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,

We are excited to welcome everyone back to what promises to be a wonderful school year. This year we will continue to focus our efforts as a school community on the implementation of the second year of the Cohasset Public Schools Strategic Plan, created collaboratively by the entire Cohasset School Community.

We will strive to create an environment focused on the whole student, as we help students realize this year’s theme, “Find Your Compass.” We are excited to help students understand the gains that come from navigating their educational journey, as they recognize their strengths and opportunities for growth.

More than anything else, please know that we are here to support you and your child. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any staff member if we can help along this year’s journey.

Please see the email accompanying this phone message to access the Welcome Letter for the 2022-2023 School Year.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Cohasset Public Schools

All parent/guardians of CPS students are now able to verify and update their contact information in Aspen's Parent Portal.

The workflow is intended for a parent/guardian to electronically update (per student) the following information:

• Physical Address Change
• Emergency Contact changes (add/delete/change)
• Handbook Acknowledgement
• Can student be photographed
• Can the district share information with PSO/CEF
• Military Status

Please follow the steps provided at the link below to learn how to verify and update your child's contact information in Aspen.

Go to: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4859

Blair Duncan: CHS Science Teacher

Jennifer Cronin: CMS Math Interventionist

Amanda MacDonald: Osgood Grade 2 Teacher

Lauren Flynn: Deer Hill Grade 4 Special Education Teacher

Ashley Hannon: CMS Grade 8 Civics Teacher

Meg Mathews: CMS Reading Specialist

Hannah Johnston: CMS Grade 6 Science Teacher

Colin Myers: CMS Band Teacher

Laura Ramos: CMS Choral & General Music Teacher

Maeve Dulles: Elementary School Adjustment Counselor (Osgood & Deer Hill)

Marina Lebreux: Occupational Therapist

Tamara Breen: Osgood Art Teacher

Also, welcome to our new ESPs, custodians, and food service workers.

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

We are excited to welcome families to our upcoming Open Houses. Come meet leaders, teachers, and support personnel, while you learn about the goals and plans for the year. Specific information will be forthcoming from building principals. All Open Houses begin at 6:30PM.

Joseph Osgood School Open House : September 20

Deer Hill Open House: September 22

Cohasset High School Open House: September 28

Cohasset Middle School Open House: September 29

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.

Safety is a paramount for Cohasset Public Schools. This summer, Cohasset District Leadership worked collectively with Cohasset Police, Cohasset Fire, Emergency Management, Facilities, Technology, external safety plan advisors, and School Committee Safety Subcommittee members to refine, revise, and create safety protocols. Please be aware that we will not be providing entrance to our buildings to anyone who does not present a proper license, even if we are aware of who the person is. This is a standard protocol that is necessary to ensure safety. All visitors will continue to be screened via our Raptor or Lobby Guard technology through use of their license.

• As a District, we have developed an emergency preparedness plan for each of our buildings. These plans were created in coordination with local police, fire, and emergency management departments. We meet as a District Crisis Team each summer and periodically throughout the year to refine plans, and we are in constant collaboration and communication.

• In conjunction with the Cohasset Police Department, our district has fully implemented the ALICE protocol as a response to any potential armed intruder. "ALICE is designed to provide comprehensive preparedness in the event of an intruder in one of our schools. The goal is to utilize infrastructure, technology, and human action to increase overall student and staff safety" (Acton-Boxborough Superintendent Message). Our staff receives annual training in this protocol from members of the Cohasset Police Department, and we supplement this training with periodic drills and scenarios to further increase our preparedness. Each school has a Crisis Team, in addition to our District Crisis Team. Currently, more than 900 schools, businesses, universities, hospitals, and municipalities have adopted the ALICE protocol. A summary of our approach can be found on the District web-site.

• The protocols we updated this year are all available on the District Web-site under "Our District." Here are links to these important safety protocols:

1. Cohasset Public Schools Crisis Plan
2. Signed Memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding School Resource Officer (SRO) with Cohasset Police
3. Staff to Student Incident Procedure
4. Bullying Investigation Flowchart (that administrators follow)
5. Bullying Reporting Form
6. Handbook language regarding bullying, hazing, and harassment for those participating in after-school events and extra-curricular activities, which was approved at the 9/7/2022 School Committee Meeting.
7. Responding to a Potential Threat Protocol
8. Bus Accident Procedures and Protocols

In addition, we have many upgrades implemented and planned for our safety systems that were recommended as part of our recent facilities review.

The Cohasset Public School District is committed to providing a safe, positive, and productive educational environment where students can achieve the highest academic standards. No student shall be subjected to harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyber-bullying.

"Bullying" is the repeated use by one or more students or school staff members of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at a target that:

• causes physical or emotional harm to the target or damage to the target's property;

• places the target in reasonable fear of harm to him/herself, or of damage to his/her property;

• creates a hostile environment at school for the target;

• infringes on the rights of the target at school; or

• materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

"Cyber-bullying" means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a: • wire • radio • electromagnetic • photo-electronic or photo-optical system, including, but not limited to, electronic mail, internet communications, instant messages or facsimile communications.

Cyber-bullying shall also include the creation of a web page or blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or knowingly impersonates another person as author of posted content or messages, if the creation or impersonation creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying.

Cyber-bullying shall also include the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons, if the distribution or posting creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying.

Bullying and cyber-bullying may occur in and out of school, during and after school hours, at home and in locations outside of the home. When bullying and cyber-bullying are alleged, the full cooperation and assistance of parents and families are expected.

Bullying is prohibited:

• On school grounds;
• On property immediately adjacent to school grounds;
• At school-sponsored or school-related activities;
• At functions or programs whether on or off school grounds;
• At school bus stops;
• On school buses or other vehicles owned, leased or used by the school district; or,
• Through the use of technology or an electronic device owned, leased or used by the school district.

Bullying and cyber-bullying are prohibited at a location, activity, function or program that is not school-related or through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased or used by the school district if the act or acts in question:

• create a hostile environment at school for the target;
• infringe on the rights of the target at school; and/or
• materially and substantially disrupt the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

Please see the link below for more information regarding bullying prevention and reporting.

We are committed to stopping bullying and working with our students to promote kindness and empathy towards all.

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

Each year all staff participate in trainings for safety. These trainings include:

Civil Rights:

• Overview of Laws and Regulations - State & Federal
• CPS Procedures for Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Complaints
• Section 504 Accommodation Plans
• Safe School- MA Anti-Bullying Law - CPS Policy
• Confidentiality of Information
• Confidentiality of Student Records
• Harassment in the Workplace
• Chapter 222 of the Acts of 2012 (Student Discipline)
• McKinney - Vento
• Foster Care
• Military Connected Students
• Physical Restraint Law - CPS Policy
• Right to Know Law
• Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect
• Employee Handbook
• CPS School Committee Policies

Special Education:

• Overview of Laws and Regulations - State and Federal
• FAPE in LRE
• IEP - Accommodations vs. Modifications

Cyber Safety:

• KnowBe4 Training

Health:

• ·Annual Health Training from Nurses for all staff

Please click on the link to see a sample of the staff trainings

Please click on the link to access the recently approved District Student-Family Handbook.

There are several School Committee policy updates that you should be aware of:

• Policy JB - Equal Educational Opportunities
  
• Policy JBA - Student-to-Student Harassment
  
• Policy AC - Nondiscrimination Including Harassment and Retaliation
  
• Policy ACA - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex
  
• Policy ACAB - Sexual Harassment
  
• Policy ACAC - Other Forms of Harassment
  
• Policy JH - Student Absences and Excuses
  

Please be sure to view each school's handbook on the individual school web pages.

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:

Recently, we were informed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) that we have been moved into the "Senior Study" phase, which will take place at the end of September. School, town, and facility officials will be attending this meeting. The following description of the Senior Study is quoted from the MSBA website.

"A Senior Study is a site visit to the school facility which the district has identified as its priority SOI. During the Senior Study, a team from the MSBA, which includes architects and engineers with many years of school facility and educational programming experience, will tour the school facility. The Senior Study seeks to examine both the physical condition of the school facility as well as programmatic issues that affect the delivery of the required educational program. Before touring the school facility, the MSBA team will briefly interview the superintendent, principal, facilities manager, and other school personnel to:

• Identify goals for and concerns about the school facility
• Confirm information about school building deficiencies that were stated in the SOI
• Understand how any physical condition issues adversely impact the delivery of the educational program
• Learn about the school district’s routine and capital maintenance programs and practices

While touring the facility, the MSBA team will:

• Evaluate the physical condition of the facility, including major building systems (e.g., building envelope, HVAC, electrical distribution, interior finishes)
• Assess overcrowding or capacity issues
• Assess the ability of the facility to support the required educational program
• Assess design factors such as availability of natural light which make a school’s environment conducive to learning
• Examine site considerations
• Evaluate the school district’s maintenance of the facility

The information acquired during the Senior Study will help the MSBA to determine the next steps in the process. The MSBA’s goal is to collaborate with the district to find the right-sized, most fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solution to the facility’s problems. The Senior Study is not approval of a project. It is part of the due diligence phase of the MSBA’s new process."

Thank you to the School Facilities Committee and to Ai3 for their great work. The complete presentation can be found below. We are thankful to the MSBA for their consideration, and we look forward to their visit.

Finance and Operations News:

For Employees:

We continue to update our school website. Please visit the Human Resource page located within the Finance and Operations Department. There you will find lots of exciting information for staff including training videos for Aspen, Aesop as well as updated employee forms. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the HR page, please email jballard@cohassetk12.org

Transportation News:

For Parents / Guardians:

BUS REGISTRATION FOR THE 2022-2023 IS UNDER WAY

Effective for the 2022-2023 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.

All students will be required to have a bus pass after September 15th. Please see our website for information on replacement badges.

Thank you for your patience as we roll out Stopfinder!

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.

Please visit the Transportation tab on our website, for tutorials on how the parent app works. If you do not receive an email invite, please check your spam folder.

Hello Cohasset Families

I hope you all had a great summer! I hope you all had time to get to Sandy Beach, the weather was definitely hot!

We are looking forward to a new school year. There have been changes made to some routes due to ridership nearing capacity and the number of late registrations we received after the July 15th cutoff . The new bus routes have been posted on our website under Department/Transportation.

Bus passes for registrations that were received after the cutoff will be mailed Friday morning. If you do not have your child’s bus pass for Tuesday morning, please do not panic, the bus drivers have a list of students on their routes so they will be allowed to ride the bus.

Please be patient as we are almost at capacity. Please do not send you student to a bus stop if you have not registered for transportation. For all registrations that come in after today, they will be reviewed and assigned to a route within the coming weeks.

Bus passes will be required after September 15th. If you need a replacement pass you can log into our website and complete the Replacement Bus Pass Request Form. Enjoy your labor day weekend and we'll see you on the first day of school.

If you have any questions regarding the bus routes, please reach out to Ray Miscioscia at RMiscioscia@cohassetk12.org

Sincerely,

Ray Miscioscia

Transportation Supervisor

Cohasset Public Schools

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.

We welcomed the staff back to school with two days of wonderful professional development. The days were filled with opportunities to learn, share, collaborate, and prepare for the school year. Dr. Raymond Porch, the Director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion for the Burlington Public Schools continued his work with the District as the Key Note Speaker. Dr. Porch presented in the Spring of 2022 and will provide more strategies and inspiration on September 23rd at the District's professional 1/2 day.

School Resources Officer, Greg Taylor and Detective Harrison Schmidt provided safety training in case of an emergency.

The elementary staff participated in professional development related to the new Comprehensive Literacy approach that was adopted by the district. Osgood Reading Specialist, Stephanie Stone, provided training on the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program for students in grades K-2. Sarah MacDonald, Reading Specialist from Deer Hill, trained teacher is grades 4 and 5 in word study programming related to multisyllabic words. Teaching and Learning Alliance consultant worked with teachers in grades 3-5 to support the roll out of the Reader's Workshop component of the Elementary Comprehensive Literacy Approach.

The middle school and high school staff focused on content curriculum. The middle school science department participated in OpenSciEd training this August and took advantage of the time to collaborate on the implementation of the curriculum.

The high school is in phase one of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation process. Every high school must be accredited and the process happens every ten years. The process allows for the school to review current curriculum and resources, provide information about the school facility, and create a vision for the future for the graduates of the Cohasset Public Schools.

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, "Find Your Compass."

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.

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

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

Dear CPS Families,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 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

All parent/guardians of CPS students are now able to verify and update their contact information in Aspen's Family Portal. Please see the web site for more details and instructions.

LINK: https://www.cohassetk12.org/Page/4859

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

Wishing you and your child a wonderful 2022-2023 school year!

Sincerely,
Lisa Radden
Director of Digital Learning and Technology
Cohasset Public Schools
lradden@cohassetk12.org

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2022-23 school year. The Cohasset Public Schools Department of Food and Nutrition is excited to provide breakfast and lunches to all students in the district for free this year once again through the state of Massachusetts.

State officials have clarified that while school meals will be universally free for all students during SY 2022-2023, all school districts must continue to make school meal applications available to certify children for free and reduced price meals and that information may be used to qualify newly eligibly children for P-EBT.

Therefore, a new SY 2022-2023 meal household application must be filled out to qualify for these benefits.

If you already received a letter from the district do not fill out another application.

We will be sending forms out and they are also available on Please our website cohassetk12.org to fill out a SY 2022-2023 free and reduced application. Forms are available under the nutrition tab.

REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION TO BE APPROVED:

Step 1: Child’s full legal name and school (no nicknames)

Step 2: Number is provided on your letter – not your card

Step 3. Name and income – (Weekly, Bi –Weekly, 2x Monthly or Monthly)

If you are a seasonal employee, please enter annual income

Step 4: Last 4 digits of Social Security and Signature are REQUIRED –If not received, applications will be denied automatically and will delay approval process.

• New form is required, status does not carry over from year to year.
• ONE form per family. Please make sure all children are included on the form that are in your household, including those that do not attend school
• Only one application is required. If an online application is completed, a paper application is not needed.
• If you have any questions, please contact food services at 781-383-6107 or email at mharaden@cohassetk12.org.

Thank you,

Marilyn Haraden, Director of Food Services

Cohasset Public Schools

Great way to start the season. Home from Carver with a 6-0 win. Georgia Barrett scored 3, Tess Barrett added 1 as well as Cat Herman. Ava Carcio added her first varsity goal. Tessa Curatola earned the shutout…

Despite dropping two races to a tough @ClipperAD team it was a solid start for @cohassetxc

Congrats to Bella, Sarah, Charlie, Max and Josh on posting Wheelwright Park PR’s!

“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.