Community Partnerships

Early Childhood Programs

These programs focus on extracurricular activities for our youngest students and have a focus on literacy development and healthy habits.

 

• Jumpstart After School Program

  Jumpstart volunteers help with homework and build literacy skills.

• Monarch Sister Schools

  Monarch Sister Schools Program works with a select group of schools in Washington DC and Maryland to help schools build and maintain a pollinator habitat.  Cooke will be paired with a sister school in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere reserve. 

• Kid Power Veggie Time

  Veggie Time focuses on building, growing and maintaining a school vegetable garden and educating students about healthy eating and sustainable, organic gardening. 

• Steptoe & Johnson LLP

  Steptoe & Johnson is an international law firm that partners with Cooke in a variety of ways including holding book and uniform drive for students of all ages.

 

Kindergarten - 5th Grade

These programs are geared towards older children and focus on academics and athletics.

 

• Lego Robotics Club (3rd - 5th Grade)

  Lego Robotics helps build critical thinking, engineering, and computer programming skills. Students work throughout the year to build and program robots to complete obstacle courses and create solutions to real-world problems in our communities through projects.

• Reading Partners

  Reading Partners is a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving students’ reading skills. They work in Title I elementary schools to support students from low-income communities who are reading 6 months to 2.5 years below grade-level. Reading Partners recruits and trains community volunteers to work one-on-one with students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

• Everybody Wins! DC Readers Are Leaders

  Everybody Wins! is a peer mentoring program that matches older students with younger students. The pairs meet for one-to-one reading during their lunch and recess hour.  Older students learn and model good leadership skills, while their young partners explore the world of reading and learning for fun.  Students who participate in the program also receive one book per month to help build their libraries at home.

• AARP Experience Corps

  Experience Corps utilizes the time, skills and experience of adults over age 50 to help students develop the academic skills, self-confidence and personal skills needed to succeed in school and in life. 

• STEM 2 Living Classrooms (2nd - 5th Grade)

  STEM 2 offers science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and media programs for 4th and 5th grade students.  Each program provides unique project-based learning and hands-on activities based on Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core.  Examples of activities classes can complete include: egg drops, catapults, bridge and boat building, solar oven design, and water quality testing.  In 2nd and 3rd grade students participate in Shipboard Program field trips where students learn about the ecosystems of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.

• Kid Power Veggie Time

  Older students continue to focus on building, growing and maintaining a school vegetable garden and educating students about healthy eating and sustainable, organic gardening. They work during the after school program to maintain the garden in an outdoor classroom, where they learn Common Core standards through gardening activities.

• Monarch Sister Schools

  Monarch Sister Schools Program works with a select group of schools in Washington DC and Maryland to help schools build and maintain a pollinator habitat.  Cooke will be paired with a sister school in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere reserve. 

• DC Scores (3rd - 5th Grade)

  DC SCORES builds soccer teams through an after-school program.  DC SCORES uses an innovative model combining poetry, soccer, and service-learning year-round.

• Embassy Adoption (5th Grade Only)

  The Embassy Adoption Program, in partnership with the Washington Performing Arts Society, infuses global education in the classroom. A class is “adopted” by an embassy, creating a bond with both our local and international community. Students spend a year immersed in programs that aim to enhance cultural competency; increase cross-cultural communication skills; and aid in student understanding of local and global communities.   Program highlights include classroom sessions hosted by embassy representatives; field trips to gain hands-on experience with their adopted culture; a final presentation demonstrating acquired knowledge for the ambassador and embassy representatives; and a Mini United Nations event held between all DCPS Embassy Adoption classrooms.

• Live It Learn It (4th and 5th Grade)

  Live It Learn It provides experiential learning for students throughout the school year.  Each 4th and 5th grade classroom receives 3 pre-lessons, field trips, and post lessons.  Each field trip has detailed curricular materials and instructional activities that are interdisciplinary, age-appropriate, and aligned with Common Core standards.

• Imagine Learning (ESL Students)

  Imagine Learning is an award-winning language and literacy software program that features interactive activities, videos, and games.

• Girls on the Run (3rd - 5th Grade)

  Girls on the Run is a physical activity based positive youth development program.  The program teaches life skills through interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to build confidence, healthy body image, and positive relationships.  

• Boys on the Run (3rd - 5th Grade)

  Boys on the Run is an after school program founded by an HD Cooke teacher.  Modeled after the success of the Girls on the Run Program, Boys on the Run seeks to not only teach healthy living through exercise, but also build positive relationships and attitudes among boys in 3rd through 5th grade.  

• Kid Power (3rd - 5th Grade)

  Kid Power provides afterschool and summer programs to inspire youth leadership by promoting academic advancement, physical and emotional wellness, and positive civic engagement.

• Steptoe & Johnson LLP

  Steptoe & Johnson is an international law firm that partners with Cooke in a variety of ways including holding book and uniform drive for students of all ages. In addition, Steptoe volunteers serve as tutors through the Reading Partners program, donating a minimum of 45 minutes per week to do one-on-one tutoring with students who are reading below grade level.