Cooper Middle School--what is it like?

[Anonymous]

We'll be moving back to the US over the summer from several years overseas, where DS has been going to a smallish international school. We plan to have him go back to public school, but I'm a little concerned about the transition from a smaller school straight into MS. Anyone BTDT, or have any insight into the culture at Cooper? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

[Anonymous]

It's an overcrowded, 1960's era school that was last in the news for a dodgy German teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's an overcrowded, 1960's era school that was last in the news for a dodgy German teacher. [/quote

1960s era school? What does that even mean? (By the way, an apostrophe is a possesive, so makes even less sense).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

Not for long...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

Not for long...

What PP's are alluding to is the fact that FCPS is making Cooper into an AAP (advanced academic) center and phasing that in over the next three years. As a result, students in the Cooper district who used to go to Kilmer or Longfellow MS for AAP will all go to Cooper by 2018. It will increase Cooper's enrollment by over 300 students right before FCPS starts to renovate the school. But if OP's child is a rising 7th or 8th grade student, they'll avoid the period of greatest disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

Not for long...

What PP's are alluding to is the fact that FCPS is making Cooper into an AAP (advanced academic) center and phasing that in over the next three years. As a result, students in the Cooper district who used to go to Kilmer or Longfellow MS for AAP will all go to Cooper by 2018. It will increase Cooper's enrollment by over 300 students right before FCPS starts to renovate the school. But if OP's child is a rising 7th or 8th grade student, they'll avoid the period of greatest disruption.

What's the period of greatest disruption scheduled to be? I have a rising 6th grader, and we've been looking at houses in that district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

Not for long...

What PP's are alluding to is the fact that FCPS is making Cooper into an AAP (advanced academic) center and phasing that in over the next three years. As a result, students in the Cooper district who used to go to Kilmer or Longfellow MS for AAP will all go to Cooper by 2018. It will increase Cooper's enrollment by over 300 students right before FCPS starts to renovate the school. But if OP's child is a rising 7th or 8th grade student, they'll avoid the period of greatest disruption.

What's the period of greatest disruption scheduled to be? I have a rising 6th grader, and we've been looking at houses in that district.

2018-21: 300 more students then a renovation that temporarily reduces the available space.

[Anonymous]

We came from overseas last summer (also from an international school), so we had one year of elementary school before middle school. However, the transition to the area was seamless. My son will be at Cooper this fall and noted "at least now I won't be the only new kid in school" since all the 7th graders will essentially be "new". Welcome back!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cooper is a fantastic school! It is a very small middle school (for FCPS), so that might work well for your child.

Cooper's teachers are extraordinarily talented, and are very creative in their approach to teaching their curricula. The students are nice kids, and the families seem kind, as well.

+1
We've been very pleased with Cooper after having three kids go through and another one currently there. We loved the fact that it was not an AAP center, unlike Longfellow and Kilmer. Sadly, that will be changing.

[Anonymous]

Cooper has a lot of drug and alcohol issues. We live fairly close but the drug problem combined with all the trailers made us go private. Don't know about drug problems at Longfellow. I do know for a fact, though, from tutors in the area that graduates of Cooper find themselves not prepared for the rigors of Langley High.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cooper has a lot of drug and alcohol issues. We live fairly close but the drug problem combined with all the trailers made us go private. Don't know about drug problems at Longfellow. I do know for a fact, though, from tutors in the area that graduates of Cooper find themselves not prepared for the rigors of Langley High.

Private schools have more drug problems, and about 2/3 of the kids at Langley went to Cooper. You haven't a clue.

[Anonymous]

Private middle schools don't have drug problems (high schools may, but then Langley has its share as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private middle schools don't have drug problems (high schools may, but then Langley has its share as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cooper has a lot of drug and alcohol issues. We live fairly close but the drug problem combined with all the trailers made us go private. Don't know about drug problems at Longfellow. I do know for a fact, though, from tutors in the area that graduates of Cooper find themselves not prepared for the rigors of Langley High.

What on earth are you talking about? You even admit you don't have kids who attend Cooper and it shows in your silly comment. Cooper doesn't have "drug and alcohol issues." Nor does it have trailers. It has one wing which is practically attached to the school called the "mod" which houses extra classrooms, bathrooms, etc. and doesn't look anything like a trailer.

As for your last comment, how ridiculous. I've had two kids go through Cooper and both were very successful honor students at Langley who were well prepared for its rigors. Cooper does a great job of preparing its students for Langley and beyond. It's too bad you actually know nothing about the school but still feel entitled to make false and stupid statements.