This page contains the answers to some common questions about the PTA website and a few school and program-related questions too.
Whom do I contact for help?
This can depend on the question at hand. Your first contact for a question relating to your student, their classes, or their work, is going to be their classroom teacher. If you're having a hard time navigating any of this, you can also always reach out to us at the PTA! https://puestadelsolpta.ourschoolpages.com/Home Feel free to reach out to Jessica Smiddy at memberatlarge@Puestadelsolpta.org as well.
Where can I find Spanish language resources right now?
As always, reach out to your teacher for properly leveled ideas! You can also reach out to other families through our Puesta del Sol Facebook pages. There are many! Other resources include using the Library Catalog. Sra. Brody has provided this link, which shows our Spanish ebook collections in our Destiny Catalog. If you locate a book of interest in the Destiny Catalog, you can view the KCLS website to see if they have a copy available. Remember, living in Bellevue, you are also able to register to use the Seattle Public LIbrary's resources!
Destiny: https://collections.follettsoftware.com/collection/5f135295c1c3f400124011ce
KCLS: https://kcls.org/
SPL: https://www.spl.org/
KCLS programs in Spanish are often published here: https://www.facebook.com/bibliotecaskcls
My child is new to the language (or newer.) What are a few things I can do quickly to help give them some extra exposure?
READ! Picture books are excellent! Have your child create labels for some common objects in your home; add the month and days of the week names to your calendar. You can create a word wall with their current letter or vocabulary words. Have them explain the new words to you, both how to say the word and what it means. The scholastic website may have some programs, articles, and activities available in Spanish.
USE IT!: Ask your child what something means, or what you call a household item. Sometimes this might mean pretending you don't know, so they can be the teacher. Even ten seconds here and there is using the language and building their fluency!
WRITE: Try a penpal! It could be another student in their class, an older student (amigitos style?) or even an adult that is familiar with the language. That penpal could be within our school, grade, or even classroom!
SCREENS: El Perro y El Gato is helpful since it includes both English and Spanish for everything said. (It does NOT keep to the school of thought on immersion, of course, since it would be a 50/50 program.) Watching Sesame Street in Spanish, or even some of the shows your child watched as a preschooler can also help. HBO sometimes offers a few of these, particularly Sesame Street. *Sesame Street is broadcast with Spanish dubbing, OR actually created in Spanish. Both can be helpful. Some streaming services can be changed into Spanish (for instance, we keep our "Kids" Netflix profile in Spanish, but the adult's profile in English.)
Our family is new to Puesta del Sol. Where can I find basic information that incoming families should know?
Please check out our New to Puesta del Sol page on the website! It contains important information to help you get started at the school, including information on school and PTA communications, transportation, and back-to-school events and activities.
We are a returning Puesta del Sol family. How can I update our family's information for the online and printed directories?
Your family's account information can be updated here.
My child's other parent lives at a different address. What is the best way to set up accounts on the website for families where a child has more than one household?
Please review our Multiple Households page for options on setting up your accounts.
I would like to volunteer. Where do I go to do that?
View our Volunteer Sign Up. Check back regularly for new volunteer opportunities.
My spouse and I both want to sign up for the same volunteer position at school (for example, field day set up). How can we do so if the online volunteer sign up packet only accepts one person's name?
You and your spouse can both sign up for the same volunteer position (for example, Field Day set-up) by having one person complete the online volunteer packet twice. The person completing the online sign-ups would enter one spouse's name into the volunteer sign up the first time through and then the other spouse's name the second time through.
I have completed a BSD volunteer application in the past, but at a different school within the Bellevue School District. Does my application transfer over to Puesta del Sol?
If your child is still within the same school level within the district (i.e. elementary, middle, or high school), then your application will transfer over. For example, if the application is filled out during the Kindergarten year, it will remain valid through the end of 5th grade. When students move to middle school, the BSD volunteer application will need to be resubmitted by the parent. A new application will also be required when the student moves to high school.
I would like to make a donation to support the Puesta del Sol PTA. How do donations work?
You can donate to the Puesta del Sol PTA as a parent/guardian or as a guest. There are two separate links which can be found under "Donate" on the side menu bar of the website homepage, one for parents and one for non-parents.
We encourage corporate matching of donations to maximize dollars for our school PTA. Please see our Corporate Matching page for specific details. For fundraising events like Walkathon where incentives are given for reaching certain donation goals, incentives are given only for the initial amount donated by the parent or guest, not the amount reached after corporate matching has occurred.
How do I check if I have registered and/or paid online for my child for a class or event, or if I have paid for a Yearbook or other order?
You can check on online registrations, payments and orders on your account page. Spirit Wear is now sold by a private vendor and these orders will not appear on your website account page.
I registered my child for a class, but am now needing to cancel his/her registration. How do I remove my registration?
You can edit your registration on your account page. You will change the response for "Participating?" from "Yes" to "No". Please email the Registrar to initiate a refund request.
Am I able to get a refund for a class, camp, ticket, or activity that I paid for?
Please read about our refund policies on the PTA Financial Policies page.
I don't think our family is signed up to receive important emails about school activities. How can I get on the email list?
Families can go to the subscription page on the PTA website and sign up for both the Newsletter and the Periodic emails.
We are a new family at Puesta del Sol. Why aren't we receiving important emails about school activities?
Email communication is often confusing for families because there is different paperwork to complete for the district, the school, and the PTA. Unfortunately, the school/district cannot provide the PTA with parent information due to privacy issues, and families must enroll in PTA communications themselves. The PTA tries to spread the word and gather as many names and emails as possible from social events before school begins for new families. Families also can go to the subscription page on the PTA website and sign up for both the Newsletter and the Periodic emails.
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