THE NAVIGATOR
January 14, 2022
Newsletter
Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Here is a great student slide-deck, which is currently shown in the opening foyer of Cohasset Middle School, celebrating Dr. King. Great work, students!
Please see below for an additional slide-deck created by members of the Cohasset Middle School Inclusivity Committee with support from Student Council representatives. Nice work!
Cohasset Public Schools Vision of Equity
BE THE CHANGE
Please visit our website for resources regarding the promotion of diversity.
Cohasset Public Schools is a proud METCO District. Please see the METCO Web-page for additional diversity resources.
Mask Mandate Extended Through February 28 & Information Regarding Schools That Have Met The 80% Vaccination Threshold
On Monday, January 10, 2022, I sent a message to the community indicating that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) extended the mask mandate for schools through February 28, 2022. I wanted to bring to your attention that within that message was the following change in guidance regarding masking requirements within schools that meet the 80% threshold:
“Whether or not a school or district avails itself of the 80 percent vaccination off-ramp is a local decision to be made by school and district leaders in consultation with local health officials. In alignment with statewide guidance, it is highly recommended that unvaccinated students and staff continue wearing masks.”
This is a change from DESE’s previous guidance, which required all unvaccinated individuals to mask within schools who had reached the 80% threshold. At this point, per the vote at the November 17, 2021 School Committee Meeting, the Cohasset School Committee Policy for masking at Cohasset High School and Cohasset Middle School remains that unvaccinated individuals are required to mask (middle school threshold guidance allowance goes into effect on January 18). Staff and students in our elementary schools, vaccinated or unvaccinated, need to continue to wear masks while in the school buildings, as required by the mask extension guidance.
The Cohasset School Committee will be discussing the impact this new guidance change has on their policy at the January 19, 2022 Cohasset School Committee Meeting. A reminder that the Cohasset Board of Health (BoH) strongly recommends that all students and staff opt to wear face coverings through the month of January, which falls in line with their recommendations for all individuals in all indoor public settings town-wide. The full language of the mask extension can be found here.
Sincerely,
Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Cohasset Public Schools
Registration Now Available For Town of Cohasset’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Children 5-11 Years Old
COHASSET — The Cohasset Board of Public Health is pleased to announce that registration is now available for a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for children aged 5-11.
WHEN
Saturday, Jan. 22 from 1-3 p.m.
WHERE
Deer Hill Elementary School, 208 Sohier St.
WHO
The clinic will be specifically for children aged 5-11.
WHAT
The clinic, which is sponsored by the Cohasset Board of Public Health, will be run by East Coast Clinical Health.
The clinic will be by appointment only. Those looking to sign up for the clinic can do so by visiting this registration link.
“Vaccination is a critical way to help limit the spread of COVID-19, and we hope members of our community take advantage of this clinic by registering younger residents of town who are eligible for the vaccine,” said Cohasset Health Director Pamela Fahey.
There is no cost for children to receive the vaccine at this clinic. Those on site are reminded that face coverings must be worn at all times while at the clinic.
Those signed up for the clinic will be receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is the only vaccine that has been approved for children aged 5-11.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 testing information, case counts and more, visit the Town of Cohasset’s COVID-19 webpage here.
Information Regarding Regional Vaccination Site
Cohasset Community Health Update
Community Health Information:
As of January 13, 2022, the Department of Public Health (DPH) reports that the town of Cohasset’s positive COVID-19 test rate over the past 14 days is 21.24% with 890 tests reported. The town of Cohasset has 186 positive cases reported over the past two weeks. Currently, 94% of eligible Cohasset residents are fully vaccinated with 13% of eligible residents partially vaccinated. Here is the complete report issued on January 13, 2022.
Here is the Confirmed Positive COVID Cases Weekly Update Spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is also found on the district website under COVID-19 information. As always, all close contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals will be informed in a separate communication. When a positive case occurs, anyone who is determined to be a close contact is provided with specific instructions regarding testing and quarantining (if there is a need for them to test and quarantine).
Vaccination Attestation:
Please remember that as your child becomes fully vaccinated to please contact your child’s school nurse.
Proof of your child’s vaccination, submitted to your child’s school nurse, can be provided in one of the following ways:
- A signed self-attestation completed by a parent / legal guardian of the child indicating the brand of vaccine; or
- Documentation provided to the individual by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or a health care provider. Documentation may include but is not limited to a COVID-19 vaccination record card or a copy or digital picture of the vaccination record card, or a print-out from the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS).
Thank you for your understanding and for your assistance.
Test and Stay:
In an effort to continue to do all we can to ensure our students and staff stay in school for in-person learning, we have added the use of Test and Stay to our successful safety protocols. Test and Stay is a state developed and supported program, which allows unvaccinated, asymptomatic students and staff, to test in school (in the morning) if they are determined to be close contacts from in-school exposure only, who are required to quarantine. It is important to remember that the use of Test and Stay applies only for unvaccinated, asymptomatic students and staff who are identified as needing to quarantine because of in-school exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. Test and Stay is not available to students for any extramural (outside of school) exposures.
Parents and guardians who wish to have their children participate in the Cohasset School District Covid-19 testing, thus being eligible for Test and Stay, must click on the link provided and complete the consent forms.
A reminder that the Cohasset Board of Health (BoH) strongly recommends that all students and staff opt to wear face coverings through the month of January, which falls in line with their recommendations for all individuals in all indoor public settings town-wide. Our current standards for masking are supported by our BoH, the DPH, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
UPDATED CORONAVIRUS PROCEDURES
Asynchronous and Synchronous Measures When Students are in Quarantine
Asynchronous and Synchronous Work for Students in Quarantine:
a. Students in quarantine in grades preK-12 shall be provided with daily asynchronous work, ideally posted in Google Classroom. All teachers will ensure that students in quarantine receive asynchronous work that is in-line with what the students are covering in the classroom at the time of the student’s quarantine. This work can be provided through Google Slides, Dreambox, Lexia, independent reading, or other educational materials that connect directly to the material being taught in class at the time of the quarantine.
b. Synchronous Work for Students in Quarantine: Students in quarantine in grades pre-K-12 will have at least one (1) meaningful virtual learning experience, daily, which will last for a minimum of 15 minutes. For students in prek-5, this meaningful virtual learning experience includes interacting with their teacher and with their class, and can take place during “Morning Meeting” time. For students in grades 6-12, this meaningful virtual leaning experience will be provided during the quarantining student’s utility period.
c. Staff at all levels are permitted to provide additional virtual learning experiences for quarantining students as they determine to be appropriate and effective for the students.
School Bus Driver Shortage and Route Adjustments
Like many school districts we are currently experiencing a bus driver shortage. Until we have solved the current shortage, the following adjustments will continue:
- Elementary students on Bus 3 should please arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes earlier than usual in the morning. Also, we are anticipating that students and families of elementary students on Bus 5 may experience a few minutes of delay in being picked up in the morning.
- In the afternoon, elementary students on Bus 5 will experience some delays on the ride home. We anticipate that the last stop for the afternoon for elementary bus 5 will be approximately 4:25PM, although we are hopeful the drop-offs may be sooner.
In addition, beginning on Friday, January 7, 2022, we are adding the need for the following adjustments:
- Middle and high school students on bus 5 should please be at their bus stops 10 minutes earlier than usual in the morning.
- Elementary students on bus 7 should please arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes earlier than usual in the morning. Also, we anticipate that there may be a slight delay for pick up for elementary students on bus 6 in the morning,
- In the afternoon, there will be a delay for elementary students on bus 6 in the afternoon with a last home drop off of approximately 4:25PM, although we are hopeful the drop-offs may be sooner.
Efforts are being taken to ensure that students have a positive, safe, and supervised experience when at school because of early drop off or late pick up. Thank you all for your patience, as we work together to get through these difficult times. If you have any questions or concerns, or if there is anyone who has a CDL license who is interested in employment, please feel free to contact our Transportation Supervisor, Ray Miscioscia, at rmiscioscia@cohassetk12.org or our Director of Finance and Operations, Susan Owen, at sowen@cohassetk12.org.
Sincerely,
Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Cohasset Public Schools
Updated 2021 - 2022 Cohasset School District Calendar
Great Student Activity Opportunities
Please click on the link below to view this impressive list.
Cohasset Education Foundation Awards Cohasset Schools $38,586 in educational grants
The Cohasset Education Foundation is delighted to present a check for $38,586 to fund the following grants from the 2021 Fall application cycle:
Deer Hill Courtyard Learning Space, Deer Hill School - $20,000 Applicants: Alex Sullivan, Brendan Nee
This grant covers the design and landscaping of the space to maximize use of the Deer Hill Courtyard as a flexible outdoor learning space to incorporate an amphitheater, wooden benches and seating, the Deer Hill garden, outdoor toys, plant beds and plants as well as some maintenance equipment.
STEM Integration in Deer Hill Classrooms, Deer Hill School - $8400 Applicant: Suzi Corkhum
This grant is to provide students hands-on experiences where they interact with the coding programs they write, and to see how this code responds to their input. As well as providing educators opportunities to discover ways they can use technology and coding to teach standards in math and science. A specialist will come in to facilitate every class in Deer Hill having access to this learning.
Student Data: Surveys, Cohasset High School - $4105 Applicant: Brian Scott
This grant covers the cost of 2 school climate surveys, the ‘Partnerships in Educa?on and Resilience’ (PEAR) holistic Student Assessment and the ‘Comprehensive School Climate inventory’ to assess the school culture and climate with a view to planning future strategy to enhance and/or refine according to the results.
Screen-Printing Materials, Cohasset High School - $3035 Applicant: Sarah Anthony
This grant covers the purchase of screen-printing materials for the ‘Commercial Design’ elements within the Art program. This will allow students the capability to produce marketing materials or art pieces that can be used in the school community for branding and advertising and beyond.
One-on-one Conversations with Native Spanish Speakers, Cohasset High School - $1896 Applicant: Karina Nelson
This grant covers the planning and organization of conversations with native Spanish speaking senior citizens with the AP Spanish class through video chat. This will help the students gain in confidence in Spanish as well as hearing authentic language spoken from different Latin American countries to improve dialect and ability. It will also foster relationships and empathy between students and members of the senior community.
SAC Conference Attendance, All Schools - $850 Applicant: Robyn Costa (on behalf of all 5 Student Adjustment Counselors)
This grant allows all 5 School Adjustment Counselors to attend a two-day conference lead by Massachusetts School Counselor Association. This will allow for across grade level learning, collaboration and information gathering as well as allowing the School Adjustment Counselors to further immerse themselves in topics including school counseling ethics, their changing role since the pandemic and culturally sensitive counseling.
College and Career Learning Library, Cohasset High School - $300 Applicant: Allison Batista
This grant allows CHS to develop a College and Career Learning Library with a variety of resources to help students plan and prepare for their post-graduation process. There will be a range of brochures and literature available to help with career development, the admissions process and SAT prep.
Kristin Quinn, CEF President
Ruth Steel, CEF Chair, Grants Committee
School Improvement Plans Approved by Cohasset School Committee
Images from the Week
CMS Utility...many activities available for students. Here are some images from Therapy Dog Club & Chess Club.
Images from thr first day of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) Workshops for Deer Hill students and staff. Thank you, CEF for funding this wonderful grant.
Officer Taylor helped to educate our sophomores in health class regarding the dangers of vaping, alcohol use, and drug use. Thank you, Officer Taylor!
Excellent imbedded comprehensive literacy professional development, with our elementary teachers and students working with experts in the field.
Cohasset PSO Happenings
Cohasset Public Schools Launches Strategic Plan for 2021- 2024
RISE Program
Sports Information
Boston Globe All Scholastic Honors
MIAA Current Rules Regarding Winter Sports and Masking.
Information from Director of Finance and Operations, Susan Owen
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Assistant Superintendent Leslie Scollins, Ed.D.
Professional Development
Professional Day January 14
Elementary Literacy
Elementary Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)
Office of Student Services
Presentation from the most recent SEPAC MEETING
Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Information
A Message from our Director of Student Services, Barbara Cerwonka
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. 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- Teachers will use different strategies as universal supports within the core curriculum to address all student educational needs.
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 Tiered Support 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 interventions at this level. Parents/guardians will 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 schools are 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.
Sincerely,
Barbara Cerwonka, Director of Student Services
Office of Student Services
143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA 02025-1999
Telephone 781-383-6104
Please see the Basic Rights in Special Education Presentation by Director of Student Services Barbara Cerwonka below
SAFE HARBORS UPDATES
Most Recent Safe Harbors Newsletter
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
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
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