When the bell rings.

Bell Schedules

This page is the canonical source for daily start, dismissal, and in-between times across all three Monte schools. It also covers what changes on early-release, late-start, half-day, and conference days. The school calendar at /calendar tells you which kind of day each weekday is — this page tells you what that means in minutes and bells.

If something on this page doesn't match what your child's teacher said, the teacher's note is more current — call the building office to confirm and we'll fix the page within one business day.

How the school day works at Monte

Monte runs three buildings on three different rhythms:

• Beacon Elementary (PreK–2) — straight elementary day with staggered grade-by-grade lunches and recess.
• Simpson Elementary (3–6) — straight elementary day with staggered grade-by-grade lunches and recess.
• Montesano Jr/Sr High School (7–12) — six periods per day, ~55 minutes each, with separate Junior High and High School lunch windows. (Despite the stub-page wording, MJSHS does not currently run a 90-minute block schedule. If that changes, this page will too.)

All three buildings dismiss in the early afternoon. Bus pickup at each building begins a few minutes after dismissal. If your child rides a bus, see the rough bus-departure times near the bottom of this page.

Beacon Elementary — PreK through grade 2

Beacon's regular day:

Doors open and supervised arrival begins at 8:05 am. Students arriving before doors open should wait in the bus loop or be dropped off after doors open — there is no supervision before that time. TK students should be dropped off at 8:20 am, unless they will be eating breakfast at school. In which case, they may be dropped off at 8:05 am. Preschool students should be dropped off at 8:20 am.

Breakfast service for students TK - 2nd grade begins at 8:05 am.

Beacon Lunch & Recess (by grade)

Lunch times are staggered and recess pairs with each lunch.

Beacon preschool (separate from TK–2 day)

Preschool students attend either the morning or the afternoon session — not both.

Beacon early-release day

On scheduled early-release days (check /calendar for exact dates):

Lunch is served before dismissal on early-release days.

Beacon late-start day (2-hour delay)

On a 2-hour delay (snow, fog, ice — announced via FlashAlert and KOMO/KING/KIRO):

No breakfast service on late-start days. Buses run on a 2-hour delayed route — see /departments/transportation.

Simpson Elementary — grades 3 through 6

Simpson's regular day

Earlier drop-offs are not supervised — students may enter the building at 8:00 AM for breakfast.

Simpson early-release day

Lunch is served before dismissal on early-release days.

Simpson late-start day (2-hour delay)

No breakfast service on late-start days.

Montesano Jr/Sr High School — grades 7 through 12

MJSHS runs a six-period traditional schedule. Periods are about 55 minutes each. Junior High students take their lunch between 3rd and 4th period; High School students take their lunch between 4th and 5th. (Source: district-published MHS Time Schedules / New Class Schedule Posters 25-26 PDF, captured 2026-05-11.)

The MJSHS Family Handbook describes the year as alternating "Red" and "Black" days — that's the schedule rotation for which classes meet (A/B day naming), not different bell times. Bell times below are the same on both Red and Black days. (Source: MJSHS Family Handbook 2025-26 draft.)

MJSHS regular day

Source for every row below: New Class Schedule Posters 25-26.pdf (district-published, monteschools.org).

JH Lunch: 11:20 AM – 11:50 AM. HS Lunch: 12:20 PM – 12:50 PM. Junior High students stay in Period 4 between 11:55 AM and 12:50 PM while High School students are at lunch; High School students are in Period 4 from 11:25 AM to 12:20 PM while Junior High is at lunch. The two divisions overlap on Periods 1–3, 5, and 6.

MJSHS advisory days

When the schedule is published as an Advisory Day on /calendar, the day picks up a 30-minute advisory between Period 2 and Period 3. All other times shift to absorb it. Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

MJSHS early-release day

Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

Dismissal 12:20 PM on early-release days.

MJSHS late-start day (2-hour delay)

Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

Dismissal stays at 2:50 PM on late-start days. No breakfast service.

MJSHS testing schedule

Used during state testing windows (SBA, WCAS, etc.). Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

MJSHS assembly day (1st period)

Used when a morning assembly is scheduled. Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

MJSHS assembly day (6th period)

Used when an afternoon assembly is scheduled. Source: MHS Time Schedules PDF.

Modified days — what changes when

A few times each year, the daily schedule shifts. The school calendar at /calendar labels each day; this section explains what the labels mean in minutes.

Early release

Scheduled days when staff need afternoon collaboration time. School starts at the regular time and dismisses ~2.5 hours early. Breakfast and lunch are both served. All three buildings dismiss on a coordinated schedule so buses can run all three routes on the same afternoon trip. [TK — confirm cadence: the Simpson Family Handbook 2025-26 draft calls Wednesdays the standard early-release day, which contradicts the prior "once a month" assumption. Check with each building office before publishing whether the schedule is weekly Wednesdays or monthly.]

Late start (2-hour delay)

Weather-driven and announced as a school-day decision through FlashAlert. School starts two hours later than usual; dismissal stays at the regular time. Breakfast service is canceled — pack a snack. Buses run a 2-hour delayed route.

Half day

End of semester (grades 7–12) or parent-teacher conference days. Schools dismiss at midday. See /calendar for the exact half-day dates — they're usually clustered around quarter-end and conference weeks. [TK — the public-facing schedule PDF doesn't include a specific half-day bell pattern; ask each building office whether half days use the Early Release schedule or a separate pattern.]

Conference week

Twice a year (typically late October and late February), MJSHS students attend in the morning and parent conferences run in the afternoon. Elementary conference scheduling varies by building. Building offices send home conference sign-up information about three weeks in advance.

Drop-off, pickup, and parking

Each building has its own drop-off zone — call the building office or check the school's individual page for the current map.

• Beacon: 1717 Beacon Ave East. Drop-off is in the front circle off Beacon Avenue. Pull all the way forward; kids exit the passenger side; please don't leave the car. Staff supervise from 8:15 AM. (Source: Beacon Family Handbook 2025-26 draft — confirm with Beacon office before publishing since the draft also proposes a different start time than the legacy site.)
• Simpson: 519 W. Simpson Avenue. Drop-off is at the front doors on Simpson Avenue. Students may enter the building at 8:00 AM (cafeteria for breakfast). Crosswalks on Simpson Avenue are staffed by student crossing guards; bike racks are on the south side; helmets required by Washington law for under-16. (Source: Simpson Family Handbook 2025-26 draft.)
• MJSHS: 303 N. Church Street. Student parking is in the student lot only — staff and visitor lots are off-limits. Permits are issued through the office at the start of each year (current driver's license, proof of insurance, and parent signature required). (Source: MJSHS Family Handbook 2025-26 draft.)

If your student is being picked up early — for an appointment, or because they're sick — go through the building office. Office staff will call your student down rather than having you walk to the classroom.

When you can't be there at dismissal

Things happen — a work meeting runs long, traffic stops on the 505. If you can't be at pickup on time, call the building office before dismissal so we can keep your child safely supervised. Each building's office can hold a student for a short time without fuss; calling ahead lets the staff plan.

Repeated late pickups are noted; the building Principal will reach out if a pattern develops.

Bus arrival and departure times

Buses arrive at each building roughly 5–10 minutes before the first bell and depart 5–10 minutes after dismissal. Approximate times (derived from the confirmed bell schedule, not from a published bus timetable — confirm with Transportation before publishing):

[TK — confirm bus arrival and departure times with Transportation Director Samantha Green at (360) 249-5454. Times above are estimates derived from the confirmed bell schedule.]

For per-student route assignments and stop times, see /departments/transportation (route lookup in Skyward Family Access). For conduct on the bus, see /bus-rules.

Knowing which kind of day today is

The school calendar at /calendar labels every school day. The labels you'll see:

• (no label) — regular full day.
• Early release — regular start, dismissal ~2.5 hours early.
• Late start — start delayed 2 hours, regular dismissal. Always weather-driven and decided that morning; check FlashAlert.
• Half day — regular start, midday dismissal. Usually semester-end or conference-related.
• Conference day — typically a half day; afternoon is parent conferences by appointment.
• Advisory day (MJSHS) — adds a 30-minute advisory between Period 2 and Period 3. Dismissal stays at the regular time.
• Assembly day (MJSHS) — assembly is held either 1st period (after Period 1) or 6th period (before dismissal). Dismissal stays at the regular time.
• Testing schedule (MJSHS) — Period 1 is extended for the state-test session; remaining periods compress to fit.
• No school — holiday, in-service, or weather-canceled.

Closure and late-start decisions are announced through FlashAlert (flashalert.net/jsonemerg/829) and on KOMO 4, KING 5, KIRO 7, FOX Q13, and local radio. The same notice appears at the top of every page on this site.

Schedule questions

Day-to-day schedule questions are fastest at the building office:

• Beacon: (360) 249-4528
• Simpson: (360) 249-4331
• MJSHS: (360) 249-4041

District-level schedule questions — calendar planning, why a specific day is structured the way it is — go to the District Office at (360) 249-3942 or community@monteschools.org.

Need this in another language?

If you'd like these schedules in another language, or if you need an interpreter to talk through a schedule question, contact:

Phone: (360) 249-3942 Email: community@monteschools.org

Interpretation is arranged at no cost to families.

How this page is updated

Building office professionals maintain their schedule entries on this page. Schedule changes are reviewed at the start of each school year and whenever the bell schedule shifts mid-year (rare, but possible if a labor contract or busing schedule changes). If a time on this page no longer matches reality, please email community@monteschools.org so we can fix it within one business day.