Cindy Surdi Division, Head of School

Cooke Center Grammar School

Newsletter
Francis Tabone PhD
Head of School

Cindy Surdi
Division Head,
Cooke Center Grammar School

Beth Carr
Curriculum Supervisor
Cooke Center Grammar School

Mary Clancy
Division Head,
Cooke Center Academy

Vicki Fowler
Dean of Students,
Cooke Center Academy

Kate Riordan
Division Chair,
SKILLs Program
Volume 3, Issue 1
WELCOME BACK!!!!
No success is greater than see-
ing our staff working with stu-
dents! Sashas first day is a big
hit as Brittney (Paraprofessional)
helps her navigate the new envi-
ronment
Welcome back to school. This week has been busy with getting acquainted to new classrooms and
friends, new routines and daily excursions into the community. The excitement is bellowing throughout
the building.
Whats new this year? We continue to grow with new staff and students. We have increased our staff
to best serve the needs of our students and welcome - Melody Malave Head Teacher Dina Diaz ,
Rachel Goldberg, Jasper Gordon Assistant Teachers Kristen DechristofaroArt intern Tyesha Marius,
Erich Meyeroff, Sandi Caba, Martha Baez, Teri Dalrymple, Tamara DacruzParaprofessionals Mari-
anne Napoli, David Oren, Sara Schafrann - Pyscholgy interns/extern Maureen McDonough PT intern
Audra Johnson COTA
Additionally, we are fortunate to be the recipients of a Music and Drama Therapy program that will col-
laborate with Counseling and Speech departments to develop skills through music and drama.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK- Each week we will pick a question submitted by you!!!. The question can be
directed to all staff. Please send to me at csurdi@cookecenter.org and I will direct your question to the
appropriate team member. Hopefully yours will be the chosen one!
Important Dates

Saturday September 20th
Family Picnic

Tuesday, September 30th-
Back to School Night 6:00pm

September 25 & 26 -
School Closed (Rosh Hashanah)

October 8 School Pictures
QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: How do I access Cooke calendar?

A: You can access the calendar at
www.cookecenter.org News and Events

Page 2
Above Middle S chool classes reuniting with friends while play-
ing in the school yard.
LeftJeremiah welcomes new student Tim
Bottom left Aaminah and Jelany are sharing a happy moment
together at lunch
Bottom right
Mr. Green introduces himself to Ian and Giana Below
Markels smile lights up the class

Page 3

FROM THE OT/PT DEPARTMENT






HELMETS for SCHOOL

We are starting off September with bike safety and are now requiring that all children wear a helmet on tricycles (as well as on bicycles in
the Bike Clinic). We want your child to associate a helmet with any bike or scooter, as well as to be safe in school.

We are asking for parents in grades K-1 (Tripper), 1-2 (Ms. Grace), 2-3 (Ms. Melody) and Bridge (Ms. Josie) to send in a helmet fitted to
your child for their personal use during recess. This insures proper fit for safety, good hygiene, and bike safety from the get-go. A child
with sensitivity may also be more likely to wear their own helmet than one from school. Please label the helmet with your childs name
when you send it in. We will store it here in school.

Check out opportunities for free helmets throughout the city at bike clinics and other events such as the Bike Bonanza in Queens this
weekend.

We will continue to share school helmets for those children who do not have their own so they can enjoy the use of our tricycles and bicy-
cles safely.



BIKE BONANZA
September 13, 2014
11:00am-2:30pm
LOCATION:
34th Avenue and 78th Avenue
Jackson Heights



Join DOT, Recycle-A-Bicycle and Bike New York at this bike bonanza for free, fun activities for the
whole family. Come to get fitted for a free helmet, upgrade your childs bike or have your child learn
how to ride for the first time and more.

Cooke Center Kids Club Explorers: is a unique after school program created to teach Social
Skills through fun activities centered in nature and wilderness, sport and competition. The program is
meant to give Cooke Center students a special opportunity to participate in social experiences similar to
those offered in scouting, organized sports and playground games. This is accomplished through pro-
jects that are tailor made for Cooke students developmentally and structurally, and carried out by staff
members who are familiar with the specific needs of the students. These activities are designed to
teach club members both the practical/hands on skills needed to complete the projects, as well as the so-
cial skills needed to participate with other club members, to build teams and friendships.

Aim of the club: is to work with the children who would benefit from increased proficiency in social skills
through activity sequences that are specifically designed to target the Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral components that comprise
theses skills through fun and motivating activities.

The club members
The club is designed for children between the ages of 8-13, that would benefit from practicing the social skills outlined by the program.

The Activities:
Kids Club Explorers is a fun way to learn outdoor and useful nature skills, woodworking, sports, music and cooking. Sportsmanship,
friendship and good citizenship are goals built in to all of the activities. Sport competitions are designed to teach club members skills
needed on the playground such as choosing teams, how to be a fair team player and resolving conflict.
Projects involving nature and outdoor skills like, using hand tools, tying knots and recognizing local plants are used to make small wood
working projects such as birdhouse, while incorporating concepts such as respect for nature and good citizenship. Projects involving
cooking and music are designed to practice social skills through hand on activities while incorporating creativity, imagination and even
more fun.
Some children may have a higher degree of success participating in these activities with increased structuring and support
not usually offered. Activities are highly engaging and hands on in nature to provide a high level of motivation . Every activity has a
description, rationale, list of social concepts/skills taught to facilitate learning and motivators used to increase the desire to participate.
Each meeting the club member is sent home with a print out of the activity to explain what concepts and skills were covered that day,
so they may be practiced or discussed at home.


Topics and Skills Addressed
Observation and evaluation of social situations
Step by step linking causes and effects in social situations
Self Management of levels of frustration
Understanding right and wrong
Interpersonal Skills, Personal Attributes, Conversation Skills, Self Advocacy and common skills used by children on the playground.
The fee for a 12 week program, one day per week, Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 is $560. parents are responsible for picking up their
child promptly at 5:30pm. The program runs from September 16, 2014 through December 16th.
--
YES!!! Please reserve a space for my child-. I am
aware that the program runs from 3:30-5:30 for 12 weeks, on Tuesday after-school. I
will make arrangements to pick my child up at 5:30

Parent Signature-

Sign up is first come first serve. Space is limited. Payment is due once registration in
completed. You will be contacted by CCGS upon registration. Contact Cindy
csurdi@cookecenter.org or John jaspromonte@cookecenter.org for additional
Information.
The Young Explorers After-School Program