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

We are happy to present the search committee for the recently posted Director of Student Services position. There was much interest from staff, faculty, and families to participate on the committee. Thank you to everyone who offered to be part of the search committee. We tried to create a team that represents all our stakeholders. The members of the search committee are:

Leslie Scollins (Assistant Superintendent /Committee Chair)

Susan Owen (Director of Finance and Operations / District Leadership)

Aleisa Gittens-Carle (METCO Director)

Lisa Farrell (Principal of Joseph Osgood School / Elementary Principal)

John Mills (Principal of Cohasset Middle School / Secondary Principal)

Anne Bloomer (Occupational Therapist /Elementary Educator)

Meghan Greaney (School Psychologist / Secondary Educator)

Caitlin Stromberg (School Psychologist / Secondary Educator)

Cathy Breen (Elementary Team Chair)

Theresa Miller (Student Services Administrative Assistant)

Jennifer Lesky (School Committee Representative)

Elizabeth Frazier (SEPAC Member)

Susan Roberts (Parent/Guardian)

For more information about the process and timeline please see this link. We will keep you updated throughout the search process.

Sincerely,

Leslie Scollins, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent

Wonderful Fifth Grade Learning Showcase at Deer Hill Elementary School today. Great job, teachers and students. These well researched projects were excellent. Thank you to all family members who came to this event.

We loved celebrating our new educators for a wonderful first year at Cohasset Public Schools. Thank you to Dr. Scollins (Assistant Superintendent) and to our amazing mentors for their work collaborating with these wonderful educators.

Thank you to our AMAZING Food Service Department for a wonderful ice cream treat to celebrate the New Teachers!

Excellent presentation from Ms. Schneider, Ms. Conrad, Principal Farrell, our math specialists, Ms. Cucinatto and Ms. Campbell, and our wonderful students, at this past Wednesday's School Committee Meeting regarding the "Number Corner" feature of our Bridges math program.

We were happy to recognize the students on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee and the students on our District-wide Wellness Committee at this past Wednesday's School Committee Meeting. Thank you to these students for using their voices to help their school district.

Wonderful Cohasset High School Arts Night! Thank you to our amazing art department and to our talented student artists and musicians.

Libby Schiffmann, Norah Pollastri, and Coach Svensen representing Cohasset at the MIAA Women in Sports Day at Gillette Stadium!

Great day to celebrate our amazing female student-athletes and coaches!!

Our student athletes who are continuing their athletic careers at the next level! Can't wait to follow along!

E. Ronzoni | Field Hockey | Bentley

S. Chenette | Basketball | Middlebury

J. Shannon | Lacrosse | Lake Forest

D. Lee | Lacrosse | UMBC

W. Griffin | Rowing | Coast Guard

AP students from Mr. Sears and Ms. Nelson's classes visited Deer Hill where they received notes of encouragement in preparation for their upcoming AP exams. Thanks Deer Hill!

We are excited to continue our recognition of our amazing seniors at next week's scholarship Class Night and at the June 1 graduation. Thank you to all families who helped organize this year's version of our tradition of posting lawn signs honoring our seniors on our town common. They look fabulous!

Senior Class Fun...Ms. Ronzoni as our assistant principal for the day.

Acting Commissioner, Russell Johnston, visited the Special Education Faculty to review the new IEP and answer questions. It was wonderful to have Dr. Johnston at CPS!

"The Cohasset-Hull varsity high school sailing team, the Nantasket Nor'easters won the playoffs this past Sunday, and are now the 2024 Mass.Bay League B-division Champions!"

"The Nantasket Nor'easters faced their home and home rivals Norwell NDA for Senior Night. Sailing in a chilly but steady easterly all afternoon, the Nor'easters sailed to a 5-0 win over Norwell/NDA. With wins over Boston Latin, Scituate, and Brookline in hand, the win over Norwell/NDA handed the Nor'easters an undefeated regular season."

Congratulations to our accomplished Cohasset Track and Field athletes.

All Star and SSL MVP:

Nathan Askjaer

All Stars:

Ava De Salvo

Caroline Struzziero

Farrah Jackson

Will Norgeot

Will McLoughlin

Congratulations to Will McLaughlin on his new school record at the coaches invitational. Will set the long jump record with an outstanding effort of 21'11.5". Way to go, Will!

Skippers win 7-2 over hull on Senior Day. Josh Young goes the dostance throwing a complete game for the win. Luc LeFevre paces the offense going 2/3 with a double and an intentional walk and having 2 RBIs.

"Avery Regan (3g) gets the 🤠 hard hat for stealing the ball and scoring to win in OT 15-14 vs an outstanding @GirlsDuxLax team! Laney Larsen 6g Aine Norton 2g & Reese Hansen 2g. Addy Andrews was great on D with 3 caused turnovers! We finish the regular season 14-3!!" - From @cohassetglax

Thank you, Seniors! (William Wassersug Phot)

The most current US News and World Report Rankings were published and we again scored well, 787th nationally and 32nd in the state among 25,000 and 405 public high schools respectively evaluated. That puts us among the top 3% nationally and top 8% in the state. Congratulations to Principal Scott and Team!

Thank you to Director of Finance and Operations, Susan Owen, and to everyone who helped develop and approve our FY25 Budget and Capital considerations. The process from here is to meet with advisory, have these items voted on by the Cohasset Select Board, and then it is off to Town Meeting for final consideration and approval.

Finance and Operations News:

Transportation News:

For Parents:

BUS REGISTRATION FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR HAS OPENED

Effective for the 2024-2025 school year, Cohasset Public Schools will continue to administer a fee-based transportation program. The application fee applies to students in Grades K-6 who reside less than or equal to 2 miles from their designated school, and all students in Grades 7-12.

Please visit the Cohasset Public Schools website for more information and the register your child for transportation.

Cohasset Public Schools is proud to offer the Stopfinder app.

Stopfinder is the all-in-one parent engagement app designed by parents for parents to keep you in the know. Receive bus location and messages, updates, and alerts in real-time. No other parent app provides this much information in real-time to parents and school transportation departments. Think of the peace of mind when parents and guardians know where their child’s bus is and when their student arrives at school or when dropped off at the bus stop.

All this power in the palm of your hand.

The Stopfinder app is secure and protected. But the app requires your local district to be utilizing Transfinder’s Routefinder software. Stopfinder with Routefinder software will provide your district accurate real-time updates of routes and bus substitutions.

More information to follow in the coming weeks.

Public Hearing on Fiscal Year 2025 School Budget

A public hearing has been scheduled on April 10th, 2024, at 5:30 pm. The hearing will be held in the Learning Commons at the Cohasset Middle & High School, and Via Zoom Video Call. The purpose of this meeting is to invite public comment as the law requires, on the School Committee’s deliberation and certification of the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 School Budget

Food Service: The Skipper Cafe for Seniors Opened today! More information in next newsletter

At the 3/13/2024 Cohasset School Committee Meeting, the Cohasset School Committee unanimously approved the calendar below (please click on the image to view the full calendar).

We are pleased to share with you the 2023 school report card from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please note that because the grade levels at Osgood do not take MCAS, the state indicates "insufficient data" for accountability for Osgood. Osgood's good work on MCAS is indicated in the grade 3 performance. You can access our schools' and district's report cards by clicking on the links below:

For JOS: Osgood 2023 School Report Card

For DH: Deer Hill 2023 School Report Card

For CMS: Cohasset Middle School 2023 School Report Card

For CHS: Cohasset High School 2023 School Report Card

Cohasset Public Schools 2023 District Report Card

The June 19 School Committee has been rescheduled for June 26. Please click on the image below to access the updated calendar, which is also on the District Web Page.

Thank you to Ms. Gittens-Carle and to our amazing "Black Student Union" who presented at this past Wednesday's School Committee Meeting, which took place at METCO Headquarters at 11 Roxbury Street, Roxbury, MA. The presentation was wonderful and highlighted the fabulous students in this important group. This was a great example of increased student voice throughout the district. Excellent job, students! You made us all proud!

The Home Parenting Solutions Library may easily be accessed using the link on the MPY's home page or clicking this link. No log in or passcode is needed.

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new MPY Parenting Solutions Library. The MPY Parenting Solutions Library is offered at no charge, in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The trainings are presented by experts with advanced degrees and the trainings focus on child and adolescent development, including difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, racism, and grief. These trainings present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change.

FREE 24 Home Parent Video Presentations

• Inspire School Success for Elementary, Middle and High School Students
  
• Parenting Principles for Progress Not Perfection
  
• Mental Health Knowledge and Skills
  
• Support Your Anxious Child Library
  
• ADHA and Autism: How to Help Your Child Thrive

Please click on the image below to access the Joseph Osgood Kindergarten Registration

Click below for more sports information

Congratulations to Cohasset High School for being recognized by College Board with the highest distinction for Advanced Placement (AP) excellence offered. The AP Honor Roll "recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success." Cohasset High School is honored with a Platinum Distinction in all available categories:

College Culture: Percent of students in the graduating class who took an AP exam at any point in high school, regardless of score.

College Credit: Percent of students in the graduating class who scored 3B on any AP Exam in high school.

College Optimization: Percent of students in the graduating class who took 5 or more AP Exams in high school, where at least 1 exam was taken in 9th or 10th grade.

Thank you to all who support our successful AP program.

We are proud to announce that Cohasset Public Schools has achieved at a 99% success rate in meeting or exceeding our MCAS accountability targets. 99% success in meeting or exceeding targets places us near the top of all districts (#2) in this important measure. Thank you to the leadership, staff, families, and students for their efforts in reaching this milestone. We are excited to share the full results with families soon. We are in the process of analyzing the results so that we can continue this growth for Cohasset Public Schools.

Further accolades for MCAS performance place Deer Hill Elementary School and Cohasset High School as two of the 66 schools in the Commonwealth who were recognized for exceptional growth or achievement under the state's accountability system, which takes into account MCAS scores and other measures. This honor is a complete team effort and certainly reflects the good work happening at Osgood and CMS, as well.

High School

ELA: March 26 & 27 (Grade 10)

Math: May 21 & 22 (Grade 10)

Physics: June 4 & 5 (Grade 9)

The Preschool finished their year long professional development series in collaboration with Plymouth and facilitated by TLA. Hingham and Duxbury Publics schools also sent teams to be part of the work. The work was filled with finding ways to make the curriculums in the districts more student centered and inquiry based to foster deeper engagement and learning.

Dr. Leslie Scollins, Barbara Cerwonka, and Rock Roberts presented the "What and Why" of the Elementary Comprehensive Literacy Approach at the May 8 School Committee. Please see the presentation below.

Student Opportunity Act Plan for 2024-2027 was presented to the School Committee on March 27, 2024 and approved for submission by the Committee.

Please see the Professional Development Calendar below for more information about the professional development for this year.

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, "Follow Your Compass."

We will continue to engage our students with authentic audiences and to work in contexts that simulate real-world scenarios and conditions. Whether it is the Financial Literacy Fair at CHS, second graders investigating salt marsh minnows and intertidal life, Cohasset High School students presenting their civics action plan and analysis of local watershed data to determine water quality and the health of Cohasset Harbor, CMS French students using their language skills in real life by ordering treats in French at our local Cohasset bakery, French Memories, the amazing opportunities throughout the district provided through our partnership with Holly Hill Farm, our diversity fairs and mosaic initiatives, our collaboration with CEF, including Deer Hill physical education (PE) students learning about bike safety and maintenance in PE, our music students meeting with professional musicians, or our civics and sustainability seminar opportunities (just to name a few), We will continue to provide our students with inspiring and engaging experiences. This real-life and authentic teaching focus will be a major focus for us this upcoming year and will undoubtedly be a major component of our next strategic plan.

All plans and handbooks for the 2023-2024 school year have been approved by the Cohasset School Committee. 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.

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.

Thank you to the CEF for awarding $23,554 for innovative grants in the last grant cycle. We are so appreciative of the support.

Read more about all our awarded grants in the ‘22/‘23 school year below:

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.

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

Dear CPS Families,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

Please review our Tech For Families page on the Cohasset Public Schools web site for a list of links and Getting Started resources for CPS families, such as Aspen and Google.

LINK: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4455

For Families in Grades 6-12, your child is a member of our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program. Check out our recommended specifications to ensure that you purchase a device that will support their learning at CPS.
LINK:: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4454

Follow these steps to help your child install the BYOD certificate at home:
LINK: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4470

Contact our IT Help Desk for help with your Aspen Family or Student Portal Account, a forgot/lost Cohasset K12 Google Account password, or for assistance with your child’s BYOD device.
LINK: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4481

April 8 & 9

Samantha Skunk Performances

Grades K & 3

930AM

April 11

Mosaic Night at CMS

Visit our table!

6-730PM

April 22

Open Coalition Meeting

Zoom

11-1230PM

April 27

National Drug Take Back Day

CPD

10-2PM

April 30

Overdose Prevention Night

East Coast Recovery

6-7PM

THURSDAY, December 14, 2023

The holiday season is upon us and we wish everyone a safe and healthy time celebrating with family and friends.

For some of us, the holiday season may bring heavy emotions or you may have a college student returning home for break. Find resources below to assist during this time.

Youth Ambassadors have kicked off their holiday season with their annual sticker shock at Curtis Liquors (read more here), suicide prevention training, Holiday Stroll presence, and are full steam ahead into the new year.

And as we look ahead into the new year, find information below for our Kick Start breakfast on January 11th. RSVP by December 20th so you do not miss out!

December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month

Since 1981, every US president has shown a commitment to stop impaired driving, by proclaiming December National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month, also known as National 3D Prevention Month.

Why December? The period between Thanksgiving and New Year's has statistically shown to be one of the deadliest and most dangerous times on American roadways due to impaired driving.

Support for Individuals in Recovery

Above are some alkathons that are happening in the area during the holidays. An alkathon is an event or gathering focused on providing support and fellowship for individuals recovering from addiction. The holidays can be a particularly difficult time of year for many, and alkathons help provide a safe, sober place to celebrate.

To Download and View a Full-Size PDF version of this infographic, please CLICK HERE.

Impaired Driving, Talk With Your Kids

SAMHSA

Holidays bring more social event opportunities that may involve substances. Talk openly with family members about being in a vehicle when the driver is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, including marijuana. Communicate honestly with your children, friends, family members, and colleagues about expectations of behavior and safe choices when attending holiday events, whether they take place in someone’s home or at a public venue.

Please CLICK HERE to continue...

CLICK HERE for more RESOURCES!

Preventing Risky Drinking By College Students The Focus of New Penn State Study

By Penn State news, December 2020

“Underage alcohol consumption has consistently been linked to more frequent consequences across students’ college years, including blackouts, drinking more often and more heavily, and a greater likelihood of driving under the influence or riding with an impaired driver. These outcomes can negatively affect students’ grades, their physical and emotional well-being, and can put them at greater risk of assault or legal problems.”

Please CLICK HERE to continue…

CLICK HERE for more FEATURED NEWS!

Safe Harbor Cohasset Kick Start Breakfast

RSVP by December 20th to safeharborcohasset@gmail.com

“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.