What’s Cooking? The Cooke Center For Learning and Development F a l l 2 0 1 0 C o o k e C e n t e r N e w s: Volume 6 Issue 5
CCA Cooke-ing Club is at it Again!
In this Issue: CCA Cooke-ing Club Focus on Faculty Alumni Halloween Party Spotlight on OT Animal Haven Interns CCMS Publishing Party
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Academy Cooking Club Prepares Some Mouthwatering Dishes
A Letter from the Cooke President Dear Friends,
The summer has passed into fall and soon fall will pass into winter. Those sweaters stored on the top shelf last spring are now within easy reach for chilly mornings. The life of a school is also guided by seasons and I must admit that I love the cyclical nature of back to school scheduling, progress reports, and the many other activities that happen in an orderly sequence year after year.
While we may enjoy the comfort of the familiar patterns, a school community must step back from time to time to reflect on its mission and values. Over the 24 years that Cooke has been in existence we have changed elements of our school to better respond to the needs of our families and children. Pausing to reflect at critical times in our development has played a key role in guiding these changes. When we started, our seven students were all 5 or 6 years old. Now we serve 500 students ranging from age 3 to age 21.
Once again we are undertaking a period of planning to ensure that we are responding to today’s needs with the best of today’s strategies. Last spring kicked off parent and faculty participation in this process with surveys. This fall a sample group of parents of newly enrolled students was interviewed. Soon focus groups consisting of a cross section of parents and faculty will meet with our planning consultant to express their views. Their input will be used to set our course for the next few years. We promise to keep our community posted on all that comes out of this exciting process.
In the meantime, I remain grateful for all that makes Cooke such a nurturing learning environment. From our dedicated faculty, therapists and staff, to our community partners who offer our children real‐world experiences, to our supportive families who work tirelessly to ensure their children receive the best possible education, to the treasures that are the children themselves, I am reminded daily of all the blessings that make my job so rewarding. For all that you do to support our work, a million thanks.
Sincerely, Michael Termini, PsyD
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ach week during Friday Clubs, the CCA Cooke‐ing Club meets in the Robards Daily Living Lab to whip up some delicious treats. So far, these aspiring chefs have made penne pesto (using fresh basil from a plant the club donated to Ms. Garcia's science class), tacos with homemade guacamole and meat and cheese empanadas.
Ms. Agopian, CCA speech therapist and the club leader, said “the kids love working with their hands and using the food chopper to chop up all the fresh ingredients.”
On a recent Friday, the club cooked up a tasty pan of chicken parmesan. Club members were each assigned
different tasks, from cooking the pasta and frying the chicken to cutting the vegetables and properly setting the table.
The students worked thro ‐ugh Ms. A g o p i a n ’ s recipe step by step and were able to socialize the whole way through. Laughter and the delicious aroma of garlic and fresh ingredients filled the learning lab. After the meal was prepared, club members, as well as a few hungry guests, sat down and enjoyed the feast together.
Friday Clubs not only provide CCA students with an opportunity to socialize outside of the classroom environment, but also the opportunity to explore new interests and continue to develop real life skills.
Focus on Our Faculty: A Look at Ascension Teacher Christie DiStefano
Each week, a different student is assigned as the Morning Meeting Leader, w h o s e responsibility is to lead a class discussion on topics including the weather, the day’s schedule, and news the students would like to share.
Ascension Level 3 teacher Christie DiStefano is working on continued independence with her students. In preparation for the move to Middle School, she’s giving students many more responsibilities, such as organizing their work and following their own schedules. The theme in Level 3 this year is “Exploring.” Whether the natural world through science class, or their own interests through daily journaling, Ms. DiStefano’s students are exploring their individual paths to independence..
Ms. DiStefano is especially proud Above: Student made mobiles from the Middle School of one of her students, Jayson, who recently completed a week of morning leadership. “I have watched Jayson mature with such a sense of awe. He has grown tremendously in his ability to think a problem through and find the right solution – whether it’s a piece of school work or an interaction with a peer.” She remembers when Jayson was reluctant to take risks, but says now he pushes himself. “He writes whole paragraphs in his journal now. And he has developed the confidence to not only stand up for himself, but to stick up for his friends and classmates, too.”
Alumni Halloween Party Below are photos from the fun and festive Cooke Center Alumni Halloween Party held at CCA on October 30th.
Please remember to give to this year’s Annual Appeal Fund.
Your donations help to make all of these great activities possible!
A Spotlight on Occupational Therapy increase the speed and legibility of their handwriting. Evaluating a child's need for specialized equipment, such as wheelchairs, splints, dressing devices, or communication aids
Helping kids with sensory integration, self‐regulation and adaptive skills. Sensory treatments often include games with "play" materials such as play dough, shaving cream, weighted objects/ vests, obstacle course challenges, and specialized therapeutic music working to improve focus and social skills
There are a number of Cooke “related service providers” ‐ speech and language therapists, occupational and physical therapists and counselors – who help ensure that our students get the most out of their education here at Cooke. In this newsletter, and in future editions, we will take closer look at all of these important services Cooke provides.
Occupational Therapy (OT) focuses on helping people achieve independence in all areas of their lives. OT can help kids with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, and motor skills and enhance their self‐esteem and sense of accomplishment.
Below are a few examples of what you may find an OT doing with our kids:
Helping students work on fine motor skills so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills
Addressing hand‐eye coordination to
All Cooke related service providers work with students both in the classroom and in one‐on‐one settings. By collaborating regularly with classroom teachers, they help deliver an individualized and comprehensive education for each and every student.
improve kids' play skills (hitting a target, batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.)
Helping kids with behavioral disorders learn anger‐management techniques (i.e., instead of hitting others or acting out, using positive ways to deal with anger, such as writing about feelings or participating in a physical activity)
Teaching kids with physical disabilities the coordination skills needed to use a computer, or
Above: CCMS Occupational Therapist, Catherine Miranda
Animal Loving SKILLs Students Give Back Two SKILLs at Waverly Place Students Intern at Local Animal Shelter Kelvin and Patrick, SKILLs at Waverly Place students, just began internships at Animal Haven in Soho, a nonprofit organization that finds homes for abandoned cats and dogs throughout the Tri‐State area. They walk the puppies and older dogs that are up for adoption and help to keep the puppy and cat rooms clean and tidy. Both students agreed that working with animals involves a great deal of responsibility, but they enjoy taking on the new challenge! Cooke Center transition staff go to great lengths to ensure that we offer a wide variety of internships to match the interests and strengths of our students. Thanks to Animal Haven for providing such a wonderful internship opportunity.
Cooke Center for Learning and Development 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 730 New York, NY 100115
CCMS Publishing Party: Yo u n g A u t h o r s H o s t P a r t y f o r P a r e n t s a n d P e e r s illustrious authors and a chance to give positive critiques of the students’ work.
On October 29th, Mr. Betancourt's middle school class celebrated the publishing of their personal story books by throwing a party. These newly published books featured an important event in the students’ lives. Complete with a cover and an “about the author” blurb on the back, these pieces of work were truly something to celebrate!
Parents and other CCMS students and staff were invited to join in refreshments, a reading by the
The event began with a review of the writing process timeline. Each student had a chance to share with the audience one step of the timeline. Students then passed out refreshments to their guests and proceeded to read their work aloud to parents and peers. Guests then had the opportunity to write one thing they enjoyed about the student’s book on a sticky note which was placed on the inside cover. Students met with the guests one by one and by the end of the party had a cover full of positive feedback.
The party was a great success and all of us at the Cooke Center are so proud of our young writers. We look forward to many more publishing celebrations in the future.
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