Dear Robert H. Down School Community,
I truly enjoyed having lunch in the garden with several students this week!
Celebrating our School Librarian, Ms. Scanlon!
On Friday, April 3, we celebrated School Librarian Day by presenting our school librarian, Ms. Anne Scanlon, with notes, banners, and messages of appreciation! Not only does she support our students when they are looking for the perfect book to read or doing research projects, but she also ensures our library displays a variety of cultural and meaningful books throughout the year and opens up worlds to our students! She also heads up our Birthday Club Book program and takes great care in selecting the perfect book in honor of each birthday book honoree. We appreciate you, Ms. Scanlon!
Congratulations, Gage DeFoy!
Robert Down 4th Grade student, Gage DeFoy recently won the Chowchilla Go Kart Racing Championship for his age division! Way to go, Gage!
One more thank you for STEAM Night!
My apologies for omitting a very important person who was integral to planning and coordinating stations for our STEAM Night that was held on March 12! Mrs. Stefanie Pechan led our Robert Down STEM Club and supported students with designing stations, providing materials, arranging for the PG Museum of Natural History Wonder Wagon, and organized the STEM Club volunteers. We appreciate all of her tremendous hard work!
School Site Council for 2026-2027
Many thanks to parent, Jessica Thompson, who has served as our SSC Chair for the past two years! At the last School Site Council meeting on Tuesday, April 7, Lauren Heflin was nominated and selected to serve as our new SSC Chair for the new school year. In addition, TK Teacher, Tanya Fadem was nominated and selected to serve as our new Vice Chair, and parent Alexis Shammas was nominated and selected to serve as our new Secretary! We are also grateful that parent Caitlin Van Zanten has volunteered to lead and facilitate the SSC Technology Subcommittee. Congratulations!
Evacuation Safety Drill with Missing Students and Reunification was a Success!
On Tuesday, April 7, our entire school engaged in an evacuation safety drill including a simulation with missing students and parents picking up students. Thanks to our staff and students, the drill went smoothly and we were able to evacuate, take attendance, engage our search and recover teams, find all missing students, and reunite two families in 19 minutes. Many thanks to parents, Carly Adams and Adeline Finley for supporting us with the simulation safety drill!
3rd Grade Toolbox Assembly
Huge thanks to 3rd grade for hosting our Toolbox Assembly focusing on having a "ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE". We also thanked Ms. Cece Waznis for being our crossing guard and wished her well on her next adventure. In addition, we honored all of our military connected students and families.
Purple Up Day April 9
Many of our students and staff wore purple today to honor our many military connected youth!
Purple Up Day is a time to recognize and celebrate the strength, resilience, and sacrifices of military-connected children, many of whom attend Robert Down Elementary.
The color purple represents the unity of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, blending the colors of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
Trash Turtles Community Clean Up Day Save the Date- April 19th
Trash Turtles, a local non-profit started by the sibling of a Robert Down student, is hosting a community beach cleanup in honor of Earth Day on Sunday, April 19th from 1–3pm at Lover’s Point. They would love for your students, families, and staff to join in. It’s a fun, hands-on way to connect students to the mission and see their impact in real time. #leavewith3
Save the Date! ScreenSense Parent Workshop Presentation from 5-5:50PM on April 30
Be sure to save the date for the ScreenSense Parent Workshop on how to navigate evolving technology as a parent. Childcare is available with sign up. See flyer below for additional details.
Does your student have an unused Golden Pineapple Award?
If so, please have your child exchange it for a new Bubba Gump’s certificate! Islands closed unexpectedly a few weeks ago and we are so grateful to parent, Gardenia Bracamontes, who provided us with Bubba Gump’s certificates.
🛑 Safety: Safe Routes to School
PGUSD has partnered with Transportation Authority of Monterey County (TAMC) and a group of CSUMB students to support our Safe Routes to School programming.
Together, this team designed a parent survey to better understand families’ top safety concerns related to how students arrive at and leave our school sites each day. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us identify areas of need and improve traffic flow, pedestrian access, bicycle safety, and overall student supervision during arrival and dismissal times.
The survey takes no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
Robert H. Down Elementary:
Safe Routes To School Survey
Crosswalk
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
