THE NAVIGATOR
April 30, 2021
Newsletter
A Reminder About Protocols
Although Governor Baker has recently relaxed some of the mask usage requirements outside of school for vaccinated individuals, we continue to follow our guidelines and safety practices in all settings, per the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), within our schools, on our buses, and at our practices, games, and activities. Thank you for your support of our strict adherence to these set protocols.
Cohasset Community Health Update
Cohasset Community is now in the Yellow Category...Please continue to be vigilant regarding Covid-19 protocols and safety measures
Please see the information below regarding the town of Cohasset’s positive COVID 19 rate and case count over the past 14 days.
Community Report:
As of April 29, 2021, the Department of Public Health (DPH) reports that the town of Cohasset’s positive COVID-19 test rate over the past 14 days is 1.75%, with 16 positive cases out of 1029 tests reported. Under the DPH metrics, the town of Cohasset is in the "Yellow" category for communities who have a population of under 10,000 who have less than or equal to 25 positive cases over the last 14 days.
It is imperative that we all follow the protocols of handwashing / hand sanitizing and wearing face-covering masks when appropriate to do so. Here is the complete report that was issued on Thursday, April 29, 2021.
Please remember that effective on 4/20/2021, per the recent Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance, “close contacts who are exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom or on the bus while both individuals were masked do not have to quarantine unless they were within 3 feet of distance of the COVID-19 positive individual for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. This does not apply if someone was identified as a close contact outside of the classroom or bus (e.g., in sports, extra-curriculars, lunch, etc.) or if masks are not worn by both persons at the time of the exposure. A close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 minutes during the time when the person was potentially infectious.”
Also, it is important to realize that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine if they are close contacts. If your child has been vaccinated for COVID-19 we request that you notify your school nurse, so they are aware in the event of any possible close contact situations. The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to all individuals aged 16 and over. Keep in mind that currently, those under age 18 can get the Pfizer vaccine only. More information on this, including how to sign up for a vaccine, can be found here.
We have one additional positive case this week that was brought to our attention today (4/30/2021). There were no close contacts nor quarantines related to this middle school community member. For your information, please find below a summary table of all confirmed positive COVID cases in the District as of today, Friday, April 30, 2021.
Confirmed Positive Cases as of Friday, April 30, 2021
Please click on the link to review the Massachusetts COVID-19 travel order
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE UPDATED CPS TRAVEL PROTOCOLS:
Return to Full In-Person Learning at Cohasset Middle School and Cohasset High School
We are excited that all of our students K-12 are now back full-time in-person, five days a week! Our last phase towards full in-person learning took place this past Monday when we added lunch and last period to our high school students' schedules. Thank you to Sarah McSweeney, Glenn Pratt and team, Richard and Gabriella Laird, and other members of the school community (including our PSO and CEF) for helping with the operational aspects of this re-entry. Below are some images of the latest round of additions to our district, which include our tents, which are being used for outdoor learning and dining. Thank you, as well, to our custodians, food service workers, bus drivers, and staff.
Looking ahead...We will be offering ways to fill any potential unfinished learning. Information is forthfoming on programs that will be offered to students and families.
Revised 2021 - 2022 Cohasset School District Calendar
During the 4/28/2021 School Committee Meeting, the Cohasset School Committee voted to adjust the 2021 – 2022 Cohasset School District Calendar to show the first day for all students as Wednesday, September 8 due to the Rosh Hashanah Holiday. Also, as Juneteenth falls on a Sunday next year, we will have no school per state law on Monday, June 20, 2022 (observed day). I have attached the revised calendar. Please note that these changes move the opening for Kindergarten to September 9, 2021 and make the last day of school June 23, 2022 (half day).
Images of the Week
Thank you to all the students, staff, and families who helped to clean up the community as we celebrated Earth Day
Thank you to the PSO for helping to beautify the entrance area to Joseph Osgood Elementary School
Wonderful Learning at Osgood
Osgood Students work (virtually) with Museum of Science Instructors. Great STEM Lessons in Progress! Deer Hill students also benefited from the generosity of the PSO with a "Techsploration" assembly on Forces and Motion earlier this week.
Osgood..."The Best Part of Me" Projects
Visiting Osgood Friends
Senior Excursion to Pins
Graduation for the Class of 2021 May 28 at 5:00PM on Alumni Field and Other Important Events
Listen, Learn, and Act! Cohasset students empower themselves through work of Social Justice
Listen, Learn and Act! Cohasset students empower themselves through work of Social Justice.
By Tara Noyes, Assistant Principal
"On March 24, 2021 ten high school students attended a virtual field trip called the “Connections” Conference. This conference was sponsored by Sutton Memorial High School and 62 schools attended from all over the country totaling over 700 hundred high school students.The schedule started off with guest speaker Dr. Jamila Lyiscott, who shared how everyday language has the power to disrupt or uphold social injustice. She focused on how language is saturated with history and culture and memory, yet the way that it is policed within our classrooms and our communities is deeply connected to racism and colonialism. She provided our students with a different lens to look through and tools to listen, learn, and act upon. CHS students attended a variety of workshops as well. Some of the sessions they attended were: “ No KKK, No Facist USA”: African American Activists, Fight Fascism From Black Lives Matter “1960-2020”, “ Don’t Say That!, “LGBTQ+:Intersections of Race and Gender”, “Becoming a Unified Champion School”, “Mental Health and Social Justice: The Impact on Athletes”, “Colorism and Beauty”, “Patriarchy Harms Everyone; We Can All Heal Together.”
Our students came away from these workshops excited and ready to make a change happen within their daily actions and words. The major takeaways for our students shared in a small group discussion were: a stronger focus on LGBTQ+, racial issues, and Asian culture in curriculum across all disciplines not just history classes. Our students would like to utilize time next year to embrace these topics with guest speakers, group projects, and community service within the utility groups, as well as small break out group discussions. Topics students would like the administration and teachers to focus on moving forward are: microaggressions, implicit bias, patriarchy and how it affects both men and women, intersectionality, what does an ally truly mean - what does it look like?, feel like, sound like?, Indigenous people, understanding transgender community, and other racial issues that our daily culture is dealing with. Students would like to see more empowerment in student voice, debates, Socratic seminars, and over all communication within the school community.
This group of CHS students decided to take on one small project for the next three months to help start awareness in social justice for all people. April, will be social justice terminology awareness. May, on the half day, a Ted Talk on one of the topics listed above, and then proceed with small group discussions within the utility period. June, support the town for their Juneteenth day. A few goals they are looking forward to for next year is a focus on sports and social justice - the impact it has on athletes, continue looking for more ways to increase change in their classroom curriculum along with getting a group of students to march in the PRIDE parade for next June." - Assistant Principal Noyes
April is Autism Awareness Month
Courtesy of Principal Scott and the CHS Newsletter:
"To celebrate, Cohasset Buddies will be hosting a Blue Day on April 14th and posting autism facts all around the building. If you and your child are interested in learning more about autism, check out the books below from the South Shore Autism Center!
Fiction:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Anything but Typical by Nora Baskin
Rain Reign by Ann Raskin
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork
Nonfiction:
The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Elizabeth Verdick
The Asperkid's Secret Book of Social Rules by Jennifer O'Toole
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin
Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome? by Jude Welton
- Principal Scott
BE THE CHANGE
Please visit our website for resources regarding the promotion of diversity.
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Assistant Superintendent Leslie Scollins, Ed.D.
MCAS 2021
Students in grades 3-8 and grade 10 will participate in ELA and Math MCAS. Students in grades 5 and 8 will participate in STE and grade 9 in physics.
Deer Hill
Grade 3 ELA MCAS May 12
Grade 3 Math MCAS May 19
Grade 4 Math MCAS May 18
Grade 4 ELA MCAS May 11
Grade 5 ELA MCAS May 10
Grade 5 Math MCAS May 17
Grade 5 STE MCAS May 20
CMS
Grade 6 ELA MCAS May 26
Grade 6 Math MCAS May 27
Grade 7 ELA MCAS May 24
Grade 7 Math MCAS May 25
Grade 8 ELA MCAS May 17
Grade 8 Math MCAS May 18
Grade 8 STE MCAS May 19
CHS
Grade 9 Physic MCAS June 8 & 9
Grade 10 ELA MCAS May 20 & 21
Grade 10 Math MCAS June 2 & 3
More information will be provided by building principals.
DESE District and School Report Cards
We are pleased to share with you the 2020 school report card from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. You can access a link to our District and School Report Card at:
Student Opportunity Act (SOA)
RISE Before and After School Program
Looking for a way to avoid the lines at drop off and pick up at Osgood and Deer Hill?
Office of Student Services
Please See Below for Our Public Child Find Notice
Barbara Cerwonka, Director of Student Services
Kindergarten Registration is now Open for 2021 - 2022 School Year
Kindergarten Registration Information
Kindergarten Registration Timeline
Sports Information
MIAA Statement Regarding Safety Protocols and Spring Sports
Spring Sports Begin!
Fall Volleyball Initiative
The following message comes from Principal Scott via the CHS Newsletter
"In the hopes of starting a girls volleyball program at Cohasset High School, a group of interested parents has committed to raising the initial funds needed to start a pilot program in order to assess program sustainability over 1-3 years.
In order to begin a formal volleyball program, $15,000 must be privately raised ~ a daunting figure. But a unique fundraising opportunity has arisen. The organizer of the Boston Volleyball Festival, to be held at the Convention Center on May 21-23rd, needs help putting 72 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 fundraising needs!!
So, we are looking for 50 volunteers on Wednesday, May 19th and on Sunday, May 23rd, who are willing to commit 3 work hours (6 if volunteering both days), getting their hands dirty, to help lay court flooring. Bus transportation will be paid for by the tournament organizers, as a special benefit to our start-up program ~ indicating the supportive nature of this Regional Volleyball community.
For National Honor Society students, your service hours will be recognized for this effort.
As a GRAND gesture by a local volleyball club, the Southern Alliance Volleyball Club [a place where I have coached for 5 years, and where more than 20 Cohasset girls have learned the game] is rallying a team of up to 50 volunteers to donate their work efforts, with ALL PROCEEDS going toward our Cohasset High School volleyball program!!
If you would like to help, please grab some friends, and parents bring your players and their siblings (middle-school and older) and click this link to be directed to our SIGN-UP Genius: https://rebrand.ly/VOLLEYBALLinCOHASSET
Questions should be directed to Laura Soderberg at laura@soderberg.ws. "
---Principal Scott, CHS
Visit Cohasset Athletics to Get Updates on All of Our Teams
Please click below to see highlights from the meet courtesy of Principal Mills. Way to go, CMS!
Please click on the image below to access information about how you can help fund the Cohasset Education Foundation fundraiser for our Project Adventure Grant
SAFE HARBORS UPDATES
Safe Harbors Newsletter, April 29, 2021
Safe Harbor School Committee Presentation, April 7, 2021
Ground Level Café (GLC)
Join us for a pop-up GLC event at Sandy Beach on
Friday, May 7th from 5:30-7:30PM
Pre-Registration required!
Ground Level Café is back at Sandy Beach to truly kick off the Spring season! Whether you’re looking for a chance to perform, a chance to enjoy some live music, or just a place to get together with your friends, socially distant of course, Ground Level is for you and it is free! Open to all Cohasset 7th-12th graders and is made for students only. Anyone who is interested in performing can sign-up for a 15-minute time slot, and all students interested in enjoying the time down at Sandy with friends and peers must register ahead of time.
This pop-up GLC at Sandy Beach kicks off the Spring season, Friday, May 7th from 5:30-7:30pm. Register, grab your friends, mask up, and enjoy the evening with Nona’s Ice Cream Food Truck on us!
Ground Level Pop-Up Event @ Sandy Beach
Special thanks to our sponsors for the 2020-2021 GLC season season: the Cohasset Recreation Center, Constellation Energy, and the Sandy Beach Association!
WHO: Cohasset students grades 7-12, the first 30 to register!
WHAT: Ground Level Café! Whether you’re looking for a chance to perform open-mic, a chance to enjoy some live music, or just a place to get together with your friends, come do so with the best view in town.
WHERE: Sandy Beach. Register at:
WHEN: May 7th 5:30PM-7:30PM
Decorating Bulletin Boards At Cohasset High School For NPW
Cohasset High Students will decorate bulletin boards throughout Cohasset High School, with each one focusing on the daily topics for National Prevention Week to promote awareness with their peers.
This year’s daily topics include:
· Monday, May 10: Preventing Prescription Drug and Opioid Misuse
· Tuesday, May 11: Preventing Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse
· Wednesday, May 12: Preventing Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Use
· Thursday, May 13: Preventing Youth Tobacco Use (E-Cigarettes and Vaping)
· Friday, May 14: Preventing Suicide
For more information about NPW 2021, please visit www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week/about.
The Important Role Families Play In Stopping the Spread of COVID-19
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 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
Cohasset COVID-19 Protocols and COVID-19 Information
Wellness Committee Update
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
Take Care of Yourself and Take Care of Each Other
Please click on the following link to access even more information on the Cohasset Public Schools Web Site.
Please follow me on Twitter for daily updates from the Cohasset Public Schools
Email: psullivan@cohassetk12.org
Website: https://www.cohassetk12.org/
Phone: 781 383 6111
Twitter: @SuperCohasset