Calendar Reminders
Monday, February 17 (Presidents' Day) - Schools and offices closed
Friday, March 28 - End of 3rd Quarter
Monday, March 31 (Eid al-Fitr) - Schools and offices closed
Tuesday, April 1 (Teacher Workday) - No school for students
April 14 - April 18 (Spring Break) - Schools and offices closed
See the complete school year calendar.
Kiss and Ride Update
As we continue to navigate this phase of renovation, we have made an update to our Kiss & Ride drop-off location. Students will continue to be dropped off and picked up at our existing Kiss and Ride, parent drop off and pick up location remains the same. Students will be directed to use the walkway that runs parallel to the service road and enter and exit Door 9. Walkers will be directed to exit Doors 3 and 9. We appreciate your support as we ensure students have a safe arrival and departure to and from school.
Second Semester Student Schedules
Second semester student schedules will be distributed on Thursday, January 30th, during Block 1. Students should also check SIS under Class Schedule on Wednesday, January 29th at 4:00 PM or later especially if their current Block 1 is PE or a semester elective, as their schedule may have changes this semester.
There will be no changes for yearlong courses. Only semester-long courses will change depending on students' elective course requests and alternates. If students see an error in their schedule, please have your student email their counselor as soon as possible. An example of an error is a missing class or 2 classes in the same period.
For students who would like to request a schedule change for a semester-long elective class, there will be a link to a Google Form posted in Schoology on the Cooper Corner Course Announcements on January 30th. The Form will close on February 4th at 2:15. Please note: Cooper cannot honor requests to change teachers. If you have a question or concern, please reach out to your school counselor.
School Counseling Team
Dana Scabis, Director of Student Services
Silvia Dossmann, Registrar/Student Services Assistant
Keyosha Lewis, 7th Grade Counselor (A-K)
Michele Saint Germain, 7th Grade Counselor (L-Z)
Laura Wiley, 8th Grade Counselor (A-K)
Jill Donnelly, 8th Grade Counselor (L-Z)
Track and Field Registration
Track and Field Registration is Live. Anyone interested in joining Cooper’s Track and Field team this spring must first register with the county using this link. Practices will begin in March and will be held twice a week after school at Cooper. We will participate in 5 meets (4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/31).
Office of Testing
Fall Student Testing Results - Available in SIS ParentVUE
Each fall, FCPS students take part in screening assessments for reading and mathematics to identify strengths and areas for support. Score reports for families are posted in ParentVUE in the “Documents” section, generally about one month after testing has been completed.
- Fall iReady reports in grades 1-8 are available in ParentVUE now.
- Fall Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth reports for grades 6-12 are available in ParentVUE now.
Visit FCPS’ website for additional information about student tests at each grade level, including what each test is for and when each test takes place. Caregivers may follow up with their children’s teachers for more information about how they use test results to support student success.
Climate Survey
Parents/Caregivers, please refer to the Cooper email sent to you on October 29th with important details about our upcoming Student Experience Survey. The survey will take place on February 4th.
College Partnership Program - CPP
Do you have a student between grades 8 through 11 who wants to go to college? If so, they should consider applying to the College Partnership Program (CPP), which offers support from exploration to application! The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.
CPP offers programming to help prepare students and families from 9th grade all the way through applying to and enrolling in college, including:
- Academic counseling
- College visits
- Help with completing college and scholarship applications
- Monthly meetings
- A summer overnight experience on a college campus
- News and information related to colleges and careers via Schoology
All students are eligible and encouraged to apply to this program, and are expected to meet the following requirements:
- Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher in core classes
- Attend monthly CPP meetings
- Are willing to pursue advanced coursework
- Demonstrate leadership in school or community activities
The goal of the program is to systematically mitigate the impact of barriers to access and opportunity, and support students who are from populations that are historically underrepresented on college campuses. This includes students who are the first in their family to attend college in the U.S., Multilingual learners, students who are economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.
Application Link for Students: https://tinyurl.com/u2e3hme3
*The application is only open to students using their FCPS G-Suite account. Students can access this link on the Cooper Corner Schoology page.
*All applications will be submitted ONLINE ONLY.
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Rise Against Hunger
Please reference last week's email with more details about Rise Against Hunger.
To reach our one-millionth meal, the Langley Pyramid needs to raise $34,475 by January 31st. Donations can be accepted online or students can bring cash to the Cooper MS main office collection jar.
If your company matches contributions, please consider having them join you in making a tax-deductible donation today at Langley Pyramid Rise Against Hunger 2025 and help us Rise Against Hunger.
Sign up here to volunteer for the meal-packing event on February 1st at Colvin Run ES.
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2025-2026 Course Registration
Rising 8th Graders
We're excited to begin planning for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. If your student will not be attending Cooper next school year, please contact our registrar, Silvia Dossmann, at smdossmann@fcps.edu
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Informational Videos: Videos covering electives and core courses are available on the Cooper Website.
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Cooper Math Information Night Encore: Learn about math course options from Cooper administration and the Math Department chair. This event will be held through Zoom on January 30th at 5:30 PM (the material presented will be the same as the in-person Jan 28th Math Night).
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Informational Lessons on the Course Selection Process: These lessons will take place during Block 4 Advisory on February 6th and 10th.
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Course Requests Due in SIS StudentVUE: Please submit your course requests by February 12th. Remember:
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Course Request Sheet Due to CMS Counselor: Submit your completed course request sheet to your counselor by February 12th. Counselors will collect these in the gyms in the mornings or you can drop it off at their offices in Student Services located across from the main office.
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Individual Student/Counselor Meetings: Meetings will take place during history classes between February 13th and 25th.
Rising 9th grade
If you were not able to attend the PTO Meeting at Cooper in January, this night is for you! Please join us to discuss 9th grade course selection options and some important tips you can be doing now to support your child’s transition to high school this fall!
Thursday, February 6, 2025
7:00-8:15pm
Langley High School Auditorium
More information can be found on the LHS Student Services Academic Advising website set up just for you!: https://langleyhs.fcps.edu/student-services/9th-grade-academic-advising
Please reach out to your Cooper School counselor with any questions.
Additionally Academic Advising information for rising 8th and rising 9th graders will be added to the Cooper Website and Langley Website.
Community Events
Family Literacy Fair
Saturday, Feb. 8
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Lorton Community Center & Library
9520 Richmond Hwy, Lorton, VA 22079
Reading Opens the World Book Drive and Family Literacy Fair
30,000 FREE BOOKS for Families and Educators!
- Books are available on a first-come, first served basis, so arrive early!
- Parents and guardians are welcome to choose up to 10 free books per child for home libraries, with a 30 books maximum limit per family.
- Educators and school staff may choose up to 50 free books for their classrooms.
- Fun family activities including DJ, food trucks, and free Valentine’s Day card making area.
- Hundreds of LEGO brick boxes available while supplies last!
School and community program staff must be registered with First Book to receive free books. Registration is free and on-stie registration will be available. To register in advance, please go to www.firstbook.org/AFT.
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TJ TWIST Presents Techstravaganza 2025
Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), a student organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) is hosting Techstravaganza 2025. Techstravaganza is an annual STEM activity fair for students of ALL AGES. Admission is free, food will be for sale, and we hope that you can spread the word in your school. Here is our registration link: https://tinyurl.com/techstrav25
Saturday, May 17, 2025
10:00am - 4:00pm
TJHSST
6560 Braddock Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22312
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FCPS Family Resource Center Opportunities
Webinars
The Family Resource Center offers a variety of free webinars to help children and families succeed. Speakers are invited from academic fields and from within FCPS experts. Check out the link for sign up and more details. https://www.fcps.edu/services/families-and-caregivers/family-resource-center/free-webinars-and-family-events
2/7 Understand Executive Function Milestones, Challenges & Implement Effective Strategies at Home for Children in Upper Elementary (3-6)
2/14 Comprendiendo el Trama en su Hijo (in Spanish)
2/18 FCPS Risk Prevention Series: Part 1 Risk Prevention
2/21 Nurturing Adolescent Growth: Part 4 – Supporting Mental Health: Recognizing and Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Teens
2/22 SibShops (for children grades 2-6)
2/25 FCPS Risk Prevention Series: Suicide Prevention – Supporting Your Child
Cohort Opportunity
“From Caregiver to Breadwinner: Empowering Underserved Women with the Skills to Move into the Technology Workforce” at Marymount University’s Center for the Innovative Workforce is a no-cost 12-week training program designed to help women gain new skills and find higher-paying, more flexible jobs in Virginia’s technology industry as help-desk technicians. The program focuses on minority populations who are in caregiver roles and is currently recruiting participants for its spring cohort. You can learn more by reviewing this flier and access the application until January 31st.
Please contact our Family Liaison, Ms. Amy Bailey (msbailey@fcps.edu) with any questions.
Student Celebrations
Debate Team
Cooper MS Debate Team sent 12 teams (24 students) to debate on the complicated issue of whether the African Union should recognize Somaliland.
Top Speaker Points
Out of 164 debaters, Meera B earned #7 and Aashna U earned #9 - Top Speakers.
Top teams:
#3 – Edwin P and Tommy L with a 4-0 record (7th graders - first big win!)
#6 - Nia and Aashna - with a 4-0 record
#9 - Meera and Nirosha with a 3-1 record
All qualified for MetroFinals in March.
Three more teams earned 3-1 records:
- Isha K & Anika I
- Jessica X & Sophie L
- Hudson P & Aayan K
Mostly 2-2 for five more Cooper MS teams: Kudos to Annabel and Kai, Brant and Kaya, Isaac and Ennis, Dana and Aanya, and Arjan and Robert. Overall, everyone won at least one round.
Science Olympiad
Congratulations to Cooper's Science Olympiad Teams
Rickards Science Olympiad Invitational (RSOI) is a Division B (middle school) national invitational including 94 schools and 218 teams. Cooper sent 2 teams to compete.
Congratulations to our Cooper students who medaled (up to 15th place) at RSOI!
Tower - 1st place, Christopher K./ Oliver L.
Scrambler - 2nd place, Rahula A./ Sean K.
Write It, Do It - 4th place, Christopher K./ Sophie L.
Air Trajectory - 6th place, Landon Y./ Oliver Y.
Helicopter - 8th place, Landon Y./ Oliver Y.
Experimental Design - 9th place, Aarik K./Sophie L./ Cheney Z.
Fossils - 11th place, Bryan T./ Chelsea Z.
Cooper MS Team Radar, 17th place overall
Request for Photos
Attention Parents! We need photos of your students and their Cooper friends for the yearbook. We are specifically looking for photos from last summer, sports, weekends, holidays, first day of school, and students with their families. Please email any photos you would want to see in the yearbook to Cooperyearbook@gmail.com ASAP. THANK YOU!
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