The CMS Tide Weekly Newsletter
March 17, 2023
6th Grade PBL Project
Our grade 6 students read William Kamkwamba's inspiring memoir of creativity, problem-solving, and building community called The Boy that Harnessed the Wind in their ELA classes and connected it to learning in all their classes as well as the world. The book is the true story of how the author, who was 13-years-old and living in a rural village in Malawi, sneaks into the library and learns how to build a windmill to save his village from a famine.
CMS students in grade 6 read and wrote literary essays about the books and its themes. In science, they constructed functioning windmills out of recycled materials like William did in his book. Students enjoyed a "Malawi Day" during which they sampled Malawian cuisine, watched the film version of the story, and tested their windmills.
Students also collected loose change and donations for their "Change the World Campaign". All funds raised will be donated directly to William Kamkwamba’s foundation Moving Windmills. Inspired by the work of William Kamkwamba, the Moving Windmills Project was founded in 2008 to build community and empower problem solvers. They work in partnership with local leaders and resilient farmers to secure a viable future for Malawi’s families by building low-cost water wells, installing solar powered pumps and energy systems, and renovating local schools with new facilities and learning materials.
Malawi Day was an amazing celebration of character, culture, technology, and collaboration. We thank all of the parents who helped prepare and serve the Malawian food and also those who helped during the windmill presentation! See pictures below!
CMS Cares: Sustainability Showcase
On Monday, March 13, students presented their sustainability projects as part of Mrs. Cerruti's Research class in the Learning Commons. Parents and members of the school community visited and participated in student presentations. Research topics focused on the theme of sustainability and ranged from waste management, fisheries resources to student stress and diversity. Students immersed themselves in authentic research using the techniques learned in the class to produce an action plan and commitment to affected our community and world. See images of this wonderful experience below.
Sharing Valuable Life Experiences
Among the learning experiences CMS students find in our classrooms, perhaps the most memorable are guest speakers. When students can meet someone whose occupation, travel, skills, or other life experiences connect to what they are learning, the curriculum comes alive. Learning becomes authentic and grounded in the real-world.
The CMS community is rich and made up of individuals with diverse experiences. Teachers would love to invite you to meet their classes to share your knowledge. However, it is difficult to know who is willing to become a guest speaker and who had the experiences that would connect to curriculum.
In order to facilitate this, we ask any parents who have experiences and knowledge to share and are willing to be a guest speaker to fill out and submit this form which will be shared with teachers.
The CMS faculty and students thank parents willing to share their experiences as a guest speaker!
Grade 6 Postural Screening
The Cohasset Middle School will begin postural screenings for Grade 6 the week of 3/6/23
Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires all school systems in Massachusetts to provide postural screenings to students in Grades 5 through 9. The purpose of this is to find early signs of possible spinal problems. It is not a diagnostic service, but a program to identify young people who should have further medical evaluation.
The school nurse will supervise your child’s screening and will make sure your child’s privacy is respected. Students will be asked to remove their shirt so that the spine can be evaluated. Female students are asked to wear a sports bra or tank top. The results of your child’s screenings are confidential. If your child has any abnormal findings, you will be notified. If there are no abnormal findings, we will not be contacting you.
I have emailed the parents/guardians who have already opted-out of this screening. If you have not been emailed, and you DO NOT want your 6th grade child to participate in the postural screening, please email me by 3/3/23. Please contact me with any questions.
Thank you,
Nurse Erin
Excessive Student Absence Notification Process
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 76 requires that each school notify parents and guardians if their student has five (5) or more unexcused school absences. Parents and guardians will receive a letter when their child has 5, 10, and/or 15+ days of unexcused absences. The letter will also include the number of unexcused tardies and unexcused early dismissals.
Absences will be excused under the following circumstances:
After a medical appointment documented with a note from the medical office
Illness or quarantine with a note from the appropriate medical office
Observance of a religious holiday
Bereavement or serious illness in family
Court appearance
A child may also be excused for other exceptional reasons with approval of the Principal or designee in accordance with the school committee policy and the regulations set in Chapter 76
Daily attendance is essential to a student's success. Missing a significant number of days of school has a detrimental effect on academic and social development. Therefore, each school will work with individual families to support student attendance.
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!
Cohasset Middle School
Website: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Domain/9
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781.383.6100
Twitter: @comsprincipal
