Dear Cooke Students, Families, and Friends,
This week, Cooke Senior Chris D. engaged in an interview with a full camera crew for a video to be produced for Cooke’s presentation for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Director of Curriculum, Mathematics K-12 Andrew Gael, Lower School/Middle School Speech Department Chair Melissa Madarasz, and Speech-Language Pathologist and AAC Specialist Erica Bronstein will be presenting at the 2026 NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition in Colorado later this month. This interview is a major component of their presentation.
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Using his AAC device and demonstrating his characteristic sense of humor, Chris answered questions on what he has learned from his math teacher and what advice he would give younger Cooke students. His interview will be featured in the video, which is part of a larger slide presentation, along with interviews of Lower School Head Math Teacher Kelly Gordon and Lower School Assistant Teacher Dinah Diaz. As a complement to the overview and data delivered by the Cooke panel, the video will provide math educators from across the country with a look at how these concepts take shape in a Cooke classroom.
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Our staff’s active engagement and standing in the broader educational community have long generated meaningful opportunities for Cooke students. For years, Transitions students have enjoyed giving speeches and answering questions in Mary Clancy’s classes for graduate students at NYU and Empire State University. Former Cooke School Psychologist Brittney Feit highlighted interviews with Cooke alumni as well as their artwork in her pilot research study as part of the prep work for her dissertation.
We know that investing in our staff’s growth has a profound impact on our students in general. The establishment of the new Director of Teaching and Learning position for the Madison campus this year reflects our commitment to further strengthening teaching practice and supporting continued professional growth. Our next professional development day will focus on taking our renowned collaboration skills to the next level by strengthening how we work together and relate to one another as people and adults. At a time when many schools have been forced to reduce teacher supports, we remain committed to expanding purposeful spaces for our staff to learn and grow, knowing that our students are the ultimate beneficiaries.
| | On October 28, we will celebrate Cooke’s 40-year history and honor Nick Jerez’s tenure as Board Chair at our Founders Celebration. As we look ahead and continue to seek ways to be even better, current and alumni parents can also take pride in how far we have come and in all that our founders set in motion. Please join me for what is always a grand gathering of Cooke friends on the Monarch Rooftop! | | | |
Dr. Francis Tabone
Head of School
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Last Chance to Enroll!
Executive Function Professional Learning Series
Mondays: October 19, November 2, November 16 & November 30
4:00–5:15 p.m. over Zoom
Instructors: Andi Sachs, M.S., OTR/L, EFC, and Mary Clancy, EdD
Final Day to Enroll: October 15
$249 for All Four Sessions
Eligible for 5 CTLE hours
Build your Executive Function toolkit with experts who bring both classroom experience and academic credentials to the conversation. Explore practical, evidence-based strategies you can use right now, while connecting with colleagues and peers who are navigating many of the same challenges in today’s classrooms.
We make it easy for professional educators to begin the school year with new strategies, a fresh perspective, and the expertise to inspire students’ progress.
Click here for more information and to register online.
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Welcome, New Director of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Michelle Anderson
How can a familiar classroom routine create more opportunities for connection and participation? That question brought Lower and Middle School Speech and Language Services Department Chair Melissa Madarasz, MA, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, and Lower and Middle School Counseling Department Chair Robyn Freer, PhD, together with Cooke’s new Director of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Michelle Anderson.
Melissa and Robyn were refining a welcome song and greeting activity for their K-1 students, designed to support social-emotional learning and connections with classmates. Through their observations, they identified an opportunity: adjusting the turn-taking format could give students more ways to participate throughout the song.
Working with Michelle, they redesigned the activity so students could greet and sing together, creating more opportunities for active participation and reducing time spent waiting between turns. The team established a shared, observable goal of building sustained engagement, beginning with brief intervals. They also made sure every adult in the room supporting the activity understood its purpose and what progress would look like.
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"The new Director of Teaching and Learning role is an investment in carrying that work forward through ongoing coaching, collaboration, and professional learning, grounded in the belief that when we deepen our own practice, we expand our students’ opportunities to participate, learn, and grow."
—Associate Head of School Dr. Jessie Gardner
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With the revised activity, the class has now sustained shared engagement for a full minute on two occasions—an encouraging early step as students build their capacity to participate and connect in a group learning experience. This example reflects the ongoing work of responsive teaching: observing students, drawing on colleagues’ expertise, adjusting instruction, and looking closely at what changes.
“After identifying the problem, I always start with the premise that there is a solution. We just need to figure it out,” says Michelle. “We, the students and the staff, are all learning and growing here. There is a wealth of knowledge in the building. My job is to leverage that foundation and translate our shared vision into practical plans.”
Associate Head of School Dr. Jessie Gardner proposed and oversaw the creation of the new Director of Teaching and Learning position for the 2026-27 school year. “Last year, our school came together across K-12 to examine and strengthen our teaching practices and build a stronger shared vision for teaching and learning at Cooke. The Director of Teaching and Learning role is an investment in carrying that work forward through ongoing coaching, collaboration, and professional learning, grounded in the belief that when we deepen our own practice, we expand our students’ opportunities to participate, learn, and grow,” says Jessie.
“Michelle brings decades of instructional-leadership experience across New York City schools, with diverse learners and staff, and we are thrilled she is here.”
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Founders Celebration Commemorates
Cooke's 40th Anniversary
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An Invitation for Cooke Families!
Join your Cooke friends for the 2026-2027 Founders Celebration to honor Cooke’s 40th Anniversary and former Board Chair, Nick Jerez! It’s a night of connection and celebration for the entire Cooke community.
Enjoy a memorable evening with opportunities to mingle with fellow current and alumni parents/families, share resources, and celebrate Cooke’s beginnings. This event is a chance to relax, recharge, and honor the spirit that continues to drive our collective mission.
Please note this is a 21+ event, intended for the parents/families of Cooke students.
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