New Students and Families

All incoming Kindergarten students and their parents/guardians are invited to join us at the Kindergarten Lemonade! 

Thursday, April 24

4:00-5:00pm

MCDS Campus

The Kindergarten Lemonade gives students and parents/guardians a chance to be on campus and meet other Kindergarten families. The program begins promptly at 4:00 pm at the Grassy Circle. Please park in the lower lot and use the footbridge to access campus. Please do not arrive before 3:45pm to allow for MCDS student dismissal. 

During this event, children and parents/guardians will spend time in one of the Kindergarten classrooms getting to know new teachers and classmates! Please RSVP HERE by Thursday, April 17, 2025. 

Mark your calendars! All new rising students in grades 1-5 are invited to a Popsicle Party on Thursday, May 1 from 4:00-5:00pm in the Lower School playground!

Meet other new students in grades 1-5, current MCDS students, families, teachers, the Admission Team and Division Heads. RSVP to kyoung@mcds.org.

The program begins promptly at 4:00 pm on the Lower School Playground. Please park in the lower lot and use the footbridge to access campus. Please do not arrive before 3:45pm to allow for MCDS student dismissal. 

Family Association Spring Welcome Reception for all new Kindergarten - 7th grade parents/guardians will be held on Thursday, May 8, 6:30pm - 8:00pm. Invitation to follow via email.

Families new to MCDS can look forward to learning about their Buddy Pods at this event!

Lower School Parent/Guardian Orientation

Sunday, August 24, 2025

9:00 a.m. - 11 a.m. Coffee, registration and orientation in the MCDS Multi-Purpose Room.

Head of School, Molly Bozzo, members of the Board of Trustees, MCDS Family Association leadership, administrative team members, and MCDS staff will present on important school priorities and key tips for a successful school year. This orientation will provide a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of the MCDS community.

Required for at least one parent/guardian with a Kindergartner or a new student in grades 1-4. Encouraged for both parents/guardians to attend.

More details and the RSVP will be sent in late July.

Upper School Parent/Guardian Orientation

Sunday, August 24, 2025

12:30pm - 3:00pm Coffee, registration and orientation in the MCDS Multi-Purpose Room.

Head of School, Molly Bozzo, members of the Board of Trustees, MCDS Family Association leadership, administrative team members, and MCDS staff will present on important school priorities and key tips for a successful school year. This orientation will provide a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of the MCDS community.

Required for at least one parent/guardian with a 6th grader or a new student in grades 5 and 7. Encouraged for both parents/guardians to attend.

More details and the RSVP will be sent in late July.

Buddy Pods provide a special opportunity for our new families and students to connect with the MCDS community before the school year begins.

You will be grouped with a few MCDS students and families entering your grade. The goal is to help you navigate your first year at MCDS with friendly resources and familiar faces.

You will be introduced to your "buddy pods” over the next few weeks (beginning with the Family Association Spring Welcome Reception on May 8), and your pod leaders will schedule playdates throughout the spring and summer to get to know other students and families. 

MCDS uses the SchoolPass app for parents/guardians to communicate their child's arrival and dismissal plans and changes, plus absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals. New MCDS families will receive information on how to set up a SchoolPass account prior to the August Orientations.

Families new to MCDS will receive access to the password-protected areas of the school website in late July—in time to register online for afterschool programs!

Kickstart to Kindergarten

Incoming MCDS kindergartners will get to experience an exciting three days on campus with Kindergarten teachers and new friends—helping to provide a smooth and successful transition in August! 

Children will have the opportunity for play, music, recess and will begin building connections with their new classmates! 

There is no cost to participate in this 3-day camp. Deadline to sign up is Friday, May 9.
 
Details: 

• Monday, June 9 - Wednesday, June 11
• 8:30-11:30am each day in the kindergarten classrooms
• FREE! There is no cost to participate in this 3-day camp 
• Snacks will be provided 
• No bus or aftercare available
• Sign up by Friday, May 9, 2025

To sign up, click here!

Questions?

Please reach out to Karlyn Adler (Assistant Lower School Division Head) at lsdivisionheads@mcds.org.  

Cougar Camp

Led by three of our amazing PE teachers, Cougar Camp offers a variety of fun, age-appropriate outdoor activities (team sports, hiking Ring Mountain, capture the flag, dodgeball, hide and seek, and more!) all on the MCDS Lower Field and campus.  

Eligible students: Cougar Camp is only open to students who are CURRENTLY (2024-25 school year) in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.  *Open to new students entering 1st - 5th grade.*

Incoming Kindergarten students (i.e., those entering MCDS for the 2025-26 school year) are not eligible for Cougar Camp. As an alternative, we encourage new Kindergarten families to consider our three-day Kickstart to Kindergarten summer camp June 9 - 11 (referenced above).

Cougar Camp Dates:

Week 1: June 9 - 13 (Little Champs Week)
Week 2:  June 16 - 20 (Gold Medal Week)

Hours: 9:00am - 1:00pm

Cost: $520/week

Space is limited. For more information about BUS SERVICE and AFTER CAMP CARE or further questions, please visit the link below for details.

Registration closes May 31.

For More Info & To Register - Click Here!

The first day of school is Monday, August 25. School begins at 8:15am. Students should be in their homeroom/advisory no later than 8:15am.

For Kindergarteners only: We will have a modified schedule on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26 with a 12:00 p.m. dismissal. Buses will be available for bus riders. If you need childcare that afternoon, Play More (PM) will be available between 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. More details to come! 

Note: A final version of the 2025-26 school calendar will be available in August.  The first day of school is Monday, August 25.

Click on the calendar to print/download.

Arrival Time

All Grades (K-8): 7:55-8:15am

* School begins at 8:15am. All students should be in their classroom/advisory no later than 8:15am.

Afternoon Dismissal Times

Mon/Tue/THur/Fri

• Grades K-4: 2:50pm
• Grades 5-8: 3:00pm

Wednesday Dismissal

• Grades K-4: 1:50pm
• Grades 5-8: 2:00pm

Early Care (Early Birds)

Early Birds begins on the first day of school and runs through the day before Step-Up Day. Early Birds opens at 7:30am and closes at 8:00am, when outdoor playground supervision begins. Lower School students will have the opportunity to read, draw and/or play indoors, while Upper School students may complete homework, read, socialize or play games prior to the start of school. Families do not need to sign up for Early Birds, and can use it on a drop-in basis. 

Fees: Lower School families will be billed at a rate of $5/day. For families paying below the top of the index, there is no charge. Fees for Upper School are included in tuition. 

MCDS bus service is operated by the school's own transportation department consisting of seven dedicated bus drivers and nine buses owned by the school and meet strict safety and repair requirements. They are inspected regularly by state safety officials and daily by the drivers. MCDS also hired CYO, a third-party transportation company to assist with the transportation on occasion. Bus routes are determined by ridership, safety and length of time.  The bus schedule for the 2025-26 school year will be shared with families in August.

Fees: For families who pay below the top of the index, transportation costs are included in tuition, and therefore will be no additional charge. For families paying at the top of the index, bus transportation at MCDS is a flat annual fee for either one way or round trip. Round trip is $2,900, (non-refundable deposit $350) and one way is $2,100 (non-refundable deposit $300) per student, per year. 
 

Outdoor Education is an ongoing and integral part of the program in all grades. Overnight trips start in the fourth grade with a trip to Gold Country; fifth graders spend a night at a nearby education center; recent trips have included hiking, team building, and high ropes courses. Sixth graders take a trip to Yosemite, in addition to other off-campus, curriculum-related activities. Seventh graders, as part of their integrated curriculum, spend a week in the Joshua Tree desert. Eighth graders backpack in Ansel Adams Wilderness. 

Fees: All fees associated with outdoor education trips are included in the cost of tuition. Families may need to purchase or rent some gear for the 6th-8th grade trips. Costs of trip gear vary based, with an average cost of $400 per year over the 6th-8th grade span. Costs associated with Lower School trips are minimal. MCDS supports families paying below the top of the index to ensure everyone will be prepared with adequate supplies. 

Families in Upper School may want to explore options for obtaining used or rental equipment—both to keep costs down and to live by our values of being good stewards of the earth.  

Options for used/rented gear include:

• REI for used gear: www.rei.com/used
• Sports Basement : For rentals of Osprey packs, Marmot sleeping bags and sleeping pads, https://shop.sportsbasement.com/collections/rentals. 
• MCDS Freecycle: A great option to locate items for free within the MCDS community.  To request an invite to join, visit https://groups.google.com/g/freecyclemcds.

Student Support Services (SSS) includes a team of grade level learning specialists and school counselors. This team works with families and faculty to monitor the development of academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills that lead to effective learning for all students. 

Fees: When Student Support Services (SSS) initiates the referral for a student and that student's tuition is set at below the top of the index, MCDS covers the costs for services at the same rate as the student's indexed tuition rate.