The CMS Tide Weekly Newsletter

CMS students attended a utility period assembly Friday to learn about the structure of StuCo and the numerous opportunities to participate. The CMS Student Council (StuCo) is committed to involving as many students as possible and developing student voice and leadership. StuCo works to ensure the students enjoy an amazing experience while at CMS by organizing dances, spirit days, advocating for students, etc. Chewck out the slide deck from the assembly below.

Students will complete the i-Ready Reading benchmark on September 12th and, a week later on September 19th, they will complete the i-Ready Math benchmark. These are completed in the morning so it is important that students arrive to school on time like every day.

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions based on student responses. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. Student performance from each of the three i-Ready administrations (Fall, Winter, Spring) will be shared with parents.

You might be asking "What can I do to help?"

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
• Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
• Try not to worry about questions to which they do not know the answers—remind them that it is expected that they will only get about half of the questions correct.
• Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish. Bring a book to read, for example.
• Use paper and pencil to show work for math questions

As you know, CMS is a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) school. A secure and monitored wireless network is provided so students can access instructional materials, demonstrate their learning, collaborate, and create. In order for this powerful instructional model to work, students must bring a device daily that is charged.

The CMS Main Office keeps a few Chromebooks available for students who might find their device is experiencing technical difficulties during school and cannot be repaired here at CMS.

It is important for parents of students who do not remember to bring a device to school or charge it to know that the CMS Main Office will ask a child to call a parent and arrange for the device to be brought to school.

We encourage our parents to support their children in preparing for school each day. This means completing homework assignments, packing needed materials into the backpack, charging the device overnight, and then making sure to bring it to school everyday. By reinforcing these positive habits, parents help their students develop the tools needed to find success throughout their lives.

Ms. Jewell and Mrs. Ryan present to CMS students about our Student Council (STUCO)

As you know, Wednesday August 30 was a Picture Day at CMS. To order pictures go to: https://my.lifetouch.com or use the QR code. Enter EVTG4WNPT for our Picture Day ID, and then enter student information to get to your pictures. You can order online and your pictures will be shipped directly to you!

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.

Please download and complete the confidential health form below and return it to CMS one of the following ways:

• mailing it to Attention of Nurse Kalberer, CMS (address below)
• scan/photo and email the image to ekalberer@cohassetk12.org
• complete it online and email the image to ekalberer@cohassetk12.org
• drop off a signed hardcopy at the office

Thank you!

Nurse Erin Kalberer

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.

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

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 CMS administration and faculty communicate with our families using many digital and traditional means. Our weekly newsletter, the CMS Tide, is emailed to families and students every week. It is also posted on our school website .

We call it the CMS Tide because just as the tide brings to us treasures from the deep and leaves them on the beach for us to discover, The CMS Tide brings to our community the news, images, and stories about life at CMS each week,

We hope you enjoy each issue this year!

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