We’re Back … And off to a Great Start!
Yesterday, we welcomed our students to our new school building at 1713 Madison Avenue for in-person instruction. While it was very different from any other opening day—with new health protocols to follow and adjustments to make—seeing our students’ faces and hearing their voices was fantastic! Having them return to us, seeing their delight in reuniting with their friends and watching them light up as they saw their new school building has truly been a dream come true for all of us here at Cooke. We thank you for helping us to make this possible.
A Whole New World!
Cooke’s much-anticipated reopening has come after months of thoughtful and informed planning to ensure the safety and well being of our community during this pandemic.
This year, back-to-school may have looked different, but in the end, all the same elements were there—the excitement, the anticipation. Our staff, students and families did a phenomenal job of being flexible and responsive to our “new normal.” All in all, it was a great day.
As for transportation—well, busing was as busing sometimes is—with its usual share of hiccups, but nothing that we weren’t able to manage. Everyone played their part in helping to make the morning arrival and afternoon departures run smoothly. If our first day is a sign of what’s to come, then we are on track for a great school year.
All the best!
Our Precautionary Measures
What are some of our health & safety protocols? We’re glad you asked!
Using the latest health and safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Department of Education, Cooke has implemented a COVID-19 health screening application called the AUXS Safety App. This system will allow us to make informed decisions for responding to, and mitigating the virus in our community.
Though the risk of exposure and transmission of COVID-19 cannot be completely eliminated, the safety of students and faculty are at the forefront of our minds. Every Cooke community member (students, faculty, staff), and all visitors, will need to complete the health screening using the app each morning (prior to coming to school).
The app asks several mandated questions to determine if it is safe for an individual to be in school. The app also monitors the health of remote learners and staff to ensure that we track possible sources of infection to report to the Department of Health.
We have a robust team of staff in place to coordinate these monitoring efforts (members of our school leadership team, our nursing staff, and our facilities and IT staff) who all work together to:
- monitor compliance in using the app,
- examine the health screening results,
- troubleshoot any technical problems when using the app,
- detect any potential presence of infection in our community, and
- communicate quickly and confidentially with parents, students and faculty about any potential health risks that arise.
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