Robert Down Principal's Update

Dear Robert H. Down School Community,

It is always a joy to see our students in action throughout our school!

Last week, I really enjoyed a Lunar New Year Reader’s Theater performance of The Great Race performed by Mrs. Jenner’s class in the Garden. The students did a beautiful job reciting their lines with expression, acting out their parts, and even making their costumes/props!

Earlier this week, it was such fun to see Mrs. McNickle’s class explore outside and share their observations and what they perceived to be pros and cons of Daylight Savings Time!

Kindergarten was working hard showing their models and equations of sums to 7 and 8 as well as figuring out how to solve word problems with sums to 6.

In PE, students were sharing when they use their Courage Toolbox Tool.

Seeing our students engaging in learning is one of my favorite elements of my role as principal here!

Thank you to Bubba Gumps!!

Huge thanks to parent Gardenia Bracamontes for letting us know that Bubba Gump’s was willing to support us and for providing us with certificates for us to issue to students receiving Otter Awards through the end of this school year!

Congratulations to our Certificated and Classified Employees of the Year!!

Please join me in giving a huge congratulations to Mrs. Heather Zunguze, our Intervention Teacher, and Mr. Eddie Overstreet, our Otterstodian, for being selected as our inaugural Certificated and Classified Employees of the Year at Robert Down Elementary! Each of them were selected by colleagues here at Robert Down for their incredible dedication, commitment, and skill as they serve our students and school community. We are so incredibly proud of these two very deserving individuals. Click here for what was said to honor both of our Employees of the Year!

TONIGHT!! Elementary STEAM Night at PGMS

Be sure to join us for Elementary STEAM Night at PGMS TONIGHT from 5-7PM! Both Forest Grove and Robert Down families will be there engaging in lots of fun activities including an allergy friendly ice cream making station, fun math games, lots of science activities, and food will be available for purchase! The event will be hosted in the Gym, Flex Lab, and outdoors. Join in the fun!

The Great Taste of PG

PG P.R.I.D.E., a local group that raises and provides significant funding for our classrooms, is hosting a beautiful event called The Great Taste of PG on Saturday, April 4 from 5-8PM at The Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach. See below for flyer and link to sign up!

🛑 Safety: A Community Effort

As you are aware, our fire alarm was triggered this morning just before 8:40AM. I am so grateful for the calm and efficient response from our staff, students, Fire Department, and Police Department. It is a testament to the safety drills we practice throughout the year.

• The Situation: The alarm was set off by a fog machine being set up in a classroom for a science lesson on gases. There was no fire and no danger to the building.

• The Response: Our students and staff acted promptly. Following our practiced protocols, everyone evacuated to the field immediately. Additional staff were on hand to greet students arriving on buses and escort them safely to the staging area.

• The Outcome: The Fire Department arrived promptly and cleared the building. All students were safe and accounted for, returning to their classrooms to start their day by 9:00 AM.

We will be conducting a Secure Campus Drill on Wednesday, March 18 at 9:40AM. Please see here for the protocols we use and click here to see a copy of the script I use for the drill.

Thank you for taking the time to slow down as you approach our school in the mornings and afternoons. Please remember to reserve ADA accessible spaces for those with a placard and to avoid pulling into the bus loading zone.

Huge appreciation goes to our District Office staff as well as PGHS students who have volunteered to support us with safety at the Pine and 13th intersection! Our Crossing Guard position remains open and we invite you to apply here, if interested.

We have placed buckets with flags at the corner of Pine and 13th in the event you see a student or family who may need support, you are welcome to use the flags to assist with the crosswalk.

📅 Upcoming Dates

March - Women’s History Month

March - Disability Awareness Month

March 12 - PG Elementary STEAM Night 5-7PM at PGMS

March 16 - NO SCHOOL

March 17 - St Patrick’s Day

March 18 - Secure Campus Drill at 9:40AM

March 20 - RHD Rock Your Socks Day in honor of World Down Syndrome Day! (See flyer below for more information!)

March 20 - Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)

March 25 - 2026-27 PGUSD TK & K Parent Meeting, PGHS Library, 6:00 PM

March 26 - 5th Grade Career Day

April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day

📣 Important School News

• Is your family leaving before the 2026-2027 school year? If so, please let us know by emailing rhdoffice@pgusd.org so we can plan accordingly. Thank you!

• 2026-2027 Registration: Know an incoming TK or Kindergartner? Pre-registration for next year is now open. See link here.

• Yearbooks: Pre-orders and ads are available now through April 17th here.

• Personal Items: To prevent loss or heartbreak, please ensure toys and sentimental items stay safely at home.

🤝 "Culture of We" Opportunities

• Volunteer to share your career with our 5th grade students! If interested, please email our Counselor Sonda Frudden at sfrudden@pgusd.org

• Volunteer for the Big Sur Marathon and support our PTA! Sign up here.

• Julia Robinson Math Festival Volunteers: We are seeking at least five parent and/or high school volunteers that would be willing to facilitate fun math activities at our STEAM Night on March 12. Training will be provided. Please click here if you are interested.

• Ideas for an Art Mural: We will be working to develop a new mural for the entrance of the school. If you have ideas for images or words you would like to include that represent our school community, please share them here.

• Celebrations: We would love your help highlighting Disability Awareness Month and Women’s History Month. If you would like to create a bulletin board or give a presentation, please email me at ebrownfield@pgusd.org.

Reminder: NO SCHOOL on Monday, March 16!

Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend.

With gratitude,

Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal

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 (click the bell icon next to your child's name)

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

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.

Pre-registration for the 2026-2027 school year is OPEN for new to the district TK and Kindergarten age children. If you have a child turning 4 or 5 years old by September 1, 2026, please submit a NEW STUDENT PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

Turn 4 years old on or before 9/1/26 = Transitional Kindergarten (TK)

Turn 5 years old on or before 9/1/26 = Kindergarten

If your child is a current student at Robert Down you do not need to submit a pre-registration form. This form is only for new to the district children.

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.

Robert Down is proud of our commitment to social and emotional learning (SEL). Both of the programs we use, Toolbox and Second Step, are aligned with the Center for Social and emotional learning (CASEL). You can learn about CASEL and our SEL programs below.

https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/

Robert Down SEL Programs:

1. TOOLBOX

Toolbox is taught in every classroom at RD and on ‘Toolbox Tuesdays’ during P.E. time with Mrs. Tobin and Mr. Dixon. Robert Down has embraced this program for over ten years.

https://toolboxproject.com/https://toolboxproject.com/

2. SECOND STEP

We are in our second year of piloting the Second Step program. Second Step is a research-based program that focuses on developing human skills. Students (K-5) have two second-step lessons per month and 15 in total throughout the year.

https://www.secondstep.org/digital-k-12-curriculum

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

Email: RHDOffice@pgusd.org