By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — A soggy and steamy summer is quickly coming to an end for the town’s public school students. North Reading has maintained the tradition of starting school after Labor Day; therefore, all students in grades 1-12 will report to school next Wednesday, September 6 for their first full day of classes of the 2023-24 school year.
Children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten will attend orientation sessions at their assigned elementary schools on Wednesday and Thursday, September 6 and 7, and their first official day of school is Friday, September 8.
Inside today’s Transcript you will find a complete Back-to-School section which includes the school calendar, all school bus routes, FAQs on school bus pass rules and costs, and information on universal free meals. Although meals are free for all students regardless of income, families that would have been income-eligible for free- or reduced-priced meals under the former guidelines should still apply for them because this form serves as a qualifier for other types of financial assistance. Help may be available to assist with user fees and bus fee costs. The latest federal income chart and tips on how to apply for these benefits are included in the Back-to-School section.
School start times
The 2023-24 school year also marks the third year that middle and high school students start school later in the day and end later in the day. This means they also share the same school buses. Students in grades 6-12 attend classes from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On early release days they are dismissed at noon.
At the elementary level for grades 1-5, all three schools – Batchelder, Hood and Little – start their school day at 8 a.m. and end their school day at 2:15 p.m. Gone are the days of the “late” and “early” elementary school assignments. Early release day dismissal time at the elementary schools for grades 1-5 is 11:30 a.m.
Kindergarten half day sessions at all three schools run from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. while full day kindergarten sessions run from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. On half-days, all kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
Pre-K half day sessions at the Hood run from 8:15 to 11:15 a.m. for the morning sessions and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the afternoon session. The full day pre-K sessions at the Little School run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. No classes are held for any pre-K students on days when their school has early release.
Back to School Nights
Parents’ Night at the elementary schools is Thursday, September 14 while Back to School Night at the Middle School is Tuesday, September 19 and Back to School Night at the High School is Thursday, September 21. If no snow days are needed this year the last day of school will be Thursday, June 20. If there are five snow days, summer vacation will be delayed to Tuesday, June 25.