School Start and Dismissal Times

Please note that the school is unable to assume responsibility for the supervision of children until near bus arrival time, and that children are not permitted in the classrooms or building without permission before arrival time. Therefore,

Students in Grades K-5 must NOT be dropped off or arrive at school prior to 8:30 a.m.

Likewise, the school cannot assume responsibility for supervising students after dismissal time. If you are picking your child up after school, we ask you to be prompt and not expect the office staff to provide supervision for your child.

In addition, it is imperative for your child’s safety and comfort (as well as for the consideration of parent volunteers) that you be prompt in picking up your child from any after-school programs.

School Bus Seating Assignments

We have Kindergarten through fifth grade students riding together on the same bus. The students sit according to grade levels on the bus, with Kindergarten and first grade students in the first third of the bus, second and third grade students in the middle section of the bus, and fourth and fifth grade students in the back of the bus. Our bus drivers will consistently adhere to these guidelines on all buses. However, if in the beginning days of school you have a younger child that you feel should be sitting with an older sibling, your older child should sit in your younger child’s assigned section. There will be visible markings on the bus to help students know where to sit. 

Student Arrival

After arriving at MCE, students will unload from their buses beginning at 8:30 a.m. We will unload the fourth and fifth grade students first, then the second and third grade students, and lastly the Kindergarten and first grade students. The older students are comfortable with where to enter the building and how to get to their classrooms, so unloading them first prevents added hallway congestion and provides time for the younger students to meet their teachers and get to their classrooms. As has been done in the past, in the beginning weeks of school, Kindergarten and first grade teachers will meet their students at the front of the school and walk them as a class down to their classrooms. 

If you need to drive your child to school, please do not arrive prior to 8:30 a.m. We do not provide supervision in the building prior to that time. When dropping off, parents should use the drop off loop on the west side of the building. At no time should there be students crossing through the parking lot. There will be school safeties at the side door to greet incoming students. Please do not arrive with your child prior to 8:30 a.m. and park in the lot, as we have limited parking spaces for our staff to use when they arrive in the morning.  

Our homeroom period begins at 8:30 a.m. and announcements will be read at 8:40 a.m. If your child arrives to school after 8:40 a.m, they are tardy and will need to be signed in at the Main Office. 

Student Dismissal

Students will be dismissed at 3:05 p.m. In order to prevent congestion when loading our buses, we will first dismiss our fourth and fifth grade students, then our second and third grade students, and finally our Kindergarten and first grade students. By doing so, our buses will load from back to front and students will be seated by grade level, as they are in the morning. There will also be school safeties outside to help students find their buses efficiently.

Transportation will no longer be accommodating guest rider passes. This decision represents a change in practice, but is essential for the safety of all of our students. All PCSD elementary schools will be implementing this change. If there is an extenuating circumstance that may require your child to ride home with a friend, we are asking you to seek approval from the principal by calling the Main Office at 267-1400.

If your child is not riding the bus and you are picking them up, please send in a signed and completed permission slip in the morning. To the extent possible, all dismissal arrangements should be made before your child arrives at school. Only in an extenuating circumstance should after school plans be modified throughout the day. If you are picking up your child for a routine end of the day dismissal, we ask that you do not request your child to leave class a few minutes early. It is critical that our students get as much time in the classroom as possible.

All students in grades K-5 who are being picked up by car will be picked up at the loop on the west side of the building.  Students being picked up by car need to have a signed pick-up note in the school office.  At dismissal, students will gather in the auditorium and will remain in the school until you arrive.  We utilize the Pik My Kids app to expedite the pick-up process.  If you do not have the app, please put your last name on the dash of your car.

Our fourth and fifth grade students have the option of walking or riding a bike to and from school. With a signed permission slip, parents may give authorization to have siblings in grades K-3 walk/ride home with their older sibling. Students must have a signed Permission Slip for Long Term Walkers or Bikers to be allowed to walk or ride their bike home. This form must be filled out and on file each school year.  

For students in grades K-3 who will be walking home, they will need to have an adult meet them at door 17, by the playground.  Students will need a signed pick-up note in the office.       

Activity Bus Dismissal

Our after-school music activity period will run from 3:05-3:45 p.m., with activity busses pulling away at 3:50 p.m. Students who will be participating in chorus, band, and orchestra will be on a roster that remains consistent and will not require a permission slip to participate in their activity.  The default for these activities will be for the student to take the activity bus home.  If you would like to pick your child up, you will need to send in a permission slip and come into the main office to sign them out.

All other after-school clubs/enrichment programs require a permission slip each time, and a parent/guardian to pick them up at the conclusion of their activity.  This includes all PTSA Enrichment programs and Newspaper Club.

Permission Slips (Green Dismissal Note)

This form can be found on the Mendon Center webpage under “FORMS.” Forms are also available in the Main Office.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in implementing our new procedures, all of which were carefully decided upon with the best interests of our children in mind.  

Dismissal during the School Day

To minimize interruptions to a student’s instructional time, parents are encouraged to schedule doctor’s appointments during Lunch/Recess or after school.

If you need to pick up your child during the school day, you should send a note to the teacher indicating the time and reason the child is to be dismissed.  Whenever possible, please use and completely fill out the pre-printed Parent/Garudian Permission Slips distributed for this purpose. The teacher will forward your note to the Main Office. Your child will then meet you in the Main Office Reception Area at the appropriate time, or, if s/he is not there to meet you, the receptionist will call the child’s classroom.

Near pick-up time, parents should park and come into the Main Office Reception Area. Please be sure to allow ample time before any appointments for your child to meet you, remembering that s/he may need to wait several minutes for a break in instruction before s/he can leave the classroom.

If you need to have your child dismissed early but could not/did not send in a permission slip in the morning, please contact the Main Office as soon as possible at 267.1400. Staff will then advise the teacher and your child of the situation and make arrangements for your child to meet you in the Main Office Reception Area and be signed out. We would kindly ask you to reserve this type of unexpected early dismissal for emergencies only.

Parents are discouraged from removing older or younger students from their instructional time to view a sibling during an in-school performance.  If a parent does decide to remove a sibling for this reason, a permission slip must be sent in at the start of the day indicating that your child will need to be dismissed from his/her class and at what time.  The student must be met by their parent in the Main Office Reception Area and signed out on the Student Sign-Out sheet.  Under no circumstances should a parent go to a classroom, unannounced, to remove a child from instruction. 


For the students’ protection and safety:

No student will be dismissed from any part of the building other than the Main Office.

You must sign your child out in the Main Office Reception Area.

No one other than the parents or legal guardian(s) may obtain release of a child without written permission from the parents or legal guardians.

Children will not be permitted to wait outside or in the school entrances.

Dismissal procedures from an after-school activity are the responsibility of the supervisor in charge of that particular activity.