Robert Down Principal's Update

Dear Families,

Our students had a fantastic time celebrating the 100th Day of School this past Tuesday! From creative "centenarian" costumes and creative hairdos to counting projects and educational challenges, our teachers made it a truly memorable milestone.

I had a great time having Theo Travis as my co-principal on Friday!

A special thank you to our PTA—specifically Amie Miller, Isaac Miller, and Nikki Lucido—for the morning hair-color station and the beautiful chalk art that greeted our students. It brought so much joy to our campus!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the California Kindergarten Conference with four of our teachers: Mrs. Maurisa Alt, Mrs. Erica Chavez, Mrs. Julie Kelly, and Mrs. Katie Spadoni. Each attended a variety of workshops to find out how we can continue to engage, inspire, connect with, and spark learning for our youngest learners! Many thanks to these dedicated teachers for spending their weekend on professional learning.

🛑 Safety & Traffic: A Community Effort

We are committed to the safety of our students. I want to express my deepest appreciation to PGPD Chief Casey Day for his continued support. Beyond increasing patrols, Chief Day personally stepped in as our crossing guard this past Wednesday when he learned we had a vacancy.

How you can help:

• Drive with Care: Please slow down, stop completely at all signs, and pull all the way to the curb for drop-offs.

• Volunteer Spotlight: Thank you to parent Robbie Shammas for volunteering at Pine and 14th this week!

• 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

📅 Upcoming Dates

Jan 23 - Paint Party for Kids & Adults (6:00 PM) (See flyer below for details to sign up)

Jan 27 - Safety Committee (3:30PM)

Jan 26 – Feb 6 - Read-A-Thon

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

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve,” we invite you to share your time and traditions with us:

• Kindness Week (Feb 9-12): We need volunteers from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM for lunchtime activities. Please [Review opportunities here] 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, or Women’s History Month. If you would like to create a bulletin board or give a presentation, please email me at ebrownfield@pgusd.org.

Thank you for everything you do to make RHD such a special place for our children.

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