This Newsletter updates on all matters connected to Cohasset Public Schools. This letter is sent as part of a District initiative focusing on communication.

This week we honored our Veterans within the school buildings and will do so in town-wide celebrations tomorrow. As a long-standing tradition, a winning writer will be selected from each 5th grade class, and they will have an opportunity to read their pieces at the town Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, November 11 at 11:00 am.

Thank you to all who served and who currently serve to protect our freedoms.

Thank you to our amazing School Psychologists, Alyson Doyle, Meaghan Greaney, and Caitlin Stromberg for all they do for the students each day.

Like weather forecasting, the school closing decision process is not a perfect science. However, I believe it is important for students and families to understand how it works. I hope this FAQ document answers your questions.

Who makes the decision about whether or not to close school?

As Superintendent, I am responsible for the final decision. I work with District staff to monitor state and local weather forecasts and consult with officials from the Department of Public Works, Cohasset Police, and Cohasset Fire who provide updates to me on snow removal operations, neighborhood road conditions, and any power outages.

What time do I make the call?

My goal is to make the decision to open, close, or delay by 5:45 A.M. or earlier if possible. I try not to wait any longer as families then have little time to make arrangements for childcare, and some of our staff may have already left for work. Also, while I know there is often an interest in having a decision the night before, a lot can change overnight. I will try my best to make a decision as early as possible.

What information is gathered to aid in the decision?

There are multiple factors used in deciding whether or not to close school. Information on road conditions, snow accumulation predictions, building conditions such as electricity and heat, parking lot conditions, air temperature and wind chill, and estimated times from the Department of Public Works and Cohasset Police as to when roads, walkways, and parking lots will be cleared of snow and ice are all considered. I also consider the number of children who walk to school and student drivers.

Are Remote Days a Possibility this Year?

Remote days are not currently permitted as a substitution for in-person days by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

What is a delayed opening?

Rather than close school for a whole day due to short-term weather situations, there may be days when the beginning of school will be delayed one hour, ninety minutes, or two hours. School will simply start later by the length of the delay. Bus pickup, therefore, will also occur later. For example, if your child is normally picked up at 6:55 A.M., during a two-hour delayed opening, your child will be picked up at 8:55 A. M. Lunch will still be available, and dismissal will be at the regularly scheduled times.

What happens to Pre School and Half Day Kindergarten during a delayed opening?

When a delayed opening is called, the Pre School and Half Day Kindergarten classes are cancelled.

What are parents’ / guardians' responsibilities?

The safety of your child is paramount. On days when weather conditions are questionable, but school remains open, parents are free to exercise discretion and keep children home from school. Parents of young drivers are asked to reinforce winter weather driving skills: allowing

extra travel time, reducing speed, and not worrying about being late.

How are days made up?

As per State regulations, students must attend school for a minimum of 180 days and the school year must end by June 30. If school is closed due to weather, the day will be made up at the end of the school year.

How do power outages affect the decision?

Inclement weather can affect the timeline for utility companies to restore electricity. If all school buildings have electricity, the goal will be to open school. Other factors also influence the decision, including whether a large number of neighborhoods are without power.

How is the public notified?

Announcements about school closings and delays are posted as outlined below. Please be advised that, depending upon the severity of the storm, school and district administration offices may also be closed in addition to cancelling classes for students.

· District website (www.cohassetk12.org)

· Twitter @SuperCohasset (I will usually tweet the cancelation first…so follow me If you want the early scoop)

· Black Board Connect Automated Telephone Notification Service (if operational)

· WBZ TV and Radio (Channel 4)

· WATD 95.9

· WHDH Channel 7 and 56

· WCVB Fox 25 and Channel 5

I will try to send periodic updates via Black Board Connect messages whenever possible should the storm extend for any period of time beyond the day or should the storm result in continued questionable community conditions.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

CHS Sophomore Mary Williams is spearheading the "Make a Difference Campaign" for the PSO, with her mother (Kathryn Williams) as her sponsor. The Make a Difference Campaign is currently looking for volunteers to help Senior Citizens in need, rake their leaves this fall season. Please see below for more information regarding how you can help out. Way to go, Mary!

We are excited for the new track. Here are some pictures showing the finished product!

The turf replacement project at Alumni Stadium is underway! Access to the turf and track will be prohibited until further notice. This turf replacement project, along with the recently completed track, and stadium lights is a welcomed improvement to our athletic facilities. We are thankful for the school community and town support and understanding, as we work to provide the best facilities possible for our students and town.

Here are some pictures showing the progress thus far.

We are currently adjusting the StopFinder app so that families who are signed up for StopFinder will be able to view their child’s bus route in its entirety. Currently, all bus routes, with the exception of Bus Route #7 (because we are utilizing a spare bus as Bus #7 is serviced) should be experiencing the applications full features.

Please be aware that in the circumstances where we must double up on routes because of a driver shortage your child’s bus route will not be visible in the app. Also, if a bus goes into routine maintenance, your route will not be visible. Moving forward, we will be informing families when either of these two situations occur.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to learn this program together.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the StopFinder app, please reach out to Jerilyn Ballard @ Jballard@cohassetk12.org

During the 3/30/2022 Cohasset School Committee Meeting, the architectural firm Ai3 presented their Cohasset Schools Existing Conditions Study. This study, which covers all of our schools, was commissioned by our School Facilities Committee. Some of the major findings of the study are:

In late September, we were visited by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), as our "Senior Study" took place. Thank you to the town officials, school and district administrators, and members of our facilities team who collaborated with MSBA representatives during the meeting and school tour. A special thanks to the MSBA for their careful consideration of Cohasset as a prospective candidate for the program. We were informed that we should receive information in the next few months regarding our status. We will keep the community in the loop concerning any and all developments.

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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.

The district is creating a committee to review the current volunteer program process in an effort to make the program and process more consistent across the schools as well as grow opportunities for volunteers in the schools. The committee will be made up of building and district leaders, staff, PSO members, and family members. The committee will meet after school about 5 times over the course of the year. Our first meeting is scheduled for November 16 at 4:00pm. If you are interested in participating on this committee please contact the Dr. Leslie Scollins, Assistant Superintendent, at lscollins@cohassetk12.org.

The Wellness Committee met on November 2. The committee is made up of district and school leaders, teachers, students and family members. The committee meets four times a year as a whole group and subcommittees meet through out the year to work on the goals chosen by the committee. Please see the minutes from the November 2, 2022 meeting.

The Cohasset Public School District will begin a formalized five-year curriculum review cycle this year. Development of a curriculum review process is an essential component to maintaining a focus on continuous improvement of student learning. The curriculum review cycle consists of four phases:

1. Self-Study: Analysis of the current curriculum and development of action plan
2. Develop/Redesign: Development and revision of curriculum
3. Implement/Monitor: Implementation and monitoring of curriculum (2 years)
4. Evaluate: Evaluation of data/outcomes

The rationale for a Curriculum Review Process:

• Ensures that the district has clearly articulated curriculum that is well coordinated through PreK-12
• Provides for an ongoing review and revision of curriculum
• Supports the ongoing use of assessment data to inform and improve curriculum and instructional practices
• Ensures that revisions and updates to curriculum, instruction, and assessment take place to maintain adherence to changes in state and federal mandates, as well as MA Curriculum Frameworks
• Ensures that curriculum is culturally responsive, unbiased, and inclusive
• Outlines a planned approach towards researching and budgeting for expenditures in curricular materials and professional development
• Evaluates potential needs for curricular or programmatic changes to support student learning

This process of curriculum design and revision is based on the process of backwards design. The foundation of backwards design of curriculum is to determine first, based on our state curriculum standards, what students will know and be able to do and clarify these expectations in a written and communicated curriculum map.

This year Math and Music/Art will be in Phase 1 of the Curriculum Review Process. Please see the Curriculum Review Calendar.

Each content area will involve the creation of a steering committee which will have representatives from district and building leadership, department chairs, and teachers PrK-12. There will be opportunities for family input throughout the process.

Cohasset Public Schools Curriculum Process

The District has several initiatives for this school year which include the roll out of the Elementary Comprehensive Literacy Approach, Deer Hill pilot of the i-Ready Personalized Learning for Math, Middle School implementation of OpenSciEd, and the District Curriculum Review Process which will focus on Middle and High School Math and Art/Music Pk-12. Please see the School Committee Presentation from August 10, 2022 that gives an updates of the current curriculum initiatives in the District.

Faculty in grades K-12 are participating in MCAS data analysis. Through this process of a data dialogue leaders and faculty look objectively at the data to look for trends and patterns. There are areas of strength and opportunities that arise during this process. The information from this analysis as well as the analysis of additional assessment information is used to create action steps to improve the teaching and learning in the district.

Elementary teachers are working with Teaching and Learning Alliance (TLA) consultants as we implement our comprehensive literacy approach. TLA consultants will be providing in the moment coaching for teachers through out the year. They are helping us combine the science of reading, structured literacy, and explicit instruction strategies.

Please see the professional development calendar below for more information about the professional development that is planned for the year.

The Massachusetts (MCAS) 2022 results have been released to the public. Cohasset data shows noted growth in many areas and some areas that need to improve. A full analysis of the Cohasset MCAS data was provided on the School Committee Meeting on November 2. Here is the link to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) District Profile page and the Next Generation MCAS Tests 2022 percent of students at each achievement level for Cohasset. Individual student results and family letters for students in grades 4-10 were sent home on October 12 via the U.S. Postal. If you have not receive your child's MCAS results please call your school and they will be able to provide you a copy.

Please see the graphic below, which was established through the collaborative work of the Cohasset High School Community as part of their accreditation process with NEASC. This work also helped to set our District theme for the year, "Find Your Compass."

The Student Opportunity Act (SOA) implements the recommendations of the 2015 Foundation Budget Review Commission and includes other provisions to benefit our public schools.

As part of the SOA, districts are required to submit three-year, evidence-based plans aimed at closing persistent disparities in achievement among student subgroups. The District submitted the SOA Plan in January 2021 and then sent the amended plan in March 2022. Please see the presentation below.

Student Opportunity Act Presentation March 2022

Thank you to Director of Student Services, Barbara Cerwonka, and to all the educators who helped work on the revision of our District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP), which is now posted on the District webpage. As articulated in the DCAP, "Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38Q1/2 states that a school district shall adopt and implement a curriculum accommodation plan to assist principals in ensuring that all efforts have been made to meet the students' needs in regular education. The plan shall be designed to assist the regular classroom teacher in analyzing and accommodating diverse learning styles of all children in the regular education programming, including, but not limited to, direct and systematic instruction in reading and provisions of services to address the needs of children whose behavior may interfere with learning, or who do not qualify for special education services under chapter 71B. The curriculum accommodation plan shall include provisions encouraging teacher mentoring and collaboration and parental involvement."

Please see below for a link to download the District and School Calendars

All plans and handbooks for the 2022-2023 school year were approved this past spring. Thank you to Principal Farrell, Principal Sullivan, Principal Mills, Principal Scott, and to their School Councils for this excellent work. Please see below for the approved plans, which coincide with the Strategic Objectives of the Cohasset Public Schools Strategic Plan, 2021 - 2024.

From Commissioner of Education Riley’s memo to Superintendents sent on August 15, 2022:

“The Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools. Districts and schools are reminded that there is no longer any statewide masking mandate in schools (other than school health offices) and there is no testing requirement for schools.” We will continue to respect the right of individuals to wear masks at any time during the school day.

“Effective August 15, 2022, all students and staff in childcare, school in grades K-12, or participating in out-of-school time (OST) and recreational camp settings should follow the updated isolation and exposure guidance issued by DPH, in alignment with recently issued guidance from CDC. No asymptomatic person should be excluded from school as a result of exposure, regardless of vaccination status or exposure setting.”

An additional link on isolation and exposure guidance can be found here:

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-exposure-guidance-for-the-general-public

Please see the METCO webpage on our District website for important information regarding our METCO program.

We will continue to engage students and staff in the meaningful discussions necessary to promote change. We are committed to promoting anti-racism and cultural responsive teaching and learning.

CPS is pleased to continue its partnership with the Cohasset Recreation Department by providing before and after school care for our elementary students. We have an amazing staff that provides wonderful opportunities for our students through the RISE program. Please see this link for more information.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports

To Parents/Guardians of Cohasset Public Schools :

The Cohasset Public Schools believes in providing the highest quality of education for our students. This letter is to provide you with information about a three-tiered instructional approach we use to meet this goal, referred to as Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

For MTSS, all students will participate in the core curriculum, with three levels (tiers) of interventions for students who demonstrate at-risk skills in general academics or behavior/social emotional areas. Each tier provides additional support beyond the core curriculum and instruction. All students receive formal and informal checks to measure their progress to determine if they are performing at an expected level. Behavioral and social emotional impacts are also monitored on a regular basis through the year.

● Tier One- As the largest tier, and the foundation for the entire framework, Tier 1 encompasses the entire school with core instruction and basic interventions. This structure helps to build positive relationships between staff and students. It includes proactive classroom strategies aimed at creating a supportive learning atmosphere. Teachers will use different strategies as universal supports within the core curriculum and instruction to address all student educational needs. These supports include but are not limited to items identified within the District Accommodation Plan (DCAP) and/or the School Accommodation Plans.

● Tier Two- Based on progress data, students who require more support than Tier One will be provided targeted interventions matched to their needs within the general classroom by the classroom teacher and/or support staff in the classroom. The Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Team will track the student’s progress, and parents/guardians will receive ongoing progress data.

● Tier Three- Students who continue to require measures beyond Tier Two will receive more intensive individualized interventions at this level. Parents/guardians will be notified of these supports and receive ongoing progress data. After Tier Three implementation, students who continue to display limited progress may then be considered for further evaluation and services.

Our School is excited to take part in this process to improve educational outcomes for all students. As always, do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or myself if you have questions or concerns.

Respectfully,

___________________________

Barbara Cerwonka, M.Ed.

Director of Student Services

“Nine Things Every Parent with an Anxious Child Should Try”

There are many stressors to our day-to-day lives; however, there are many resources available. The District Website has a page dedicated to Social Emotional Learning and Wellness. Please remember that our schools are a resource, and that our counselors, school psychologists, and social workers can support you and your child.

Thank you to all of our counselors for their caring and selfless work throughout the District!

Osgood: Dave Vinton dvinton@cohassetk12.org (adjustment counselor)

Deer Hill: Robyn Costa rcosta@cohassetk12.org (adjustment counselor)

Deer Hill and Osgood: Maeve Dulles mdulles@cohassetk12.org (adjustment counselor)

Deer Hill and Osgood: Alyson Doyle adoyle@cohassetk12.org (school psychologist)

CMS: Emily Manewal emanewal@cohassetk12.org (adjustment Counselor)

Allison Pearce apearce@cohassetk12.org (school psychologist)

CHS: Laura Struzziery lstruzziery@cohassetk12.org (lead counselor)

Leanne McCarthy lmccarthy@cohassetk12.org (high school adjustment counselor)

Kevin McGowan kmcgowan@cohassetk12.org (high school counselor)

Allison Battista abattista@cohassetk12.org (high school counselor)

Catlin Stromberg cstromberg@cohassetk12.org (school psychologist)

Robert Collins rcollins@cohassetk12.org (middle and high school social worker)

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if we can do anything to help your student or your family during this difficult time. Most important is the physical and mental health of everyone, and we will stay focused on making that a priority. Please take good care.

Email: psullivan@cohassetk12.org
Website: https://www.cohassetk12.org/
Phone: 781 383 6111
Twitter: @SuperCohasset

You can also follow the entire leadership team on Twitter to see real-time updates.

Assistant Superintendent: @CPSAssistantSup

Joseph Osgood School: @JOsgoodppal

Deer Hill School: @DeerHillSchool

Cohasset Middle School: @comsprincipal

Cohasset High School: @CoHSPrincipal

We utilize both Aspen and Blackboard communications to inform families of important events, cancellations, and happenings.