About Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School
At our school, we nurture the whole child—supporting students’ academic success, social-emotional growth, and personal development in a safe, compassionate, and trauma-sensitive learning environment.
We Provide, We Focus on, We support students through: A trauma-informed approach; Next Generation Learning; Extended day programming; Social, emotional, developmental, and behavioral growth.
From Our Principal
In keeping with our mission, our faculty and staff are committed to fostering a love of learning in each child while ensuring their safety and well-being remains our top priority. We believe in open communication and collaboration between home and school, as we recognize the importance of your partnership in your child’s educational journey. We aim to develop students with resilience to become independent, academically successful and prepared for college readiness.
-Dr. Mary Anne DeVivio
Our Focus
The charter school focuses its outreach and student recruitment efforts to enroll at-risk students in the community—i.e. students who are in foster care and who are receiving preventive services. Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School addresses the needs of these students by providing a rigorous academic program in a traumasensitive environment that gives students comprehensive wraparound services and support. Students in foster care or preventive services in CSD 10 are in more need of effective academic programs and supportive services than students who are not in foster care or receiving preventive services.
Uniquely at Cardinal McCloskey
The Student Services team at CMCCS will evaluate all student IEPs and help develop the metrics that will be used to determine if the students are reaching the goals written in their IEPs. At CMCCS, we take Special Education very seriously and will work directly with the parents/guardians to make sure that all parties are fully aware of the extent of the goals and requirements for a student with an IEP.
At CMCCS, we believe having specific assessments for exposure and practice is the best way to prepare our English Language Learning students for the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test. In addition to the standard assessments that all students at their grade level take, our in-house ELL program team uses Raz-Plus ELL edition to administer assessments specifically aligned with the 4 domains of the NYSESLAT (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) to our ELL students. These assessments are given multiple times throughout the year and progress is monitored to ensure each student is showing growth in areas of need.
The mission of the Discovery Program at Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School is centered on providing intellectually prepared children with educational experiences tailored to their unique needs and abilities. By offering qualitatively different opportunities from those available in traditional classrooms, the school aims to empower students to realize their full potential. This philosophy underscores a commitment to personalized learning and fostering the growth of each child in a supportive and enriching environment.
Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School’s Dual Language program offers Spanish-speaking and English-speaking students an exciting, enriching, and challenging educational opportunity. All students will learn to read, write, and communicate effectively in Spanish and English while achieving high academic success. Students will have the bilingual skills and cross-cultural competencies needed to succeed in our multicultural society and global economy.
Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter School provides each student with a Growth for Success Plan. The GSP recognizes that each child excels academically when he/she is well rested, properly fed, physically alert, and emotionally supported. The GSP is tailored to each student to support his/her growth and development, and build his/her resilience and capacity to cope effectively with challenges at home and at school while bolstering his/her academic performance. Our goal is for students to excel academically by creating an environment where they can learn free of any social, psychological, and physical barriers.
At CMCCS, we embrace the increasingly significant role that technology plays in education by fully integrating it into our students’ learning experiences. Every classroom is equipped with an interactive Promethean smart board, which our teachers are trained to use effectively to enhance instruction. Each student is provided a Chromebook for in-class use, allowing access to our comprehensive online educational platforms with teacher guidance. Additionally, each student receives a Chromebook for at-home use to support continued learning. We believe that removing technological barriers both in the classroom and at home creates the optimal environment for learning.
