A Remarkable Staff We sometimes neglect to highlight our staff’s accomplishments in academic research, presentations, and as educational leaders in their field. Many of our staff are presenters in the country’s most influential organizations regarding special education. Their contributions are exceptional and often on the cutting edge of research. Mary Clancy and Jessie Gardner returned from San Antonio, Texas, where they were key presenters at The Council for Exceptional Children 2024 convention. The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest professional organization dedicate ..read more

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Founder’s Celebration Our Founders Celebration shines a light on Cooke’s principles of community and inclusion, the ideals that shape everything we do. Before we had a board, staff, or even a first classroom, there was a group of parents who had a vision and made it their mission to realize that vision. We look back at Cooke’s community milestones through the lens of our guiding principles to celebrate the hopes, dreams, and achievements of our founding parents and this amazing community they helped to build.   Unable to find appropriate schools for their children, the seven founding ..read more

Admissions Our admissions team, Billy English and Gail Gerzetic, are working hard with potential students for the 2024–2025 school year! Each year we admit about 50 new students! This requires hundreds of parent interviews as we welcome families every week for tours of the program.    Students who seem to be a good fit for the program spend a day with us visiting classes. It gives the student a chance to see what Cooke is like and gives teachers and staff the opportunity to work with prospective students. Admissions is a process in which we endeavor to serve all prospective ..read more

Year End Update It has been a long year. We spent so much of the last five years dealing with COVID, only to come out of it to a world that sometimes seems chaotic. Given who we are and what our work entails, we must still find strength and resilience within ourselves. The events of the world complicate our daily lives, but amidst all the challenges, it’s important to take a step back, check in with ourselves, and find the motivation to keep moving forward with renewed energy and purpose. Refocusing on the positive and the opportunities ahead can be a powerful tool for navigating these ti ..read more

  Cooke’s Accreditation Renewal with the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Cooke School will be undergoing its 10th annual NYSAIS review during the 2024-2025 school year. When a child attends a nonpublic school or is educated at home, the board of education of the school district in which the child resides must be assured that the child is receiving instruction that is substantially equivalent to that provided in the public schools. NYSAIS accreditation provides NYC nonpublic schools with proof of substantial equivalency. We have been accredited twice before ..read more

Supporting Our Children in these Difficult Times The Cooke community places great importance on compassion and social justice. At this time, we are deeply saddened by the violence and loss of life that is taking place in Israel and Gaza. We understand that the emotions and experiences surrounding these events are complex and varied. We acknowledge that this is an emotionally charged period for many students, parents, faculty, and staff. Each of us is affected differently by these events, as our individual identities influence our personal connections to the situation.  Our instituti ..read more

Welcome Back! Every year, staff returns  a few weeks early to prepare for the school year, participate in professional development, and make sure classes are set up for opening day. Despite looming challenges (possible bus strikes, and an uptick in COVID cases) we were not  deterred. School is open and things are off to a great start! This year, we’re pleased to welcome new staff members and new leadership at both 1713 Madison Avenue and 60 MacDougal Street. Nefertari Mckenzie-Davy is the new associate head of school at Transitions. She has had a lifetime career of teaching and ..read more

Celebrating Our Graduates “The path these graduates have walked has not been easy … They have shown us that limitations exist only in the mind and that with the right support and beliefs, they can achieve great things.” -Francis Tabone   In the Words of a Cooke Graduate… “I am thankful for my friends. I like them and all the fun we have had. I will miss them and my teachers. I used to have difficulty with math but I am proud that I find it easy now. All my memories of high school are good ones. I am excited for my future. I look forward to learning new skills and b ..read more

Patience & Understanding (in these Stressful Times) Parent stress increased substantially during COVID-19 closures and has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. According to the National Library of Medicine, one-in-five parents reported high stress during the Covid-19 school closures, while three-in-four parents reported increased parenting-specific stress. Multiple studies have found that high stress was a common initial reaction to this pandemic, with parents experiencing more stress than non-parents. There is nothing surprising about this data, nor is it something we are unfamiliar ..read more