The CMS Tide Weekly Newsletter

Before vacation, our Student Council sponsored a 3-D snowflake workshop after school where students created decorations that now decorate the halls of Massachusetts General Hospital's Neurosciences Unit (see picture below). Students in Ms. Swartz's Art classes also were busy creating festive and appreciative art designs that were donated with the snowflakes to the hospital. We hope that patients and their families enjoy the talents and joy of our students!

• Over 180 brand new print books and DVDs (including over 30 books on the topic of social justice)!

• Homeroom deliveries…. just find the book you want in our Catalog and fill out the Request a Book form!

• A brand new elibrary with over 20,000 titles (including audiobooks and books in Spanish)!

All our students can keep reading right through this pandemic!

Achieving this degree of social protection will require a new clause in our social contract that will mean fewer contacts with others and wearing protective gear.

Just as we obey the most basic laws in order to protect all of us, everyone needs to accept responsibility for not only their circle of friends, family and colleagues, but for the wider community.

Our collective behavior will be the primary determinant of whether we can keep this virus in check. We each hold the health of our neighbors in our hands.

Excerpt: Kessler, David. "We Need a New Social Contract for the Coronavirus." New York Times, April 20, 2020

• Students are expected to be in school during their assigned days and should only be participating from home if they have been asked to stay home for COVID-19 reasons.

• If you suspect COVID-19 exposure or are experiencing symptoms, you must call the CMS and leave a message on the attendance line (781-236-1070). Our nurse will follow up with a phone call.

• While we appreciate students trying to keep up with schoolwork, it is not an option to be virtually present because the family wants to leave early for a ski weekend, or extend that weekend into a Monday. It isn't an option to take a vacation and log in from the beach, or to just decide that the student would rather be working from home.

• Parents of students who are ill (non-COVID) should report the absence to the CMS Main Office and the nurse. We encourage students to rest when absent to recover and return to school in good health.

• We ask that students refrain from logging into class remotely on their in-person days without permission from the office.

• In a hybrid model, teachers are essentially preparing two parallel instructional methods. These methods are not typically synchronous so while it does give us a structure for moving some students back and forth between in-person and remote, the lessons are not designed to have students pick and choose which method they would prefer.

We appreciate your cooperation with these policies. Thank you.

SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) aims to promote child-focused, inclusive learning environments for all students. The council also works to support parents of students on IEPs and liaison with district and school administration to maintain open dialogue and transparency.

SEPAC holds regular meetings with Barbara Cerwonka, Director of Student Services and plans to host two virtual parent-only coffees this year to offer parents time and space to talk and share issues, concerns, and ideas. The first virtual parent-only coffee will be Tuesday, November 17th at 10am.

Keep a look-out for the flyer with the zoom link! Email us at cohassetsepac@gmail.com to ask questions, become more directly involved, or just say hello. We'd like to wish everyone a great year and extend a big thank you to all of the teachers, staff, administrators, parents, caregivers, and siblings for their ongoing and tireless efforts to keep our kids engaged and learning.

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