Robert Down Principal's Update

Dear Robert H. Down School Community,

Our school has been bustling with activity this past week!

Last Friday, January 30, our 4th grade students led a beautiful assembly with an important message on the importance of Empathy and Kindness. We also had a chance to celebrate our January birthdays and recognize students whose green tickets got drawn to have lunch with me!

One of parents, Jessica Morris, has put up a festive Mardi Gras display near the Ottertorium to share a bit about her family’s tradition from Louisiana! Thank you!

We are so grateful to Dr. Jeremias Zunguze, CSUMB Professor of Africana Studies, for sharing with our 3rd-5th grade students this week on the rich heritage of a variety of African civilizations, their valuable contributions, and the diversity of the vast continent!

Thanks to PTA parent, Heather Lazare, our Read-A-Thon continues this week and ends on Friday, February 6!

Thank you to parent Debby Beck for stepping in as a volunteer at the crosswalk on Tuesday!

Remember to have your child bring in some books for our Book Swap at lunch on Friday, February 6. Many thanks to Jessica Thompson for coordinating this and for the team of PTA volunteers for making this fun event run smoothly.

We encourage you to join us for Book Night on Friday, February 6 from 5:45PM-7PM in the Cafeteria!

Tonight, Thursday, February 5 at 6:30PM, a group of third grade students will be presenting at the PGUSD Board meeting to share about their work as Allergy Advocates! Feel free to tune in online or come see their presentation.

This week we celebrate National School Counseling Week and want to take a moment to recognize our amazing school counselor, Sonda Frudden, for all of the tremendous support she provides our students. We also want to recognize Julia Triplett, our mental health therapist, as well as Thalia Jones, our school psychologist, who each also provide counseling services for students as well. I am so grateful for the resources and support they have been to our school community.

Get ready for Kindness Week next week from February 9-12! Sonda Frudden, our school counselor, has planned a variety of fun and engaging kindness activities for students to do during lunch next week. Huge thanks to our volunteers who have signed up to make it a success for our students!

As many classes get ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day next week, please adhere to our District Wellness Policy. We have many students with a variety of food allergies and to ensure we keep all students safe, any valentines with food-related items should be consumed after students have returned home. Thank you.

🛑 Safety: A Community Effort

On Friday, February 6, at 1:45PM. our school site will engage in a Drop, Cover, and Hold On Safety Drill. To review the protocols, click here. In addition, here is a copy of the script that will be used.

As a friendly reminder, please be sure to only drop off in the designated areas. If there is no room, I encourage you to find a street a block or two away to park and make the walk a time to connect with your student(s). DO NOT park in the bus loading zone.

Also, a gentle reminder to only utilize the accessible parking spaces if you have an accessibility placard. Thank you for your consideration.

📅 Upcoming Dates

Jan 26 – Feb 6 - Read-A-Thon

February - Black History Month

Feb 2-6 - National School Counselor Week

Feb 6 - Book Swap - bring a book, take a book! Lunchtime in the Ottertorium.

Feb 6 - Book Night (5:45 PM – 7:00 PM)

Feb 9 – 12 - Kindness Week

Feb 13 – 20 - President’s Holiday Break (NO SCHOOL)

Feb 14 -Valentine’s Day

Feb 17 - Mardi Gras & Lunar New Year

Feb 18 - Ramadan Begins

Feb 23 – 26 - Book Fair Week

📣 Important School News

• 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

• 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.

• Kindness Week (Feb 9-12): We need volunteers from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM for lunchtime activities. Please see the schedule below and email Counselor Sonda Frudden (sfrudden@pgusd.org) to help.

• Cultural Celebrations: We would love your help highlighting Black History Month, Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, Ramadan, 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.

• Join Our Team: We are still seeking a paid Crossing Guard. This is a perfect role for a retiree or neighbor looking to give back.

This position follows the school calendar (180 days) and requires approximately one hour per day, spread across dismissal and arrival times:

• 8:30–8:50 a.m. (Monday–Friday)

• 1:55–2:15 p.m. (Monday–Friday)

• 3:10–3:30 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday)

• 👉 Apply for the Paid Position Here

• 👉 Sign up to Volunteer as a Crossing Guard Here

Note: We have now placed a clipboard and some orange flags on each end of the sidewalk on Pine and 13th St to make it easier to volunteer to escort students across the crosswalk! (Look on top of the silver box posted on the pole at 15th and Pine by the school.) Sign up as a volunteer using this link above, even if you can only help on occasion!

I’m so honored to be the principal of this amazing school.

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