Cooper News 1/29 - UPDATED

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 01/29/2026 04:30 PM EST

📅Save the Dates

January 29, 2026 - No School for Students

January 30, 2026 - No School for Students

February 2 - 6, 2026 - National School Counselors Week

February 3, 2026  - Core & Elective Curriculum Night At Cooper 

February 16, 2026 - Holiday No School

February 17, 2026 - No School for Students

February 23 - 27, 2026 - School Spirit Week

 

2025-2026 School Year Calendar

2025-2026 Cooper MS Events Calendar

🏫 2026 - 2027 Course Selection Process

Cooper MS Rising 7th and 8th Graders

  • Feburary 3rd: Core & Elective Curriculum Night (Rescheduled due to the FCPS Snow Closure)
    • Cooper MS (Enter Door 1 or 2) at 5:30 PM to learn more about academic and elective offerings.
    • While this event is primarily for rising 7th grade families, it is open to all.  
    • Please follow the following: 
      • 5:30 – 6:15
        • Students with last names A–K: Lecture Hall (Core Curriculum Information)
        • Students with last names L–Z: Gym 2 (Electives Information)
      • 6:25 - 7:10
        • Students with last names A–K: Gym 2 (Electives Information)
        • Students with last names L–Z: Lecture Hall (Core Curriculum Information)
  • Jan 23 & Feb 2: Course Request Lessons Students will receive guided instruction on the request process during their Block 4 Advisory periods
  • Wednesday, Feb 4: Deadlines
    • SIS StudentVue: Online course requests must be submitted.
      • Note: Use a web browser (not the app) and search by course code rather than the title.
    • Course Request Sheets: Physical copies must be turned in to your CMS Counselor. The Course Request Sheet turn-in boxes will be in:
      • Gym 2 in the AM (7:00-7:20) or 
      • Student Services Office throughout the day
  • Feb 4 – Feb 13: Student/Counselor Meetings Counselors will meet with students individually during Science classes to finalize selections.

Can't attend? No problem! Materials will be available to review online starting the following day on the Cooper MS website. 💻

Langley HS Curriculum Night & Rising 9th grade Course Selection Information📚

Langley HS’s curriculum night has been rescheduled to Monday, February 2, 2026 at 7 p.m. Please see the LHS Student Services Course Selection (Academic Advising) website for more information on Curriculum Night and the Course Selection Process: https://langleyhs.fcps.edu/student-services/9th-grade-academic-advising

🔔 Second Quarter Ends

The second quarter has been extended.  It ends on Tuesday, February 3rd.   Please review your child's assignments and grades in the Student Information System (SIS). If you have any concerns about their academic progress, please don't hesitate to contact their teachers and/or counselor to discuss.

👚💕News from Cooper PTO

The PTO is currently taking orders for pink spirit wear to celebrate Palentine's Day the week of February 9-13.

If you would like to place an order, kindly click the following link: 

https://cooperpto.membershiptoolkit.com/Spiritwear

All orders will be delivered to Cooper MS.

Summer Opportunities

2026 FCPS Career and Technical Education Summer Academy (CSA)

CTE Summer Academy is a weekly enrichment program that allows students to dive deeper into CTE program areas, and encourages skill development and career exploration.

Students choose 4 classes each week they participate and learn new content, discover interests, and build their skills.

Registration opens February 2nd - June 5th

Visit the CTE Summer Academy webpage: bit.ly/FCPS_CSA for more information!

For questions, please contact Beth Mehr at bgmehr@fcps.edu

Fairfax Public Access Television & Radio Summer Camps

Fairfax Public Access (“FPA”), Fairfax County’s community media station, is offering a full range of summer camps in these exciting areas. This summer, they have revamped their Studio Production, Radio Production and Video Editing camp.

Additional summer camp information regarding courses and registration is available online at:https://www.fcac.org/summer-camp-registration-forms

Summer Learning – FCPS Online Campus

Families interested in summer learning should visit FCPS Online Campus to explore available courses and complete enrollment.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning/online-campus

🚍Important Note for All Bus Riders

Students are only allowed to ride their assigned bus only.

Parent notes requesting bus changes will not be permitted.

❄️🌨️Prepare for Winter Weather

Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made at FCPS. 

FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.

Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed.

Important News from our Cooper Counselors

Creating Positive Habits

Parents and Guardians!  

One of our school counselors is running a group during the second semester called Creating Positive Habits. The group will have approximately 8 students in it and will meet for six 30-minute sessions during QST (so they won’t miss class time!).  It’s a fun opportunity to meet some new people while learning some new life skills. Some of the topics we will discuss are:

  1. Mindset: Fixed vs Growth (learning the difference, figuring out where our minds might be stuck and how to practice growth thoughts)
  2. Celebrating Others: Reversing Jealousy (how can I get outside of myself to SEE and CELEBRATE others)
  3. Giving others the benefit of the doubt (empathy, perspective-taking, assuming positive intent, etc)
  4. Cause and Effect (how have I gotten myself INTO situations and how do I get myself OUT)

Space is limited. If you would like your child to be considered for this group, please talk with them and fill out the google form.  Looking forward to it!

Immunization Events for FCPS Students

FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will provide school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students with no out-of-pocket costs. Multiple events will take place at designated FCPS locations. Additional dates will be available throughout the school year. 

Parents or guardians may view upcoming events and schedule an appointment for their student. Participation is voluntary. View immunization resources on the FCPS website. 

STEM Essay Contest

stem

 

The 8th annual STEM Essay Contest sponsored by the McLean Area
Branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) is now
open. The contest challenges 7th and 8th girls and boys to discover and
publicize women including women of color (non-white) who made a
difference in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields,
but who received little or no recognition for their contributions while
they were alive. Strong preference is given to essays about women who
are not well known even today.


Each student is asked to write an essay of no more than 500 words to
describe one woman's contribution to STEM, discuss the impact, and
clearly state why he or she picked that woman. The branch will award
five prizes: 1st Place ($100) and four Honorable Mention prizes (each
$25).


Two versions of the application form (a fillable PDF and a Word document), which include essay guidelines and instructions for submission, are available on the branch website at https://mcleanva.aauw.net/stem-essay-contest-2026/  The deadline is February 8, 2026, at 11:00 pm ET, and the winners will be recognized at the Branch dinner on March 24, 2026, at the McLean Community Center.


Any questions may be submitted to mcleanaauw@gmail.com

🏨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

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. 

We understand these changes may feel new for long-time volunteers, but they are designed to 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.

Community Updates from our Family Liaison

Getting to Know FCPS: A Family Orientation is an interactive seminar that provides information about the school system, the importance of family engagement, school staff and programs, as well as technology supports for families new to FCPS. This presentation is conducted in Arabic, English, Korean, and Spanish several times a month. Newcomers to FCPS can greatly benefit from this offering, and families may register themselves on the Family Academy  

Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace is now open for enrollment through January 30th, 2026. HealthWorks for Northern Virginia offers free, in person assistance enrolling in Medicaid or private insurance through the Marketplace.  See website for more details. https://hwnova.org/

Camp Fairfax Winter and Spring Break Camp registration has started. Click for more details.

 

💙 Cooper Wear Donations  - Share the Spirit!

Do you have Cooper Wear your student has outgrown or no longer needs?

We’d love to pass it along to new families and our rising 7th graders!

Students can drop off any items you’d like to share. Every piece helps a fellow Cooper family feel right at home!

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Family Liaison, Mollie Cannon, at mcannon@fcps.edu.

new yearbook

📚 There is still time to Order Your Yearbook Today!

Cost:  $42.00

🌐 Order Online: YearbookOrderCenter.com

🏫 School Order Number: 5267

 
yearbook

Urgent Request from the Yearbook Staff!

Last chance to submit any SUMMER, SPORTS, FIRST DAY, OR FALL photos of your student and friends!  Please email any photos you would want to see in the yearbook to Cooperyearbook@gmail.com ASAP. THANK YOU!
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