Dear Robert H. Down School Community,
I hope each of you had a chance to enjoy some extra family time during Fall Break last week! I heard about a few happenstance meetings of Robert Down community members in different parts of the world including Vancouver, Canada, and New York! In addition, it was so much fun seeing many of our students who were enrolled in PG Rec enjoying our playground last week.
A special shout out to our custodial team and maintenance team who took the time to do some deep cleaning and take care of some needed repairs during the break.
Special thanks to Nikita McKinder for the beautiful Diwali display highlighting the Hindu New Year.
Huge thanks to Adeline Finley, our PTA Scholastic Book Fair Coordinator! She organized a group of volunteers and did a lot of work organizing, setting up, and staffing our Book Fair this week. We appreciate you!
Upcoming Events and Important Information
PTA Trunk or Treat
Tomorrow, October 24, join us on the Robert Down playground for a fun-filled Trunk or Treat from 5:30PM-7PM! Food for purchase will also be available.
Red Ribbon Week
Encourage your child to participate in Red Ribbon Week and take a stand to live healthy and drug-free.
Halloween Parade
Join us for our Halloween Costume Parade on Friday, October 31st, at 9 AM on the playground. Please enter through the open gates at 8:55 AM. Remember, no masks, blood, gore, or accessories are allowed. In addition, to remain in compliance with our Wellness Policy, do not bring candy.
Veterans Day Assembly
As mentioned in our last newsletter, we're planning a special assembly to honor our veterans on November 10. If you are a veteran or military family, please complete this form so we can be sure to honor you for your service.
AAC Awareness Month
October is AAC Awareness Month, and we’re proud to have several students who use augmentative and alternative communication. We have already seen such a difference in how AAC use improves our ability to understand the needs of our students and amplify their voices. Learn more about AAC Awareness Month here.
Community Event- Alivia’s Harvest of Hope
One of our Robert Down graduates, Alivia Martinez, is raising funds for the Pitt Hopkins Foundation at an event on November 14 at 4:30PM at Merrill Hall in Asilomar. Alivia is the only resident of Monterey County with Pitt Hopkins. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go to myevent.com/aliviasharvestofhope.
Technology Committee
We will be hosting our first Technology Committee meeting of the year on Thursday, November 6 at 3:30PM. If interested in joining the Committee, please sign up here. Thank you to those who signed up last week. You should have received a calendar invite.
Health Reminder:
If your child has symptoms of illness, we appreciate you keeping them home until they are symptom free for 24 hours. This helps to keep our school community healthy. We have noticed an uptick in illness this past week.
Join Our "Culture of We"
We are committed to nurturing a sense of belonging at Robert Down and encourage every family to get involved.
Do you have ideas on improving our campus facility or playground? If so, please let me know by completing this form. Many thanks to those who completed this last week! I especially appreciate the recommendations for improving inclusive accessibility.
Would you like to share about your culture? If so, we would love to have you share with our students through a display, presentation, or activity. Please complete this form, if interested.
More 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.
Upcoming Dates to Remember
October 24: PTA Trunk or Treat 5:30PM-7PM
October 28: PTA Dine Out Event at Monarch Pub
October 23-31: Red Ribbon Week (Highlight importance of living drug-free)
October 31: Halloween Parade 9AM
November 10: Veterans Day Assembly 9AM
November 14: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day 8AM
With gratitude,
Emily Tsai Brownfield, Principal
