Dear Tide Reader,

I wanted to share the following announcement that I read Friday (1/14/22) morning as part of our daily announcements. The message explains to students that the School Committee has changed the masking requirement for all vaccinated students and staff per DESE guidance beginning Tuesday as we met the 80% threshold for vaccinated staff and students. Beginning on Tuesday, vaccinated students and their parents will have the choice of whether to continue wearing a COVID mask at school. Unvaccinated students will be required to continue wearing a mask until proof of their vaccination is provided to the nurse’s office or the School Committee modifies the requirement.

I emphasized in my message that the School Committee has not prohibited masking but has given the choice of masking to students and their parents/guardians. The Cohasset Board of Health and DESE have both “strongly recommended” that students wear masks to fight the spread of COVID. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me.

Good morning CMS, this is Mr. Mills. Beginning on Tuesday 1/18 and by School Committee policy, CMS students who are vaccinated will no longer be required to wear COVID masks at school. Unvaccinated students are required to continue to wear COVID masks until either proof of vaccination is provided to the school nurses’ office or the School Committee modifies this requirement.

The School Committee made this change because over 80% of CMS students and staff have provided proof of COVID vaccination. This 80% threshold was established by our state department of education which is called DESE.

I want to make absolutely clear to students the school committee policy does NOT prohibit wearing a COVID mask at school. In fact, the Cohasset Board of Health strongly recommends that all students and staff choose to wear face coverings. In case you are wondering, I will continue to wear a mask because I want to protect myself and everyone around me from potentially catching or spreading COVID.

Beginning Tuesday, vaccinated students and their parents/guardians have the choice of whether the student will wear a mask at CMS to protect themselves against contracting or spreading COVID.

If you have questions, please feel free to stop by the Main Office where Dr. Salas and I would be happy to meet with you to discuss this change.

As we work with our community through these difficult times, Cohasset Public Schools makes many resources available to the community on its website and Superintendent Sullivan's Navigator newsletter contains up-to-date information about COVID in the Cohasset community as well as the school system. It is available online here

Depictions of drug and alcohol use is widespread in current media, including shows often viewed by teenagers such as Stranger Things and The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, and HBO’s Euphoria. Given that research indicates that exposure to these messages increases teenage substance use, what can parents do to protect their children? And how do depictions of substance use and sexual activity relate to risky sexual behavior in real life? Join Dr. Weiner for an exploration of the psychological impact of drug use and sexual content in media, as well as actionable strategies for parents and caregivers to help teenagers navigate this complicated social and cultural terrain.

Register Here.

CMS will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in February, 2022. NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is different from MCAS because it is a common measure of achievement across the country. The assessment is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education. The results are released as The Nation’s Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.

A sample of 8th graders will take a mathematics or reading assessment. In addition to subject-area questions, students voluntarily complete NAEP survey questions. These questions provide valuable information about participating students’ educational experiences and opportunities to learn both in and outside of the classroom. More information about NAEP survey questions is available at https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents under the section “What Questions Are on the Test?”

The assessment takes approximately 2 hours for most students, which includes transition time, directions, and completion of survey questions. Families of students chosen to participate will be notified in January.

The information collected is used for statistical purposes only.

· Your child’s grades will not be affected.

· Students may be excused for any reason, are not required to complete the assessment, and may skip any question.

· Participation in the NAEP assessment is voluntary,

Oftentimes when dealing with personal or family issues, we feel overwhelmed because we lack experience and expertise with handling these issues. We want to be sure our families know that they are not alone--there are many resources on the South Shore that can help.

Community Resources

Wellspring Multi Service

Website: wellspringmultiservice.org

Address: 814 Nantasket Ave Hull, MA 02045

Phone: 781-925-3211

Contact: Jenny Gerbis, Community Outreach, ext. 127, jenny@wellspringmultiservice.org

Baystate Community Services

Website: baystatecs.org

Address: 1120 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02169

Phone: 617-471-8400

Email: info@baystatecs.org

Cohasset Food Pantry

Address: 129 So. Main Street, Cohasset, MA 02025

Phone: 781-383-0219 ext. 25

Cohasset Rotary Club

Website: cohassetrotary.org

Email: cohassetrotaryclub@gmail.com or pwmcohassetrotary@gmail.com

Interfaith Social Services

Website: interfaithsocialservices.org

Address: 105 Adams Street, Quincy MA 02169

Phone: 617-773-6203

Email: info@interfaithsocialservices.org

Safe Harbor Coalition Cohasset

Website: safeharborcohasset.org

Address: 35 Ripley Road, Cohasset, MA 02025

Phone: 781-783-5293

Contact: Nicole Balaschi, Program Director,

Email: safeharborcohasset@gmail.com

The CMS administration and faculty communicate with our families using many digital and traditional means. Our weekly newsletter, the CMS Tide, will be sent to families and students every weekend. It is also posted on our school website and shared via Twitter (@comsprincipal).

We call it the CMS Tide because just like we find when we walk along the beach, the tide brings to us treasures from the deep. It helps us picture what is going on just beyond where we stand. The CMS Tide supplies news, images, stories about life at CMS to our families each week,

We hope you enjoy each issue this year!

Since July 2014, Safe Harbor Cohasset has been working to promote awareness and implement resources to help make an impact on the substance use in the community. The group has members from across the spectrum in the community, including, but not limited to, Paul Pratt Memorial Library, Cohasset Recreation Department, Cohasset Police Department, Cohasset Public Schools, Second Congregational Church, town leaders, health professionals, parents, youth, fire personnel, and concerned citizens. In September 2017, Safe Harbor was awarded a federal Drug- Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grant, which focuses on preventing substance use among youth ages 12-17.

Since then, the group has worked to foster a strong and inclusive community that allows youth to strive and encourages healthy, educated and responsible choices about drug and alcohol use. The mission is supported by evidenced based, prevention focused, sustainable policies and youth- focused programs, such as Ground Level Café and the Safe Harbor Youth Ambassador Program. To learn more, and to find resources for both parents and teens, visit the Safe Harbor website at safeharborcohasset.org. Keep up to date on the latest news and trends by following Safe Harbor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/safeharborcohasset, on Twitter @cohsafeharbor, and on Instagram @safeharborcohasset.

Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu observed "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."

These are certainly difficult times and many parents and families are experiencing great stress. Our ability to cope is regularly challenged and, understandably, there may be times when individuals can no longer manage their emotions. It is important to know where to turn when we reach that point.

To help our families, we share this contact list of support providers--Mental Health and Crisis Contacts These support providers offer great opportunities to help receive help when those we love are struggling to manage.

The Cohasset Middle School is a grade 6-8 school dedicated to the development of the whole child. We are an inclusive, supportive, and safe learning environment committed to excellence and growth. Our community values experiential, collaborative, active learning that is rigorous and relevant, and fosters creative, responsible contributors to a global society.

Website: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Domain/9
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781.383.6100
Twitter: @comsprincipal