THE NAVIGATOR
December Edition, December 6, 2019
Newsletter
Important Upcoming Events
12/6/19: Middle School Term 1 Report Cards Posted in Aspen
12/9/19-- Winter Sports Meeting & Presentation on Alcohol & Drug Awareness (6:30PM)
12/9/19: Deer Hill Progress Reports Posted in Aspen
12/9/19: Osgood Progress Reports Posted in Aspen
12/11/19-- Deer Hill Winter Concert (7:00PM)
12/12/19-- High School Winter Concert (7:00PM)
12/12/19--Osgood Winter Concert (K = 11:30AM, Grade 1 = 10:45AM, Grade 2 = 10:00AM)
12/13/19 --Half Day...Early Release (Professional Development for Teachers and ESPs)
12/20/19 -- Last Day of School Before Break (FULL DAY)
12/23/19 - 1/1/2020 -- Winter Break
1/2/19 -- School is Back in Session
NOVEMBER RE-CAP
UPDATE REGARDING SCHOOL START AND ENDING TIMES FOR 2020 - 2021
At the November 20 School Committee Meeting, the School Committee voted on and approved a new proposal that has been presented to the Cohasset Teacher Association (CTA) for their potential approval. I will keep all updated when I have more information regarding the final school start times for 2020 - 2021.
Wonderful Veterans Day Ceremony at Deer Hill School
Start with Hello at Deer Hill
Thank you, Mrs. Figueirdo
Congratulations to the Division Six Eastern Massachusetts State Champion Boys Cross Country Team! We are so proud of your efforts! Great job, Coach Ford and team.
Congratulations to Boys Soccer! Thank you, Coach Willis and Team for an amazing season. The boys went 16-2-5 and ended their season as the 2019 South Division Champions. This amazing team ended their season ranked third in the Patriot Ledger High School Rankings. We are proud of your achievement, character and sportsmanship.
Congratulations to our Cheer Team for their great work at states! #proudtobecps
Congratulations to the CHS Football Team on their 38 - 6 victory over Hull High School on Thanksgiving Day. The Skippers had an excellent 8 - 3 Season.
Congratulations to all of our Fall Sports Teams and Coaches on a fantastic Season!
State Champion Girls Lacrosse Team Visits State House
The 2019 Girls State Champion Lacrosse Team was honored on November 26 by Senator O'Connor and Representative Meschino. The visit included a tour of The State House. Congratulations, Girls!
CPS Student Representatives attend MIAA Sportsmanship Summit
ALUMNI RETURN TO CHS TO TALK TO CHS STUDENTS
Thank you to the Deer Hill Lego League under the direction of Suzi Corkhum for an amazing presentation at a recent School Committee Meeting
Alice: What an idea. A crazy, mad, wonderful idea.
Congratulations to all the students and staff who helped make the Cohasset Middle School Fall Musical, Alice in Wonderland Jr. a fabulous success. Our talented students did a wonderful job bringing this stage adaption of the 1951 musical to life. Great job students and Music and Arts Staff!
OVER 30 STUDENTS HONORED IN NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION
THANK YOU TO COACH AFANASIW, STUDENTS AND TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED FOOD ITEMS TO THE FOOD PANTRY. YOUR GENEROSITY AND SPIRIT OF GIVING IS VERY APPRECIATED.
CIRCUS COMES TO DEER HILL!
From November 18 - 22, all Deer Hill students participated in the annual Deer Hill Circus Program. Instructors from Circus Kid Productions spent the week at Deer Hill teaching circus performance skills to students that ranged from juggling to balancing on stilts, inherently building students’ self esteem and positive teamwork skills. The week concluded with a celebratory circus performance by the 5th Grade Class.The Deer Hill Circus is a curriculum enrichment program funded by a grant from the South Shore Music Circus, Massachusetts Cultural Council and funds from the Cohasset PSO. Thank you, Deer Hill Community for supporting such a wonderful opportunity for the students.
CHALLENGE DAY: DECEMBER 4
AMAZING LEARNING HAPPENS EVERY DAY AT CPS!
Fabulous Collaboration by the 7th Grade Team...Project-Based Learning (PBL)
COHASSET CARES SUSTAINABILITY SEMINAR: 8TH GRADE. AUTHENTIC AUDIENCE & RESEARCH SKILLS
8th grade Research students applied their research skills to the following student-chosen topics (and investigating how these topics relate to Cohasset and the South Shore):
- Climate Change – Causes, Effects, Actions
- Sustainable Fishing – Wild vs. Farm-Raised Fish?
- Saving Our Environment via Renewable Energy, Recycling, Organic Farming, and Dietary Choices
- Teen Vaping – Reasons, Consequences, Alternatives
- Sustainable Development – Housing Needs vs. Wildlife Habitat
The culminating event of this excellent research project was the Cohasset Cares! Sustainability Symposium. At the Symposium, student groups presented their research to an expanded audience of teachers, administrators, local experts, and parents. Thank you to Kathy Cerruti and students. Also, thank you to all who helped with this symposium.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) MESSAGES AT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
SOME GREAT SEL TIPS FROM THE COLLABORATIVE OF ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (CASEL)
Fabulous Middle School Concert
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND DECEMBER HAPPENINGS
VAPE DETECTORS APPROVED BY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OSGOOD PLAYGROUND TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR (HOPEFULLY SOONER)
CEF Gingerbread Decorating Event to take place on Sunday, December 8. Visit and take part in the festivities anytime between 2:00PM and 5:00PM at the Joseph Osgood School
CMS LOGO
Congratulations to Leah S, our Middle School Project 351 Ambassador
"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community inspires our mission and youth-led service movement. Each January, Project 351 honors his life and legacy by convening a new Class of 8th grade Ambassadors who embrace the responsibility to lead with a determination to make a difference.
Selected by hometown educators, these unsung heroes and quiet leaders unite for a transformative year of service and leadership. They join a warm, welcoming community built on the belief that service is joy and that world changing impact is possible. They offer their unique gifts, force of idealism, and dedication to a cause greater than self. From 351 cities and towns, they become one community, one team, one force for extraordinary good.
Ambassadors are invited to “unite, act, and lead” for 12 months of inspirational service, empowering leadership training, and teamwork with a statewide network of friends." -- Project 351
We are very proud of Leah, and we look forward to the service she will take part of and inspire in others.
CRADLES TO CRAYON CLOTHING DRIVE AT CHS & CMS
Superintendent's & School Committee's Student Advisory Council (SSAC)
The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC) meets with the Superintendent six times per year to advise, provide feedback and present viable solutions on District initiatives and programs. The SSAC also will serve as the Student Liaisons to the School Committee.
SAMPLE TOPICS THE SSAC WILL DISCUSS:
Approaches to increase student voice
Approaches to promote cultural competency, inclusion, and diversity
Approaches to help students cope with stress and pressure
Approaches to promote student wellness
Approaches to increase social opportunities for students
Approaches to increase academic opportunities for students
Approaches to improve transitions between schools Approaches to improve school culture
Other...
SSAC MEMBERSHIP: MEMBERS ARE SELECTED BY THE
DEER HILL, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
Six Students from Cohasset High School
Three Students from Cohasset Middle School
Two Fifth Grade Students from Deer Hill Elementary School (attend January and April meeting)
Our first meeting was a great success. We are looking forward to the outcomes from this excellent group of students.
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Compass: Assistant Superintendent Leslie Scollins, Ed.D.
Data Teams
MCAS
Deer Hill, CMS and CHS have all had the opportunity to work with Laura Tilton, a Data Specialist Consultant, to review the MCAS Accountability process as well as dive into the data related to content. Although MCAS is just one indicator of how we are doing as a district it is valuable, it allows us to see trends and patterns that we can use to improve our teaching and learning. The staff were engaged and thoughtful in their words and reflections and walked away with some great information.
There will be a presentation about the 2019 MCAS results at the December 18th School Committee meeting.
Elementary Math Pilot Update
Currently, both programs will be providing professional development for the staff on December 13th. This will allow for teachers to gain more information about the programs as well as to ask questions.
Recently, JOS was the Spotlight on Education as part of the School Committee Meeting. JOS staff members Marcia Campbell, Diane Barbieri, and Jennifer McPhillips presented what they are doing to increase student numeracy and how they are piloting the programs to ensure that all students are being taught grade level content. It was an impressive presentation!
On December 18th there will be a presentation to update the School Committee on the Elementary Math Pilot process. There will also be a presentation at the Deer Hill PSO meeting on January 14th at 9:30am.
From the Office of Mary Buchanan, Director of Student Services
Office of Student Services
Events and Happenings in December:
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Progress Reports will available the same day as Report Cards although will not be visible on the Aspen Portal at this time.
Cohasset Middle School student IEP Progress Reports were mailed home on December 4, 2019. Deer Hill School and Joseph Osgood School (grades 1 and 2) will be mailed on on December 6, 2019. If you have questions about IEP Progress Reports, please reach out to The Office of Student Services at 781-383-6104.
Peer Preschool Applications
Preschool Applications for morning and afternoon sessions will be available at the Office of Student Services or on Cohasset Public Schools website on January 2, 2020. There will be a lottery, if there are more students who register for preschool than seats available. Timelines and preschool process will be available at this time.
From the Director of Finance and Operations...Michael MacMillan
CAPITAL PROJECTS
The Special Town Meeting in November approved three school capital projects:
- - Upgrading the Middle School Entrance.
- - Purchasing a 7D vehicle for student transportation.
- - Replacing the Middle / High School Auditorium Projector
The work is now underway to select the vendors for these projects and to get the work done. However, we can’t rest on our laurels as the process for selecting the capital projects to be voted on in the Spring Town Meeting is now underway. We started work on list this by touring each building to review the condition of the building and it’s major components, we have created a comprehensive list of items which are now prioritizing before we submit our requests to the Town Capital Committee.
FY 21 BUDGET PROCESS
Work has begun on the school budget for next year. We will be presenting a "first pass" of the budget to School Committee at the December 18 School Committee Meeting. Over the next few months more information will be provided on the District website.
METCO UPDATE FROM METCO DIRECTOR MS. ALEISA GITTENS-CARLE
DAWNLAND
On Monday, November 25th, students from the Cohasset METCO Program spent the evening at the home of Mrs. Ashley Colleary, Co-Chair of the Cohasset Diversity Committee and School Committee Member, and her husband Paul, sharing food, conversation and fun prior to the showing of the award winning documentary, Dawnland. Students not only shared their experiences as students in Cohasset but also, had an opportunity to meet the co-director and producer of the documentary, Adam Mazo and Wabanaki educator, Roger Paul. It was an amazing evening shared by
all.
A huge heartfelt “thank you” goes out to the Colleary Family for opening your home to us.
HOLIDAY WREATH SALE INFORMATION
Feel free to contact Ms. Aleisa Gittens-Carle-Carle or Ms. Atisha Winslow at (781)383-6117 with any additional questions.
We are excited for Cohasset's 250th Celebration
THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING CUSTODIANS AND TO THE COHASSET DPW, WHO WORKED TO CLEAR THE SNOW AFTER THE RECENT STORM. THANK YOU, ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING DURING THE SCHOOL CANCELLATION.
HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! Superintendent Patrick E. Sullivan, Ed.D.
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