Cohasset High School Newsletter
News and Happenings at Cohasset High School
September 18, 2020
Dear Families,
We are about to begin something extraordinary. That's isn't to say we are about to begin something easy. Like all schools we have been tasked with recreating the school experience so that we can be back in person learning as often as possible and as safely as possible.
Although I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in the spring without any notice, it's a fair statement to say that the spring model was far from optimal. After many months of thoughtful collaboration as both a district and as individual buildings we have begun to develop strategies where students can learn in a variety of settings using a variety of resources.
Do I think we can accomplish our goals? The answer is yes. The challenge won't necessarily be that we don't have enough time or resources or content knowledge or hand sanitizer. The challenge will be that we cannot replicate in-person learning in a way that looks like what students and families are used to. So while we agree that it can work, how it will work is evolving. To meet our goals will require a great deal of flexible thinking from teachers, students, and families.
Flexible thinking is hard because it acknowledges change. And change is one of the hardest obstacles we face as humans. But change is the constant this year. And with change comes a fear of the unknown -- of what school looks like, of college admissions and friends and sports and the virus. If students and teachers are going to succeed, we need to cultivate an environment that minimizes that fear.
In many ways this is an opportunity. Many of the structures in education have long stifled student growth as students work towards completion of tasks instead of the ability to problem solve, where they compete instead of collaborate, where the fear of making a mistake suffocates risk taking and creativity. Students have become accustomed to completing tasks in the rubric, receiving a grade, measuring themselves against their classmates and the world and getting into a very short list of colleges. It's a process that has cultivated anxiety at the expense of feeling a sense of real accomplishment.
We have an oppportunity to break from that. We need to create an environment that minimizes those things we cannot control and maximizes those that we can control. It needs to give teachers and students and administrators permission to try new things, to fail and start over, and to continue to work hard with the confidence that they are working towards the best version of what we all can be.
If we do that, the bumps in the road won't derail us. I leave you with a quote Mr. Ford shared with me a few weeks ago. It's from a post that went viral by Leslie Dwight:
What if 2020 isn't cancelled? What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for? A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw — that it finally forces us to grow. A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.
A year we finally accept the need for change. Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart. 2020 isn’t canceled, but rather the most important year of them all.
I look forward to taking on the challenge of the 2020-2021 school year. If nothing else, it's going to be in tents.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Scott
Procedures for Next Week
Procedures for Next Week's Opening
On Monday, 9/21, teachers will email students via their school-issued email accounts via Aspen. Instructions for accessing email accounts were sent in August and again with the Orientation schedule. They are also included in the suplemental handbook below. The email from the teacher will outline what students should be completing during orientation week.
Depending on the class and the grade-level of the students, those instructions could differ. Most students will receive classroom codes to their Google classrooms if being used. A math teacher might assign a brief exercise to measure what students retained from the spring, an English teacher might have students complete a prompt around summer reading or remind seniors to turn in drafts of their college essays. Others may simply have students complete assignments that introduce who they are.
It's important to understand that for this first week only, students will not be logging in live to their classes. That is because teachers will be busy each day orienting a different grade level to the in-person expectations and the physical layout and procedural changes to the school. Students who complete assignments will be considered present.
Student orientations will begin on Tuesday 9/22 and run through Friday 9/25, beginning with Grade 12 and working backwards (11, 10, 9). Classes will begin in full the following week, however, as required by law we will have two scheduled fire drills (one for Cohort A and one for Cohort B).
For orientation days, students should arrive no earlier than 8AM and report to the gym. Details are included in the supplemental handbook below.
Students will need:
1. A Mask
- Masks are required at all times specified. Students who are unwilling to wear a mask will be assigned to learn remotely from home.
- When cloth masks are worn they must:
- Cover nose and mouth,
- Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face,
- Be secured with ties or ear loops,
- Include multiple layers of fabric,
- Allow for breathing without restriction, and
- Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape
- Gator masks are not allowed.
2. A copy of your schedule.
3. A Chromebook or other device (Note this is a change from a prior communication. All students should bring their devices).
4. A copy of your license and registration (where applicable).
COVID19 Supplemental Handbook
Student Safety Video
Guidance News
CHS Goes GIS
Senior Parent Guidance Lunch Hour
Topic: Senior Parent Guidance Lunch Hour
Time: Sep 29, 2020 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89070388278?pwd=SzBWcW9BVUlnNGNYUG5WZGkxWW1SUT09
Meeting ID: 890 7038 8278
Passcode: Cohasset21
PSAT
Parent Portal
Later today, a Aspen Parent Portal email invitation will be going out to all parents that are registered as Primary or Secondary contacts.
Please verify this email invitation to ensure it wasn't classified as Spam and sent to your Spam or Junk folders. If you have supplied Cohasset Public Schools with your contact information for one or more of your students, you will be receiving the Aspen invitation later this afternoon. If you have not supplied us with your contact information, please contact the respective school office to have your info added. Additionally, you can submit your contact info at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdltKgKMhKCuC063vJ-xOg3---72HdybNDUaygtw9TxZhQRAg/viewform
Once you login to the Parent Portal, you will have access to your student's information. Depending on the school they attend, the amount of information may vary. Additionally, the benefits of the Parent Portal are a single portal to review multiple students' information in one location.
2020 Stellwagen Marine Art Contest Winners (Computer Graphics Category)
First Place, Dolphin: Ariana Clark: Grade 11
Thresher Shark, Jack Green: Grade 12
Starfish, Lillyan Wallingford: Grade 10
Student IT Helpdesk Requests
Students requireing IT support can request support using the following link. This includes network issues, password resets, and other techical questions.
Things We Really, Really Need You to Read
Emergency contact forms MUST be completed or updated as soon as possible. Forms were mailed home mid-August and are critical to ensure student safety, proper communication with families, and the creation of student and family portals in Aspen.
Put a Pin in It
Dates to remember:
9/22 - Sports Information Night (Virtual)
9/29 - Senior Guidance Lunch Hour
10/2 - LifeTouch Pictures Cohort B
10/2 - NHS Applications Due
10/5 - LifeTouch Pictures Cohort A
10/17 - PSAT @ CHS
10/23 - Open House (Virtual)
11/7 - SAT @ CHS
Picture Day Orders
Cohasset picture days are October 2 and October 5; click here to order school photos!
(simply click the link below and select SHOP NOW as it auto-fills our Picture Day ID. When you purchase online, your student does not need to bring in anything on picture day)
Cohasset Appalachia Service Project
Cohasset Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is preparing for our Summer 2021 trip! This is a fun-filled, week-long service trip performing home repair in the mountains of Appalachia. It looks great on college applications and to fulfill community service hours. Please join us via Zoom on September 27th at 7:00 PM for any parents or students interested in learning more about the program.
Zoom Meeting ID: 847 9218 2183
Passcode: 377060. Please e-mail info@cohassetasp.org with any questions.
Cohasset High School
Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal