The PTA is a strong supporter of Downtown School, offering students and faculty opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. If you feel pulled to join their team, click on the headline to read more.

You may have noticed a couple of cameras this morning. District staff stopped by to help us celebrate the “first” first day of school for Des Moines Public Schools. Click on the headline to view the start of a great 2018-19 school year!

Welcome back for school year 2018-19! Students are in good spirits and excited to explore, meet new friends and learn. This year brings changes to our calendar. A reminder that we have an early out this first week — dismissing at 1:10 p.m. all three days. Thanks for everyone’s patience as we iron out the wrinkles that come with adjusting to our new schedule.

In addition to the school website, The Downtown School offers a Twitter feed @dtwnfalcons and access to schedules, event photos, meal menus, student data and more through the DMPS mobile app, available for iPhone and Android. School starts Aug. 8. Are you connected?

Just another reminder that new school hours begin this Fall. The Downtown School day will begin at 7:30 a.m., with a no-cost breakfast available beginning at 7:15 a.m. The school day ends at 2:25 p.m., except for Wednesdays when students will be released at 1:10 p.m. Click on the headline to learn more about the district-wide change.

The first day of the 2018-19 school year is just around the corner and we know plenty of you are planners! Click on the headline to view suggested school supply lists for all classrooms. We hope you’re enjoying the summer!

Downtown School students entering kindergarten in the Fall are welcome to attend Kindergarten JumpStart on July 30-31. Parents are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on July 30. Students will meet their new teacher, visit the playground and see how breakfast and lunch are served. There will also be many activities in the classrooms. Click on the headline to learn more about this exciting start to the school year.

Thank you to all of our staff, students and families for another great year! We enjoyed an All School Sing and many special activities today. Students even volunteered to help teachers clean and organize classrooms. Way to go, Falcons! Have a terrific summer break. We will see you back here on August 8 at 7:30 a.m. for the first day of school!

We’ve updated the 2018-19 school calendar to include the Wednesday adjusted dismissal time of 1:10 p.m. All school days will begin at 7:30 a.m. Dismissal time, except for Wednesdays, is at 2:25 p.m. Click on the headline to see the full calendar for 2018-19.

Downtown School students, teachers and staff continued a long tradition of bringing books to life each year. Book Character Day 2018 included a parade, singing and reader’s theater presented by the grownups. Books including, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’, the Harry Potter series, and more than 100 more were represented in this celebration of children’s literature. Click on the headline to see more photos.