Cougar Dash
November 4-8, 2019
The weekly newsletter of Cooper Middle School
The Cougar Dash will be emailed each week on Sundays at 5pm. The Cougar Dash contains important information and reminders of upcoming events.
Check our website regularly for information and updates
In this issue: This week at Cooper; Cooper Band selected for top award; First Quarter grade reports; Impact Aid forms-return immediately; Outstanding Employee Awards-please consider a nomination; LHS tour for Middle School families; AAP Information; 7th grade mental wellness screening; Homework tip sheet; Private school application process; upcoming events.
This week at Cooper:
Monday, November 4: No school for students
Tuesday, November 5: No school for students
Wednesday, November 6: Day 5
Thursday, November 7: Day 6
Friday, November 8: Day 7
 Cooper Band selected for Top Award
Cooper Band recognized as a
National Band Association Program of Excellence
The National Band Association recognizes outstanding band programs in the United States with this award. Their Programs of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award is part of their initiative to honor bands across the nation that challenge students and promote standards of excellence. To be eligible for this award, bands must submit multiple recordings and documents spanning 5 years including success in performing arts festivals and assessments, as well as recommendations from prominent music educators. The data is then reviewed by a state chairman, a division committee and a national panel of prominent collegiate music educators. Bands chosen for this prestigious award must demonstrate a history of excellence.
Below is a video of Cooper Band's performance in Indianapolis at the National Concert Band Festival from last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt5tlKQZWdc&feature=youtu.be
First Quarter Grade Reports
The end of the first quarter was Friday, November 1. The grade book and report card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE are closed Friday, November 1 at 4pm through Saturday, November 9 at 6am. FCPS Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent to parents between Wednesday, October 30 and Friday, November 8 while first quarter grades are being completed and report cards are being generated. Printed report cards will be passed out to students on Monday, November 11 at the end of block 7.
Impact Aid Forms - Please return immediately
Please check with your student, and make sure they have returned their form. All students must return a completed form. If you haven't seen it, please ask!
Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by October 30. All results are CONFIDENTIAL.
Video link - https://youtu.be/uPqC3BLf3Ow
Outstanding Employee Awards
Please consider submitting a nomination!
Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Cooper Middle School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link: https://forms.gle/RXGXvXg4R6Z7JVr29. You may nominate an employee in one or more categories. All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below.
Outstanding Teacher
Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category
Outstanding New Teacher
Eligibility: Within their first three years of being a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category
Outstanding Principal
Eligibility: Has at least three years’ experience as a building principal (in any school/school district)
Outstanding Leader
Eligibility: At least one year of experience in their current position as a Schedule-C or School-Based Administrator scale employee (that is not the building principal):
Common positions in this category: Assistant and Associate Principals, Director of Student Activities, Director of Student Services
Outstanding Professional Employee
Eligibility: At least one year experience in current position as a Schedule-B employee or other non-instructional employee in a school that supports school leadership
Common positions in this category: School-Based Technology Specialist, Technology Support Specialist, Assessment Coach, Career Center Specialist, Instructional Coach, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Counselor, Safety and Security Specialist, Resource Teachers that serve in an administrative role in a school
Outstanding Operational Employee
Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as Schedule-A or Classroom Instructional Support Scale employee
Common positions in this category: Administrative and Office Staff, Safety and Security Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, All Parent Liaisons (regardless of how they are paid)
Note: The deadline to submit a nomination is November 22nd. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Rath at mjrath@fcps.edu.
Our resident Number One Nats Fan, Ms. Chung, with Ms. Randall cheering students as they entered the building on Wednesday. It must have worked - the Washington Nationals won the World Series in the final Game 7!
Langley High School Tour for Middle School Students
Fresh off of its four-year renovation, Langley High School plans to show area Middle School (7th & 8th grade) students and their families all it has to offer as they investigate their options for high school.
On Sunday, November 17th from 2-4pm, Langley will host an open house with school tours, information and refreshments. School administrators will be on hand in Langley’s Lecture Hall to answer individual questions and student ambassadors will lead tours of the building.Tours end in the school cafeteria where refreshments will be served along with a chance to chat with Langley faculty members, student ambassadors, and parents. Families may purchase Langley spirit wear items.
Who: Middle School (7th & 8th grade) students and parents in Langley and McLean pyramids
What: Langley High School Tours & Open House
When: Sunday, November 17th 2-4pm
Where: Langley High School—Lecture Hall (park at rear of school & enter at Door 9)
RSVP: ptsalangley@gmail.com
Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Middle School Information
Level IV Referral Deadline: January 9, 2020
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Advanced Academic Programs offers a continuum of services to meet the needs of a broad range of advanced learners. Advanced academic services in middle school include honors classes, mathematics course acceleration, and full-time (Level IV) AAP services. Middle school honors classes are open enrollment. Eligibility for Level IV services is determined through a central selection process. Instruction in honors and Level IV classes is designed to develop critical and creative thinking skills as well as engage and challenge students through problem-based learning, concept-based instruction, and learner-centered inquiry.
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Honors Classes Honors classes in English, social studies, science, and mathematics are available to all middle school students who seek academic rigor. Recommendations are not required for the open enrollment process. Honors coursework is designed to nurture and develop advanced academic potential in all students. Students who have demonstrated high achievement, interest, and/or potential are encouraged to enroll in one or more honors classes in middle school to help prepare for advanced coursework in high school. Students should discuss their areas of strength and interests with parents and school counselors during academic advising to determine which honors courses they will take.
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Mathematics Course Acceleration Mathematics 7 Honors is an accelerated course that follows the Mathematics 8 standards with additional extensions. It is open to all Grade 7 students; however, students who did not complete Advanced Mathematics 6 or a year-long accelerated mathematics program may require additional effort and support to be successful in this class. Algebra I Honors is a high school credit course that follows the Algebra I standards with additional extensions. This course is open enrollment for students in Grade 8. Enrollment in Algebra I Honors in Grade 7 requires the following: - Successful completion of the Advanced Mathematics Grade 6, which follows the Grade 7 standards curriculum, or a year-long accelerated mathematics program - A score at or above the 91st percentile on the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test (IAAT) - A score of 500 or above on the Grade 7 mathematics SOL test
Students who successfully complete Algebra I Honors in middle school may advance to other high school math courses, following the appropriate course sequencing. For more information, see Course Sequencing: High School Mathematics: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/graduation-requirements-and-course-planning/high-school-course-sequencing/mathematics.
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Full-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-8 (Level IV) Full-time (Level IV) AAP services are available for students in Grades 3-8 who have been found eligible through a central selection process. Central screening for Level IV service eligibility occurs twice each year: - Fall screening is held for students who are new to FCPS and have been referred. - Spring screening is held for any FCPS-enrolled student in Grade 2-7 who has been referred.
Additional information about the holistic screening process and information used for screening can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/current-fcps-students.
Information about Advanced Academic Programs in middle school is available on the FCPS website at: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/advanced-academics.
7th Grade Mental Wellness Presentation & Screening
On October 16th, all 7th grade parents/guardians received an email with details of the Mental Wellness Screening scheduled for November 18th. Please find details of the screening and the opt out form - 7th Grade Mental Wellness Screening.
This screening if ONLY for 7th grade students.
Helpful Tips for parents from Student Services
Tip Sheet for Parents: As Homework Gets Harder, Help Your Teen Concentrate
Your teen probably has an ever-growing list of things to do. He or she may feel there is less and less time to do it. But the better his or her study habits, the easier the list will be to manage. Now is the time to encourage your teen to:
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Pick the best time of day for studying. Some students are ready to buckle down as soon as they get home from school. Others do better after dinner. Once your teen picks a time, have him or her stick to it each day.
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Use the same space. If your teen always works in the same place, that place will soon come to mean "homework.”
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Set small, frequent goals. "I'll do one page of math per half hour." "I'll read two chapters per hour." Every time your teen meets a goal, he or she will experience the feeling of success. And that will spur him or her on.
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Have a glass of water nearby. He or she won't be able to concentrate if they are thirsty. And drinking water will help him or her stay alert.
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Take breaks and then get back to it. Long periods of sitting eventually make students feel sluggish. Encourage your teen to get up and move around every hour or so.
Private School Application Process
If your student is planning on applying to any private schools for the 2020-2021 school year, please complete the "Private School Request Form" and the "Parent Consent Form: SS-SE79" and submit them to the Student Service’s Office or to your counselor. Counselors will be emailing all records to the requested schools via an admissions email OR the school's portal. Please note these requests are due at least 2 weeks prior to the due date.
If Teacher Letter of Recommendation is required, submit “Request for Teacher Letter of Recommendation Form” & any required emails directly to the teacher. Teachers will be responsible to submitting all recommendations electronically.
If a Principal or Counselor Letter of Recommendation is required, submit the “Principal or Counselor Request for Recommendation Form” & any required emails directly to your student’s counselor.
Transcript Fee: The first requested copy of the transcript is free; each additional transcript request is $5 per transcript. Payment is accepted through MySchoolBucks only. Cooper Middle School will not email transcripts until payment has been received. Example: If your student is applying to 3 schools, the 1st request would be free & you would pay a total of $10 for the 2nd & 3rd transcript.
Please visit our website for more information - Cooper Middle School Private School Requests
Upcoming events:
Monday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 5: No school for students.
November 11-PTO meeting, presentation by Supervisor Foust, student performances
November 14-AAP School of the Future presentations 2:30-4:30pm
November 20-Picture make-up day during lunches
November 20-21-Fall theater show "The Crimson House Murder" 2:30-4:30pm
November 22-23-Fall theater show "The Crimson House Murder": 7-9pm
November 27-29-No school - Thanksgiving Break
Questions? Please call the main office at 703-442-5800.
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