School News

Cloud students in Liz’s Environmental Science class are focusing on innovations to help mitigate environmental concerns. Recently, the class designed an experiment to test the rate of decomposition of various materials used to make straws including plastic, paper, bamboo, agave, and coconut fiber.

Thank you so much to everyone – our students, parents, and faculty, and especially the Bronxville student council and fearless leader Jenna – who came together to make this event such an incredible success! We are so proud of our students, who displayed amazing initiative, professionalism, and creativity as they provided a delightful array of food, handmade wares, games, and activities at the first-ever Bizarre Bazaar.

Congratulations to our hardworking students on raising $1,457 for the student council in just two hours! 

• "I wanted to let you know that this isn't my least favorite class anymore." 
• "Yeah, I agree. It's nice that students get to talk and lead the class to examine stuff like this graph. I can see what it's about and make observations about it even if it's not always right. It's more fun than sitting while a teacher talks at you about what you should know." 
• "Yeah, I like that too! That's why this is my favorite class."

One of the most fruitful lessons of the Civil Rights Movement was that it takes everyone working together to achieve significant social change. Another was that American diversity is a strength and something to be proud of. In that spirit, FlexSchool’s Cloud Campus students came together from multiple locations around the globe to create a digital quilt commemorating the events of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and honoring the diverse contributions of history-makers in Black political, athletic, religious, cultural and creative communities.

• "I liked it a lot."
• "It was incredible!"
• "I'm sad that it's not continuing on Broadway for longer."
• "Favorite musical ever. I loved it! It is good for the public to see a musical about autism."
• "I really like that the actors were really nice after the show when we got to meet them. I also liked how they represented some different traits of autism and mentioned that there are many more."
• "I felt very seen."

FlexSchool Bronxville has been learning about the current housing crisis in New York City. Over 100,000 people are seeking temporary shelter, and many are refugees of the climate crisis. Our community came together to respond, collecting several boxes of nonperishable foods, and over 40 items of winter clothing like coats, hats, and sweaters. On top of that, Haleigh's Cooking Up History class made 52 bagged lunches to distribute, using ingredients that were generously donated by Geoffrey Fischer, a chef and FlexSchool parent. All donated goods are being dispersed at emergency shelters throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. The winter clothing and food drive will continue through the cold weather, and we are especially looking for boots and socks right now. The FlexSchool community is doing our best to live our values of respect and exploring the interconnectedness of all people.

We are so pleased to introduce the newest member of our Cloud Campus faculty, Andrew Iemsisanith. Andrew holds a degree in Financial Mathematics and Statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and brings several years of experience in teaching mathematics. He is passionate about guiding students, aiding them in skill development, and helping them achieve their academic milestones. Andrew creates a learning environment where students feel at ease posing questions, encouraging engagement with new concepts. His primary objective is to empower students to enhance their problem-solving abilities. By instilling confidence, Andrew aims to equip students with the skills to analyze unfamiliar challenges, allowing them to find effective solutions.

Welcome, Andrew!

We are thrilled to share that another wonderful article by Cloud campus learning specialist and teacher Kasey Suitor is featured in ADDitude: The True Value of ADHD Side Quests, Rabbit Holes, and Tangents. Kasey writes, “Side quests, I say, are not wasteful. Even within video games, you can earn rewards for playing side quests and gain skills that eventually aid in completing the main quest. If you shut off the game after finishing a handful of side quests, without so much as attempting the main quest, you would still consider it a success, if not a good time.”