Youth Risk Behavior Survey
On Monday, May 15, CMS students will have the opportunity to participate in the bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is given in partnership with the Cohasset Safe Harbor. The survey is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and, according to their website, was designed to help monitor adolescent health behavior changes over time, identify emerging issues, and plan and evaluate programs to support the health of youth.
YRBS data are used by health departments, educators, lawmakers, doctors, and community organizations to inform school and community programs, communications campaigns, and other efforts.
This anonymous survey asks students about general information (grade, academic performance, etc.) and exposure to safety threats such as:
- whether they have been in a car driven by someone who had been consuming alcohol or marijuana and their relationship with that person?
- their sense of physical safety at home or school
- stress and depression
- self-harm and suicide
- student tobacco, vape, alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, and prescription drug usage
- unhealthy body image/eating disorder
Participation in the survey is not required and parents reserve the right to request that their children do not participate. Please email Principal Mills (jmills@cohassetk12.org ) to request that your child not participate in this survey.
Our grade 8 students will take the Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) MCAS test on May 18 and 19, this Thursday and Friday.
Students in grades 5, 8, and high school take the STE MCAS. The grade 8 test assesses student mastery of the grades 6-8 Massachusetts STE Curriculum frameworks. The standards focus on conceptual understanding of a limited set of disciplinary core ideas that build across grades and lead to conceptual understanding and application of concepts. The frameworks consist of four disciplines (earth and space science, life science, physical science, and technology/engineering) that are included in each grade to encourage integration across the year and through curriculum.
This has been an exciting year in CMS science classes as we have implemented a new curriculum. It is called Open Science Education (OpSciEd). It is an open-source, standards-aligned curriculum focused on phenomena-based learning which inspires students to lead in questioning, investigating, and solving problems. Through student-lead discovery, the OpenSciEd classroom fosters a classroom culture where everyone matters and is heard.
It is important to remember that implementing bold, new changes in curriculum and instruction requires time and patience. Students and teachers are learning how we can learn in student-centered instructional model. This implementation will take additional time before the potential benefits to student learning are fully demonstrated. However, we are enthusiastic about the direction in which we are heading as a school community.
CMS Health Clinic May Update
Grade 6 has completed their postural screenings. If you have not heard from me, your child’s screening test was within range.
Grade 8 has started postural screenings this week.
We are out of tissues, which makes for a tough allergy season. Please send your child in with individual tissue packs that they can carry with them if needed. Tissue box donations will graciously be accepted.
Lastly, we really need substitute school nurses. If you hold an active RN license and are interested, please forward your resume to the attention of Kelli Gildea, Nurse Leader @ kgildea@cohassetk12.org. When there is no substitute nurse for middle school, the high school nurse has had to cover all the students at both CMS and CHS and middle school students are asked to go the high school for nursing needs. Please help if you can.
Thank you,
Nurse Erin
On Friday, the food service department welcomed Chefs from The John C. Stalker Institute at CMHS! (see picture below) Students sampled Chicken Shawarma and Tabbouleh.
Upcoming Special Events!
- Mediterranean Day: The Chefs will be returning on Thursday, May 4. The meal will include Shawarma Chicken, Homemade Baba Ghanoush and Hummus, Tabbouleh, and a Melon Salad.
- Cinco de Mayo is next Friday: The cafeterias will be featuring specials to mark the occasion. Taco Skillet dip and Enchiladas will be available for students to try!
Sincerely,
Marilyn Haraden
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.
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!
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