Robert Down Principal's Update
May 28, 2026
Principal's Message
Dear Robert H. Down Families,
It is hard to believe that our 2025–2026 school year is coming to an end! Our staff has worked tirelessly to ensure a memorable finish to the year with a plethora of fun activities, celebrations, and special field trips.
I want to extend a huge thank you to our amazing Nutrition Services staff, who hosted a splendid end-of-year BBQ for all of our students and staff on Tuesday, May 26. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the freshly grilled hot dogs, burgers, and cheese sandwiches, along with fresh salad, fruit, and chips! Thank you to Director Robert Silveira, Ms. Rosa Diaz, and Ms. Lindsey Crow Scheiber for all of your extra efforts to make this event so special.
As we look toward a restful summer, please review the important updates, reminders, and final-day schedules below.
🍎 Important Policy Update: 2026–2027 School Year
Health and Wellness Policy Looking ahead to the 2026–2027 school year, the Robert Down Elementary Leadership Team has decided that we will no longer allow food-related birthday celebrations in order to better comply with our District Wellness Policy. Moving forward, any food-related classroom activities will be planned exclusively by teachers, directly tied to the grade-level curriculum, and fully compliant with district wellness guidelines. Please also keep in mind we have many students with life-threatening food allergies. We appreciate your partnership in keeping our students healthy and safe.
🌻 Celebrating our 5th Graders & PGHS Graduates!
We have a beautiful tradition to close out the year. Please consider having your student(s) bring a flower or small bunch of flowers on the last day of school to line the field for our promoting 5th-grade graduates. Afterward, these flowers will be transported to the high school to decorate the Pacific Grove High School graduation ceremony that afternoon!
🌿 Donations Needed for the Robert Down Garden!
When students visit the school garden with Farmer Keith, they can now wander into one of our four new Theme Gardens tucked among the flower beds. These spaces are designed for independent play, imagination, and wonder right in the middle of the school day!
We need safe, small, weatherproof, and washable items to bring these themed spaces to life (no stuffed animals, please). Nothing needs to be new!
Princess Garden: Fairies, castles, toy mushrooms, frogs
Rough & Ready Garden: Toy trucks, cars, trains, tracks
Mindful Kids Garden: Small, sweet toy animals of all kinds
Anything Goes! Garden: Surprise us!
Where to drop off: Please bring all garden donations directly to the Robert Down Front Office. Every little item you donate becomes part of a child's discovery!
📣 Quick Reminders & Notices
We Value Your Voice: We are always looking for ways to improve. If you haven't yet, please take a moment to complete our End-of-Year Survey to share what went well and where we can grow. Thank you to those who have already responded!
Lost & Found Last Call: Our lost and found racks are currently overflowing. Please stop by the campus to claim any missing jackets, lunchboxes, or water bottles. All remaining items will be donated to a local charity immediately after the last day of school.
1st Day School Supplies: Our PTA has partnered with 1st Day School Supplies to streamline next year's supply shopping. Click Here to purchase a convenient kit that will be delivered directly to the school before the first day!
Registration & Enrollment: Do you know an incoming TK or Kindergarten family? Please encourage them to register! Additionally, all returning families should have received 2026–2027 registration information. Please complete the required updates in ParentVUE as soon as possible. If your student(s) will not be returning next year, please notify us immediately by emailing rhdoffice@pgusd.org.
⏰ Last Day of School Schedule (Friday, May 29)
We have an action-packed final day planned! Please note that school dismissal is at 12:15 PM, and the Monarch Club will close early at 3:00 PM.
| 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | PGHS Senior Walkthrough | TK–5th Grade |
| 9:20 AM – 10:00 AM | Maypole, TK–2nd Performances & Instrumental Music (on the blacktop) | Select 5th Grade & TK–2nd |
| 10:10 AM – 11:50 AM | TK–2 Fun Day (including the Wheelie Mobile) | TK–2nd Grade |
| 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM | Grade 5 Promotion Ceremony (at the top of the stairs on the field) | 5th Grade Families |
| 11:50 AM – 12:15 PM | School-Wide Family Picnic | TK–5th Grade |
🗓️ Looking Ahead: Next School Year
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
First Day of the 2026–2027 School Year!
Wishing each of you a safe, wonderful summer, and I look forward to welcoming many of you back to school in August!
With joy and gratitude,
Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal
2026-2027 Pre-Registration OPEN
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.
Update - Life-Threatening Allergy Awareness and Education
Otterly Adorable
Flyers
We will hold sign-ups in August, followed by tryouts, and then begin the season in September.
What is FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL)?
FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) is a fun, hands-on robotics program for students that combines science, technology, engineering, coding, teamwork, and creativity. Students work in teams to design, build, and program LEGO robots to complete missions on a themed competition table. Along the way, they also research and solve a real-world problem connected to the season’s challenge.
FLL is designed to help students learn important STEM skills while building confidence, communication, leadership, and teamwork. Teams are guided by coaches and mentors, but students are encouraged to do the problem-solving, designing, and programming themselves.
In FIRST LEGO League students:
Build and program LEGO robots using motors and sensors
Learn coding and engineering concepts
Work together as a team to solve challenges
Research real-world problems and present innovative solutions
Practice public speaking and presentation skills
Develop creativity, persistence, and critical thinking
Competitions Include:
Robot Game: Robots complete missions on a challenge field
Innovation Project: Teams research and present a solution to a real-world issue
Robot Design: Students explain their engineering and programming process
Core Values: Teams demonstrate teamwork, inclusion, and gracious professionalism
FIRST LEGO League is ideal for students who enjoy building, coding, problem-solving, and working collaboratively in a supportive and exciting environment.
Our teachers worked directly with 1st Day School Supplies to build next year’s lists.
That means when you order, you are getting exactly what your child’s teacher requested.
No substitutions.
No second-guessing.
It is a simple, organized way to start the school year confident and prepared.
Purchase of these items through 1st Day of School is optional and would be considered a donation to the school and is a fundraiser for PTA.
Robert Down Social & Emotional Learning Curriculum Information for Parents
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.
Robert Down Elementary School
Website: https://robertdown.pgusd.org/
Location: 485 Pine Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
Phone: (831) 646-6540
Email: RHDOffice@pgusd.org