The CMS Tide Weekly Newsletter

Two feet of snow dumped on us last weekend cancelling school on Monday?

An ice storm causing early dismissal on Friday?

A deep freeze for the weekend?

The Winter of 2022 is throwing everything it has at CMS but we are still having fun and making the most out of each day!

Below is a video slideshow of blizzard images shared by our parents depicting the many ways our students got out and celebrated the winter storm! Below that are pictures of some of our Wellness classes who ventured outside with Mr. Pimental to explore the snowy school campus using new snowshoes acquired by the CMS Wellness Dept. with the generous support of a PSO grant.

On Thursday, CMS faculty met for our monthly after school meeting. We warmed up with an activity called "Rock, Paper, Scissors Rockstar"--a great way to get up, move around recognize our colleagues for the amazing people they are!. Enjoy the action shots taken by Ms. Bracchi, one of our Special Education teachers and advisor to the CMS Yearbook.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (February 8th and 9th), CMS students and faculty will be participating in the MCAS Infrastructure Trial during utility period. The purpose of the trial is for our IT Department to assess the robustness and dependability of our wireless infrastructure for the "real" MCAS in April and May. A secondary benefit is that the trial reminds students and teachers of how to log in so that everyone is confident and relaxed when the real MCAS test is conducted.

The infrastructure trial is scheduled for utility period and will not disrupt student learning on either day. Students will have the opportunity to practice logging in and out, as well as taking a small portion of the Math and ELA MCAS tests. Students will be using guest accounts and their responses will not be graded or recorded. 6th grade and a portion of 7th will participate in the infrastructure trial on Tuesday while the remainder of the school will participate on Wednesday.

Gymnast Simone Biles once observed, "Practice creates confidence." We want to give our students every opportunity to feel confident when they are completing the MCAS later on the spring.

CMS is piloting the "Tower of Power" in several classrooms (see below). The towers are rolling recharging stations that allow students to recharge their devices in class without having to deal with the disruption of finding a receptacle somewhere in the classroom. one student commented that she liked the tower because "[Now I am not] not totally stressed about what to do if my Chromebook is running low but I need it for the activity we are in--I can just plug in from my seat!".

The tower features power receptacles and USB ports. We continue to encourage every student to pack a device charger when packing up for school EVERY DAY.

Director of Instructional Technology Lisa Radden is exploring ways to provide students and teachers the optimal space for learning utilizing technology. We are confident that she will continue to provide innovations like this and new visions for how to enhance our student learning. But for right now, Ms. Radden is the Tower of Power Educator of the Hour!!

Is your child missing a jacket, sweatshirt, lunch bag, water bottle or other miscellaneous item? Our CMS lost and found is located outside of the gymnasium and getting quite large. Please ask your child to check the lost and found for anything they are missing. Parents who want to check the lost and found should make an appointment with Asst. Principal Dr. Salas, ksalas@cohassetk12.org

Typically the lost and found gets emptied during vacation weeks so send your student there to look for any lost item!

As we strive to support students in developing their independence skills, we have realized that there has been a need for improvement in the way that we help them. Students who needed to borrow a CMS Chromebook because they forgot to charge or bring theirs to school were also forgetting to return the CMS loaner. Starting this week, students who borrow a Chromebook and do not return it by the end of the school day will be scheduled for an after school help session for organization with Dr. Salas. Students will learn time management as well as organization skills.

The following is reprinted from Supt. Sullivan's The Navigator newsletter 2/3/22)

For those of you who opted your child(ren) into the state’s new “At Home Testing Program,” your child(ren) received one test kit Friday in a labeled bag. In that test kit will be two (2) individual tests that should be used over a two-week period. There will be specific instructions in the bag with the kits that will provide instructions for using the tests. Click here for a full “written “how to” in various languages. Click here for a video of an individual self-testing.

We are asking families to test their child(ren) on Sunday of each week, including over February break. Families should only report positives to their school nurse. Contact information for each school nurse will also be in the bag.

We will be reordering test kits every other week. Parents / Guardians who have yet to sign up their child for the testing program, but who would like them to be involved in future deliveries should contact their child’s school nurse.

PLEASE NOTE: We have now officially transitioned our practices from Test and Stay to At Home Testing. In conjunction with DESE requirements for being a part of the At Home Testing Program, we are no longer contact tracing within the schools.

Symptomatic Testing: The same consent previously signed for Test and Stay covers Symptomatic Testing, which will be able to be implemented by our nursing staff, now that we are implementing At Home Testing.

Parents and guardians who wish to have their children participate in the Cohasset School District Covid-19 testing, thus being eligible for Symptomatic Testing, must click on the link provided (if you did not do so previously for test and stay) and complete the consent forms.

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

All students are required to attend school for 180 days. As of today, the new last day of school (half day) for the 2021 -2022 school year is Thursday, June 30, 2022. Please see below for an updated school calendar.

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