Dear Cooke Students, Families, and Friends,
This fall, we will be offering something new for our education community, and it’s big! More than 30 years ago, our founding families recognized that what was happening at our school between our teachers and students was special and unprecedented. Our hard work and spirit of innovation placed us at the forefront of special education, a position that continues today.
The impact of our work and expertise is reflected in our students' achievements. Members of this year's graduating Transitions class are attending college experience programs at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, Hope College in Michigan, and CUNY's Melissa Riggio Program. They have participated in Cooke partnerships with St. John's University and the School of Visual Arts, and they enter the workforce with internship experience at organizations such as Gleason's Gym, Steak Frites, Beacon's Closet, and Shuka.
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As our 2024 NYSAIS accreditation report noted, "Of great importance to our founding parents and central to the mission, was the idea that Cooke would be a place for all students with disabilities, not just those who could afford private school tuition and not just those with one particular diagnosis."
Our founders' generosity extended beyond the walls of the school. They established Cooke Institute to share Cooke's expertise and discoveries with other schools, educators, and families, with the intention of expanding the impact of the work happening in our classrooms.
Now, we are advancing that vision even further by launching a four-part Professional Learning Series in Executive Function for our colleagues in public, parochial, and independent schools. Designed and taught by Cooke's practitioner-scholars, the series translates decades of classroom experience into practical, evidence-informed strategies that participants can immediately apply in their own schools.
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This new series represents an exciting milestone for Cooke School and Institute, and another way we are embodying our founders' guiding beliefs. I hope you will join me in celebrating this next chapter as we share Cooke's expertise with educators across the region. In addition to the article below, more information about the series will be coming soon.
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Dr. Francis Tabone
Head of School
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Last spring, Cooke staff were invited to participate in an exciting four-part professional development series focused on practical strategies for supporting students' Executive Function (EF) skills. The complimentary workshops, held immediately after school on Cooke's Madison campus, were eligible for four CTLE hours toward professional certification. Here is the best part! Leading the series were Mary Clancy, EdD, Assistant Professor of Education at SUNY Empire State University and former Associate Head of Cooke School, and Andi Sachs, M.S., OTR/L, EFC, Cooke Occupational Therapist and Executive Function Consultant. The curriculum for the course was developed based on surveys and feedback from Cooke faculty.
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One of my takeaways from the course was that executive functioning skills, much like academic skills, must be taught and honed. While doing the PD, my class was engaged in a project-based learning math assignment. I was able to teach students how to go about formulating the steps for their project, which incorporated many executive functioning skills such as: planning, task initiation, and metacognition."
— Becca Ramdass, Grade 3/4 Head Teacher
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The first session introduced participants to the core concepts of Executive Function before presenting authentic classroom scenarios for them to analyze and solve in small groups. For many early-career educators and related service providers, the experience felt a lot like a continuation of a graduate-level course taught by a favorite professor. This time, however, the question-and-answer sessions centered on their own students, giving them the opportunity to receive expert coaching and practical guidance on the challenges they were facing in their classrooms.
The shared framework and multidisciplinary learning groups encouraged participants to examine Executive Function through multiple professional lenses, creating valuable opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning that benefited even experienced educators and related service providers.
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Through focused turn-and-talk discussions and small-group breakout activities, I deepened my understanding of the executive functioning skills students need to meet our classroom expectations. Hearing different perspectives and learning about the strategies my colleagues are already embedding in their planning processes sparked my own thinking about our expectations and practical ideas to apply in my practice.”
— Julie Greenberg, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapy Department Chair
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Attention Cooke Alumni!
If you'd like to receive a complimentary printed copy of the 2026-27 School Calendar, please complete this online form.
Did you know? Any student who has attended Cooke is considered a Cooke alum and is eligible to receive a free copy.
We'll mail your calendar alongside those sent to our current Cooke families in early fall, so you can keep up with what is happening in the Cooke community throughout the year. 💙 Don't miss the stories featured each month and the sheet of stickers to mark important dates. We look forward to staying in touch!
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Building on the success of the professional learning series offered to Cooke faculty and staff last spring, Cooke Institute plans to launch a new Professional Learning Series on Executive Function for external audiences this fall. The four-session series, conducted live over Zoom, is open to educators working in public, parochial, and independent schools and is eligible for five CTLE hours.
Like the series offered at Cooke, the sessions are scheduled for the end of the school day to make participation as convenient as possible. There will be opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion as well as interaction with the two accomplished instructors, Mary Clancy, EdD, and Andi Sachs, M.S., OTR/L, EFC.
Sharing Cooke School's expertise with the broader educational community is at the heart of Cooke Institute and part of our mission. We are delighted to extend this professional learning opportunity to our colleagues in the education sector. More details to come!
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2026 Transitions Graduation
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Cooke Summer Academy (CSA) Picnic in Central Park
Cooke Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School students kicked off the Cooke Summer Academy field trip season with a picnic at the Harlem Meer in Central Park!
Students spent the day running, playing soccer and kickball, exploring the playground, and enjoying lunch together in one of New York City's most beautiful parks, located just a few blocks away from campus
The outing was more than just a day of fun. Students were also practicing important travel skills that will help prepare them for longer off-site learning experiences throughout the summer.
Enjoy the video slideshow above to see some of the students at play!
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