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Pictured above: Dr. Tabone with Board Chair, Nick Jerez,
at this year's Family Ice Pop Social
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Dear Cooke Students, Families, and Friends,
Although Cooke School was founded by parents of children with Down Syndrome who knew one another through the NYDS Society, they decided early in our history to welcome students with a wide range of behavioral, academic, and social strengths and abilities. Over the years, our Board has remained steadfast in that commitment.
Most schools take a far more narrow view of who their students are. At Cooke, we have found that
this mix of strengths and challenges benefits every learner on their path to independence.
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Our students thrive as they grow and learn from one another. In an environment that is purposefully expansive, they place fewer limits on themselves. Past issues of Cooke Chronicles are filled with stories of students discovering new talents and abilities when presented with the school's opportunities. We’ve seen students who had never auditioned for the upper school musical step into major roles as seniors and shine, and others discover unexpected passions, like one Transitions student who found a love for caring for plants during an internship.
This commitment to support a wide range of strengths and abilities requires both intention and resources on our part. Our faculty experts collaborate in teams to brainstorm solutions to each student's unique barriers to learning. No single, cookie-cutter approach can meet the needs of every one. At the macro level, we consistently reflect on and review our practices. What are we missing? What can we do better? We remain open to new ideas. Our pedagogy is continually evolving to meet the diverse needs of our students. The effort is great, but worth it. It’s worth every penny and every long hour.
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In this issue, you will read about several of the new positions and initiatives we are introducing this year to support our students. As researchers continue to highlight the profound influence of Executive Function (EF) on lifelong success, we, too, are placing greater emphasis on it. Below, you can learn more about Andi Sachs, MS, OTR/L, EFC, and her expanded role as our EF expert, along with a sampling of other new projects and positions that are underway. | | | |
| As we begin this new school year, we look forward to seeing our students thrive, grow, and learn from one another. I am honored to lead the dedicated and compassionate faculty who teach them. | |
Dr. Francis Tabone
Head of School
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Since its founding, Cooke has embraced a culture of innovation. We are always reflecting and thinking about new ways to make things better! Here is just a sampling of some of the many initiatives being introduced across our campuses this year.
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Civics in Action
Transitions Civics resumes this year! ELA Head Teacher Emily O’Brien and Special Education Assistant Teacher Sonia Schmitt are leading a new course that asks the question, “What is a citizen?" Students will focus on the qualities and responsibilities of good citizenship, with a special emphasis on generosity. Their research and community engagement will take them beyond the classroom and into the local neighborhood. Stay tuned as more details for this vibrant, inquiry-driven new class unfold!
"Sonia and I are excited to see what charities inspire our students the most and look forward to the impact they will make on their local community," says Emily.
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Back by Popular Demand: Pick a Number!
The Cooke Math Department’s contest, Pick a Number, has returned after a short hiatus! Students in grades 6-12 compete by completing a Google form in math class guessing the smallest positive whole number. To win, the student must choose a number that no one else has picked. The winner is announced each week at the Community Meeting.
Director of Curriculum, Mathematics K-12, Andrew Gael, describes this activity as a low floor, high ceiling math task, designed to be accessible to all with opportunities for added complexity. In devising strategies to win and refining their attempts each week, students develop number sense and strengthen their critical thinking skills.
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Andi Sachs on Executive Function
Extending Expertise and Support to Middle and Lower School
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Andi Sachs, MS, OTR/L, EFC, has taught an Executive Function (EF) skills course to four Upper School cohorts for the past four years. Her innovative EF class complements the skill development inherently built into our Adaptive Skills program for all Upper School students. (For a description of Executive Function and its importance in any journey to independence, see Cooke Institute’s online journal on the topic, linked here.)
Having developed the EF class curriculum from scratch, Andi spends time each summer reflecting on the previous year and refining the course syllabus. She considers both the overall organization of the class and the planning for the individual learning units. Following the first year, she decided to present the students with more practical applications for the concepts. To illustrate the idea of Planning and Prioritization, for example, Andi now assists students in making a checklist of the tasks assigned to them for their internships and ranking those tasks by their importance.
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“The twelve interrelated EF skills remain the same. But, I continue to investigate ways to increase the effectiveness of this course for our students,” says Andi.
In addition to teaching the Upper School EF class and guiding the evolution of its curriculum, Andi will now serve in an expanded role as Executive Functions Consultant for grades K-12. In this role, she will collaborate with all Cooke academic staff and related service providers to increase the faculty’s expertise and focus on Executive Function. Her cutting-edge research and coaching work with Cooke Institute will aid her in this pursuit.
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“One of my long-term projects for the Institute was based on teasing out how literacy and EF are related,” says Andi. “When reading, a student employs Working Memory to remember important details about the character, setting, and plot. Perhaps that student is trying to recall information from the book that they read yesterday or last week. Why does a character in a story feel a certain way or choose a particular course of action? Students engage Cognitive Flexibility to place themselves in someone else’s shoes. At this age, assuming a point of view very different from your own can be challenging. Inhibitory Control helps students suppress extemporaneous information and focus on key attributes when the teacher asks questions about the reading. All of those ELA functions engage EF skills."
In addition to academic classes, Lower and Middle School students who have trouble transitioning between classes or adjusting to new school routines and policies will also benefit from the insights provided by this approach. “Moving from the tasks and environment in ELA to Art class taps into a student's Cognitive Flexibility. Knowing how to schedule your free time at recess requires Planning and Organization skills,” says Andi. “For the big picture, consistency in routines across classes is also vital. Recently, we instituted the use of the bathroom pass in the Upper School. What are the rules? Does it look different depending on your class or the time of day? Can only one person use the pass at a time, or can two? Can you use the pass whenever you want, or are there limitations? Our Middle and Lower School students deserve the thinking and benefits of an Executive Functioning focus. I’m here to hone in on those principles and act as an expert resource for faculty.”
Andi also plans to offer a webinar series for parents on the topic of Executive Function. Families of current Cooke students and alumni can help define the series by completing the short survey linked here to express their preferences.
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Core Words Initiative
Erica Bronstein, M.S., CCC-SLP, TSSLD, in a newly created position as Cooke's Speech Language Pathologist and AAC Specialist, has already introduced a fresh communications initiative this school year: Core Words of the Month! Core words are high-frequency words that make up a large portion of our everyday communication. These words are essential for building expressive and functional language skills and can be used across a wide variety of contexts throughout the day.
“Whether a student uses it in a sentence, is considering its synonyms and antonyms, as a gesture or a word communicated with their AAC device, focusing on one word across all classrooms, therapies, and routines benefits every student from emerging to efficient communicators. The goal is to give students repeated exposure and opportunities to use and practice these words in meaningful ways,” says Erica.
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Unleashing Creative Tools
The Transitions art program upgraded to a new Promethean Board to replace its old Smartboard. With anti-glare glass, a vibrant color display, and drag-and-drop tools, the new board also restores the class’s ability to write and draw directly on the screen.
During their first week of art class, students played a timed drawing game to explore the board's interactive features. Cheered on by classmates, they responded to six drawing directives per turn with only a few seconds to complete each drawing. In the photo below, a student is sketching a hurricane in response to one of the game’s prompts.
“I am excited to learn with students about ways to integrate the Promethean Board in art lessons,” says Transitions Art Teacher Yilkari Castillo.
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Cooke Parents!
Mark your calendars for the kickoff to our 2025–2026 Annual Giving Campaign.
Cooke Coin Campaign: Monday–Wednesday, October 6–8
Your spare change helps fund extraordinary learning every day.
Stay tuned—more details to come soon!
Change Today, Possibility Tomorrow.
In past years, this joyful event brought in over 90% parent participation.
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The Second Annual Family Ice Pop Social
Traditionally scheduled the Friday before the official start of the school year, the Ice Pop Social serves as our unofficial soft opening.
Upon arrival, students of all ages head to their classrooms to meet their homeroom teachers, explore their new spaces, and reconnect with classmates, while families gather in the cafeteria to enjoy light refreshments. After spending time in their classrooms with new teachers and peers, Middle and Upper School students reunite with their families on the fifth-floor roof to enjoy ice pops and socialize with the rest of the school. Lower School families, who celebrate on the second-floor roof, discovered two surprises: "Jordan, the precocious puppet sixth-grader," courtesy of Roger Nembhard, and exciting playground equipment, newly installed this summer. This is our annual welcome reception for current families and faculty on the Madison campus!
“The Ice Pop Social is a fun and low-stakes way for returning students to re-acclimate to our school community before the official first day, and for new students to get a sneak peek of the year ahead,” says Associate Head of School Dr. Gardner. “We had an amazing turnout from both our new and returning families this year.”
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To much fanfare and some snowflakes, the big reveal was made at our first Community Meeting of the year:
The 2025-26 Upper School Musical is
FROZEN!
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