CMS Parent Information

ATTENDANCE LINE
703-442-5858 - Please call when your child will not be in school.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT
Return to Middle School! This evening event is an opportunity for parents to meet their children's teachers and to experience a portion of their school day as they go from class to class. Back-to-school night will normally be held on two evenings at the beginning of the school year. One evening is for the parents of seventh graders and the other evening is for parents of eighth graders. Time with each teacher is limited. Please don't conference with teachers. Individual conferences with teachers and teams can be arranged by contacting the guidance department for an appointment. Because of limited space, this is an adults only evening. Dates for each Back to School Night can be found on the Calendars page.

COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL
The schedule for these informal meetings can be found in the PTA newsletter.

CONFERENCES
An opportunity to meet with your child's teacher/team individually. These conferences may be initiated by parents or teachers. To schedule a conference, please call the guidance department for an appointment at 703-442-5812.

COOPER NEWSLETTER
The Cooper Newsletter is a joint effort posted on the Cooper website biweekly by Cooper Middle School and the Cooper PTA. This is our contact with you. It lists activities and dates. Watch for it the updated links in you KIT emails.

COURSE SELECTIONS
Course selection booklets are distributed to Cooper students through the Guidance Department in February/March. The Cooper guidance department coordinates with the Langley High School guidance department for rising 9th graders. The Cooper guidance department visits all the feeder elementary schools to schedule rising 7th graders. A pdf version of the booklet can be founs on the Guidance page.

CULTURAL ARTS
PTA committee that coordinates with the faculty and plans entertaining and educational assemblies for students. See PTA board list in the directory.

DONATIONS
Donations of specific items needed by the school are sometimes requested through the school newsletter. Donations are tax deductible.

DRESS CODE
Any clothing considered by a teacher or administrator to be disruptive is not allowed. This includes hats, sunglasses, halter tops, and any clothing that suggests or advertises alcohol, smoking, drugs or inappropriate behavior, language or innuendoes. The FCPS dress code can be found on the FCPS website in the Student Reponsibilities and Rights Guide.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Students can participate in a variety of clubs and activities after school. These are planned according to the late bus schedule.

FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE LIAISON
The McLean substation of the Fairfax County Police Department is working closely with the community. As part of this effort Officer Eugene Cooper is assigned to Cooper to interact with students in a positive manner.

FEEDER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Students from the following elementary schools attend Cooper Middle School: Churchill Road, Colvin Run, Forestville, Franklin Sherman, Great Falls, Spring Hill and Westbriar. Some of these elementary schools are split feeders (their boundaries include more than one middle school).

FRIENDSHIP SCHOOL
Cooper has established a special relationship with Pine Spring Elementary School in Falls Church, VA and Harper McCaughn Elementary School in Long Beach, Mississippi. We contribute care packages, school supplies, books, and coats to these schools throught the year. We hope to have continued involvement in the future. Watch the newsletter, calendar and the SCA page for more information about these drives.

FUNDRAISING
Cooper PTA has one fund-raiser a year. Rather than ask our students to sell anything, we simply ask our families to make a donation to the school. Please support this year's campaign by contributing and by volunteering to assist our chairman.

GIANT A+ BONUS BUCKS/ SAFEWAY eSCRIP
Please make sure to re-designate Cooper on your Giant Bonus Card and/or your Safeway Club Card in August. Cooper will only receive credit for your purchases if you reregister your cards. In the past, this program has been most helpful to Cooper and last year the top school raised over $16,000. Let's see if we can make Cooper the top school this year.

GRADING SCALE
Cooper will be using the new FCPS adopted grading scale starting at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. Below is the basic grading scale. For more detailed information on how the new grading scale will affect your student(s) the full pdf version can be found on the Guidance page.

GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Each student is assigned a guidance counselor. The goals of the guidance department include helping students to achieve academic success at Cooper. Students are assigned counselors through their team. The guidance phone number is 703-442-5812.

HONOR ROLL
Students who attain an "A" average or an "A/B" average qualify for the Cooper Honor Roll. All "A" students are recognized at receptions throughout the year.

INTERIM REPORT CARDS
Notification from each classroom teacher sent home mid-way during each grading period. The Interim Report indicates the status of academic progress. Dates of distribution are listed on the calendar in the monthly newsletter.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE PROGRAM
Foreign language program for students continuing from the elementary immersion program. Students will receive instruction in a variety of subjects in Japanese.

KEEP IN TOUCH ACCOUNTS (KIT)
Fairfax County Public Schools has a new vendor for the Keep in Touch (KIT) notification system, Blackboard Connect (formerly NTI, Connect-ED).

Blackboard Connect is an award-winning company with years of experience with K-12 education systems, many as large as or larger than FCPS. The system will still be called Keep in Touch or KIT.

Since KIT is used to deliver school system emergency messages such as school closings due to inclement weather, it is critically important that your contact information (e-mail addresses, home phone, cell phone, etc.) be kept up to date so that you do not miss out on any important messages.

A frequently asked question from many parents is: How do I update my Keep in Touch account information? Families have two options:

1. Fill out or update your child’s emergency care information form and return it to the school. Make sure to include a valid and up to date email address.

2. Update your child’s emergency care contact information via weCare@School (you must have a Parent View account). To learn more about Parent View, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/fcps247.html. For assistance with Parent View, call 1-866-434-8880.

The new KIT system uses your child’s student registration information.

LATE BUSES
Depending on School Board approval, Fairfax County Transportation Services may provide late buses to Cooper. Currently late buses will be scheduled on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. See the Cooper Bell Schedule page for further information.

LATE OPENING/EARLY DISMISSAL
Please don't call Cooper. Announcement will be made on FCPS website, local radio, TV, and on the Fairfax County Public School cable TV station, "Apple 21" on Channel 21.

LIBRARY (MEDIA CENTER)
Cooper has a state-of-the-art Media Center. It opens at 7:45 am on school days and is open after school on Mondays and Thursdays. A coin-operated copier is available to students for 10 cents a copy. Volunteers are welcome to assist the librarian. See PTA board list on the PTA website.

MUSIC PROGRAM
Cooper has a very active music program. Students can participate in band, strings or chorus. It is part of the elective program and a full year commitment is expected.

REPORT CARDS
Progress reports sent home every quarter (9 weeks). They are usually received at least a week into the next quarter because they are computerized and mailed from a central Fairfax County Public School system location.

SAFE COMMUNITY COALITION (SCC)
Begun in 1995, students, parents, civic and religious organizations, local businesses, and staff from area schools (public and private) came together "to create a nurturing community that is a safe, drug-free environment for our young people". For more information, go to http://www.safecommunitycoalition.net

STUDENT COUNCIL ASSOCIATION (SCA)
Students elect candidates for 8th grade in June and for 7th grade in September. There are elected officers and representatives from each team. The SCA sponsors activities such as dances, food drives, and a spirit week.

TEAMS
Like the faculty, middle school students are grouped into teams. There are approximately 130-150 students on a team. Cooper has three 7th grade teams and three 8th grade teams. The faculty encourages camaraderie among teams. They have special assemblies and field trips.

VOLUNTEERS
Cooper has an active volunteer program. The list of areas where volunteers are needed will come home the first day of school and will also be available on Back-To-School Night. Not all volunteer duties are during the school day. There are ways to volunteer in your home and on selected evenings. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator. See PTA board list on the PTA website.

YEARBOOK (Pathfinder)
Cooper publishes a high quality, hard covered yearbook. Yearbooks and literary magazines are distributed to students the last week of school. No extra yearbooks are available in June. Please be sure your student's order is placed.