📅Save the Dates

February 23 - 27, 2026 - School Spirit Week

March 2 - 8, 2026 - National School Social Work Week

March 6, 2026 - Cooper Middle School Dance at 7:00pm

March 8, 2026 - Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2:00am

March 20, 2026 -  Holiday - Eid al-Fitr & Nowruz

March 30 - April 3, 2026 - Spring Break

2025-2026 School Year Calendar

2025-2026 Cooper MS Events Calendar

Warm Up FCPS – Divisionwide Spirit Day Tired of all the cold weather? Let’s warm up with a little school spirit across the division! Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid is encouraging all FCPS students, teachers, and staff to shake the wrinkles out of their brightest outfits and tropical wear to help brighten everyone’s moods on Thursday, February 19th.

Love the Bus Month Love the Bus Month is supported by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT). February 20: wear yellow to show your appreciation for transportation professionals who safely support students across FCPS

Report Cards Available Online 🌱💻

As shared earlier this school year, FCPS report cards are paperless and now available in ParentVUE.

Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in our region wins a staff celebration from HR. Encourage your community to show our staff that their hard work is appreciated!

RAPTOR Emergency Management System

We want to share information about the new Raptor Emergency Management System being implemented across FCPS. This system enhances school safety by providing staff with improved tools to respond quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency.

As part of this rollout, staff members will be issued wearable emergency response badges with buttons that allow them to instantly initiate specific safety protocols or alert administrators and first responders if urgent assistance is needed. These badges provide an added layer of security by enabling immediate communication without requiring access to a phone or computer.

Raptor integrates emergency protocols, reunification procedures, and communication tools into one streamlined platform, allowing schools to manage incidents more efficiently and ensure accurate, timely information sharing with families and first responders if needed.

Strengthening safety systems remains a top priority, and this new platform adds another layer of preparedness to support our students and staff.

💜🎖️April is the Month of the Military Child

Celebrate Purple Up! Day💜

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is gearing up to honor and celebrate its military-connected youth in April, the Month of the Military Child, and on Purple Up! Day! 

This year, Virginia will celebrate Purple Up! Day on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Purple Up! Day is a special day for communities to come together and wear purple as a visible gesture of support for our military-connected youth and their families. Purple symbolizes the combined colors of all branches of the military. 

FCPS Purple Up! T-shirts and other items are available for purchase now through Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in our Custom Ink online store. These items highlight our gratitude and appreciation for our 14,500 military-connected students and their families. #PurpleUpFCPS! 

For more information and/or to connect with FCPS resources, email us at militaryfamilies@fcps.edu. 

22nd Annual Techstravaganza🔬🏗️📊

The leadership of Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), is a student organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). Each year, they promote STEM through their annual flagship outreach event, Techstravaganza, and they would like to invite our school’s students to attend!

Techstravaganza is a free, public, hands-on STEM activity fair for elementary and middle school students in Northern Virginia. In previous years, they have hosted more than 4,500 students and 70 labs presenting STEM activities. Exhibitors range from TJHSST clubs and their own TWIST volunteers to organizations like NASA SCaN, Art of Problem Solving, George Mason University, American Society of Naval Engineers, and the National Air and Space Museum.  This year, the event will take place  on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 10 AM to 4 PM at TJHSST.

Admission is free!  Click on the registration link: https://tinyurl.com/Techstravaganza26

More information about the event can be found on our website at https://techstrav.org/index.html or tjpartnershipfund.org/techstravaganza/. 

Cooper’s 2nd Annual Spelling Bee 🐝📖 We’re enrolled in the Bee! This is Cooper’s 2nd year to take part in Scripps National Spelling Bee program. The Spelling Bee Final will be held on March 5th at 2:30pm in the Lecture Hall at Cooper.  Students were informed via school posters, announcements, and posts in Schoology to sign up by February 13th. The registration for this event is now closed.  Additional information will be sent to the parents and students to help prepare for the Bee! If you have any questions, please contact me at mcannon@fcps.edu.

Celebrate Spirit Week February 23rd - 27th!

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️Track Season

Track season is right around the corner! We are excited to kick off the spring season and wanted to share some important information.

Practice Schedule

• Practices will begin on Monday, April 7th
• Practices will be held after school on Mondays and Wednesdays

Meet Dates

• 4/25 – Herndon High School
• 5/2 – Thomas Jefferson (TJ)
• 5/9 – West Potomac High School
• 5/16 – Oakton High School
• 5/30 – Robinson High School (County Championship)

Registration & Physical RequirementsAll athletes must be registered using the link below. In addition, all students must have an up to date FCPS sports physical on file dated after 2/7/25. A link to a blank physical form is included below for your convenience.

Completed physicals and updated Emergency Care Cards may be submitted to the front office or emailed directly to Mr. Kaden at jtkaden@fcps.edu.

Track and Field Registration

FCPS MS Sports Physical

Emergency Care Card

Student Fasting Meal Kits🌙📦

From February 18 to March 19, 2026, a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) waiver allows students fasting during the school day to request take-home meal kits. These kits include a complete school breakfast and lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.

Important Meal Kit Information: 

• Kits are charged based on a student’s meal status (Free, Reduced, or Paid).

• Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day.

• Students who eat a meal at school during the day are not eligible for a take-home kit on the same day.

• Kits are distributed at the end of the school day. Students must pick up their own kits; adults are not permitted to collect them.

Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:

• February 11, 2026 for week of February 18, 2026

• February 16, 2026 for the week of February 23, 2026

• February 23, 2026 for the week of March 2, 2026

• March 2, 2026 for the week of March 9, 2026

• March 9, 2026 for the week of March 16, 2026

Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.

Cooper Middle School Dance

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

🏨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

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. 

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

Black History Month Celebration

Families and community members are invited to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and uplift the voices shaping our future at FCPS’ Second Annual Black History Month Celebration. Rooted in Resilience: Echoes of Excellence will take place on Wednesday, February 25, at 6 p.m., at Carter G. Woodson High School. 

The event will honor the rich history, strength, and contributions of the Black community through inspiring student performances and a powerful keynote address by Rev. Vernon C. Walton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vienna. Light refreshments will be available. 

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  

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

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) office is once again planning engaging summer enrichment programs for students! For current 6th to 11th grade students, we have CTE Summer Academy. All information can be found at bit.ly/FCPS_CSA. Register today!

💙 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.

📚 There is still time to Order Your Yearbook Today! Cost:  $42.00 🌐 Order Online: YearbookOrderCenter.com 🏫 School Order Number: 5267

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!

977 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA 22101 |  Main Phone: 703.442.5800
Attendance: 703.442.5858 | Student Services: 703.442.5812 | Web | Twitter