Parent Quick Links

School Day Schedule

Drop Off:

Preschool-Grade 4: 7:55 am -8:15 am

Grade 5-8: 7:55 am -8:05 am

Dismissal:

Monday- Thursday, Preschool- Grade 4: 3:00pm

Monday-Thursday, Grade 5-8: 3:05 pm

Friday, Preschool-Grade 4: 1:45 pm and Grade 5-8: 1:50 pm

For school closures related to severe weather or other emergencies, FSP will generally follow MSAD 51 (Cumberland/North Yarmouth schools) decisions.  School opening may be delayed or school may be canceled for the day.  These days will not be made up at the end of the year unless they exceed five days.  You may monitor information on Channel 6 and on the WCSH6 website: http://www.wcsh6.com/weather/severe_weather/cancellations_closings/.  We also post closures on  FSP’s website and social media pages. 

All parents  are automatically signed up to  receive text message alerts about school closures via Parent Alert System.

The AfterCare program is designed as an inclusive, child-centered time of play, self-discovery, and learning with supervision and guidance provided by the members of the AfterCare staff. It is an opportunity for children in preschool through eighth-grade to come together for a healthy snack and then to move outdoors for play and exploration. AfterCare is guided by the Quaker principles of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. The AfterCare staff strives to meet the needs of each student while placing an emphasis on group awareness and harmony.

For more information on what AfterCare looks like at the Friends School of Portland, please read through our:

AFTERCare FAQs

Parents may sign up for either:

Full-time AfterCare (Monday through Friday until 5:30 pm)

Part-time AfterCare (2 or 3 days a week until 5:30 pm)

2025-2026 School Year AfterCare Pricing (per 3-month contracts):

2 Days/ Week: $550.00

3 Days/ Week: $765.00

5 Days/ Week: $1050.00

If you require a 1 or 4 day/week AfterCare option, please reach out to Eliza. These requests will be considered on a cases by cases basis after registration has closed.

Registration and Billing

For the 2025-2026 school year, AfterCare registration will start on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

This year, AfterCare registration will be sent out with the enrollment paperwork that families receive. Registration for AfterCare will close on Friday, August 8, 2025. All families who register prior to this date are guaranteed a spot.

• Billing for Full-time and Part-time will be sent out via email.

• You will be billed for reserved time slots whether or not your child attends AfterCare.*

• AfterCare is billed in 3-month intervals: September-November, December-February, and March-June.

• Changes to contracted AfterCare slots may happen anytime during the first week of September.

• Changes to AfterCare Contracts after September may only be made during the months of November and February with the change taking effect at the beginning of the next billing cycle (December 1 and March 1).

• A 25% discount is offered for second and third siblings who attend full-time aftercare.

• To make a change to your child’s schedule, please contact AfterCare Coordinator, Eliza Robinson by email (eliza@friendsschoolportland.org)

Please note:

• If your child is participating in a non-AfterCare activity such as Outing Club, Photo Club, or Lego Robotics on a day that they are registered for AfterCare, they will still be billed for their regular AfterCare hours, as staffing, snack, and material budgets are based on full- and part-time registration.

• If a child is dismissed earlier in the school day for an appointment. The student needs to be present before dismissal to attend AfterCare.

Sign Out Procedures

Parents sign their children out each day with their child’s AfterCare staff member. This ensures we know that a child has left the building. If a child is picked up after 5:30, we will add a fee of $20.

AfterSchool Activities are offered in addition to our regular Aftercare program, which runs every day from 3:00 to 5:30pm. Students enrolled in our AfterCare program may participate in these activities but must sign up separately (any additional fees are noted below).

We are all looking forward to providing a fun, safe, creative, and loving environment for your children to enjoy at the end of the school day. In addition to our AfterCare staff we will have instructors coming in throughout the year to offer additional programming to complement our AfterCare program. We are also grateful for our parent and grandparent volunteers who have organized ski club, taken children ice skating, and taught our students chess, among other things. Parents are always welcome to share their time and passions with our students and are encouraged to contact Eliza, if you would like to lead or assist with an AfterSchool activity.

All AfterSchool activities (unless otherwise noted) begin directly after school. A healthy snack will be provided from 3:00-3:15 pm and offerings will begin in earnest at 3:15 pm.  Please check on individual activity descriptions for ending times. Parents should pick up their children at the activities ending time and sign-out their child in the AfterCare log book outside the main office. If students are not picked up they will be brought to AfterCare and charged additionally, unless they are already on AfterCare roster for that day.

If you have any questions, please contact Eliza Robinson (eliza@friendsschoolportland.org).

Most sign-ups will take place at school and will be located on the bulletin board near the school office. After an initial trial period, usually the first session, children and families will be expected to commit for the full term of the activity.

Additions, cancellations, and deviations from the schedule below will be announced in the weekly e-bulletin.

Re-enrollment agreements with deposits are due Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

Deposits are nonrefundable. Any withdrawals from FSP should be made in writing. For any withdrawals made after April 30, families are responsible for 50% of tuition.

FSP offers three basic tuition payment plans.  

• Under the first plan, tuition is payable in one installment by July 1.  

• Under the second plan, tuition is payable in two installments, one by July 1  and the second by the first class day after January 1.  

• Under the third plan, tuition is payable in ten equal installments through FACTS Management Company beginning in May. 

A link to the FACTS payment plan is available on the website: www.friendsschoolportland.org >>Admissions.

Tuition assistance at FSP is based on need as determined through FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment Service and reapplication is required yearly.  Families already enrolled at FSP will receive priority in allocation of tuition assistance if application deadlines are met.   

The deadline for financial aid applications through FACTS is  January 30, 2026.

Every student receives an FSP shirt when they begin school.  FSP car magnets are free and available outside the front office to share your FSP pride with others!  If you would like to purchase additional FSP gear from t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc, we host two online pop-up shops in the Fall and Spring.  Orders placed are delivered to school or home and support FSP’s Friends Fund. 

The fall pop-up shop will be open for orders from Mon., Oct 6, through Wed., Oct. 29. All orders placed will be available before the December break.

Online FSP Merch Store -- Open Until Wed., Oct. 29

The ways families are involved with FSP change over time and each year we invite you to help reimagine and create new ways for families to be involved. You’ll find that each teacher at FSP invites parents to be involved in the classroom in different ways. As a school, we look for creative and simple ways for parents, caregivers, and families to be involved.

Parents have shared their interests and time in many ways: shared family traditions, expertise in their field in the classroom, co-led an afterschool Podcast club, assisted with building our new wing as part of our Capital Campaign leadership, created FSP car magnets, led annual fundraisers like Hats Off & Close Buy Catalog sales, attended morning coffees around Quakerism, and prepared appreciation lunches for teachers and staff.

All parents are encouraged to attend and sign up to help with a few annual parent-initiated traditions.

Parent Coffees are informal but themed meet and greets organized on the first Thursday morning of each month. Past parent coffee topics have included conversations with Friends Camp Director, Quakers from Portland Friends Meeting, New Teacher meet and greet. We look forward to more ways to lift up and share the work of students and their families at FSP.

Sign Up To Host Parent Coffee

Fall Fest is held on a Sunday in October. Games, contradancing, and activities are organized. it is a family-friendly afternoon party.

Game Night is held on a Saturday in March. Board games, card games, D+D, tag games are set up and open to all. This event has been held in the afternoon. Families are invited to bring a snack to share.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation End-of-Year Lunches are a wonderful FSP tradition to share appreciation for the hard work all year of FSP’s faculty and staff. Families are invited to bring baked goods, main dishes, and desserts during June Teacher Work Days.

School Committees

In addition to these opportunities that come around each year, each school year offers different events in which to become involved. There are many School Committees that keep FSP a healthy, thoughtful community. Committees vary by membership: parents, students, faculty, staff, board members, community members. There are both committees that meet regularly and reoccur each year to groups as needed. Often, volunteer committee help is solicited in re-enrollment forms, by classroom teachers, in the e-bulletin, and in conversation.

Here are a few examples of committees and volunteer groups parents often support: Parenting for Peace Planning Committee, Admissions Ambassadors, Hours in the Flowers/Grounds Keepers, Visiting Artists Planning Committee, Grandfriends’ Day Planning Committee, Quaker Life Committee, Auction Planning Committee, School Merchandise Committee, and Classroom Point Parents.

Additional needs are publicized in the weekly e-bulletin and classroom emails.

Community Caregivers Committee Members:

• Attend monthly meetings to gauge the sense of community

• Spearhead one “Hospitality and Help” 

• Assist with planning either the Fall Fest or Winter Game Night 

• Assist in creating a mid-year parent survey

• Assist in adding to the end-of-year parent survey

• Lead one (or more) Parent Coffee(s) during the school year 

Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 4:30 pm at FSP. AfterCare is available for families during this time.

• Tuesday, Oct. 7

  Tuesday, Nov. 4

  Tuesday, Dec. 2

  Tuesday, Jan. 13

  Tuesday, March 3

  Tuesday, April 7

  Tuesday, May 12