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, All for an excellent week. We are feeling very good about our progress thus far, and we are so appreciative of the collaborative efforts of leadership, faculty, staff, families, and students. We are beginning the process of reviewing what is going well and what might need adjustment. Over the next two weeks we will be sending out surveys to families, and just a reminder that we will be hosting a Virtual Superintendent's Coffee via ZOOM for families on Wednesday, 10/14 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM to discuss the start of school, to listen to input, and to answer any questions you may have. Here are the ZOOM details needed to access the meeting:

https://zoom.us/j/92281029362?pwd=dVArOVord21wekVWYTYxRXZEbWJMdz09

Passcode: 548095

With appreciation,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Leslie Scollins, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent

We remain in the unshaded category of the DPH / DESE Metrics that identify those communities who have less than five (5) positive cases over a two (2) week period. The report can be accessed here. There has been one (1) new case over the past 14 days (0.24%). Please remember that we all play an important role in stopping the spread and keeping our rates low. Please practice proper handwashing / hand sanitizing, keep appropriate social distancing, and wear masks when appropriate to do so.

At the 10/7/2020 School Committee Meeting, the Cohasset School Committee amended the mask policy. Among the changes is the following information:

Masks must:

• Cover both the nose and mouth;

• Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face;

• Be secured with ties or ear loops;

• Allow for breathing without restriction;

• Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape;

• Cloth masks must include multiple layers of fabric; And must not:

• Be intended for healthcare workers (N95 surgical masks and respirators, for example);

• Be made of fabric that makes it hard to breathe: vinyl, for example; Include valves or vents;

*Neck Gaiters and face shields should not be used in lieu of masks.

If a non-exempt student declines to wear a face covering appropriately, or is otherwise in violation of this policy, the student may be removed from in-person instruction and school transportation. The building principal will consult with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to determine whether an exception is appropriate. Violations of this policy by staff will be handled in the same manner as other violations of School Committee policy. Visitors in violation of this policy will be denied entry to the school/district facility. This policy will remain in place until rescinded by the School Committee.

The complete policy can be found here.

Thank you for your help!

Dear Cohasset Families,

We are happy to announce our new online meals ordering system. This will allow parents/guardians to order student meals for both the days that students are in school and the days they are remote learners.

Meals are available for order Monday-Friday for all students at no charge currently. Meals must be ordered before 8:00 am for that day. All parents/guardians must set up an account before ordering meals. The website for this is onlineordering.linq.com. After you have set up your account, to order meals, simply go to the district website, cohassetk12.org, and click on the menu tab at the top of the page (next to the calendar tab is a fork and knife and reads “Menu”). This will bring you to the nutrition site.

• Click on menus at the top, and then select your students’ school.
• Once the menu is open, click the online ordering button.
• Please choose the pick-up location for the student:
• For the days students are in school, select “cafeteria”
• For the days they are remote, select “remote pick up”

Meal pick-up for remote learners all grades is at Cohasset Middle/High School, behind the building at the loading dock, Monday-Friday from 12:00-1:00.

Attached are a few instructional videos to get started with online ordering. If you have any questions please contact Marilyn Haraden at mharaden@cohassetk12.org or 781-383-6107.

We were very happy to welcome Erica Parrell (fourth grade teacher) and her Teach from the Shore Committee, as they presented to the School Committee on October 7 and advocated for October 12 to be recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day. At the meeting the School Committee unanimously approved October 12 being recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day by the Cohasset School Community. Congratulations to Mrs. Parrell and her students! Wonderful job! The adjusted school calendar (indicating Indigenous Peoples Day on October 12) is now on the website.

Open House will look a little different this year. All Open Houses will be virtual and asynchronous. You will still be provided all the information you would normally, however this format will allow you to attend Open House when it works best for you. Principals will email you on the morning of Open House with specific information.

Open House Schedule:

JOS 10/15

DHS 10/19

CMS 10/22

CHS 10/23

Please remember that all students are required to have a flu vaccination by December 31, 2020 (religious and medical exemptions withstanding)

One group that often goes unrecognized is our Town Facilities Crew who does such an amazing job keeping our schools up and running. Their work has been particularly impressive during the preparations for the start of school. Below is a list of some of the recent projects completed by our fabulous facilities team. Thank you, Facilities!

Wondering what remote learning will look like this year? Greg Kulowiec from EdTechTeacher.org gives an overview of remote learning and the pedagogy behind it as well as answers your questions. Click here for Elementary presentation and click here for Middle and High School presentation.

Dr. Steven Golden, the District physician, along with Mary Goodwin, the Town Nurse and Pam Fahey, from the Board of Health shared some current information about COVID-19 and its relation to the the schools as well as answered questions for families and staff. Here is the parent presentation.

Dr. Bonuato and Dr. Plummer presented to both staff and families about strategies to help children return to school and Lauren Dargan, LICSW, worked with schools to address the stress of returning to school for both staff and students and gave strategies to aid all as they come back to school.

Families will 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 over your nose and mouth when in public settings (for students from grades PK– 12 and for all staff)

• 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

The following information was compiled by our district nurses and provides supplementary information to the protocols stated in the Cohasset Public Schools Fall School Re-Entry Road Map. A big thank you to Kelly Gildea (lead nurse) and our district nurses for compiling this information and for their leadership and guidance during this difficult time.

Cohasset Public Schools Medical Frequently Asked Questions

Cohasset Public Schools Decision Tree Regarding Health Situations Related to COVID-19

COVID-19 Symptom Checklist for Parents and Guardians to utilize with their children

Here are some useful videos regarding Mask Wearing, When to Stay Home, and Hand Washing / Hand Sanitizing prepared by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN).

The Before and After School Care program RISE for students K-5 had a successful start last week. Mr. Brett Youman, PE teacher from Deer Hill, is the administrator of the program. The RISE program is available for Osgood and Deer Hill students on their in-person days only. This program will take place at the Osgood School 7:00am – 9:00am and 3:30pm - 6:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. There are spots available.

Please see the Cohasset Recreation Department website for more detailed information and registration process.

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 competency.

A message from Principal Farrell...

Dear Osgood Families,

All teachers at The Osgood have notified parents that we are now utilizing GOOGLE CLASSROOM. Please make sure you have signed up for and are able to log into GOOGLE CLASSROOM no later than Oct. 15th as all remote Learning Menus will only be disseminated through GOGGLE CLASSROOM. If you are having difficulties, please notify your child’s classroom teacher.

Important Information about Remote Learning:

As a Learning Community the staff and I have been discussing best practices to be used during this time. Educational and developmental pedagogy for students in grades PreK- 2 suggests that it is best for students to preview new information. The preview can be delivered in a variety of modalities such as previewing the reading through a video, discussing information learned in a zoom meeting, and writing out ideas to be shared in class.

We are going to post on GOOGLE CLASSROOM our Remote learning Plans on Tuesdays at 4:00. Wednesdays, when the teacher has the entire class together on a Zoom, will be when the teacher reviews what the learning will be for the day and the outline for the week. The teacher-led wrap up meeting on Wednesday afternoons will be used to ensure that all students know the plan for the rest of their remote learning.

For this week only you are receiving a plan for Tuesday (Oct 13th). The week-long plan (Wednesday through Tuesday) will be posted on Google Classroom on Tuesday, Oct. 14th. Moving forward all Remote Learning Menus will be loaded into GOOGLE CLASSROOM on Tuesday afternoon. You will have a full week’s menu presented to you so that families can make their schedules.

If you have questions about your child or their learning menu, please contact your child’s teacher.

Google Classroom is the learning management system (LSM) that all teachers are using. All students K-12 have Google accounts. All assignments and work are housed in Google Classroom. Teachers will provide information for students and families. If you need some help logging into Google account click on this link.

The elementary schools will be using the Math Learning Center Bridges program. Teachers will provide resources for families. The website isn family friendly and offers great resources. The Math Learning Center worked with staff virtually for 2 days and also provide a library of trainings for staff to use to create professional development geared to their needs.

Updates:

1. Town-Wide Pumpkin Contest Youth who are connected to their community are at a lower risk of substance use, mental health issues, and violence in their adulthood. This alternative Halloween activity aims to bring the community together across all sectors and boost moral amongst the residents. Limited to the first 300 who register.

1. Cohasset Virtual Youth Center This is now live on the home page of the Town’s website, found toward the bottom right-side of the page. This serves as a central location for all youth-geared programming/events that are occurring via Rec, Library, Elder Affairs, and Safe Harbor.

https://www.cohassetma.org/

1. WANTED: Social Media Boosters Looking to volunteer time to the Safe Harbor initiative but don’t have much time to give? Please consider volunteering to be a designated social media booster.

What does this entail?

Receiving communication from Marketing Director that information has been posted for you to like, comment, share, share to Cohasset143 and/or post yourself

How much of a time commitment?

5 minutes a week

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.