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

Greetings Cohasset Families,

With the incoming storm set to impact us this weekend, all activities scheduled to take place at Cohasset Public Schools, as well as all activities and sporting events, are canceled for Saturday and Sunday. Please feel free to follow @CohassetPolice on twitter for safety updates. I will also be providing information on twitter @SuperCohasset, and when necessary, over connect-ed throughout the storm. Please see the message below, which was sent this evening by Cohasset Police Chief Quigley to all Cohasset residents, on behalf of the Emergency Management Team. Please stay safe in the storm.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Cohasset Public Schools

Good evening, this is Police Chief William Quigley, calling on behalf of the emergency management team, with a message for Cohasset residents.

We are bracing for the major winter storm that is predicted to impact our area this Saturday, we would like to pass along important information:

• The Library and Recreation Department will be closed Saturday and Sunday.
• The RTF will be closed Saturday so that DPW workers can assist in snow removal efforts.
• In the event of large-scale power failure, we are prepared to open a warming and charging center at Willcutt Commons on Sohier Street.
• Residents are encouraged to download the National Grid App from their app store to receive information on outages and restoration times.
• We would also like to remind residents that the winter parking ban remains in effect, and overnight on-street parking is not allowed.

Please monitor official Town of Cohasset social media pages and the town website for situational updates. We will have further updates as new information becomes available. Thank you!

Like weather forecasting, the school closing decision process is not a perfect science. However, I believe it is important for students and parents 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?

Commissioner Riley indicated that remote days will not be allowed as an option this school year. He did state that if the winter is particularly harsh that they would reconsider this possibility. We will keep you updated if Remote Days become a possibility for us when weather dictates students and staff should not travel to school, but power is sufficient to have virtual connections and on-line work.

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 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 8:30 A.M., during a two-hour delayed opening, your child will be picked up at 10:30 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 is typically made up at the end of the school year; however, we would not make up a day that brings us beyond June 30.

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. Also, please follow me at @SuperCohasset on twitter to receive updates. @CohassetPolice is a great resource for safety updates.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Our first delivery of testing kits for students will be delivered either next week or the week that follows. We will be informing everyone when the tests arrive and of our process for distributing the tests in the coming days. If you did not sign up for this program, but would like to be a part of it going forward, please contact your school’s nurse.

Dear Parent/Guardian/Caregiver:

At Cohasset Public Schools, keeping your children and our students safe and in school is our top priority. We are writing to let you know, in accordance with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH), our district is updating our COVID-19 Testing Program, with an anticipated start date of the first full week in February. We are opting into an at-home testing program that will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. For more information about this update to the statewide testing program, please click here. Although we are awaiting confirmation from DESE, it is anticipated that the at home-testing option will begin during the week of February 7, 2022, but perhaps earlier. In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will implement symptomatic testing, when deemed necessary by our nurses, during the week. As part of this shift in the program, we will be discontinuing Test and Stay and contact tracing for in-school close contacts. This means that if your child is a potential contact in school, they may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine. This new at-home testing opportunity is voluntary, and only those who opt-in will receive tests. Until we have fully implemented this new testing program, we will continue our current procedures. If you did not sign up for this program, but would like to be a part of it going forward, please contact your school’s nurse.

Overview: At-Home Rapid Testing Program

• About the Test: iHealth is a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test
• Opt-In: To participate, you must opt in by contacting your school's nurse. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results to your student’s school.
• Weekly: Every two weeks your child will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit. Each kit contains two individual tests. Details regarding this distribution will be forthcoming. Please ensure your child administers one test each week.
• Reporting Positive Test Results: If your child tests positive on an at-home antigen test, you will inform their school of the positive result by contacting the school nurse.
• Results: The school will keep the results confidential and will not make individual results public. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you inform your healthcare professional of the positive result.
• Easy, Free, and Flexible: This test is administered at home (not at school), reducing the burden on school staff and time to administer tests and increasing a family’s flexibility to do testing in the home for free.
• 
  

How do I administer the test?

• Click here for a full “how to” written guide in various languages
• Click here for a video of an individual self-testing

How do I submit results?

• Submit Results: You must submit positive test results to your student’s school by contacting your school’s nurse.
• Confidentiality: Positive test results are shared with your school district for informational purposes only. Individual results will remain confidential, and they will never be made public.

Thank you for your help with this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Cohasset Public Schools

At the January 19, 2022 Cohasset School Committee Meeting, the Cohasset School Committee voted to adjust their mask policy for Cohasset Middle School (CMS) and Cohasset High School (CHS) to match the current Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance / allowances regarding schools that have met the vaccination threshold of 80% vaccinated staff and students. Effective immediately, masking for CMS and CHS students and staff is optional, regardless of the vaccination status of the individual. In conjunction with DESE’s guidance, the Cohasset School Committee strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals continue to mask at CMS and CHS.

Some additional reminders:

• The Cohasset Board of Health (BoH) strongly recommends that all students and staff opt to wear masks through the month of January, which falls in line with their recommendations for all individuals in all indoor public settings town-wide.
• Masking is still required for all at our elementary schools, in conjunction with the January 10 mask mandate extension sent by DESE, through February 28, 2022.
• All students and staff, in all of our schools, are required to wear masks in nurses’ offices.
• All students and staff, in all of our schools, are required to wear masks while on school buses per federal law.
• Visitors are required to wear masks in all of our schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Thank you to all who participated in the discussion at Wednesday evening’s meeting.

Community Health Information:

As of January 27, 2022, the Department of Public Health (DPH) reports that the town of Cohasset’s positive COVID-19 test rate over the past 14 days is 16.21% with 765 tests reported. The town of Cohasset has 111 positive cases reported over the past two weeks. Currently, 95% of eligible Cohasset residents are fully vaccinated with 13% of eligible residents partially vaccinated. Here is the complete report issued on January 27, 2022.

Here is the Confirmed Positive COVID Cases Weekly Update Spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is also found on the district website under COVID-19 information. As always, all close contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals will be informed in a separate communication. When a positive case occurs, anyone who is determined to be a close contact is provided with specific instructions regarding testing and quarantining (if there is a need for them to test and quarantine).

Vaccination Attestation:

Please remember that as your child becomes fully vaccinated to please contact your child’s school nurse.

Proof of your child’s vaccination, submitted to your child’s school nurse, can be provided in one of the following ways:

• A signed self-attestation completed by a parent / legal guardian of the child indicating the brand of vaccine; or
• Documentation provided to the individual by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or a health care provider. Documentation may include but is not limited to a COVID-19 vaccination record card or a copy or digital picture of the vaccination record card, or a print-out from the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS).

Thank you for your understanding and for your assistance.

Test and Stay:

In an effort to continue to do all we can to ensure our students and staff stay in school for in-person learning, we have added the use of Test and Stay to our successful safety protocols. Test and Stay is a state developed and supported program, which allows unvaccinated, asymptomatic students and staff, to test in school (in the morning) if they are determined to be close contacts from in-school exposure only, who are required to quarantine. It is important to remember that the use of Test and Stay applies only for unvaccinated, asymptomatic students and staff who are identified as needing to quarantine because of in-school exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. Test and Stay is not available to students for any extramural (outside of school) exposures.

PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of transitioning our practices from Test and Stay to At Home Testing. We will continue Test and Stay until we are able to fully implement At Home Testing. After that point, we will discontinue Test and Stay and contact tracing.

Symptomatic Testing: The same consent signed for Test and Stay covers Symptomatic Testing, which will be able to be implemented by our nursing staff once we begin the At Home Testing.

Parents and guardians who wish to have their children participate in the Cohasset School District Covid-19 testing, thus being eligible for Test and Stay, and soon for Symptomatic Testing, must click on the link provided and complete the consent forms.

A reminder that the Cohasset Board of Health (BoH) strongly recommends that all students and staff opt to wear face coverings through the month of January, which falls in line with their recommendations for all individuals in all indoor public settings town-wide. Our current standards for masking are supported by our BoH, the DPH, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Please click on the image below to access our updated page on the Cohasset Website outlining our coronavirus procedures. Thank you to our district nurses for putting this information together.

Please view the following asynchronous and synchronous measures, which are in place to maintain connection with students who are in quarantine. If your student is in quarantine, please reach out to your child's teachers to ensure activation of these measures. Please note that these have changed somewhat. We are committed to helping all students during times of quarantine to the best of our ability:

Asynchronous and Synchronous Work for Students in Quarantine:

a. Students in quarantine in grades preK-12 shall be provided with daily asynchronous work, ideally posted in Google Classroom. All teachers will ensure that students in quarantine receive asynchronous work that is in-line with what the students are covering in the classroom at the time of the student’s quarantine. This work can be provided through Google Slides, Dreambox, Lexia, independent reading, or other educational materials that connect directly to the material being taught in class at the time of the quarantine.

b. Synchronous Work for Students in Quarantine: Students in quarantine in grades pre-K-12 will have at least one (1) meaningful virtual learning experience, daily, which will last for a minimum of 15 minutes. For students in prek-5, this meaningful virtual learning experience includes interacting with their teacher and with their class, and can take place during “Morning Meeting” time. For students in grades 6-12, this meaningful virtual leaning experience will be provided during the quarantining student’s utility period.

c. Staff at all levels are permitted to provide additional virtual learning experiences for quarantining students as they determine to be appropriate and effective for the students.

Like many school districts we are currently experiencing a bus driver shortage. We do have an update on our bus delays.

Beginning this Monday, January 31, students on Bus 3 and bus 5 can resume their beginning of the year schedules, as one of our drivers has returned to work.

The following adjustments will continue until further notice:

• Elementary students on bus 7 should please arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes earlier than usual in the morning. Also, we anticipate that there may be a slight delay for pick up for elementary students on bus 6 in the morning,
• In the afternoon, there will be a delay for elementary students on bus 6 in the afternoon with a last home drop off of approximately 4:25PM, although we are hopeful the drop-offs may be sooner.

Efforts are being taken to ensure that students have a positive, safe, and supervised experience when at school because of early drop off or late pick up. Thank you all for your patience, as we work together to get through these difficult times. If you have any questions or concerns, or if there is anyone who has a CDL license who is interested in employment, please feel free to contact our Transportation Supervisor, Ray Miscioscia, at rmiscioscia@cohassetk12.org or our Director of Finance and Operations, Susan Owen, at sowen@cohassetk12.org.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Cohasset Public Schools

All students are required to attend school for 180 days. As of today, the new last day of school (half day) for the 2021 -2022 school year is Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Please see below for an updated school calendar.

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.

Cohasset Public Schools is a proud METCO District. Please see the METCO Web-page for additional diversity resources.

Please see the evidence below shared at the Superintendent's Mid-Cycle Formative Review, which took place during Wednesday's Cohasset School Committee Meeting. A more comprehensive document, which contained additional evidence and information regarding progress made on the standards and indicators was also presented.

The winter season continues, and our student-athletes continue to thrive! GO BLUE!!!

In the Fall of 2022, Cohasset HS will have a girls' volleyball program!
However, $15,000 must be privately raised for each of the first 2 seasons. Last year, largely due to this Boston Volleyball Festival fundraising event and an impressive group of volunteers, we successfully raised the 1st year's funds. Again this year, the Festival needs help putting courts together and breaking them down after the tourney. For 20 courts, $5,000 will go to our cause. That's 1/3 of our Year-2 fundraising needs!!

We need 30 volunteers on Wednesday, February 23rd and Sunday, March 6th, willing to commit 3 work hours (6hrs if volunteering both days), getting their hands dirty to help lay court flooring. There will be FREE bus transportation and pizza provided.

For students applying to the National Honor Society, your service hours will be recognized.
Grab some friends, and parents bring your students and their siblings and scan the QR code

or click on the following sign-up link: https://rebrand.ly/Volleyball2022

Can’t attend? Should you be unable to join us on these dates, but still want to support this exciting endeavor, feel free to click on this GoFundMe link. https://rebrand.ly/GoFundCohoVolleyball We appreciate any amount that you can afford.

Questions? Email Laura Soderberg at Laura@Soderberg.ws.

Per MIAA guidelines, face coverings are required at all indoor athletic activities on and off campus for student-athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators. Thank you for respecting this requirement.

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 winter benchmark assessment window for students in Kindergarten through grade 5 started this month and will continue through March. A variety of ELA and Math assessments will be given which include the second i-Ready® Diagnostic. There will be a third and final assessment window in late spring.

All these assessments are an important benchmark that are used to improve teaching and learning. This information allows teachers to understand each student’s growth, knowledge, and understanding of the content or standard taught. In addition, the data from these assessments is used to drive instruction, inform the creation of interventions when needed, and provide buildings and the district with valuable information which is analyzed for trends and patterns in teaching and learning. All this information is used to inform our practice.

Individual assessment scores do not give the whole picture of a student as a learner. That is why it is important to speak with your child’s teacher who can distill the information and give you a holistic view of your child’s growth and development. Families have always received assessment information through progress reports and conferences, however there has been inconsistency between buildings.

A district focus this year is evaluating the appropriate benchmark assessments for grades K-5 and then determining the best way to consistently deliver that information to families. The Assessment Team will create a format for sharing assessment data by the end of the year for implementation next year. In the meantime, the assessment team is working to create a temporary report which will go home with the second trimester progress report. If you have any questions you can reach out to your building principal.

The CPS Strategic Plan goals include the creation of data teams to create a cohesive approach to collecting, analyzing, and reporting out assessment data. The purpose of creating data teams is to improve teaching and learning through the creation of structured data teams and a data discussion process at the district and building level. Although there is much discussion around assessment data by teachers and administrators, we are working on creating a consistency across the district. Please see the time line below.

• Meet with Leadership to discuss 2021 MCAS data 9-29-2021

• Meet with Department Chairs ELA, Math, Science to discuss 2021 MCAS datan 10-5-2021

• Department Chairs ELA, Math 10-28-2021, Science meet with departments to review MCAS data

• Meet with Physics Department to discuss 2022 MCAS changes 10-21-2021

• Principals meet with grade level and content areas to discuss October 2021

• Create Assessment team to review current K-8 benchmark assessments and resulting data, create 2022-2023 k-8 benchmark assessment plan 11-12-2021, 1-26-2022

• MTSS data collection and discussion Child Study

• Leadership data discussion training Winter 2022

• District Data Team Spring/Summer 2022

• Building Data Teams Fall 2022

Staff will participated in professional development based on building needs. The elementary schools continued to align Math implementation and ways to collect formative assessments. The middle school and high school collaborated in departments. It was a very busy and productive day!

The next professional development days are March 17 (1/2 day) and March 18 (full day).

The elementary schools continue their work with Teaching and Learning Alliance consultants (TLA) through embedded professional development. Consultants are spending days in the buildings using an embedded PD model where by consultants meet with grade level teams to discuss the most current knowledge about the teaching of reading and discuss best practices. Consultants then model strategies, teachers practice strategies with real time feedback, and then there is the opportunity to debrief and determine next steps. In addition, TLA consultants are providing training in Fundations phonics program to ensure that teachers in grades K-5 have the most current understanding of the program and implementation.

During the week of February 28, 2022 the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Cohasset Public Schools. The Office of Public School Monitoring reviews each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP), Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.

Parent outreach is an important part of the review process. Prior to the review, the chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send an online survey to all parents of students with disabilities receiving services. The survey focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the activities of the onsite review and the development of the final report.

During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations. After the conclusion of the review, the public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports.

Parents and other individuals may call Julie Evans, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at (781) 338- 3754 to request additional information, or contact the district coordinators Dr. Leslie Scollins at (781) 383-4210 or Mrs. Barbara Cerwonka at (781) 383-6104.

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. 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- Teachers will use different strategies as universal supports within the core curriculum to address all student educational needs.

• 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 Tiered Support 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 interventions at this level. Parents/guardians will 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 schools are 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.

Sincerely,

Barbara Cerwonka, Director of Student Services

Office of Student Services

143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA 02025-1999

Telephone 781-383-6104

bcerwonka@cohassetk12.org

Families play an important role in helping to create a culture that prioritizes health and safety. Families should check their children daily for signs of COVID-19 and should keep them home from school if they are not feeling well or if they have been in close contact with a person who has been recently diagnosed with COVID-19. It is also important that families support students wearing masks in school and on the bus. We are strongest when we work together to stop the spread (Initial Fall School Re-entry Guidance, 2020).

CPS Pledge: Healthy and Responsible Behaviors Regarding COVID-19

By coming into Cohasset Public Schools, I pledge I am following:

• State expectations for social and physical distancing

• Regulations regarding the wearing of facial coverings

• Quarantine directives put forth by the Massachusetts Department of Health and the Cohasset Department of Health

• Guidance that has students and staff stay home from school / work if they are experiencing symptoms of fever, fatigue, difficulty breathing, or dry cough or if they have exhibited any symptoms relating to COVID-19

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. Below are some additional resources that you or a friend may find helpful. Please remember that our schools are a resource and our adjustment counselors can support you and your child.

Osgood: Dave Vinton dvinton@cohassetk12.org

Deer Hill: Laurie Dolan ldolan@cohassetk12.org

Robyn Costa rcosta@cohassetk12.org

CMS: Emily Manewal emanewal@cohassetk12.org

CHS: Leanne McCarthy lmccarthy@cohassetk12.org

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

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