Information & Frequently Asked Questions – Otis A. Mason Elementary School

Otis A. Mason Elementary School follows ALL St. Johns County School District Policies and Procedures. For a full list, please click here to view the SJCSD website.

Attendance & Tardies: Attendance is extremely important for students to be successful. It is equally important that students arrive at school on time, ready to learn! Parents are encouraged to utilize FREE school bus transportation to assist with arriving to school on time. Daily drop off begins at 8:00am. If your child arrives after 8:25am, you will need to come inside the school to sign them in.

Absences from School: If your child is sick, or has a medical appointment, please DO NOT send your child to school. The health of our community is paramount. Students MUST BE symptom-free for 24 hours before return to school. If your child is absent from school, a parent/guardian must turn in a written, signed note or a doctor’s note within 48 hours of the student’s return to school in order for the absence to be considered excused. Emails and phone calls will not be accepted. Once a student accrues, 5, 10, 15 unexcused absences, you will receive a phone call from district regarding the importance of documentation for absences. If a child has missed more than 15 days of school, ONLY doctor notes will be accepted. Expecting a prolonged absence? Please speak to us in advance so we can help your family through the process. Vacations, birthdays, family trips, shopping trips, and other avoidable examples are not excusable. Please schedule family trips when school is not in session.

Bus Stop Reminders: Please log on to your Bus Planner account for the most up-to-date information regarding your child’s bus number, bus stop, and pick-up/drop-off times. Please have students at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the estimated time of pick-up. Also, we ask for your patience when picking up a child from the bus stop. Due to traffic, we ask that you wait 10 minutes before calling us regarding afternoon drop-off. Traffic is unpredictable. Call our Front Office if you have been waiting longer than 10 minutes and Transportation has not already contacted you. Our phone number is 904-547-8440. Our bus drivers, attendants, and routers work hard to provide all students with free, reliable transportation to and from school daily. Please share your gratitude regularly! Lost an item on the bus? Call Transportation at 904-547-7810 and select the option for lost items.

Early Dismissal & Dismissal Changes:

➢For the safety of all students, children may not be checked out of school after 2:15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday and 1:15pm on Wednesday. After this time, preparing our school for dismissal in a calm and routinely fashion is our priority. Please refrain from using the bus loop after 2:15pm to respectfully make way for our bus drivers.

➢Routine is essential for children. Please talk to your child about their dismissal routine! If you need to change the way your child goes home in the afternoon, please complete our Dismissal Change Request Form on our website by 2:10pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or 1:10pm on Wednesday.

➢Please Note: Early Dismissals – We do not send children to the front office until you have arrived and shown your photo ID to the front office staff. Dismissal Changes – Can only be accepted before 2:10pm (1:10pm on Wednesdays).

➢We cannot accept phone calls for dismissal changes. Changes in afternoon transportation should only be for emergency situations. Please help us (and your child) by preparing a regular dismissal routine. It is so important that students, teachers, and the Front Office know and expect how the child will be dismissed each day. Please keep changes to a minimum and talk to your child regarding those changes so they expect the change in routine. Every child should feel confident regarding how they go home daily!

Please mark your child’s FULL NAME on ALL belongings. This includes jackets, lunch boxes, water bottles, binders, backpacks, and ANYTHING they would want returned. Items with names are returned daily by Safety Patrol. Items without names are placed in Lost and Found. Lost and Found is located in the Café. Students may check Lost and Found before or after school, during lunch, or anytime they pass by!

It is my child's birthday! How may we celebrate at school?

Happy birthday! We love to celebrate, but our primary goal is to educate your child. Please keep large celebrations, gifts, visitations, and parties at home. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you would like to send in something for the class.

➢ Treats may only be shared with your child’s classmates and teacher during appropriate non-academic times (lunch and recess). Please contact the teacher and plan the treat well in advance to include number of treats, allergies, and expectations for drop off. Teachers are only allowed to serve treats during Recess or Lunch. Please understand that instructional time should not be interrupted.

➢ If needed, napkins, plates and/or utensils should be provided to the teacher.

➢ Communicate with your child’s teacher about when you would like to bring something in, what you will be bringing and check if there are any allergies in the class. You will need to work with the teacher to determine the best time to have the treat (lunch or recess). Treats can be dropped off in the Front Office with the Child and Teacher’s Names clearly written on them. Before-school drop off of treats is ideal as our Safety Patrols can deliver in a timely manner!

➢Lunch deliveries: For safety reasons, we cannot accept food delivery services for students. This includes Doordash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc. Lunches may only be dropped off by an approved Emergency Contact for a student. If a student forgets lunch, the student will be instructed to eat FREE school lunch. There is no need to deliver lunches (or water bottles to school). Due to the disruptive nature of deliveries, we ask that they remain for emergencies only (clean clothing, eyeglasses, medication, etc.).

➢No balloons, banners, bouquets, or over-sized items are permitted. Special shirts or buttons are allowed-so let them dress to impress! Please avoid anything disruptive to the learning environment.

➢ Birthday invitations: We kindly ask that you send invitations for parties outside of school. If invitations are sent in for distribution to classmates, invitations must include everyone in the class.

We currently do not have the capacity to accommodate lunch visits. Parents may check students out during the lunch period if they would like. Please call ahead if you are interested in making these arrangements. There will be many opportunities to visit campus and enjoy lunch with your student during the school day. Please look for these special invitations! Again, we kindly ask that instructional time not be interrupted.

Dress Code Reminders:

➢Hats, sunglasses, etc. must be taken off and put away upon arrival (except in case of medical necessity or special events authorized by administration). These items may only be worn outside.

➢Shoes must be safe and appropriate. They must have a back – no flip-flops, heelies, etc. Students are not allowed to wear Crocs or Slides for P.E. or Recess so please check your child’s footwear regularly!

➢No tank tops, spaghetti straps, or shirts/dresses that are cut out at midriff.

➢Clothing must be free of logos or sayings with profanity, violence, drugs, alcohol, or tobacco or anything that would be disruptive to the learning environment.

➢Skirts and shorts must be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee. Leggings are permitted to be worn under a skirt or long sweater/skirt.

➢ It is important that we see your student’s beautiful face! No excessive make-up, hoodies, face masks, etc.

For more dress code information, please visit: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/schoolservices/conduct/ to access the St. Johns County School District Student Code of Conduct.