Someone once said "Honesty is the best policy". It has become a little trite and often ignored in our society yet it remains a valuable lesson to teach our children.

We often gloss over dishonesty--I forgot... just fudge the numbers... everyone does it...its a victimless crime...etc. Sadly, students at all levels of education resort to cheating. In a 1998 poll of Who’s Who Among American High School Students (source: glass-castle.com), 80% of the country’s best students cheated to get to the top of their classes. Half of them did not see it as a big deal and most did not get caught.

But why do students cheat? Many cheat out of fear — they fear not being at the top of their class or disappointing their parents; they fear looking "dumb" to peers; or not getting into the "right" school or college. Some students think cheating is justified. They see others do it and not get caught. They also might see their parents do it too. Parents may joke about cheating on their taxes, avoiding detection when speeding, or cheating in sports just enough to not get penalized in order to win.

Ultimately, we teach our students to become morally numb to cheating and to create any justification to rationalize these behaviors. Our children take our lessons into the world and apply them to situations in the future.

Are we willing to take responsibility for teaching these lessons when our children get caught cheating and help them learn? Or are we going to "double-down" and attack those that enforce the rules (school administrators, college admissions/administrators, police, etc) when your child is facing a consequence for dishonest behaviors?

Prepare your child for the world by:

• teaching your child that perfection does not allow for growth. The challenge of life isn't being perfect, it is embracing our mistakes and learning from them--this is how we truly improve. Covering our imperfections with lies, distortions, and dishonesty PREVENTS authentic improvement and growth.
• stress honesty but acknowledge the reality of the world
• focus on the satisfaction that comes from being honest with yourself, even when you could get away with dishonesty
• support them in developing the integrity and traits that will help them to be leaders among their friends rather than being worried about creating a false persona to live up to what is imagined to be their friends' expectations

Our children are our legacy. As Shakespeare said "No legacy is so rich as honesty".

Because many of our parents have had interesting personal and professional experiences, we invite any other parents who are interested in coming in to speak with students to complete the Google Form linked below!

Be a CMS Parent Guest Speaker

We appreciate your support and interest in enriching the learning opportunities of our students!

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

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.

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