Cooper Middle School New AAP center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only reason they want the center designation is to eliminate the choice between Cooper and Kilmer/Longfellow and compel the AAP students to attend Cooper instead.

How about sending Cooper some of the teachers from Kilmer/Longfellow to man the new center? Where are all of the AAP teachers at Kilmer/Longfellow going to go without the surplus of AAP kids?

Who said that will not happen? Knowing the Langley community, they will insist on the right to cherry-pick teachers from Kilmer and Longfellow for Cooper. The sense of entitlement is deeply ingrained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get the WRONG impression that 'current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center'? As a current Cooper community member, I want Cooper as AAP center. I talked to several of our neighbors, they all want Cooper as AAP center too!

Anonymous wrote:
Since Cooper already has a LLIV program and is significantly under enrolled, it makes complete sense to turn it into a full fledged center to relieve some of the over crowding pressure at Kilmer and soon to be at Longfellow. Turning Thoreau's LLIV program into a full fledged center also will relieve some pressure from Kilmer. It is basic student management with the benefit of more students attending their base school with their neighborhood friends.

What, exactly, would change from simply offering LLIV to designating it a "full-fledged center"? Gold-plated science labs? Marble bathrooms? Teachers who are PhDs? Please, enlighten us: why should Cooper be a "full-fledged center"? Is it just the name change so you can save face when you tell your friends that your child attends a "center" rather than a normal school?

I'm wondering why Cooper is apparently just fine for the "regular" kids, but in order for it to be AAP-worthy, changes have to be made. If anyone wonders why current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center, you need only read some of the nonsense spewed by entitled AAP parents. Who would want that element at their school?

I'm also part of the Cooper community and do not want Cooper to become a center, for all the reasons listed above. My friends and neighbors feel the same way. The whole culture of the school is going to change - and not for the better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only reason they want the center designation is to eliminate the choice between Cooper and Kilmer/Longfellow and compel the AAP students to attend Cooper instead.

How about sending Cooper some of the teachers from Kilmer/Longfellow to man the new center? Where are all of the AAP teachers at Kilmer/Longfellow going to go without the surplus of AAP kids?

Who said that will not happen? Knowing the Langley community, they will insist on the right to cherry-pick teachers from Kilmer and Longfellow for Cooper. The sense of entitlement is deeply ingrained.

I would say the AAP community is the one with the sense of entitlement. Langley is made up of lots of non-AAP families who don't want a center middle school.

[Anonymous]

This is anonymous forum. No one knows who really live in Cooper community.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get the WRONG impression that 'current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center'? As a current Cooper community member, I want Cooper as AAP center. I talked to several of our neighbors, they all want Cooper as AAP center too!

Anonymous wrote:
Since Cooper already has a LLIV program and is significantly under enrolled, it makes complete sense to turn it into a full fledged center to relieve some of the over crowding pressure at Kilmer and soon to be at Longfellow. Turning Thoreau's LLIV program into a full fledged center also will relieve some pressure from Kilmer. It is basic student management with the benefit of more students attending their base school with their neighborhood friends.

What, exactly, would change from simply offering LLIV to designating it a "full-fledged center"? Gold-plated science labs? Marble bathrooms? Teachers who are PhDs? Please, enlighten us: why should Cooper be a "full-fledged center"? Is it just the name change so you can save face when you tell your friends that your child attends a "center" rather than a normal school?

I'm wondering why Cooper is apparently just fine for the "regular" kids, but in order for it to be AAP-worthy, changes have to be made. If anyone wonders why current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center, you need only read some of the nonsense spewed by entitled AAP parents. Who would want that element at their school?

I'm also part of the Cooper community and do not want Cooper to become a center, for all the reasons listed above. My friends and neighbors feel the same way. The whole culture of the school is going to change - and not for the better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is anonymous forum. No one knows who really live in Cooper community.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get the WRONG impression that 'current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center'? As a current Cooper community member, I want Cooper as AAP center. I talked to several of our neighbors, they all want Cooper as AAP center too!

Anonymous wrote:
Since Cooper already has a LLIV program and is significantly under enrolled, it makes complete sense to turn it into a full fledged center to relieve some of the over crowding pressure at Kilmer and soon to be at Longfellow. Turning Thoreau's LLIV program into a full fledged center also will relieve some pressure from Kilmer. It is basic student management with the benefit of more students attending their base school with their neighborhood friends.

What, exactly, would change from simply offering LLIV to designating it a "full-fledged center"? Gold-plated science labs? Marble bathrooms? Teachers who are PhDs? Please, enlighten us: why should Cooper be a "full-fledged center"? Is it just the name change so you can save face when you tell your friends that your child attends a "center" rather than a normal school?

I'm wondering why Cooper is apparently just fine for the "regular" kids, but in order for it to be AAP-worthy, changes have to be made. If anyone wonders why current Cooper families do not want their school to become a center, you need only read some of the nonsense spewed by entitled AAP parents. Who would want that element at their school?

I'm also part of the Cooper community and do not want Cooper to become a center, for all the reasons listed above. My friends and neighbors feel the same way. The whole culture of the school is going to change - and not for the better.

You primarily send your kids to ES in schools with very big AAP/LLIV programs (e.g., Colvin Run, Churchill Road, Spring Hill), but the sky will fall if you can't continue to overcrowd other MS with the AAP students? It's not worth debating endlessly, as Cooper will become a center, but I don't understand the mindset.

[Anonymous]

I blame FCPS for letting AAP become so bloated and out-of-control that it has caused this much divisiveness. This never happened when GT was around.

[Anonymous]

You primarily send your kids to ES in schools with very big AAP/LLIV programs (e.g., Colvin Run, Churchill Road, Spring Hill), but the sky will fall if you can't continue to overcrowd other MS with the AAP students? It's not worth debating endlessly, as Cooper will become a center, but I don't understand the mindset.

I agree with this. Anyone sending their kids to Mclean schools knows they'll be with AAP students for elementary and high school. Why these Cooper parents are making such a fuss about allowing base school students to come back to Cooper is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

^^^^It's more the mentality that no one wants to be first, and second because of the Longfellow reputation-they've done it to themselves by being so good and saught after. Can't speak to Kilmer but perhaps same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^It's more the mentality that no one wants to be first, and second because of the Longfellow reputation-they've done it to themselves by being so good and saught after. Can't speak to Kilmer but perhaps same thing.

it's freaking middle school for goodness sakes! two years where kids are mostly worrying about bad skin and what their friends think. at most they'll take 3 courses that even matter going forward (algebra, geometry and a language) and this can be done at any middle school in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone has any ideas how Cooper is going to find enough qualified teachers to teach the in coming AAP kids once it has become a center? How about those AAP teachers from Longfellow and Kilmer who no longer are needed once the AAP kids go to Cooper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone has any ideas how Cooper is going to find enough qualified teachers to teach the in coming AAP kids once it has become a center? How about those AAP teachers from Longfellow and Kilmer who no longer are needed once the AAP kids go to Cooper?

We are talking 150 additional students. That is four more AAP teachers than the ones already there. One for each core class. 7 more teachers in total for the 4 core AAP classes and 3 for the other classes. The only issue is pay. Lobby the Board of Supervisors hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^It's more the mentality that no one wants to be first, and second because of the Longfellow reputation-they've done it to themselves by being so good and saught after. Can't speak to Kilmer but perhaps same thing.

"No one wants to be the first"?? The first what? Cooper has done an excellent job of educating kids for decades. Why on earth do you feel your child is somehow entitled to something more? Why are you somehow different? I can't even believe FCPS gives one iota of energy to trying to appease parents like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone has any ideas how Cooper is going to find enough qualified teachers to teach the in coming AAP kids once it has become a center? How about those AAP teachers from Longfellow and Kilmer who no longer are needed once the AAP kids go to Cooper?

Gosh, I don't know. We may have to recruit from NASA... certainly, kids this special have never been taught successfully before, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone has any ideas how Cooper is going to find enough qualified teachers to teach the in coming AAP kids once it has become a center? How about those AAP teachers from Longfellow and Kilmer who no longer are needed once the AAP kids go to Cooper? quote]

^^^Very good point and a question that was asked earlier on in this thread-of course, hard to get past all of the snark to address the substantive and practical issues!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone has any ideas how Cooper is going to find enough qualified teachers to teach the in coming AAP kids once it has become a center? How about those AAP teachers from Longfellow and Kilmer who no longer are needed once the AAP kids go to Cooper? quote]

^^^Very good point and a question that was asked earlier on in this thread-of course, hard to get past all of the snark to address the substantive and practical issues!!!

They already have qualified teachers. New hiring can thus support any classes.

http://www.fcps.edu/regions/r1/docs/AAP%20Information%20Session%202015.pdf