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

Thank you to our emergency responders and to everyone who participated in this morning's High-Five event at all of our schools. High-Five Friday provided the students with the opportunity to high-five our police officers and fire fighters to show them that they appreciate all they do to keep us safe. Our students were excited that they were being greeted by such important community members. The entire event was wonderful.

As was shared with the community in last week's newsletter, we were saddened by the senseless violence that sent Dr. Jean McGuire, one of the innovators and founders of the METCO program, to the hospital with serious injuries. We are happy to inform you that she has returned home from the hospital and is on the road to recovery. Thank you for your well wishes for Dr. McGuire during this difficult time.

Just a reminder that MCAS results were sent home last week. If you should have received results but did not receive them for your child, please contact your child's main office.

Please see below for my goals for 2022 - 2023, which were approved by the Cohasset School Committee at the 10/5/2022 meeting. These goals connect closely to the strategic initiatives in the Cohasset Public Schools Strategic Plan, 2021-2024. I look forward to collaborating with the entire school community to meet these objectives.

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month! Please join us in helping to spread the word in order to support children and adults living with dyslexia. We will be working this month to bring awareness regarding dyslexia to students, teachers, and all visitors at each of our schools.

Please see below for a wonderful bulletin board and video created by Sarah Davis and others regarding Dyslexia Awareness Month and "Extraordinary People Made by Dyslexia." Thank you to everyone who is helping to raise Dyslexia awareness.

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

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 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.

Staff in grades K-8 participated in data analysis provided by Curriculum Associates related to the I-Ready Diagnostic data in math and reading. Teacher learned more about accessing and interpreting and using the data from the diagnostic to drive instruction for students. In addition, teachers are and will be involved in analyzing other data such as MCAS, reading and math assessments to look for trends and patterns.

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 will be 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.

The fall assessment window for grades K-8 closed on October 6. Student family reports for I-Ready Math and Reading were sent home Friday, October 14 in backpacks for grades K-5 and via US Postal for grades 6-8. For more information about the i-Ready Diagnostic please use the i-Ready Family Center. DIBELS student family reports fro grades K-5 were sent home Friday, October 14. For more information about DIBELS click here.

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."

Cohasset: 28

Randolph: 24

Final

Skippers (5-1) are back in action Friday 10/28 vs E. Bridgewater.

Cohasset: 4

Sandwich: 0

Final

Skippers are back in action Saturday vs Silver Lake at 5:00pm.

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

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

The Town of Cohasset is seeking a full-time Project Coordinator to join the Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition Team.

“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.