Good afternoon, Cooper families! Our staff member of the month for November is Trista Cowart. Mrs. Cowart is our incredible music teacher. She is also the team lead for our Encore Team. Her musical skills were showcased this morning when our 4th grade students performed several songs for their Veterans Day performance. Today's performance was enjoyed by our students, our staff, our parents, and our broader community. It was a great tribute to the service and sacrifice of our veterans. Mrs. Cowart, however, took it to the next level: She traveled with students to take today’s music beyond our school walls and into local retirement homes, creating an impactful experience for kids and retirees alike.
Moreover, she is also a fantastic leader for our Encore Team. Mrs. Cowart gets things done while leading with kindness and integrity. She is also working with the Encore Team to integrate each grade level’s literacy units into Encore classes, creating cross curricular learning opportunities for students. Again, that is taking it to the next level.
I have personally enjoyed working with her on our leadership team and our School of Innovation committee. Mrs. Cowart is someone I trust immensely, and she is someone who can take an idea and make it better by building on it or finding areas to improve. We are a better school because of Trista Cowart and not just because of her work in the music classroom. Her work and presence extend well beyond the classroom and will impact students and staff for years to come. But… don’t just take my word for it. Instead, take a moment to read the nominations she received for staff member of the month, and most importantly, please help me celebrate Trista Cowart as our November staff member of the month!--Josh
“Trista is one of the most encouraging and helpful people I have ever met- she is constantly working to help, not just her team- but every team at the school. She adds a burst of sunshine to every day!”
“She is so amazing! She is beyond helpful to me and our team! I am very thankful to work with her!”
“She has been working so hard trying to make the schedule adjustments easy for the team while continuing with her own teaching.”
“Trista is an amazing team lead and teacher. She brings positivity and a can do attitude to the team, and she helps teammates as well as other teachers and students at Cooper. She is a great music teacher but also a great collaborator. So thankful to work with her every day.”
“Trista is a positive and encouraging team lead, she always looks at the positive side of any situation, and she went out of her way to help our team navigate our new rotation schedule(s).”
Meet Heather Lundy. Ms. Lundy teaches art at Cooper Elementary. When asked what her superpower would be, Ms. Lundy said (in an earlier staff questionnaire), “To automatically make people happy with a swish of my glitter wand.” This statement perfectly captures Ms. Lundy. I do not think I have ever seen her without a big smile. She is a burst of positivity and happiness for our students, our staff, and our entire school community.
Ms. Lundy is also a fantastic art teacher. She has years of experience in the classroom and has worked extensively with elementary art curriculum development and design. We had several incredible applicants for our art position, but we knew Ms. Lundy was the right teacher, the right fit, and the right person. I would spend all day in her classroom if I could get away with it. I have enjoyed polishing up my drawing skills and watercolor skills with her students. She is a fun teacher who opens up the world of art to our kindergarten through fourth grade students.
Moreover, it seems like I am always reminded about how small our world is, and oddly enough, Ms. Lundy and my mom taught together on the same team years ago. My mom was an elementary librarian and friend to Ms. Lundy. We eventually made that impactful connection. I’m thankful our school now gets to enjoy Ms. Lundy’s smile, positivity, and incredible teaching skills. Welcome to Cooper Elementary, Ms. Lundy! --Josh
Meet Stephanie Pick. In case you hadn't noticed, the unmistakable, irreplaceable Stephanie Pick is back home at Cooper this year!
When I interviewed Mrs. Pick about what she loves and missed about Cooper, she said "Cooper has been a part of my family since 2009. Both of my girls attended Cooper. I eventually became a volunteer, involved with PTO, a substitute teacher, and finally a staff member. Although I am grateful for the opportunity to have experienced a different environment within the district, my heart remained at Cooper. The students and staff are like no other. As Dorothy says, 'There's no place like home!'"
She's right! It has been part of the family for many years in a variety of roles and this year she is serving both students and staff as an instructional support member on the WIN team.
It is SO good to have her back!
Here are a few fun facts about Mrs. Pick:
She grew up on an 8,300 acre ranch and know how to do everything that goes along with it.
She gets scared very easily. (Thank goodness Halloween is over!)
She says she is WAY too happy but I disagree--is there even such a thing?
She is obsessed with all things science related.
Welcome home, Stephanie Pick!-- Rachel
Meet Cassidy Pearson. Mrs. Pearson is a special education inclusion teacher who works with our first grade students. She is also the parent of a new baby boy, Coleson, who was born in early September. We split Mrs. Pearson with another school, but make no mistake: She’s a Bronco through and through.
Mrs. Pearson brings several years of experience to our special education team and has been an incredible fit. Our special education support at Cooper is built around inclusive practices, and this requires a strong partnership between special education teachers and general education teachers. Cassidy is a true partner with our first grade team.
Moreover, I have known Cassidy for several years. I had her, her twin brother, and her younger sister in my high school English class. She was a great student then, and she is an awesome teacher now. It makes me feel super old to have a former student on staff, but I couldn’t be happier to have Cassidy on the team. She is a great addition to our special education team and our entire school. We are thankful she is a Bronco. Welcome to Cooper Elementary, Cassidy Pearson! --Josh
Hey Cooper Fam! Cooper is in its Strong Choices Era! Next week starts Strong Choices Week. Strong Choices Week is an elementary friendly version of Red Ribbon Week. We put the focus on the things that are good for our bodies vs. what aren't. Each dress up day represents how making strong choices helps us be great! We are looking forward to a great week. Below is a quick video of a reminder of each day. Have a great weekend!--Mrs. Dumes
https://youtu.be/uwRi3R1y6DY
Each month, Bentonville Schools shares a read aloud by one of the elementary principals. It is called Find Your Story. This month’s Find Your Story features Mr. Vest reading Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom, a book he has read and read and read to his two kiddos. We hope your family enjoys this October read aloud. Click the link below to view it. Have a great evening!
https://youtu.be/IwnhId-KMGQ
Meet Milana Hainline. Ms. Hainline is a new addition to our school, and she is also our October Staff Member of the Month. Ms. Hainline is another one of those teaching candidates who walks into an interview, and you immediately know you should hire her. I went back and looked through our hiring committee’s notes (there were nine of us on that committee), and it was page after page of glows. We also had candidates complete a timed instructional data activity before the interview. She crushed it.
Ms. Hainline is a new teacher, but she already brings so many instructional and collaborative ideas to the table, and more importantly, she brings a willingness to try new approaches. She is a spark that continuously problem solves to find better ways to connect with and to help her students, and she has already had a big, positive impact on several students at Cooper--both in and outside of her classroom.
Ms. Hainline sees the opportunities in education, within our school, within her classroom, and within each student. We are beyond lucky to have her on our team, and we are thankful she is starting a long, successful teaching career here at our school. Welcome to Cooper Elementary, Ms. Hainline! --Josh
Parents, don't forget: Parent Teacher Conferences are next week. We look forward to seeing you and discussing your student's growth. Have a great weekend!
At the beginning of September, the PTO kicked off a fundraiser called the Kindness Calendar. Last year’s Kindness Calendar was very successful and raised a lot of money to support both students and staff at Cooper Elementary. The Kindness Calendar wraps up this week, so Broncos, let's pull together, show some acts of kindness and get those acts sponsored by your friends, family, and neighbors!
Kindness Calendar Video: https://tinyurl.com/CooperkindnessCalendar
Meet Kelly Parks. Mrs. Parks interviewed when we were in the middle of our Arkansas School of Innovation (SOI) application. Our SOI team was deep in conversations about personalized learning, project based learning, and student centered teaching. The interview team was looking for the best teacher, but ideally, we would find someone who could help us with our SOI goals, too. In walked Kelly Parks.
It was quickly apparent that Mrs. Parks would be an incredible addition to Cooper Elementary. I knew Mrs. Parks as a Cooper parent, but I didn’t know her as a teacher. She is the real deal. She brings several years of teaching experience and innovative ideas to our third grade team and our entire staff. She has taught in a variety of settings and utilized a variety of curricula throughout her career including International Baccalaureate curriculum (which is all project based). Moreover, I still remember her portfolio, a creative multipage record of her teaching. It was a great showcase of Mrs. Parks as a teacher and person. She is an innovative teacher, and we are already starting to see her students express their learning in creative, innovative ways--just check out the pics of a recent literacy lesson that ended up including Legos, student-written poems, artwork, and more. We are super lucky to have her as a teacher, coworker, and Cooper parent. Please help me welcome Mrs. Kelly Parks to the Cooper family! --Josh
Our staff member of the month for September is Richard Lowe. Around here, we call him “Mr. Richard” or “King Richard.” He is a great example of what it means to be a Bronco. He is hardworking, kind, and patient. He takes pride in his work, and he works around the clock (literally) to make sure our school is clean and ready for learning. You might see him in the lunchroom, in the hallways, in a classroom, or around the school grounds. He is everywhere he is needed.
King Richard is a big part of our school family. He serves our staff and students well beyond his work role and duties. He is not just a colleague--he is a friend, and we hope he realizes how much our school depends on him and appreciates him. King Richard received several nominations for staff member of the month. It is well deserved, and we--as a staff--are grateful he is a part of our school.
Please help us celebrate King Richard this month and throughout the year at Cooper Elementary. If you happen to see King Richard, please thank him for his work--he deserves it.
Good afternoon, Cooper families! Are you interested in being involved on campus this year? If you are looking to make an impact on Cooper whether it be a Bronco Buddy, Classroom Helper, Homeroom Parent, Guardian in Action or an extra set of hands this is for you!
Volunteer Orientation will be held on Thursday, September 7th at 9 AM! We look forward to seeing you there. We can’t wait to partner with you this school year to help better our school and students!
Today’s Bronco Breakdown feature is our new outro. Our new outro centers on two things: Our 2023-2024 theme and our new mission statement.
Our theme is Cooper National Park: Together We Can Move Mountains.
Our mission is, “We are a family of innovators who create pathways to learn, connect, and inspire.” The “we” in this statement includes you, our parents. You are an important part of our school community. We will breakdown this mission more in the near future. In the meantime, click the link below to view this year's Bronco Breakdown outro.
https://tinyurl.com/BroncoOutro
Good afternoon, Cooper families! Today’s feature from this week’s Bronco Breakdown is “How to Use Your ID on the Bus: A Cooper Tutorial.” Click the link below to learn how your student uses his or her to enter and exit the bus. Bus service is a great option for our kids. Our buses only serve Cooper students and most of our routes are short. Moreover, parents are now able to track their student’s bus location using an easy-to-navigate app.
https://tinyurl.com/2raf9ur9
It was awesome to see our families at last night’s Open House. We want to give a special shoutout to our PTO for their work in transforming our building into Cooper National Park. Wendy Hughes and her team do a fantastic job supporting our students, staff, and parents. We hope you took a moment to enjoy their incredible decorations and to thank them for their hard work. Yesterday, the PTO also provided lunch for our staff and worked both open houses. We are incredibly fortunate to have a next level PTO. Thank you Cooper PTO!
This morning, our teachers kicked off the year with a classic Cooper Round Up, complete with a Pom Pom welcome (thanks Cooper PTO families), the Cooper Bronco, Big 3 Awards, celebrations (including Mrs. Dumes’s birthday), and a teacher game featuring our new teachers. In the afternoon, teachers led learning rotations. It was great to have everyone back. A big shoutout to Allen’s in Bella Vista for allowing us to use some shopping carts. The carts allowed teachers to have some fun while they picked up curriculum materials. Thank you for an awesome first day back, Broncos!
Good afternoon, Cooper families! We are excited to see you at next Thursday’s Open House. Kindergarten students will have Open House from 2:00-4:00, and students in grades 1-4 will have Open House from 4:00-6:30. If you are going to be out of town during Open House, don’t worry: Your student’s teacher will contact you before school starts.
In addition, last year, we created a Cooper Elementary Overview. This document was designed to provide one space for all necessary Cooper information. We have updated our overview for the 2023-2024 school year, and we will continue to update it throughout the year as we identify missing pieces of information, updates, etc. We want to make navigating our school as easy as possible, and we hope this resource helps your family as you start a new school year with us. The 2023-2024 Cooper Elementary Overview is available at https://tinyurl.com/cooperoverview .
Today, we would like to highlight the Bus Transportation section of the Cooper Elementary Overview. We are very lucky to have buses assigned to Cooper students only. Our students do not ride the bus with older students or students from other schools. Moreover, last year, Bentonville Schools started using Transportant, a program that significantly upgraded bus technology. Now, parents can track their student’s bus location and receive a notification for each pick-up and drop-off. Adding a bus transportation plan is a simple process, and once you have a bus transportation plan, it is easy to set and manage notifications. Check out the transportation section to learn more about bus service for your student.
Have a great evening, Broncos!
Broncos, we hope your summer has been amazing and full of fun. We hope your upcoming school year is also amazing and full of fun. We’ll kick off the 2023-2024 school year with Open House on Thursday, August 10. Kindergarten students will have Open House from 2:00-4:00, and students in grades 1-4 will have Open House from 4:00-6:30.
It’s going to be a great year, and we look forward to seeing all of our students and families on the 10th. Have a great weekend, Broncos!
Good afternoon, Cooper families! I want to thank you for a great year. I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Cooper Elementary. I have enjoyed getting to know each of you and your students. It’s been an awesome fit from day one, and I look forward to working with you and your family next year.
Moreover, this morning, we started the week like we always do: With an episode of the Bronco Breakdown. This week’s episode featured a year in review. You may view it via the link below.
It’s been a pleasure, and I’m excited about the future of Cooper. Have a great summer! --Josh
https://tinyurl.com/cooperyearinreview
Earlier this semester, two students from Bentonville Schools, a Cooper kid, Gunner, and an Old High kid, Trinity, visited the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team. Why? They have alopecia and Razorback Star and future NBA player Jordan Walsh wanted to help them by sharing his experiences with alopecia. Jordan and the Razorback staff went above and beyond to spend time with our students and to make an impact. This week, these students discussed their experiences with alopecia with ALL 4th grade students. They explained the condition to better educate their peers. The presentation was amazing and so beneficial for all.
We are so proud of Gunner and Trinity for sharing their story, and we are thankful for Jordan, who shared his story. Together, we are stronger.
It gets better: After their presentation, Gunner was awarded several 4th grade honors:
-He was recognized for highest growth in his class in literacy.
-He was awarded for highest growth in his class in math.
-He was awarded high academic achievement in literacy.
-He was awarded high academic achievement in math.
-He was presented the PE outstanding student award for 4th grade.
These two students have grown so much this year, and their growth was evident on stage this week. A big shoutout to their families, teachers, peers, and Jordan Walsh. A little bit of kindness goes a long way, and this week, it extended from the court to our school.
