Robert Down Principal's Update

Dear Robert H. Down School Community,

We are incredibly excited to welcome our students and families back to school next week! I hope each of you has a chance to enjoy a few final days before school starts and everyone returns to the busy schedules of the school year!

Much of the information below will be a repeat of what was shared last week, sprinkled with some new information. We have had several additional families join us and welcome each one to our special Robert Down Elementary School Community!

Key Back-to-School Information

Class Lists will be posted at the front of the school and emailed to parents at 12:30 PM on Monday, August 4th. Please note, only fully registered students will appear on these lists.

That same day, our TK and Kindergarten classes will host a special Meet and Greet from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. All new TK and Kindergarten families are encouraged to attend!

And don't miss the Welcome Back Picnic and Playdate hosted by our wonderful PTA from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Monday, August 4th! It's a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Feel free to bring your picnic and hang out on the lawn in front of Building A or by the lunch tables.

The first day of school is Tuesday, August 5th. Gates will open promptly at 8:30 AM with class starting at 8:45 AM.

Mark your calendars for our Back to School Night on Thursday, August 14th, beginning at 6:15 PM. The PTA will have food trucks on campus starting at 5:00 PM, so come early, grab some dinner, and connect with other families before the program begins. Additional details will be shared next week.

Exciting Updates & Improvements

We extend a huge thank you to our Facilities and Maintenance Department and our Custodial Team for their outstanding work this summer! Our campus has seen significant improvements, including:

• Newly sealed roofing

• An upgraded HVAC system

• A new sign kiosk at the front of the school

• Replaced beams by the A-Wing

• A brand-new primary yard play structure and swings

• Removal of an old unusable portable

• Various essential classroom repairs

• Deep cleaning throughout our campus and classrooms

We're also thrilled to welcome Tanya Fadem, a fantastic Transitional Kindergarten teacher, who joins us from Forest Grove! In addition, we are so grateful to welcome back Rachel McNickle in 1st grade, Katie Spadoni, who will be joining Rachel in 1st grade, Maurisa Alt, who will be teaching Transitional Kindergarten this year, and Alex Jenner, who will be joining the 3rd grade team!

To better address our chronic absenteeism, please note a change in our policy: all Justifiable Absence Requests will now be processed as Requests for Independent Study. If you anticipate your child will be absent, please complete and submit this form to our office at least two weeks in advance. Otherwise, the absence will be marked as unexcused and may contribute to truancy.

In addition, we will be launching a new Attendance Campaign! Each month, students will have the opportunity to earn a special “star,” if they achieve Perfect Attendance for the month. However, please keep in mind that if your child is ill, we strongly advise that you keep your child home in accordance to our District Illness Policy. (See below for a letter from Katrina Powley, our District Nurse.)

We're delighted to announce that Spanish instruction will be expanding to 2nd through 5th graders this year!

In addition, this year we will be implementing our newly adopted English Language Arts curriculum for Kindergarten through 5th grade, EL Education! Our teachers are in training today and tomorrow and will be collaborating together throughout the year. It is research-based on the Science of Reading and uses content-rich authentic texts on real world topics in Social Studies, STEM, and Literature.

Monarch Club/Before and After School Recreation Program

Thank you for your patience as we have worked to get our Monarch Club/BASRP site up and running for this year! We offer before school care from 7:00AM-8:30AM and after school care from dismissal until 6:00PM nearly all school days. The fee is $4 per half hour or any fraction thereof. If your family qualifies for Free or Reduced Lunch per guidelines, then there will be no charge.

See below for links to register!

Building Our "Culture of We" – Get Involved!

At Robert Down Elementary, we believe in the power of community. There are so many ways to get involved and support our students:

• Sign up here to join the Robert Down PTA! Your involvement makes a real difference.

• Complete this survey to let us know how you'd like to contribute or what you would like to learn more about. Opportunities abound, from joining the School Site Council or School Safety Committee, to volunteering in classrooms, with lunch supervision, or as a guest speaker.

Important Safety Updates

Thanks to the City of Pacific Grove, our school now has extended drop-off curbs on 13th and Spruce, along with a new walking path along 13th Street between Junipero and Spruce. We strongly encourage families to use this extended drop-off area to help ease traffic congestion on Pine Avenue. Plans are also underway to create a safer drop-off area on Pine Avenue. Many thanks to our Traffic Safety Subcommittee last year who helped to identify areas to work on and ideas to improve safety!

Upcoming Dates to Remember

• August 4th: Classroom Lists Posted (Front of School & Emailed) @ 12:30 PM

• August 4th: TK and Kindergarten Meet and Greet @ 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

• August 5th: First Day of School

• August 14th: Back to School Night (Food Trucks @ 5:00 PM, Program @ 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM)

See you all next week!

With joy and anticipation,

Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal