Dear Robert H. Down School Community,
Thank you so much for the tremendous outpour of well wishes, flowers, cards, pictures, and gifts for my birthday on Tuesday! I am so grateful for such a thoughtful and kind school community!
In addition, what a joy to have seen so many of you at our Walk with PRIDE event last Saturday! Thank you for taking the time walk, run, scooter, and bike raising money for our classrooms. If you are still interested in donating, please do so here.
Tutoring
Thanks to a group of Pacific Grove Middle School students and the Pacific Grove High School National Honor Society, tutoring and homework help will be available after school on Wednesdays from 3:3-4:30PM and at various times during the school day. If you are interested in having your child participate, please complete this form.
Drama Club
We have already received over 20 sign ups this past week! Again, huge gratitude to parent Shawn Rozsa, for volunteering again to run the Drama Club! It will be open to students in Grades 3-5, practices will be on Mondays and Tuesdays from October 27, 2025-March 30, 2026. There is limited space available, so please sign up early using this link!
Attendance Campaign
Just a gentle reminder on the importance of arriving at school on time everyday. Each month, students will have the opportunity to earn a special “star,” if they achieve Perfect Attendance for the month. (This allows for up to one <30 minute tardy and up to two dr. appointments per month.) However, please keep in mind that if your child is ill, we strongly advise that you keep your child home in accordance with our District Illness Policy.
Also, 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.
Important Safety Updates
Use designated loading and unloading zones for drop off and pick up: For your safety and those of your children and others, please pull up to the designated curbs for loading and unloading or park in designated parking areas. Do NOT stop in a red zone or in the middle of the street. It is illegal and dangerous.
Join Our "Culture of We"
We are committed to nurturing a sense of belonging at Robert Down and encourage every family to get involved.
Garden Needs: Our Garden is in need of 6-cell plant starting trays and 4 inch pots. If you have some laying around in your yard, please consider donating them to the RHD Garden Program. Feel free to drop them off at the front office and we will make sure they get to our Garden.
School Site Council will be meeting on Tuesday, September 16 at 3:30PM in the Library. Here is the link to the agenda.
Technology Committee is a subcommittee of our School Site Council. Click here to indicate your interest in joining to provide input on a school-based technology plan to guide how we want technology to be used by students at Robert Down.
Butterfly Bazaar is a long standing tradition in Pacific Grove. It is a fun-filled event that takes place on the Robert Down field immediately following the Butterfly Parade on October 4. We need volunteers to make this event possible! Please sign up for a 30 minute shift of your choice using this link.
Parent Volunteers needed to support our efforts to do a drop off Concierge service between 8:30AM and 8:45AM. To learn more and sign up, please use this link.
RHD PTA is looking for individuals to donate items to the RHD Mix & Mingle Gift Basket. Please click here to sign up to donate an item or two.
Off-Campus Activity Parent/Volunteer Driver Form In order to volunteer as a driver for field trips this year, you must be cleared to drive with our District in addition to being fingerprint cleared. The driver form must be completed once per school year. (Fingerprints only need to be cleared once while your child is enrolled in PGUSD.)
Upcoming Dates to Remember
September 11: Patriot Day
September 15-October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 16: School Site Council @ 3:30PM in Library
September 17: Constitution Day
September 19: PTA Dine Out Pizza My Way (Mention Robert Down)
September 24: Picture Day
September 26: PTA presents: Taco Bingo Night 5-7PM
October 4: Butterfly Parade/Butterfly Bazaar
Today we observe Patriot Day to remember the heroes and victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. It’s a day to honor the brave first responders, like firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, who risked their lives to help others. We can show our respect by being kind to one another and helping our community, just like those heroes did. Taking a moment to remember them reminds us of the importance of courage, kindness, and working together.
With gratitude,
Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal
