Community Outreach

The Cushman School provides many opportunities for community outreach.  The students are encouraged to participate in a variety of programs that help enrich the lives of others both in our local community and worldwide.  Some of the following are ways in which students can make a difference.

Student Council/Student Government:
“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”  –H. Jackson Browne. 

The Elementary Student Council is just one of many ways school life reflects the values of The Cushman School.  Student Council provides children with an opportunity to make a difference.  Eligible students in grades four through six have an opportunity to provide leadership on campus by organizing and running special school events and projects.  Some projects are traditionally woven into the council such as: Annual Food Drive, Book Drive, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Pennies for Patient’s, Red Ribbon Week, Veteran’s Day Poppy Sales, St. Jude’s Hospital Math-A-Thon, Douglas Gardens class visits, Make-A-Wish Foundation Talent Show and Spirit Week.  Other projects evolve from the students themselves in response to a specific need, or proposal that the council and its members may have.  These projects include, Lotus House baskets, Haiti Disaster Relief, Metro Zoo Orangutan adoption, Ice Cream Parlor of Miami Children’s Hospital, and Cookie Care Packages for overseas troops.

The Student Council program is committed to linking character education to service learning opportunities, and providing students with skills of leadership, citizenship, and stewardship.  Elementary Student Council eligibility is determined through a monthly evaluation of the student in the areas of industry, courtesy, and responsibility.  During the fall and spring semesters, the Student Council selects its governing officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) through an election process.

Talent Show:
The Student Council sponsors a Talent Show each spring, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  This activity showcases talent that is in every child and provides a stage for students in second through eighth grade to share a variety of talents.  All students who wish to perform in the show must give a copy of the lyrics of all songs being used, bring in any costumes being worn for the show and rehearse their acts for the sponsoring teachers.  This show is one of the highlights of the year, and allows children to express their unique talents with the Cushman community.   

Adopt a Grandparent at the Jewish Home for the Aged at Douglas Gardens:
Once every two weeks a class from The Cushman School visits the residents at the Jewish Home for the Aged at Douglas Gardens. The students sing, play games, visit and assist in serving refreshments to the residents. The intergenerational activities create empathy, understanding and appreciation of diversity in our students. We are both the givers and the recipients of many “gifts” from the residents.

Thinking Like Leonardo da Vinci at the Jewish Home for the Aged at Douglas Gardens:
Thinking Like da Vinci…An Intergenerational Project takes the elements of Leonardo da Vinci’s approach to life-long learning and the cultivation of intelligence to inspire 5th- 8th graders, members of the Rotary Club and the elderly at Douglas Gardens Jewish Home for the Aged toward the realization of their potentials. All engage in experiences jointly, two times a month for 1 ½ hour each time to develop Curiosita (A curious approach to continuous learning), Sensazione (Refining the senses as a means to enliven experiences), Sfumato (Willingness to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty), Dimostrazione (Commitment to test knowledge through experience), Corporalita (Cultivating grace, fitness and poise), Arte/Scienza (Developing the balance between the science and art, logic and imagination—whole-brain thinking), and Connessione (Understanding the connection between all things). Through this program, students learn to apply the da Vincian principles to their everyday lives. As their minds become stimulated to think in diverse ways, as they learn to lead the elderly in engaging activity and dialog, and their senses become awakened, there is an increase in students’ academic, social, and behavioral performances.

Service Learning in the Middle School
Service learning connects school-based curriculum with the inherent caring and concern young people have for their world, whether on their school campus, at a local food bank, or in a distant rainforest.  The results are memorable, lifelong lessons for students to foster a stronger society for us all. 

Service learning differs from other forms of community service or volunteer work because the education of students and young people is always at its core.  Students are actively participating in the process of understanding, integrating, and applying knowledge from various subject areas as they work to improve their communities.  We at Cushman Middle School feel this is an important habit to cultivate.  Cushman encourages a spirit of service among its students through participation in Student Government, Cushman Cares Projects, food drives, community service days and various other activities in conjunction with our diverse Service learning themes.

In a two year rotation, our students research and discover opportunities and issues centered around global and community issues. 

Community Learning Partnership

Mission
The Community Learning Partnership (CLP) is a consortium of educational institutions and community organizations in the Miami Shores area committed to sharing resources regarding common goals and interests. Through this combined effort, the partnership will enhance the quality of our programming, projects and events and will develop and implement initiatives to benefit the community as a whole.
 
Purpose Statement   

• The CLP’s purpose is to provide a forum for sharing projects and events in an effort to support each other’s activities and partner where possible.  
• Reducing costs for programmatic activities is important at this time given the revenue issues that many of our private and public schools are facing.
• These schools and organizations, with their university partner, hope to create greater civic engagement in common activities and events as well as highlight what each institution is offering.
• This project will be used as a prototype and model for other communities seeking to create civic engagement through partnership projects.
• We will work to create shared experiences that help strengthen a sense of community among all our schools and community members

Common Institutional Interests

• Community outreach and service to others
• Teacher training and professional development of faculty/staff/board members 
• Developing the  “citizenship skills” of our students and community members
• Public recognition for educational excellence
• Non- academic supportive programming for students: Wellness, Drug/Alcohol Awareness and prevention, Sex Education, Safety, etc.
• Creating awareness on nationally important topics: Sustainability, Recycling, Diversity, etc.
• Attracting resources
• Mentoring/Internships/Career exploration
• Global Awareness