Correo Aereo visits Puesta del Sol

The Puesta del Sol PTA welcomes Correo Aereo, a musical group from Seattle performing music with a focus on Mexico and Peru.

They will perform today, December 15th during a School Assembly. We encourage you to ask your students about their thoughts. Specifically, you can ask about which instruments they saw and heard (guitar, harp, violin, voice and percussion), where the music was from (Mexico and Peru) and any new spanish vocabulary they learned (tambor - drum, guitarra - guitar, arpa - harp).

December Passport Check

Tuesday, December 19th from 1-3pm

STEAM Room (in 5th grade pod)

Passport Check is Tuesday, December 19th. Your child is encouraged to learn all about Mauritania for Special Itinerary. Consider giving the gift of time this month and volunteering on check day. We need you!

Night out with the Puesta del Sol PTA at the Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey Game

Join Puesta del Sol PTA for a night out at the Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey game.

Sunday, February 4th, 2024 at 5:05PM

at the accesso ShoWare Center:

625 W James St

Kent, WA 98032

Tickets are $25 each and must be ordered by January 15, 2024. https://puestadelsolpta.org/Packet/SeattleThunderbirdsTix

If you would like to sit with another family, please place one order for the entire group. (No refunds).

Tickets will be emailed to the email address associated with your PTA membership approximately a week before the game.

*It is our PTA mission to support every child, financial assistance is available for this activity. If interested, please please see our Financial Aid Form.



Questions? Contact Aly at familyfun@puestadelsolpta.org

Academic Challenge

Academic Challenge is back!

What is the Academic Challenge?

The Academic Challenge is a free enrichment program for all students in grades K-5 at Puesta del Sol. This is an optional, non-competitive program for students to challenge themselves and foster a love of learning and exploration beyond the classroom. Each student can earn an Academic Challenge Trophy by completing 4 of the 6 activities and/or the Principal's Medal by completing all 6 activities. Awards will be given at a school-wide assembly in June.

Academic Challenges:

1. Science Fair: Complete a science project and presentation for the school Science Fair. More information will be available later in the school year.

2. Multi-Cultural Project: Projects form OR

Passport Club: Complete all Levels 1-5 AND 6 Special Itineraries for the months of November - April.

3. Math: Complete at least 10 additional hours of math outside regularly assigned classwork and homework to earn credit.

4. Book Reviews: Read 5 books at your reading level and complete a book review for each book.

5. Computer Programming: Complete at least 5 hours of programming in any computer language (e.g. Java, Python, etc.).

6. Keyboarding: Practice for at least 5 hours with any program of your choice.

See PTA website for details and for required forms

Questions : AcademicChallenge@puestadelsolpta.org

Ice Skate and raise money for

Puesta del Sol PTA!

Nov. 17, 2023 through Jan. 15, 2024

Located at Bellevue Downtown Park and featuring the region’s largest covered open-air ice (real frozen water) skating experience, admission/reservations can be made on-line as of NOW. Make sure to notify rink staff upon arrival that you are affiliated with the Puesta del Sol PTA (they are not able to track fundraising tally on the e-ticketing ticket reservation platform). See hours, directions and special events if interested.

International Festival

Do you have great organizational skills?

Are you good at directing children and managing a stage?

Puesta needs TWO CO-CHAIRS for the International Festival in May.

Please consider signing up!

Responsibilities include

• Work with the PTA communications team to develop promo for the event and registration for the various acts
• Create a rehearsal calendar
• Work with Amity Interns for their dance acts, with Sra Rose for Marimba acts and coordinate with Fiesta Latina and Flamenco acts
• Recruit day of event volunteers
• Collaborate with PTA or 5th grade events for concession sales

Work is heaviest Feb/March (coordinating acts) and then the two weeks leading up to the event.

Contact : Events@puestadelsolpta.org if you are interested

Winter Session starts January 2nd! Sign up now!

Looking for a before or after school program for your student(s)?

Sessions start January 2nd and end the week of March 11th (unless otherwise stated).

Check out our before and after school programs that kick off in January!

Registration pages are live for the following programs:

Drama Kids (Mondays, 3:45pm - 4:45pm)

The Drama Kids Composite Class is designed to help each child achieve invaluable life skills with a variety of interesting and stimulating drama-based lessons. Students will participate in a wide range of activities including speech, dramatic movement, improvisation, snippets, and brief scripted pieces.

https://puestadelsolpta.org/Article/View/51946

Fiesta Latina (Tuesdays, 8:00am - 8:50am)

Fiesta Latina will help students improve coordination, boost confidence, and gain a deeper understanding of social dancing in the Latin American lifestyle! Students will move to the rhythms and beats of hip hop inspired dances, while practicing their Spanish in a casual, fun and friendly way.

https://puestadelsolpta.org/Article/View/51267

Soccer | GOALS (Tuesdays, 3:45 - 4:50pm)

This is a fun and engaging soccer skills class for players of all age and skill levels.

https://puestadelsolpta.org/Article/View/51389

Flamenco (Wednesdays, 1:25pm - 2:25pm)

Students will learn beautiful dance movements, involving a lot of arm and hand movements, proud posture, lots of fun rhythmical foot stomping, percussion of different kinds of hand clapping to flamenco rhythms, shouts of encouragement as flamenco artists do, a fun singing number with clapping and choreography, and another more involved choreography.

https://puestadelsolpta.org/Page/Programs/Flamenco

Yoga (Thursdays, 8:00am - 8:50am)

Each weekly practice will include deep breathing, sun salutations, a variety of accessible postures, a peaceful meditation and gratitude circle. Kids will learn about the importance of self care and the many benefits of a regular yoga and meditation practice.

https://puestadelsolpta.org/Article/View/51947

Chess Wizards (Fridays, 3:35pm - 4:35pm)

January 19 - April 5, 2024

(Friday morning session being added - stay tuned)

An interactive, discovery-based curriculum inspires students to think ahead, visualize their goals, treat others with respect and to learn from mistakes. Our classes are geared to suit children of all skill levels; from chessling to checkmate artist, students will build upon their knowledge through lessons, tournaments, variation games and more! https://www.chesswizards.com

Sign up to be a PTA Caregiver Coordinator and receive a discounted registration fee for up to one child! Our Caregiver Coordinators support the program their student is registered in by taking attendance (must be present) and helping students. 1-2 Caregiver Volunteers needed per program.

New programs coming to Puesta del Sol!

Have questions or ideas, email us at: edenhancement@puestadelsolpta.org.

President: Holly Ellis-Brown

Treasurer Deposits: Michele Snydsman

Treasurer Payables: Adam Droker

Co-Secretary: Jim Simmons

Co-Secretary: Julie Keeney

Member at Large: Joel Ingraham

VP of Membership: Jodi Sternoff

Director of School Relations: Carla Merkow

Co-Director of Educational Enhancements: Stephanie Parkins

Co-Director of Educational Enhancements: Alice Kim

Co-Director of Educational Enhancements: Jackie Zawalski

Co-Director of Fundraising: Aubra Moore

Co-Director of Fundraising: Dan Welygan

Director of Special Events: Sarah Moon

Director of Communications: Jennifer Green Li

From the Puesta del Sol PTA Board of Directors

Bellevue School District is currently experiencing budget shortfalls and has proposed Middle School consolidation as a possible partial solution.

Our PTA Board has worked together to issue the following statements. These opinions are reflective of the current Board of Directors and not our full Puesta del Sol PTA Membership.

*We support the Bellevue PTSA Council resolution adopted on 12/4/23 “to declare that Bellevue School District Budget reduction process be collaborative with the community and focused on reducing impacts to the academic and extra-curricular opportunities of all students K-12.”

*We acknowledge that the current Middle School Consolidation discussion is challenging and concerning. We encourage everyone to engage in discussions and actions with respect and kindness. As a PTA Board, we will focus our efforts on collaborating with other PTAs in our District to come up with solutions that serve all of our students.

*We call on our community to advocate for Washington State to fully fund public education: specifically to fund special education at the level required by law and to adjust the regionalization of our local levy caps. If both advocacy items succeed, our school district would have an additional 20-40 million dollars annually, which would alleviate the budget crisis.

Some Ways to Get Involved:

Attend Bellevue School District Board meetings. Our superintendent, Dr. Kelly Aramaki, has said that new information and feedback from the listening sessions will be released this month. You can attend in person or virtually. More information here: https://bsd405.org/about/school-board/meetings/

Full text of the Bellevue PTSA Council Resolution can be found here.

To assist with Washington State advocacy efforts, please contact advocacy@bellevueptsacouncil.org.

BSD has updated their Middle School Consolidation webpage. Please find it here: https://bsd405.org/departments/finance/middle-school-enrollment-consolidation-study/

Many of our Puesta del Sol families have students at Tillicum Middle School, but they are not the only school who could be affected by consolidation. Please look for more information at each of the BSD Middle School PTAs here: Chinook PTA, Highland PTA ,Odle PTA, Tillicum PTA, and Tyee PTA.

Article about Our School Building in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Our beautiful new school building was featured in an article in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce on December 8th! The full article is available on the SDJC website: https://www.djc.com/news/ae/12160914.html, and it highlights the unique achievements of our building.

For families who may not be aware, our building is the first full-scale net-zero elementary school to be built in the state. Information about our building is featured on the infographic mural inside the school, in the atrium before you walk down the hallway toward the 2nd, 1st, and Kindergarten pods.

2023-2024 BSD Family Calendar

2024-2025 & 2025-2026 BSD Family Calendar

BSD Cultural Calendar

Bus Route Information

Bellevue Family Hub

Mental Health Services

Nutrition Services:

BSD Elementary Lunch Menu Dec. 2023

Technology Support for Students & Families

Be a Bellevue School District Volunteer

Coming Soon: Open Transfer and Choice Schools and Programs Application Period

The Open Transfer and Choice Schools and Programs application period for the 2024-2025 academic year will take place from Monday, December 11, 2023, to Friday, January 19, 2024.

Open House Events:

• Puesta Del Sol Elementary School Open House, passed - Tuesday, December 12, 2023
• Tillicum Middle School Open House, Wednesday, January 17, 2024

The Bellevue School District has partnered with Care Solace to complement districtwide efforts to provide our learning community with access to mental health care and support student well-being. Care Solace is a central hub that connects students, staff and their families to care. At no cost to you, Care Solace will quickly and confidentially find available mental health and substance use providers matched to your needs.

Care Solace helps school districts provide care coordination for every student, staff member, and family member in need. The Care Solace team is always available — including nights, weekends, and holidays — in 200+ languages.

BSD Newsletter

An e-newsletter was sent to BSD staff and families on Thursday, November 22, with information about how community partners support BSD schools, mental health resources, preparing for school and program open houses, and more. Read it here: BSD News and Events: November 22, 2023

Bellevue School District is now hiring bus drivers!



Interested? Apply here!

National PTA 2023-2024 Multicultural Calendar