Sol Gym
All families are encouraged to attend and see students' art pieces on display! There will be art that students created with the SITA (Spanish Immersion Through the Arts) program and projects that each student has made during Art Appreciation. Sra.Rose will have the Marimba Group performing music during the event, Sra.Brody will be leading poetry and the Equity and Diversity Committee will present Immigration stories in the library. In addition, there will be interactive art workshops where students can participate in weaving with our SITA artist Adriana Morales. Bring cash for dinner - the PTA will have a pizza and bake sale. Sign-up for the bake sale here
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It should be a fun family night!
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Family Movie Night - "Moana"
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Friday April 26th
Gym doors open at 6 pm movie starts at 6:30pm
Join Us for our PTA's Movie Night!
We would love to invite all of our Puesta del Sol families to come out and join us for this FREE Family Community Event,
where we will be showing Disney's "Moana" in Spanish
(with English subtitles). This is a great way for your child to earn Spanish Outside of School (SOS) hours, while having a great time with friends and family. There will be free Popcorn and Water, as well as Bake Sale items, to keep us munching while we watch this fun movie filled with adventure. Outside food is also welcome, but in respect to Puesta del Sol's general policy, we ask that all outside food is both Peanut and Tree Nut Free to help keep this safe for all participants.
Doors will open at 6pm so that people can come early and grab a spot prior to the movie starting at 6:30pm. We suggest bringing blankets, pillows and/or low beach chairs (please no higher camp chairs so that everyone will have a chance to see) to spread out on the gymnasium floor and get comfy for the evening. Pajamas are more than welcomed and encouraged.
Please keep in mind, as with all of our PTA Family events, THIS IS NOT A DROP-OFF EVENT, and all children should be accompanied by an adult responsible for them during the entire time.
To learn more about the movie "Moana" please visit
For questions, please email events@puestadelsolpta.org
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Puesta del Sol's PTA Academic Challenge 2019
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The deadline for the Academic Challenge is approaching! Can your student still participate? YES!
Academic Challenge is a non-competitive, voluntary program consisting of academic challenges offered for all K-5 students at Puesta del Sol. Students may select from a variety of challenges which must be completed outside of school.
See the descriptions of the challenges and their due dates on the
Academic Challenge website page
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The deadline to turn in timesheets (available in the office or on the website) and the
Final Submission Form
is
5/3.
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Registration OPEN for PTA After School Programs
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Session 3 includes performing at the International Festival on Saturday, 5/18! Our After School Programs teach music and dance from Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa - all taught in Spanish. Plus, you can self-select the session fee that best fits your family's budget!
Flamenco
on Mondays.
Begins 4/15, registration deadline 4/22.
Fiesta Latina on Tuesdays.
Begins 4/16, registration deadline 4/23.
Bomba del Sol
on Fridays.
Begins TODAY 4/19, registration deadline 4/26.
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Staff Spotlight:
Sra. Peñate-Bush
2nd Grade Teacher
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If you meet this teacher you are sure to experience a smile and a breath of fresh air! Sra. Peñate-Bush has spread her contagious love for her students with warmth and fun in her classroom. She specifically spotlighted EVERY student in her classroom during a SITA art project this year. It is heartwarming to witness her encourage and praise her students.
Sra. Peñate-Bush was born in Colombia. She has been a teacher for an impressive 39 years! At Puesta del Sol she is a 23 year veteran. It is wonderful to see a longstanding "tenure" at our school, and we are lucky to have her as a teacher. By the way, she loves parent help!
Some of her hobbies include walking, dancing, reading, and yoga. You may see her laughing a lot too! She loves a good joke! Another interesting fact: she likes tea, NOT coffee.
Please send a smile her way!
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Flex Your Skills as a PTA Board Member! |
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***Our nominations
deadline April 30 is drawing close! So much of what makes our school unique and enhances our children' education at Puesta simply can't go forward without the support of our families and the PTA Board. If you or someone you know is interested, connect with nominations@puestadelsolpta.org
today!***
We NEED great candidates for the PTA Board Open positions for next year's PTA Board are:
- Co-President
- Deposits Treasurer
- Secretary
- Co-VP of Educational Enhancement (2 positions)
- VP of Fundraising
- VP of Special Events.
Utilize your skills and talents and bring your vision to support the work of the PTA! Your Nominations Committee is Stephanie, Carmel, and Sarah. Email us today!
Questions & Submissions:
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International Festival
Critical Need
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Volunteer Stage Manager
Help make the backstage magic happen! Growth opportunity to become Stage Director in 2020! This role supports and shadows our current stage director with the intent of taking over the stage director role in future years. The role includes planning and executing the entire run of show, from act order to overseeing the backstage crew with lights, props, music, etc.
Short commitment, including only a few planning sessions in May and two "show" days 5/15 & 5/18. No experience necessary!
Interested in volunteering for the International Festival? Please
sign-up here
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| International Festival Volunteers Needed |
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We are gearing up for a fun-filled show on 5/18 with a full line up of acts!
In order to make this event a success we require your help. Please consider signing up to volunteer. For most positions, the time commitment is limited to rehearsal day and/or show day. Opportunities available for middle school and high school students as well.
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| Accepting Amity Host Family Applications for 2019-2020 |
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It's that time of year again!
We are looking for 18+ host families for our Amity interns in the 2019-2020 school-year
. As a host family you gain a new, unique friendship and learning experience by welcoming an intern from a Spanish speaking country into your home. Additionally, your child will benefit from extra practice and help with their Spanish language skills.
We are adding some flexibility to the hosting duration with the addition of a half-year option. This will allow us to make better family/intern matches as well as potentially improve the experience for both interns and families.
If you are interested, please refer to the
FAQ's
for more information, then complete the
Amity Intern Host Family Application
and send it to
amity@puestadelsolpta.org
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All applications for the 2019-2020 academic year must be received by 4/26. However, we will continue to collect applications until we achieve our goal and/or establish a wait-list.
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| Volunteer Coordinator Needed |
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Help Wanted! Actually, help is wanted to organize our help wanted. The PTA can really use someone to help us track our volunteer needs for all the amazing programs we sponsor. Your role would be to notify our newsletter, Facebook, and website teams of current volunteer openings, to review various volunteer reports to locate volunteers, and to answer and redirect inquiries about volunteer positions from possible volunteers. Most of this position can be done from your phone/tablet/computer and can also be done in evenings and on weekends if you aren't available during the day. Please help us help our students!
Please email
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| More Volunteer Needs |
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We need everyone's help to keep all of our programs and the PTA running smoothly.
The PTA is currently looking for the following positions:
* Volunteer Coordinator
* Membership Chair (training available)
* Social Media Manager
Educational Enhancement Team
* Drama Club Chair
*
Garden Club Co-Chair (work with current chair)
* After School Programs Co-Chair (work with current chair)
Please email
if interested. Thank you!
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Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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