Dear Families,

Last Saturday a friend of mine was inducted into his high school hall of fame. There were 12 inductees going as far back as having graduated in 1967 and the room was filled with families and teammates and old uniforms and pictures and stories, some of which I'm convinced were made up (unless someone can verify that there was ever a third baseman named Stevie Pizza).

I don't share this to revel in the triumphs of 30 or even 60 years ago. I share it because all of their stories were told as if it were yesterday. Whatever their lives manifested in the years since, the level of gratitude was consistent. As my friend put it, we were gifted, not so much as athletes, but as people. Gifted with parents who volunteered to coach at the youth level and got up early to drive across the state for tournament games. Gifted with siblings who let us into the pick-up games. Gifted with older players who helped us aspire to stand out. Gifted with teammates and friends who have shown up for each other regardless of the circumstances.

19th Century French philosopher Emile Durkeim noted once that while as humans we have a great capacity for individual achievement, we also have the ability to transition, temporarily, to a higher state where we experience what he calls the "sacred" -- that set of emotions that can only be experienced as part of the collective.

Last Saturday morning, our boys' soccer team invited us all into that collective experience. While there were many great individual performances, the players will tell you that the victory was grounded in the belief that the team can overcome any challenges. These are boys who played together at the youth level, who now fist bump little kids dressed in throwback jerseys and mimic their moves, who celebrate with their fans, and who let us all experience -- even if just for a moment -- that feeling of remarkable accomplishment and collective gratitude.

Whatever those moments are in your life, I wish you all the experience to celebrate or relive the sacred this Thanksgiving. Safe travels, and have a wonderful holiday.

Sincerely,

Brian T. Scott

Principal

I will be holding an open coffee hour following the Grade 11 Parent Coffee on Tuesday, December 3rd, beginning at 10:00 AM in the Learning Commons. There is no agenda, per se, but I can answer questions that folks have about any of the data below, preliminary upcoming programming suggestions, current challenges that the school anticipates facing, and any other questions or concerns folks have. All are welcome.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Cohasset Food Pantry this fall. Special thanks to Coach A, the football team, and all of the middle and high school students who helped organize the drive. Have wonderful Thanksgiving!

At multiple points in the year we invite students to participate in a variety of data collection exercises, the purpose of which is to help us understand where we are as a learning community and build or adapt programming to build on our strengths and assist with our challenges.

I'd like to share two longitudinal pictures of correlating data. The first is the data that we have accrued from the PEAR Survey, given at the beginning of each year. The PEAR Survey, short for Partners in Education and Resilience, was founded in a joint effort by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical School's psychiatric teaching hospital) and provides a social-emotional "portrait" of students' strengths and challenges. In short, it provides a baseline for the underlying academic skills required prior to learning.

The second I'm taking from Mr. Roberts' presentation to the School Committee on 11/20/2024, which notes academic trends via traditional testing measures. The results are below. I think there is a marked trend between improvements in school climate and culture and academic performance measured objectively. What isn't always capturable are the ways in which individual students grow and capitalize on academic opportunities through Independent Studies or work with CSCR or Holly Hill, but anecdotally those opportunities are also growing and we have plans to improve those opportunities over the next year.

Last year, two of our 8th grade Research groups who presented at the State Civics Showcase at Bridgewater University received commendations from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

These commended students, now 9th graders, were invited to present their research projects at the 104th Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies in Boston last weekend. They did a fabulous job speaking to a national audience of educators and historians and highlighting the importance of their topics (Food Waste and Access to Clean Drinking Water). The groups continue to educate others, presenting to 5th graders at Deer Hill last week. The students were Jack Heald, Katie Kennealy, Myla Pimpare, Charlotte Reilly, Ali Rudnick, and Natalia Saiz. Special thanks to Ms. Cerrutti for her guidance!

The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opened to all on November 21, 10 days ahead of its expected December 1 launch date. This means that high school seniors and their families can start their FAFSA once they have their Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). The Federal Student Aid office FSA is hosting a multi-session virtual event on Tuesday, December 10 about the StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) and navigating the 2025-26 FAFSA form.

Additional information about applying for financial aid, including links to information and one-on-one help available to Massachusetts students, is available online. Eligible, non-U.S. citizens can apply for state financial aid through the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA).

Freshman and sophomore MA state mandated health screening will begin in Dec.

Freshman will be screened for scoliosis. Sophomore screening will consist of vision, hearing, height and weight. The screening will be done in the health office by the school nurse.

If you do not want your student to participate in the screening, please contact Judy Collins R.N. at jcollins@cohassetk12.org.

Thank you.

Mark your Calendars!

Parents/Guardians of 11th graders:

The School Counseling Office invites you to our upcoming Junior Parent Coffee to learn more about the college application process and ask any questions you may have.

Parent Coffee Event

Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Time: 8:30AM

Location: Learning Commons

(Note: Coffee pictured does not represent actual coffee served)

We have a very high number of students with mono this fall. As numerous illnesses are spread through the respiratory tract, please remind your student:

• Stay home if you are sick
• Do NOT share food or drinks!!!!
• Cough/sneeze into your elbow.
• Keep their hands away from their face.
• Wash your hands frequently.

Please see the following list of technological resources and troubleshooting instructions for student technology:

https://www.cohassetk12.org/departments/technology/tech-for-families

Volleyball End of Season Banquet

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C4RJFQf12zCX36eWA

Girls' Soccer vs. Sutton

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aA2VGeUMNNgaySi3A

Field Hockey Break-Up

https://photos.app.goo.gl/khMwF4LRhKa1VstA9

Dates to remember:

Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal