SAVE THE DATE!
Calling all Cooper 8th Graders! Mark your calendars now for the 8th Grade Party on Thursday June 14th from 6:30-9:00pm at Bowlmor Lanes in Bethesda (formerly Strike Bethesda). The party will feature bowling, DJ & dancing, games, and more! Watch for more details coming soon and be sure to get your tickets when they go on sale.

Party Planners needed!
If you would like to help plan this fun event, please contact Lisa Vasiliadis at lisanv@hotmail.com. There will be a planning meeting on April 14 at Katie’s Coffee in Great Falls.

Fairfax County Public Schools has published the Parenting Class schedule for December 2011 – May 2012. Among the topics offered this year are Parenting Teens, Stress: How Much is Too Much?, and Talk More…Fight Less. To see the full selection of courses offered please visit the Family and School Partnerships at www.fcps.edu/cco/fam. To register and for more information contact Susie Johnson at Susie.Johnson@fcps.edu

Langley High School will be hosting the Capitol Steps on November 20th. Proceeds will benefit the graduating class of 2012’s All Night Grad Party. Please consider including this event on your online calendar, in your upcoming newsletter and on Blackboard.

What:   Capitol Steps Performance
When:   November 20th at 7pm
Where:  Langley High School Auditorium
Cost:     $30 per ticket

For more information and to order tickets: http://www.fcps.edu/LangleyHS/assets/2011-2012/capitolSteps.pdf

Please bring in your gently worn coats during the week of October 17 –21 for Cooper‘s Annual Coat Drive.

Please join us for coffee with our Cooper principal, Arlene Randall, on Wednesday, October 5 at 9:30am at the home of Sage and Ned LaTeef, 307 Chesapeake Drive in Great Falls, and on Wednesday, October 26 at the home of Marlen McKinney and John Bellaschi, 7013 Elizabeth Drive in McLean. These are great opportunities to talk with Mrs. Randall and other administrators in an informal setting while  meeting some new Cooper parents and visiting with those you already know. No need to RSVP – just come by and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea and some delicious breakfast goodies. We hope to see you there!  For additional information, or to volunteer to host a coffee at your home, please email Janie Jackson at janiejackson3@gmail.com, Barb Long at bkalong@yahoo.com or Tanya Meyer at gregtanyameyer@verizon.net.

 

Volunteers are needed for both the Clinic and the Cafeteria.   The PTO supports these functions at Cooper so it is vital that we have enough parents to help out.  The cafeteria, in particular, needs a lot more volunteers since many of last year’s volunteers have now left Cooper.  Please contact the coordinator if you are able to help:

Clinic — Gloria Wilkins    glmwilkins@yahoo.com

Cafeteria — Maria Feldman   mariafeldman@mris.com

Our only fundraising effort this year will be earmarked for the purchase of netbooks for use in our English classrooms.

A netbook is a mini-laptop computer (weighing in at 2-3 pounds) designed for mobility, wired and wireless online access, word processing and general office applications. Our fundraising goal this year is to raise $35,000 for the procurement of two complete carts of netbooks—each cart comprised of 32 machines and a printer. If each family contributes $100, we will be able to cover the cost of this worthwhile expenditure; but no donation is too small, so please help us reach our goal!

Your dues and fundraiser donation can be made by cash or check (payable to Cooper Middle School PTO). Please fill out the One Form, One Check (found in the Forms link) and send in an envelope to the front office. We are also pleased to offer an online payment system through www.Pay4SchoolStuffOnline.com where you can pay for your PTO dues and our fundraising effort.

THE PTO STAFF SUPPORT COMMITTEE’S focus is to provide Cooper’s wonderful staff – to include teachers, administrators, custodians, and cafeteria workers – with small, supportive gestures throughout the year. Our goal is to do something once a month. For September, we gave the staff “welcome to the new year!” and “thanks so much!” notes and bags of candy. Right now, our committee consists of two co-chairs, Nancy Berry nberry7@msn.com and Lezlie McBride lezliemcbride@gmail.com. Please let us know if you’d like to help! And in the interest of preventing any “committee confusion” for readers, we differ from the Staff Appreciation committee in that they largely focus their efforts on Staff Appreciation Week, usually in the spring.

SHOW YOUR COOPER SPIRIT!!!! There are Cooper T- shirts, backpacks and sweatshirts/pants for sale!! You can easily order from www.pay4schoolstuffonline.com. Click on Cooper Middle School, and you will be walked through the site, step by step. You can also download a Cooper Wear Order form from the Forms section above and send it to school with your check. Get your Cooper Wear and show your school SPIRIT!!!

We will be holding a Career Fair March 22 and would like to have as many professions/occupations represented as possible. Please consider this opportunity to help your children realize the possibilities and potential their education can afford them. Come talk with them about the wonderful world of work and celebrate your experience with your students. Please phone Michele Saint Germain (703) 442-5847 in the counseling office if you could participate in any way.