Good Friday afternoon, friends.  I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather that is a signal of winter coming.

I first want to let you know how thankful I am for you, for your children, four the faculty and staff of Cooper ES, and the opportunity to serve this school as its principal.  I pray that you will take the opportunity to inventory all the blessings you have in people, relationships, experiences, and things.  I challenge you to take it a step further and demonstrate and Attitude of Gratitude... see if it is contagious.  Wouldn't the world be a better place if an attitude of gratitude spread all across this land?  I can only imagine!

Second, I want to thank the parents that participated in this weeks Tiger Talk.  The focus on our conversation was on Cooper's approach to social emotional learning.  Mr. Joseph described how our counseling program and Morning Meetings help our students understand their feelings and how to react to certain feelings.  Additionally, the group brainstormed different ways our school can extend our lessons out to families and/or provide tips and strategies that interested families can use at the dinner table or in the long wait in the car rider line :-)  I appreciated very much the time I had with this group and value their thoughts, opinions, and ideas.

Third, our Toys for Tots toy drive will begin on December 2 and go through December 16.  THIS IS A STREAK CHALLENGE, so be sure to represent your ​Streak.  We ask for new and unwrapped toys ​for ​girls and boys.

Lastly, we will begin our 12 Days of Holiday Cheer count-down on Thursday, December 6.  Each day has something different for our staff and students.
12/6- Wear red, like a candy-cane
12/9- Wear your favorite holiday hat/headband
12/10- Wear your favorite holiday shirt
12/11- Staff and students wear holiday socks
12/12- Grinch Day... wear green, or max it out by wearing Grinch attire
12/16- Dress like Buddy the Elf, or any elf
12/17- Wear your tackiest, ugliest, most unattractive sweater
12/18- Wear your favorite holiday bling or accessories (earrings, hats, necklace, etc)
12/19- Wear your holiday slippers
12/20- PJ Day!

I wish each of you and your family a very safe, relaxing, and recharging Thanksgiving break.  Be good, be safe, and stay healthy!

Your VERY PROUD and VERY THANKFUL Principal,
Paul

Good afternoon, friends.  I hope that you have had a great week.

I wanted to thank everyone that scheduled a conference with their teacher last week.  As a parent, I know changes in schedule can be difficult, but I do appreciate you taking the time and effort to meet with your child's teacher.  It is my hope that you got some timely and actionable feedback that will make a difference in your child's learning trajectory.

I also wanted to formally thank our PTO for their planning and execution of our Fall Festival last Saturday.  The weather was absolutely beautiful, the sun was blazing, and all those that came brought big smiles with them.  Events like the Fall Festival takes a lot of time to plan and coordinate.  Thanks to Mrs. Kiefer and the planning team for doing such a great job.

I wanted to remind you that we will have a Digital Learning Day on November 5 for Election Day.  I ask that any person eligible to vote to please make sure you exercise your civic duty and vote.  Cooper ES is a local polling location for those neighborhoods around our school.

As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I challenge you to take time to examine yourself and the blessings you have around you... people and 'things'.  We should constantly evaluate ourselves and give thanks, and as we are entering the 'season', I challenge you to be a bit more focused on those things.

Family Feasts are coming up.  A schedule has been sent out already.  Please please please pre-purchase your tickets to make this event as smooth and as pleasurable as possible.

With that, I wish you a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe, stay healthy, and be good.

Your VERY PROUD and REFLECTIVE Principal,
 

Happy Friday, Tigers.  I trust that your fall break was a time to enjoy family and friends, and maybe let your little ones sleep in a little longer.

Now that we are pressing on into our second nine-week period, a lot of things are happing in school.  Your child's (K-5) language arts program has changed 'modules', or themes, that will take them up to winter break. Ask your child about what they will be learning this nine-weeks through our EL program.

As I hope you know, Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for next week with Wednesday and Thursday being EARLY RELEASE DAYS (10/23 & 10/24) for elementary and middle school students.  For Cooper Tigers, this means that children will release for car rider and bus rider at 12:50.  PLEASE be sure you have a plan for your child on these days and communicate any changes to your child's teacher.  As you meet with your child's teacher, it is our hope that our partnership between teacher and parent is strengthened and a good understanding of your child's strengths and growth areas is had by all.

Our last data check had only 55% of our students represented by a conference.  If you have already scheduled a conference, THANK YOU!  If you have not scheduled a conference, please look for communication from your child's teacher to schedule it as soon as possible.

Thank you for bringing in candy for our Trunk or Treat at ​our Fall Festival.  We are still in need of ​participants.  Please ​visit WJ Cooper PTO on ​Facebook to see about registering your vehicle, or click HERE.

Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind:
10/23 & 10/24  Early Release Days​

10/25  Streak Lunch- have your child wear their Streak color.  Students will have the opportunity to find old friends and meet new friends during lunch as they sit with their Streak Mates.

10/26  PTO Fall Festival- Come see us between 12 PM and 4 PM.  We will have vendors, bouncies, hay rides, and yes, FOOD at the festival.  Trunk or Treat (WE NEED MORE PARTICIPATION) will begin at 3 PM. We hope to see you here.

11/5  Digital Learning Day- our next digital learning day will be on election day.  If you are eligible to vote and have not yet done so, please be sure to get out and cast your vote.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. ​ Be good, be healthy, and stay safe!

Your VERY PROUD Principal,

Paul

Good afternoon, Tigers.  I hope you are doing well despite all the challenges and curve-balls that have been thrown at you this week.  It's hard to believe we are just getting out of the week of the Hurricane aftermath and the chlorine cloud!  We made it!

Our field days are over!  A huge shout out to Coach Blair and Coach Starr, as well as Mrs. Hiskey and Mrs. Hulen, for planning and organizing this field day.  Our specials teachers really stepped up and helped man the stations, and the non-field day grade levels sacrificed their daily planning time to accommodate the schedule.  Mrs. Moore and the front office crew took on the challenge of developing a new field day check-in/check-out process quickly and didn't even work up a sweat!  Needless to say, field days takes everyone, and we certainly appreciate everyone's involvement in making it successful.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are right around the corner.  Look for sign-up information from your child's teacher and secure your conference spot as soon as possible.  As our teachers prepare for the conferences, I would like to suggest you prepare for the conference as well.  Look in your Parent Vue for the latest iReady Family Report.  Write down any questions or wonderings you might have from it.  Ask you child what their favorite part of their day is, but don't just accept recess and lunch as answers... probe a little deeper.  Find out from them who they like to play with or sit beside.  See if they know what goals they are working on.  Bring all of that to your conference appointment and I promise you it will be the best conference you have had.

VOTING... October 7 is the last day to register to vote in Georgia.  I encourage all eligible people to vote. Remember that November 5, Election Day, is a digital learning day for your child.

PTO... our Fall Festival is quickly approaching and our PTO is planning some wonderful activities.  If you have a business and would like to become a vendor, please email WJCOOPERTIGERSPTO@gmail.com  We would love to have you and your business represented.  Additionally, if you would like to register for our Trunk or Treat event, use THIS LINK to register.

Upcoming Dates... remember, ​GCPS Fall Break is next Thursday, Friday, and Monday (October 10-14).  Students return to school on Tuesday, October 15.
Early Release Conferences are October 23 & 24.  School will let out 2 ​1/2 hours early on these two days.  Begin to think about how your child will get ​home on these days and if you will need ​to make other plans.

I hope you all have a wonderful and ​safe weekend.  Until we meet again,

Your VERY ​PROUD and THANKFUL Principal,
Paul

Good day, Tigers.  I hope that your child's Digital Learning Day was productive, but not stressful.  I know your child's teacher appreciated the time for planning upcoming lessons and activities.

We had a lot of activities going on last night... Book Fair, Literacy Night, and our very first PTO meeting.  At last evening's PTO meeting the first PTO Officers were elected.  I would like to thank and congratulate our newly elected officers: Melissa Kiefer, President; Jehada Ali-Alansari, Vice-President; Jessyca Brown, Secretary; and Antione Lovelace, Treasurer.  I look forward to working with these volunteers to support our school and community this year.  I know our PTO will be looking for additional volunteers to help with the many activities they will be offering.

Our Book Fair and Literacy Night was very well attended.  Thank you to all the families that came out and supported these events, and thank you to the school organizers of this event.  Job well-done.

If you have not had the chance to become a member of our PTO, please join now through your MyPaymentsPlus account.  It is $5 per membership.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15-October 15 each year.  We are recognizing past and present individuals from the Hispanic and Latino Communities that have made a significant impact on our nation.  Our students have the opportunity to learn about these influential people and the different regions of the world that comprise our Hispanic Community.

School safety is a very important topic that we should all be attentive to.  Did you know that GCPS has an anonymous tip line that allows a person to report a safety concern or tip?  Our School Resource Police Department has dedicated officers that monitor, review, and investigate all submitted tips.  Bookmark or download the app by going HERE.

Lastly, if your family was eligible for free or reduced price meals last year and have not filed a new application, that eligibility has now expired, meaning you will incur the costs of meals eaten by your child at school.  If you have filed a new application for this school year, thank you.  If you have not filed an application for free or reduced price meals, please use the link below to complete an online application.
F/R Meals Application

I wish you all a very restful and relaxing weekend.  Be safe and be good!

Your VERY PROUD Principal,

Paul

Happy Friday, Tigers.  I hope you are all doing well and are continuing to enjoy this cooler weather.

We've had a great week this week for many reasons.  First, we all stayed safe and continued our business of teaching and learning.  Second, I had the opportunity to meet with students representing fourth and fifth grade classes for lunch on Tuesday.  We had great conversations ranging from school safety to the lunch room menu.  We have great students with great minds, and I really appreciated hearing their insights on things.  Today, I was able to meet with our first Tiger Talks parent group for this school year.  Our focus began on school/teacher/parent communication, the Open House and Curriculum Night processes, Car Rider processes and other items of interest.  I walked away from that meeting inspired and optimistic that this school year is really going to be a great school year.  Yes, we have work to do.  What organization that focuses on continuous quality improvement doesn't?  I already look forward to next month's Tiger Talk, so if you see an invite, jump on it :-)

I wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU and a SHOUT OUT to Mr. Bingham and RoboThink-East Atlanta.  RoboThink is one of our business partners.  They sponsored a coffee/treat cart that our Admin Team was able to offer our staff and teachers this morning.  Thank you, RoboThink!  If you are a business owner or are a decision maker in your company and interested in becoming a Cooper ES Business Partner, please reach out to George Kashella or Ashley Crane to find out how.  Both can be reached by calling the school at 770-554-7050.

Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind:
September 19, 5:00 PM- First Ever PTO Parent Meeting.  We will be electing new board members (President, VP, Secretary, and Treasurer).  We hope to see you here.

Also on September 19, 6:00 PM- Annual Literacy Night.  Come out and find out some great tips for at home, hear some great stories, and learn more about our EL Language Arts Curriculum.

September 20, Digital Learning Day.  This is ASYNCHRONOUS learning, meaning that the teacher will provide assignments, but the students do the work independently.  No new learning should be taking place on Digital Learning Days.  You can reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

September 27, 7:15, All Pro Dad meeting in the gym.  Look out for more information about joining and participating with this wonderful organization.

I do hope each of our families have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend.  

Your VERY PROUD and MOTIVATED BUT TIRED Principal,

Paul

Good day, Tigers.  I hope the weekend was exactly what you needed to rest up and recharge.  The cooler temperatures and beautiful days tease us with an approaching fall; however, we know that the Georgia weather is tricking us and summer, part 2 will be coming soon.

Last weeks tragedy at Apalachee HS significantly impacted our community.  Any tragedy involving schools and children are heartbreaking, but when the school is this close to home the ties between their community and ours makes it even more difficult.  Please continue to keep the students, parents, faculty and staff, and the first responders in your prayers as they continue to process what has happened.  As a school and a school district, we continuously strive to improve our regular procedures and processes with school safety being the main the main lens in which we view and assess our practices. I pray that through this terrible tragedy we can learn something to make our schools even safer.

Cooper Elementary School named its Local Teacher of the Year this past Friday morning.  Dr. Megan Perrer, third grade teacher, was selected  by her peers to represent our school as she moves on to compete at the district level.  Dr. Perrer has worked at Cooper ES as an assistant principal and a teacher for many years and is also part of our Archer Community.  The two finalists were Mrs. Teresa Blackman (3rd Grade) and Mrs. Susan Gerbus (4th Grade).

On Thursday, I hosted the first ever Popsicles in the Park with Papa Paul.  I couldn't believe the turn-out!  I had such a good time meeting grandparents... especially finding out what they are called by their grandchildren.  That was a lot of fun.  Thank you, parents, for getting the word to your parents so they could attend.

Picture Day is coming!  On Thursday, September 12, BPI will be here to photograph ALL of our children.  Keep an eye out for flyers to find out how you can purchase your child's pictures.  The pictures taken Thursday will be the picture that will be in our yearbook.

Some other upcoming dates...
September 19, Literacy Night
September 20, Digital Learning Day

I wish you all a wonderful week.  May you stay healthy and safe.  

Until we meet again.

Your VERY PROUD and DETERMINED Principal,

Paul

Happy Friday, Tigers!
Week three of school is in the books, and we are quickly finding our groove for the school year.  Transportation has settled down, and car rider is operating efficiently

A couple of reminders and bits of information for you... 3rd-5th Grade Curriculum Night is this Thursday.  Please come out to hear about your child's school year and your child's classroom procedures.  We had a good turnout last night for our K-2nd Grade Curriculum Night.  You can also meet our chickens in the Cooper Coop.  Popsicles with the Peeps is before Curriculum Night and between sessions.

Our fundraiser is over.  You have helped raise just under $20,000 for our newly formed PTO.  Thank you for all you did to make this successful.  Fun fact... donations came from 30 different states and two different countries! 

Speaking of PTO, you can now join PTO via My Payments Plus.  My wife and I are both members of Cooper's PTO and I would encourage your whole family to join as well.  The best news is that we keep your $5 dues RIGHT HERE AT COOPER!

You'll be getting communication about our Parent Handbook with a sign-off procedure.  Please be sure to read over the handbook.  One B-I-G change this year is our procedure for handling students returned on the bus because no one is at the stop and students left from car rider in the afternoon.  Because this is such a big change with heavy consequences, I wanted to point this out...

Last thing before things get too heavy... parent drop off in the morning ends at 8:47.  The faculty and staff on duty have responsibilities in the building.  We begin unloading at 8:20.  I ask that you please plan your morning to ensure you have your child IN CLASS ready to learn no later than 8:50.
 

Returned Bus Riders/Late Car Rider Pick-up

After the first week of school, the Gwinnett County Public School has procedures for students returned to school by the bus in the afternoon because they didn’t have an adult at their bus stop.  The same procedure will be applied for car rider students not picked up by an adult in the afternoon.  It is very important to communicate with the school any extenuating circumstances that interfere with receiving your child from school as soon as possible.

• First Incident: School manages the situation by contacting parent(s), guardian, or emergency contacts for pick up.

• Second Incident: School manages the situation by contacting parent(s), guardian, or emergency contacts for pick up. The school is to notify the Administrative Assistant for GCPS Safety and Security no later than the following morning to make a report that will include the child's name, parent/guardian names, contact phone number, and dates of returns or late pick-ups.

• Third Incident: Principal or designee contacts Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) to make a referral for neglect.

This is heavy, I know.  This is also the district's procedure that has been in place for the last several years.  Please please please communicate with the school if you have an emergency.  Emergencies happen.

I will not be in school next week.  My wife and I are going to Virginia to help our son and daughter-in-law with our brand new grandaughter... that's right, I'm a Papa Paul!  I wish you all well in by absence and I know that you are great hands.

Your VERY PROUD and NOT OLD BUT A GRANDPA ANYWAY Principal,
Paul