August 28, 2017 * ISSUE 8.28.17
Welcome to the 2017-18 Puesta del Sol school year from your PTA Board of Directors!

We are so incredibly excited for the upcoming year and all that it will have in store for our school community. Our PTA has a longstanding tradition of placing our children at the center of our mission and values, as well as constantly finding ways to engage and build our school community. Our students, staff, parents and local community members are all integral to a school's success and the PTA is a key way we can all support our school.

The beginning of the school year can always seem so overwhelming for our children, school staff and parents alike. There will be many upcoming fun and engaging ways to get involved within our Puesta del Sol community and so we invite you to refer to our many forms of PTA communication methods to learn about ways you and your family can jump start into this year. We have a PTA Facebook Page, a beautiful and comprehensive PTA website and our PTA El Sol Newsletter that comes out every other week.

So what are the first basic steps that everyone should be looking to do right now?
  1. Head to our website to start on the First Day Forms. 
  2. Sign up now to become PTA members. There are so many incredible benefits, first and foremost being that it gives you a VOICE to be an advocate for our children. 
  3. Mark your calendars and plan to attend our first PTA General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, September 27th at 6pm at Puesta del Sol. 
  4. Review the many different committees, events and volunteer opportunities that provide a chance to get involved in our community, and consider how you would like to participate this year. 
  5. Enjoy these last precious days of summer and get excited for all we have to look forward to this school year.
We look forward to getting to know you this school year!

Sincerely,

Emily Atar and Amy Ulrich
Puesta del Sol PTA Co-Presidents
Upcoming Events
8/28 Teacher Assignments Mailed
8/31 First Day of School (Grades 1-5) & PTA Morning Coffee Meet-up (9:10am)
8/31& 9/1 Kindergarten Family Connections Conferences
9/1 PTA Board Meeting (1-3pm, PTA Office)
9/4 Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
9/5 Kindergarten First Day of School & PTA Morning Coffee Meet-up for Kindergarten Parents (9:10am)
9/8 Ice Cream Social (6pm)
9/9 Bellevue PTSA Back to School Family Fair (10am - 4pm)
9/13 K-2 Curriculum Night (6pm)
9/14 Grades 3-5 Curriculum Night (6pm)

View Full Calendar
First Day Forms are Ready!
The beginning of the school year means it's time for First Day Forms!
These forms will get you started with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for the school year: sign up to become a member of the PTA community at Puesta del Sol! You will also get the chance to update your child's information in the online directory, purchase Spirit Wear, pre-order yearbooks and sign up for volunteer positions. We're looking forward to another great year, and First Day Forms are the first step!
COMPLETE FIRST DAY FORMS NOW!  
First Day Coffees: Mark Your Calendars to Join us!
Thursday, 8/31, Grades 1-5 &
Tuesday, 9/5, Kindergarten
Join other parents at 9:10am under the covered area for coffee and donuts. Let's share summer stories, reunite and build community! 
Ice Cream Social: An Evening of Sweets & Fun! 
Friday, 9/8 @ 6:00pm, upper Puesta del Sol playground choc_vanilla_ice_cream.jpg
Celebrate completion of the first week of school by j oining other Puesta Del Sol families on the playground for ice cream an d play time! There will be allergy-friendly options, and the whole family is welc ome . This is not a drop-off event. Please stay and meet other families!
We need volunteers!  For questions, or to volunteer, please email Natalie at events@puestadelsolpta.org.
Short-Term Volunteer Opportunity: Governance & Budget Committee
As we kick off this new school year the PTA Board of Directors is looking for membership involvement on a Governance and Budget Committee. 
If you have experience with other boards, have been a committee chairperson, or would like to learn more about the inner-workings of our Puesta del Sol PTA, consider joining this short-term committee to review and update our Standing Rules and operating budget! No experience necessary, only an interest in impacting the overall operations of our member-run organization. All input and recommendations will be voted on at the first General Membership meeting, so your commitment will be fulfilled by the end of September! There is opportunity for involvement both in-person and remotely. Contact president@puestadelsolpta.org.
Bellevue PTSA Back to School Fair
Saturday, 9/9 from 10:00am - 4:00pm @ Bellevue High School 
 This district-wide community fair will have representatives from community partners and the Bellevue School District. Get information on after-school programs, human services, district offerings and so much more! There will be over 60 organizations represented and many parent education sessions for K-12 families. Food trucks will be onsite to purchase food. Questions? Email bellevueptsacouncil@gmail.com .
Walkathon 2017: Save-the-Date!
The 17th Annual Walkathon is happening on 10/6 from 3:30 - 6:00pm 
Donation, RSVP and volunteer information will be released on September 20th.  
Dads: Get Involved with Watch D.O.G.S
Watch D.O.G.S. is a father involvement program of the National Center for Fathering. 
Statistics show that kids develop more fully socially, physically, academically and emotionally when they have a positive male role model actively engaged in their life.  Since school is a significant chunk of your kid's life, check out the Watch D.O.G.S. program at Puesta del Sol. We will host a formal 2017-2018 kickoff/Q&A session in October. Stay tuned for dates and times, or contact Puesta del Sol parent Tyler Parris with questions at watchdogs@puestadelsolpta.org. 

THANK YOU JUBILEE REACH!
Thank you to the over 160 volunteers - both from the Puesta del Sol community and especially those neighbors who don't have children in school here - who selflessly gave their time and energy on Saturday to help our teachers and staff to prepare for the arrival of students this week! Thank you to Ryan and Alison Bieler for organizing service day at Puesta del Sol!

Welcome to a new
school year! 
Now is a great time to join
the PTA!
We are fortunate to have some wonderful programs available at our school thanks to the hard work and generosity of the PTA. We need your support so please join our PTA today! 

You can do so by completing the First Day Forms. 

Although you may still participate in PTA activities without a formal membership, by joining you gain the right to vote on PTA issues - from board members to budgets!

There are also some terrific discounts available to PTA members!  

Did you know you can   view 
the calendar in Outlook or Google   and upload the calendar to your personal calendar?  

That way whenever we make a calendar change, it updates your calendar automatically

Facebook to get up to date reminders. 

View more information here .    

Puesta del Sol PTA    Unit 2.3.95, Bellevue, WA
Emily Atar and Amy Ulrich (Co-Presidents)
425.456.6143 PTA Office
425.456.6100 School Office

Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.