What time does school start?
All grades - Kindergarten through Grade 5 - Front and Back Doors open at 8:20.am  Parents may drop their kids off at the door at 8:20 or may escort their child to their classroom. Children are assigned morning work between 8:20-8:35.

All children must be in their classrooms by 8:35 when the late bell rings. If your child arrives after 8:35, he/she must check in with the callback/safe arrival volunteer in the front lobby.

How should my child get to/and from school?
 Mason-Rice is lucky to be a very walkable neighborhood.  85% of children live within a mile of the school.There are 5 crossing guards to make certain that the major crossings are safe.  The sidewalks from these crossing guards all the way to school are shoveled by the city to make certain they are passable year round.  Children who live further than a mile or in a safety zone can ride the bus.  Parking is very limited around the school.

Use the BLUE ZONE.  These are the blue curbed areas directly in front of the school on both sides of Pleasant St.  These are areas for a drop-off or pick-up: NO PARKING.  Children should enter/exit car independently and enter and exit the cars from the sidewalk. Parking here can be ticketed by police  Also note that to comply with state regulations and to support the respitory health of our children, cars are NOT allowed to IDLE.

NO PARKING in the SCHOOL PARKING LOT DURING SCHOOL HOURS - SCHOOL STAFF ONLY.  Parking on streets around the school is allowed, unless it's the Blue Zone area.  We currently have over 320 families and only 100 + parking spots on the streets near the school.  If you feel you must drive and park, please consider parking a bit away from the school and walking the rest.  The streets surrounding the school are not designed to handle the volume of traffic associted with so many of our families driving. Parking is even more limited in the winter.

For more information, click to view HOW WILL MY CHILD GET TO SCHOOL PAMPHLET.

Mason-Rice has been an integral part of a city-wide SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL effort aimed at making the routes to school safer and reducing the number of cars that arrive at school every day.  

When does my Kindergarten child start school?
Only Group A children start school on the first official day of school. They do not attend on the second day of school. Group B children start on the second day of school—they do not attend the first official day of school. This allows for smaller groups of kindergarteners to familiarize themselves with their new school, classrooms, teachers and classmates. All kindergarten children attend on the third day of school.

What is the schedule for Kindergarten in the first monthl?
ALL kindergarten children will be released at 12:30 every day during the month of September. From October to June, they stay until 3:00 on their two long days.

What is the schedule for Kindergarten from October to June?

• Group A kids are released at 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and are released at 12:30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
• Group B kids are released at 12:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and are released at 3:00 on Thursdays and Fridays.

What is the release time for children in Grades 1-5?
All children in these grades are released at 3:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.  Every Tuesday throughout the year is an early release day on Tuesday at 12:30 for all students.In addition, there are approximately 6 special early release days on Thursdays at 12:30.  Refer to the  online School Calendar for these days.

Where do I pick up my child?
Kindergarten and 1st grade children will be released from the octagon doors. Parents must wait outside these doors for their children.  All other classes are dismissed from the front doors.  Parents and caregivers are asked to stand back from the doors so children may exit smoothly.

When and where does my child catch the bus? Is there a charge for the bus?
Children who take the bus report to the auditorium after school and are then escorted to the bus by the principal or a teacher.  Children who live more than a mile from school (must be in district) or in a safety  zone  qualify for the bus.  The Newton Public Schools website has extensive information about the bus system. Click here for more information.