Save the Dates
October 31, 2025 - Two-Hour Early Release for Students
November 3 and 4, 2025 - No School for Students
November 4, 2025 - Federal Impact Aid On-Line Forms Due
November 6, 2025 - FCPS Youth Survey Opt-Out Forms Due
November 10, 2025 - Veteran’s Day Event
November 11, 2025 - Schools Closed - Veteran’s Day
November 20, 2025 - Picture Make-up Day
November 26, 27 & 28, 2025 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break
January 27, 2026 - Curriculum Night 5:30PM - 7:00PM
February 3, 2026 - SNOW DATE for Curriculum Night 5:30PM - 7:00PM
2025-2026 School Year Calendar
2025-2026 Cooper MS Events Calendar
School Arrival - Security Gates
Our students have done a great job with arrival and walking through our new security gates. Students are encouraged to clean out their backpacks. Students need to remove their Chromebook as they enter the building each day, which is why they wear their backpacks on the front. To assist with entry, we are allowing bus riders and students in Kiss and Ride to enter the building at 7AM. If you drive your student to school, please arrive before 7:20AM. If you arrive at Cooper at 7:25AM or after, your child will likely be late to their first block. Parents who arrive after 7:25AM will be directed to drop at Door 2. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support as we adjusted to our new entry procedures.
Paperless Report Cards
We’re excited to offer you a more environmentally friendly and expedient option for receiving your child’s report cards: Go Paperless!
By choosing to go paperless, you'll be able to:
- Access report cards directly in ParentVUE with just a few clicks.
- Reduce wait time in seeing your child’s report card.
Here's how you can opt-in:
- Log into ParentVUE, click on "My Account," and select “Go Paperless.”
- All parents/guardians living with the student at the same address must have an active SIS ParentVUE account to opt-in.
- Once selected, the “Go Paperless” option will apply to all associated students, no matter their grade level.
- If you’ve already opted for paperless for your secondary students, it will automatically apply to any younger siblings at the elementary level too!
TJHSST Applications are Open
Am I Eligible to Apply?
You can apply if you meet the following criteria:
✔️ Currently in 8th grade
✔️ Enrolled in Honors Algebra I or a higher-level math course
✔️ Taking science honors and at least one other honors course
(e.g., English, Civics, or identified as a Young Scholar)
✔️ Earned a 3.5 GPA or higher (7th grade + first quarter of 8th grade)
✔️ Passionate about STEM
🔗View the full, up-to-date eligibility criteria:
https://www.fcps.edu/registration/thomas-jefferson-admissions/eligibilityrequirements
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Calendar for the Freshman Application
- Oct 20 Application open at 4:00 PM
- Nov 12 Application must be started by 4:00 PM
- Nov 14 Application must be submitted by 4:00 PM
- Dec 10 Notifications sent to ineligible students
- Jan 24 Essay and Student Portrait Sheet Administration
- Feb 4 Accommodations & Make-Up
- Mar 3 Review Process Begins
- Apr 30 Final Decision Release (No Later Than)
*Dates are Subject to Change
Fairfax County Youth Survey
Please read the following letter with more information regarding the Fairfax County Youth Survey.
If you do not want your child to take part in the Fairfax County Youth Survey, please complete the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school counselor no later than November 6th.
FEDERAL IMPACT AID SURVEY
The Federal Impact Aid Survey is now available to complete online.
The Federal Impact Aid program provides money to districts that enroll federally connected students. Help FCPS secure funding from the Impact Aid Program by helping us identify:
- Military families.
- Federally connected families.
- Families living on a military base.
Please complete one form for each child in your household. Remember that only the parent that registered the student with FCPS (the ‘enrolling parent’) can fill out the Impact Aid Survey form.
For families without access to ParentVUE, a paper copy of the form will be sent home with your student starting November 12. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
All on-line surveys are due November 4, 2025.
Your support will ensure that we receive the resources for which we are eligible.
To access the Impact Aid Form from your computer or mobile device, we recommend using Google Chrome.
Step 1: CLICK HERE or type sisparent.fcps.edu into your Chrome address bar to be taken to SIS ParentVUE. If you don’t have a SIS ParentVUE account, contact your child’s school for an activation letter.
Step 2: After you’ve logged into your ParentVue Account, look for the ‘Online Packets’ link at the top of the page. Click ‘Online Packets’.
Step 3: Next, click the ‘Federal Impact Aid Survey’ button on the bottom of the page. This will take you to the Impact Aid Survey for you to complete.
If you have multiple children in Fairfax County Public Schools, please fill out a form for each child. You will know you have completed all of the forms when you get to the final page, and see a green check next to each of their names.
Langley High School Open House
On Sunday, November 9th, from 2-4pm, Langley High School is hosting an Open House. Eighth-grade students and their families are invited to attend the information session presented by administrators, tour the building with student ambassadors, and chat with experienced parents and faculty. Interested families should RSVP to Assistant Principal Jim Robertson using the link below by November 1, 2025:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf187CHF_VZf48GjQWJ_zS4O3eU-MPnWN2FxRF2-rp_rZUqVw/viewform
Who: 8th-grade students and their families in the Langley & McLean Pyramids
What: Langley High School Open House
Where: Langley HS Auditorium, park in the main lot and enter through door #14
When: Sunday, November 9, 2025, 2-4pm
📢Cooper Career Fair
🗓Friday, December 19th
Cooper Middle School is hosting a Career Fair on Friday, December 19th, to help students explore future career paths and connect classroom learning with real-world opportunities. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers from a variety of professions to share their career journeys, demonstrate tools of the trade, and inspire our students to dream big about their futures. If you're passionate about what you do and would like to make an impact, we would love to have you join us!
Click here to sign up. To learn more, please contact Tara Williams tawilliams2@fcps.edu
Community Service Information
Please remind your students about the FCPS expectation that they will need to complete fifteen (15) Community Service hours by the end of 8th grade. This is a combined amount from 7th grade and 8th grades. The attached slide deck (Google slides or PDF) provides instructions about service hours, how to register or log hours on x2Vol, and how to join the Schoology Group for more resources. Teachers can send the PDF version to parents. For additional questions, our Community Service liaison is Pam Konde, pgkonde@fcps.edu.
Join a Community Conversation with Superintendent Dr. Reid
Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.
A series of Community Conversations will be held across the school division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities. These events are also a chance for you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Events are planned for the following dates:
Registration links will be shared soon. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all.
News from Cooper Clinic
FCPS Illness Exclusion Guidance
Student Illness Guidance: When to Stay Home
This guidance follows the FCPS attendance policy and reflects CDC guidance on preventing infections in K-12 schools. Guidance may change if a healthcare provider gives your child a specific diagnosis or there is an outbreak of a communicable disease at school. Visit FCPS’s attendance website for additional guidance on when to keep students home during an illness: https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/policies-regulations-and-notices/attendance-policies/attendance-recommendations
Save the Date - Books and Bingo
Cooper will be hosting a Bingo Night for families on Wednesday, December 3 at 6PM. More details to follow. We hope you can join us for bingo and the Book Fair.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are a vital part of Cooper Middle School, and we value their time and dedication. To enhance student safety, FCPS has updated its volunteer process to include sex offender registry checks and, in some cases, background checks.
We invite all who are interested in becoming a volunteer to register through Volunteer FCPS. Click “Learn More,” then “Sign Up” to create a profile, watch the orientation video, and complete the application.
All volunteers — including field trip chaperones, book fair helpers and classroom assistants — must be registered. Those working unsupervised with students will also need a background check.
We know these changes may be new for long-time volunteers, but they help ensure every student feels safe and supported.
Reminder: All volunteers and visitors must sign in using the visitor kiosk and scan their ID. For more details, visit the Volunteer FCPS FAQ page.
Resources Available During the Shutdown
Please know that we are here to support you and your family if you are impacted by this shutdown. Here is some important information that you may find useful at this time:
- Families can apply for free and reduced-price meal benefits anytime during the school year. If a family’s income changes at any point, they may become newly eligible according to federal income guidelines and can apply immediately. This includes income interruptions caused by furloughs, layoffs, or job losses. Once approved, benefits remain valid for the rest of the school year and for up to 30 school days into the following school year, even if the family’s income changes again.
- Free, virtual mental health sessions are available through our partnership with Hazel Health. This is a great way for students to access care quickly and easily from the school clinic or home, providing support for stress, anxiety, worry, and other concerns that might be heightened during the shutdown.
- The Fairfax County Government and various local organizations are stepping up to offer a range of assistance, including food, financial, and housing resources. I encourage any of our families who are experiencing financial distress, due to the shutdown or for any reason, to visit the Fairfax County Human Services Resource Guide (HSRG) website.
- Fairfax Connector’s Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) also provides 50% off fares for low-income residents ages 18 to 65. Learn more about the TRIP program and how to apply.
- Fairfax County residents can take advantage of many of the free offerings the county provides to residents and students. Our incredible public libraries have a wide-selection of books and other activities that families can check out. All FCPS students also have a Library Equity Access Pass through Fairfax County Public Libraries, which allows them to check-out up to 3 items for 6 weeks. And Fairfax County’s many parks and recreation areas are open and free to residents as well.
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📚 Order Your Yearbook Today!
🗓 Deadline: November 30, 2025
🌐 Order Online: YearbookOrderCenter.com
🏫 School Order Number: 5267
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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!
From the Yearbook Staff.
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