Cooke Head of School Newsletter 2016-17 Issue1

September 2016, Issue #11

Who ‘s Who? Francis Tabone 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 Head,

2 young men full from hot dogs. The family picnic this year had more attendees than ever. As usual we had a beautiful day, great weather, and a wonderful gathering!

Welcome Back!

This year mark’s the largest student body and staff in the almost 30 year history of Cooke. With a student body of almost 290 students we are off to a great start with some exciting new programs and initiatives. We have added more staff at SKILLs, CCGS now has a full time nurse and a soccer program (Not to mention air conditioning in every room.). At CCA we have a new boiler! No more cold mornings.

What do our students expect this year? When you look at student surveys and expectations they all list the same ideas. The most important elements of successful schooling at any level, is no different than what our students expect: 1. Relationships – Do my teachers know about me, my interests, and my talents? Can they help me form relationships with adults and peers who can mentor me throughout my life?

2. Relevance – Is my learning and schoolwork relevant to my personal interests, passions, and life goals?

3. Time – Can I learn at my own pace, and do I have opportunities to both deepen and broaden my understanding of the material?

4. Timing – Does everyone have to learn the material in the same order, or can I learn the material in an order that matches my personal interests?

5. Play – Do I have opportunities for exploration, speculation, and discovery?

6. Practice – Do I have enough time to practice what I learned, or am I being pushed to jump too quickly from one topic to the next?

7. Choice – Can I choose what, when, and how to learn?

8. Authenticity – Do experts, peers, and potential employers recognize the value of my schoolwork?

9. Challenge – Am I being challenged enough?

10. Application – Is my learning only theoretical or do I have opportunities to apply it to real-world situations?

I hope that this year our students will ask these questions. I hope you will ask them as well. I look forward to another successful year in all sites!

Welcome to Solomon, a new Kindergarten student. He is welcomed with a song and 11 new friends . He and his class are off to a great start. It is most exciting to see our youngest students start their educational journey at Cooke.

Helping Children Cope With Terrorism Tips for Families and Educators This last incident in NYC hit too close to home for many of our families and staff. I sent this to families immediately following the incident, but decided to reprint as these tips can be important for many situations. Please contact your child’s counselor for any questions on how best to deal with such topics.

Intentional acts of violence that hurt innocent people are frightening and upsetting. Children and youth will look to adults for information and guidance on how to react. Families and school personnel can help children cope first and foremost by establishing a sense of safety and security. As information becomes available, adults can continue to help children work through their emotions and, perhaps, even use the process as a learning experience.

All Adults Should: 1. Model calm and control. Children take their emotional cues from the significant adults in their lives.

Avoid appearing anxious or frightened.

2. Reassure children they are safe and (if true) so are the important adults and other loved ones in their lives. Depending on the situation, point out factors that help ensure their immediate safety and that of their community.

3. Remind them trustworthy people are in charge. Explain that emergency workers, police, firefighters, doctors, and the government are helping people who are hurt and are working to ensure that no further tragedies like this occur.

4. Let children know it is okay to feel upset. Explain all feelings are okay when a tragedy like this occurs. Let children talk about their feelings and help put them into perspective. Even anger is okay, but children may need help and patience from adults to assist them in expressing these feelings appropriately.

5. Tell children the truth. Don’t try to pretend the event has not occurred or that it is not serious. Children are smart. They will be more worried if they think you are too afraid to tell them what is happening. At the same time it will be important to tell children that while the threat of terrorism is real, the chances they will be personally affected is low.

6. Stick to the facts. Don’t embellish or speculate about what has happened, or where another attack might occur. Don’t dwell on the scale or scope of the tragedy, particularly with young children.

7. Be careful not to stereotype people or countries that might be associated with the violence. Children can easily generalize negative statements and develop prejudice. Talk about tolerance and justice versus vengeance. Stop any bullying or teasing immediately.

All children know when something serious is going on. Without details or solid information, they are left to their own devices to imagine what is going on. Scenes like this on conjure up scary thoughts for our students.

8. Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate. Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that the daily structures of their lives will not change. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence and threats to safety in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society.

They will be more committed to doing something to help the victims and affected community. For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener!

9. Maintain a “normal” routine. To the extent possible stick to normal classroom or family routines but don’t be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night.

10. Monitor or restrict exposure to scenes of the event as well as the aftermath. In particular, monitor exposure to social media. For older children, caution against accessing news coverage from only one source.

11. Observe children’s emotional state. Depending on their age, children may not express their concerns verbally. Changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns can also indicate a child’s level of grief, anxiety or discomfort. Children will express their emotions differently. There is no right or wrong way to feel or express fear or grief.

12. Be aware of children at greater risk. Children who have a connection to this particular event, have had a past traumatic experience or personal loss, suffer from depression or other mental illness, or with special needs may be at greater risk for severe reactions than others. Be particularly observant for those who may be at risk of suicide. Seek the help of a mental health professional if you are at all concerned.

13. Provide an outlet for students’ desire to help. Consider making get well cards or sending letters to the families and survivors of the tragedy, or writing thank you letters to doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals as well as emergency rescue workers, firefighters and police.

14. Keep lines of communication open between home and school. Schools are a good place for children to experience a sense of normalcy. Being with their friends and teachers is helpful. Schools should inform families about available resources, such as talking points or counseling, and plans for information sharing and discussions with students. Parents should let their child’s teacher or school mental health professional know if they have concerns or feel their child may need extra support.

15. Monitor your own stress level. Don’t ignore your own feelings of anxiety, grief, and anger. Talking to friends, family members, religious leaders, and mental health counselors can help. It is okay to let your children know you are sad, but that you believe things will get better. You will be better able to support your children if you can express your own emotions in a productive manner. Get appropriate sleep, nutrition, andexercise. © 2015, National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 657-0270, Fax (301) 657-0275; www.nasponline.org

MIDDLE SCHOOL IS AN ADJUSTMENT FOR CHILDREN. Middle school is not the same as elementary school. It is a much larger facility and one enters from being at the top of the heap in 5th grade to the bottom of the heap in 6th grade. The greater number of students and being in the lowest grade can cause an entering sixth grader to feel overwhelmed, now counting for less than before.

In addition, school life is very different. Now there are multiple teachers to get used to, more study responsibilities to take care of, increased hall travel between classes, lockers for storing belongings, and a different feel to how one is being treated. They no longer get the attention of one or two teachers every day. All the while, there is more challenge, push, and shove between students who are jostling for position at an older and more social age.

According to Carl Pickhardt , PhD there are ways to help your child adjust to middle school.

1.Understand that middle school is not elementary school.

2.Identify and allay common entry fears of middle school.

3.Expect early adolescent changes in your child.

4.Supervise the completion of all homework.

5.Support learning to function in a large secondary system.

6.Declare your desire to be told about any social cruelty that occurs.

7.Inform your child about the normal changes that come with puberty.

8.Enroll your child in social circles outside of school.

9.Encourage the development of multiple sources of self-esteem.

10.Monitor and moderate the increased need for electronic communication (cell phone texting, computer messaging, and social networking.)

While we are lucky that our middle schoolers do not have to start in a new building they do have new demands. Check in with your child’s teachers and make sure they are adjusting well.

Scientific Validity To really understand the concept of viscosity and surface tension, Koey pushed things to the limit. Yes, she was also having fun, but that was not the point. She was there to learn the limits of surface tension, how force F is needed to move to the right and extend the surface. The surface tension is denoted by the Greek letter gamma (γ) and, as indicated by Equation 1, is the magnitude F of the force per unit length over which it acts. Surface tension, usually represented by the symbol γ, is measured in force per unit length.

Its SI unit is newton per meter but the cgs unit of dyne per cm is also used. A cute photo can also be substituted.

HIGH SCHOOL IS AN ADJUSTMENT FOR CHILDREN Making the move from middle school to high school can be a tough transition for some freshman.

The changes involved in that move can be overwhelming at times, whether they are social, academic or physical. Suddenly, students that were guided through the academic process by parents and teachers are expected to perform much more independently than ever before. At the same time, high school is often a period where friendships change, as students struggle to figure out where they belong. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to help their new high school student adjust to the transition.

There are changes in school structure, more teachers, more floors, more rooms to find. There are changes in body image, our students are becoming young adults and going into their pubescent years. There are changes in social groups and friendships.

A few helpful ideas: 1. Provide reassurance. Student need to know that they will get through new situations fine. Remind them of past successes and transitions.

2. Reach out to school staff. Communication between home and school helps a student see that everyone is on the same page and they are not alone.

3. Be involved. The more you know the better. Be at the PSA meetings, open house, and parent teacher conferences.

4. Encourage activities. Get your child active on the basketball, track, or softball team. Encourage afterschool and weekend get togethers.

5. Instill Organizational Skills. Learning and mastering the skills of getting organized, staying focused, and seeing work through to the end will help teens in just about everything they do.

6. Perspective. At this age, everything seems like the most important thing in the world. Good grades, finding a friend, having one’s hair a certain way can make or break how one’s day goes. Don’t feed that fire.

Help students keep their experiences in perspective.

7. Take time for self care. Sleep, healthy eating, and good time management are all areas that can help to reduce stress when attention is paid to these areas.

8. Help with homework and study time. Teaching our children can be frustrating at times, but it is important to provide encouragement. Avoid getting frustrated. Send the teacher a note if you are unsure about assignments.

9. Attendance. Help your child be on time for school and not miss to many days. Being late for school is like walking into a movie late which compromises your ability to follow the plot.

10. Enjoy the time. High School is 4 years (usually) so it isn’t 4 years you should be stressing about what will happen next. So far all of our graduates have had successful transitions into the adult world. We expect that to continue!

Ms. Maybruch’s class is ready for a new year. No one here looks stressed or nervous. The ultimate goal is to help students

become self-sufficient managers of their time and resources in order to get the most out of high school. They may need your help even if they don’t realize it. Help them to develop habits and strategies for greater achievement while encouraging them to take increasing responsibility for their work.