Robert Down Principal's Update

Dear Robert H. Down School Community,

It has been wonderful seeing many of you during Conference Week this week! Thank you for being a valuable partner as we all work together to support each and every student at Robert Down Elementary!

I hope to see you this evening at our STEAM Night/Science Fair! Our 5th grade teacher, Stefanie Pechan and the STEM Club have worked hard to prepare a variety of activities, we will have the Monterey County FabLab on campus for students to create, our Robotics students will be showing their robots, and we have 17 student entries to our Science Fair! In addition, we will have delicious tacos for sale!

Our final numbers from our Book Fair came in! Gross sales totaled over $15,000 and nearly 2000 books were purchased, almost double our initial goal! A million thanks for all your support!

We held the Semi-Finals of our Spelling Bee this week! Congratulations to our 21 students who are advancing to the Final round on Wednesday, March 19! Appreciation goes to all the parents who helped check the words and to our very own 4th grade teacher/Spelling Bee Coordinator, Alex Jenner, who organized this special event this year.

Order your Robert Down 2024-2025 Yearbooks now! In addition, ads are also available for purchase. For details and the QR code to order, see below or click here.

TK/K Pre-Registration: Do you or does someone you know have a child that is turning 4 by September 1, 2025? Or do you or does someone you know have a child that did not attend TK, but is ready for Kindergarten in the Fall? If so, it’s time to pre-register here.

Culture of “We”- Opportunities for Engagement

• Ramadan, Lent, Holi, Purim, Nowruz: Does your family celebrate Ramadan, Holi, Purim, or Nowruz or observe Lent? We are looking for people who would like to share about any of these holidays with our school community by creating a display, presenting to our students, or facilitating an activity. If interested, please fill out this form.

• Career Day: Are you passionate about your profession? Would you like to share about your career with our 5th grade students on April 30? If so, please contact Sonda Frudden by March 21, 2025!

Safety Updates

A Secure Campus Drill will be conducted on Tuesday, March 18 at 9:40AM. A description of the protocol can be found here. In addition, I will use this script to walk our school through the drill.

A gentle reminder to please use the loading zone in front of the school on Pine for 3 minute loading and unloading only. If you plan to walk your child(ren) in, please consider parking across the street or a block or two away.

Upcoming Dates

• February 28-March 29: Ramadan (Holy month of fasting for Muslims)

• March: Women’s History Month

• March 8: International Women’s Day

• March 10-14: Conferences (TK/K dismissed at 12:15PM all week. Grades 1-5 dismissed at 12:15PM March 12-14 only.)

• March 13: STEAM Night/Science Fair (w/tacos for sale) 5-7PM

• March 13-14: Purim (Celebration of Jewish Deliverance recounted in Book of Esther)

• March 14: Holi (Hindu Festival of Colors)

• March 17: Professional Development Day (No school for students) St. Patrick’s Day

• March 20: Nowruz (Iranian New Year)

Ramadan Mubarak to those who observe. Happy Holi to those who celebrate. Purim Sameach to those who celebrate. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate.

Wishing each of you a lovely weekend.

Sincerely,

Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal

March 12-14 - Parent Teacher Conferences, dismissal 12:15 PM

March 13 - PTA STEM Night & Science Fair, 5:00-7:00 PM, Cafeteria

March 17 - Professional Development Day for Staff, No School

March 18 - English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting, 2:30 PM

March 18 - School Site Council Meeting, 3:30 PM

March 18 - PTA Meeting, 7:00

March 19 - 5th Grade Parent Orientation, PGMS

March 25 - LCAP Community Input Meeting #2, PGHS Library, 6:00 PM

March 26 - PGUSD 2025-26 TK & Kindergarten Parent Meeting, PGHS Library, 6:00 PM

March 26 - PTA Dine Out, Mountain Mike's Pizza

Please have your child to school on time. Gates open at 8:30 AM. Warning bell rings at 8:40 AM. Final bell rings and instruction begins at 8:45 AM. When a student is tardy it is disruptive to the office and classroom. In addition, students miss important information and announcements from their teacher first thing in the morning.

Did you know that you can report your child's absence with your ParentVUE app? Simply log into your ParentVUE account to send the office a message about why your child is absent.

* Ways to report a student absent *

a) ParentVUE app

b) 24 Hour Absence Line (831) 646-6663

c) Email Annie Deis at adeis@pgusd.org

If you plan on being a VOLUNTEER on campus or a CHAPERONE for a field trip, please be sure you are fingerprint cleared with our district. To make an appointment at the District Office please contact Bree Nehring by calling 607-8892 or emailing bnehring@pgusd.org

Before coming to campus to volunteer, please check with your child's teacher to schedule a time that works best for them.

This notice is to tell you about our voluntary program designed to build the RHD library and foster your child’s love of reading.

Here is how it works: To join the Robert H. Down Birthday Book Club fill out the information below (scroll way down to the bottom of this message to print the Birthday Book forms) and deposit it in the Drop Box at school along with a check for $20.00 (please make the check payable to the P.G.U.S.D. and write R.H.D. Birthday Book on the memo line).

When your child’s birthday month comes around Ms. Scanlon will present a new book in honor of your child’s birthday. Your child will be the first one to check out and read the book that has been donated to the library to celebrate their birthday. A bookplate with your child’s name will be affixed to the inside cover for all future readers to appreciate.

Website: https://robertdown.pgusd.org/
Location: 485 Pine Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
Phone: (831) 646-6540

Email: RHDOffice@pgusd.org