A+ Magazine is now available for all Mason-Rice families to enjoy! Thank you to all the student and parent editors who worked hard to make this year’s Magazine! Inside you will find student art, poetry, interviews, pets, puzzles, comics and more! [See e-mailed PTO Notes] to view/download your copy now. In addition, printed full color copies are available for purchase here. All orders must be received by June 10 and will be distributed before the end of the school year. Contact us at with any questions.

Get your limited-edition CLASS OF 2023 T-SHIRT NOW*. This t-shirt is a symbol of the incoming 5th grade community. Help raise buzz and excitement for the year ahead with this awesome, tie-dye shirt, complete with a “Class of 2023” pawprint on the back.

* We want every 5th grader who wants one to get a t-shirt! If your family should need support, please reach out to Mr. Bultema, as there are discretionary funds available for this purpose.

Questions? Please reach out to the Class of 2023 parent reps: Claudia Reya, Lucy Mermagen or Martine Bennett.

The Annual Mason-Rice Fun Run is Back!
Please bring your blankets and join us on June 6th at 5:30pm (rain date June 7th) behind the school for a kid-friendly run followed by a picnic end-of-year celebration. Pizza and drinks may be pre-purchased up until midnight on June 3. All proceeds will benefit the rising 5th grade class. Free Hawaiian Shaved Ice will be provided to all as a treat from the PTO!

Help with the Fun Run!
During the Fun Run, students run a course around the school/park with their grade. Many parents are needed before, during and after the run to keep things moving, make sure everyone is safe and clean up the course. Sign up here to help organize runners or monitor the Fun Run course.

If you are a 4th grade parent, sign up to help with the Picnic Fundraiser!
We need all hands on deck to help with set up, clean up, and handing out food orders during the Fun Run Picnic as part of the fundraiser for the rising 5th grade class. Time slots are short so you can still enjoy the picnic yourself. Sign up here to help out.

Thanks to PTO Creative Arts and Sciences funding, the 2nd graders were treated to a trip to Ghana with Joe and Vida Galeota! After learning a bit about Ghanian geography, 2nd graders spent a day in a Ghanian village. In the village they “visited,” the children wake at sunrise to fetch water from the river and sweep the house before walking to school, with each student carrying their own chair on their head! Students practiced carrying water and a baby sibling, learned how to sing the ABCs the Ghanian way, and did some fun dance steps to Joe’s drumming. Everyone was up and moving!

On Monday our 3rd graders were visited by Kelsey Archer from Historic Newton. Students learned about how towns and cities change over time and what’s involved in the job of an urban planner. Collaboratively, students created a timeline with events ranging from 1620 when Plymoth Colony was established to 1971 when the Mass Pike was completed in Newton. Students had a chance to compare maps from 1874, 1917 and 2016 and were encouraged to notice what had happened and changed over time. At the end of the session, students worked in small groups as urban planners to create their own version of Newton.  

Did you know? Newton was part of Cambridge until it split off in 1688.

When: Sunday, June 5, 9am-2pm
Where: Mason-Rice
Cost: $10

Line up your dirty cars and get them cleaned! Come and support these excited and hard working 5th graders as they raise funds for their graduation! Contact Janelle Phillips with any questions.

(For 5th graders and their parents only) Please sign up for a shift here. Sign ups close June 3rd.

Access NPS’ calendar here.
Access Mason-Rice’s PTO calendar here.

Upcoming Important M-R Dates

Your usual shopping can support PTO-funded activities (such as teacher classroom allowances, appreciation lunches, and curriculum-enhancing programming for all our students). Last year, the Mason-Rice community shopped with our partners and raised nearly $1500 while participation in our Spring '21 Restaurant Series raised an additional $1100! 

Note that these programs/partnerships, below, run year-round!

Enjoy 20% off Minted cards & gifts with promo code [see e-mailed PTO Notes]. 15% of each order will be donated back to the PTO.