Cooper Elementary School

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. We have an incredible staff at Cooper. Our staff is truly like a family. We hope our teachers and staff feel appreciated all day every day, but we know they feel appreciated this week thanks to our awesome PTO. We want to thank our PTO for their support throughout the year. This week, however, they have gone above and beyond. We all feel very appreciated and very full thanks to the treats, the quiche, the tacos, the coffee, and the love. Wendy Hughes and her team are awesome. We appreciate you, too, PTO!

Today was a great day. Somehow, our staff and PTO managed to keep today's "Vestival" a secret from me (which is crazy). I walked into my office, and every square inch of the floor was covered in balloons. Confetti was everywhere (sorry, King Richard). There were mountains of cards and gifts from students, staff, and parents. It was an awesome way to start the day, but it got even better. I went outside, and kids were rolling up in vests and outfits dressed like me. The school walls were covered in posters and signs with messages from our kids. There was even a card my yard sign in front of the school that read "Happy Vestival" and had everything I love: This school, music, coffee!  The day was filled with hugs and fist bumps. Video messages from kids played during all lunches, and moments ago, I viewed a video from the staff. I'm viewing it again after this post. I still have several weeks here, but I couldn't ask for a better send off. You all are awesome, and I am going to miss this place, our kids, our staff, and our parents so much.  Cooper is a special place, and it has been an incredible experience to be a part of this school and to work with you. There are those impactful moments in life that stick with us. Today was full of those moments. "Vestival" is going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you, Broncos! I'm going to feel your impact for years and years to come. --Josh

Friday night’s Gold Rush was canceled due to weather conditions. So, Coach Lewis has organized a Cooper Gold Rush. This make up Gold Rush will start at 6:00 pm tomorrow evening and will feature a fun run and a 5k. The fun run and 5K will begin at 6:00 in front of Cooper, and both will end at the soccer fields across the street. Please park at the soccer fields across the street since the race will end there. Even if you didn't sign up for the Gold Rush, you are still welcome to run with us. We want to thank Coach Lewis for putting this together for our families. The weather looks like it’s going to be perfect. We hope to see you there!

I would like to recognize our April staff member of the month, Kelly Parks. This is Mrs. Parks first year as a Cooper teacher. However, she has been a part of our school for several years as a parent. Kelly is a fantastic teacher who brings a wide variety of experiences to our team. She is creative, kind, and a bringer of new ideas and strategies. Prior to becoming a Bronco, Kelly taught in a variety of settings and served several grade levels. At Cooper, she is an all star member of our all star 3rd grade team. Kelly also gets results in her classroom. She was a leader in district-wide science growth, and I anticipate growth in other spring assessments, too. On top of that, she creates an incredible classroom culture for her students. Her classroom is kind and supportive, and that is a big part of her students' academic gains. It all starts with relationships, and Kelly creates strong connections with her students, and more importantly, they create strong connections with each other. We are thankful Kelly Parks joined our team this year. Great things are ahead for her! Congrats, Kelly! --Josh

This semester, 4th grade students are experiencing Cooper Academies. Cooper Academies allow students to explore and discover Bentonville Schools career pathways. Students have learned alongside their high school peers in some memorable learning experiences: filming candy bar commercials, piloting airplanes in flight simulators, printing 3D action figures, polishing off their veterinary skills, touring the BHS Arend Arts Center while Into the Woods is in production, learning how to use medical equipment, maintaining and riding bikes, preparing hummus and more. The best part about it: There are still more experiences to come! https://youtu.be/PRXsFO17KZU

STREAM Night was awesome. Thank you to all of our community partners for helping us create a fun, interactive, and straight up awesome night for our families! https://youtu.be/SGZdLFWCvkM?si=T_gBcxltrq1qZ5za

Today’s Total Eclipse of the Cooper was awesome. We want to thank our PTO and Bella Vista PD for helping make today a safe experience for our students and staff. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our school community, and it was exciting to see students’ classroom learning culminate in this event. We also want to give a little shoutout to Mrs. High. Last week, when we communicated our eclipse plan to staff, there was a fun challenge: Rock your hair like “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer Bonnie Tyler for a Sonic drink. Mrs. High came to school with big hair, and in turn, she’ll enjoy a big drink from Sonic. Speaking of crazy hair… tomorrow’s STREAM Week Spirit Day is Crazy Cosmic Hair Day, so we’ll all join in and rock some wild styles!

Today was epic. An April Round Up A Rock, Paper, Scissors Championship Match between King Richard and Ms. Hainline (refereed by Cooper the Bronco + walkup songs + boxing robes + hype teams). A 4th Grade Cooper Academies experience at Thaden Field, Ignite, and BHS complete with flight simulators, 3D action figures, a commercial film production, a backstage tour, incredible medical technology, and more. It was an awesome day to be a Bronco. More images and videos to come!

It’s National Assistant Principal Week--AKA time to celebrate our amazing AP, Mrs. Manus! https://youtu.be/Xyhywc7vN3o

Last week, Cooper team members were able to participate in a three day Dare to Lead leadership training.. This professional development was possible due to a grant we received from the NWA Education Foundation. We applied for this grant in order to expand leadership training, support, and opportunities for our team. We want to grow our own and improve the leadership capacity within our building, our teams, our classrooms, and our individuals. Last week, we were able to make some big progress in the right direction. It was an incredible experience for all of us. Congrats to all who are now Dare to Lead certified!

Unfortunately, Night of the Arts is postponed due to weather. We will reschedule the 3rd grade music performance. However, we will not be able to have a full art gallery experience this year. All framed art is still available for purchase. Please take a moment to check out the online gallery and our students amazing work. Stay safe, Broncos! https://artomestore.com/collections/cooperelementaryschool72714

Night of the Arts will take place Thursday evening in the gym and cafeteria. The gym will be transformed to an art gallery featuring framed art by our students. Their framed works are available for purchase. At 6PM, third graders will perform several songs for families and guests in the cafeteria with a backing band: Mrs. Cowart will be playing guitar, and Mr. Vest will be playing bass guitar. Join us for a great evening of art and music! https://youtu.be/R6GY9IcUrj8

It’s time to announce this year’s Cooper Elementary Teacher of the Year. This year’s teacher of the year received several nominations from staff members and was later selected by staff. She is an incredible teacher and person. If you’ve had the chance to be in her classroom, you’ll agree with us that it is very difficult to leave. In fact, it’s nearly impossible. She builds reading skills, and she builds math skills, but even as important: She builds community in the classroom. Her classroom has a culture of positivity and “can do” attitude that extends from her morning meeting to the last minute of the day. Outside of the classroom, she is a model PLC member who contributes to her team and shares responsibility for every students’ learning at her grade level. Moreover, she is a teacher who naturally seeks opportunities for growth. In fact, she is going back to school to learn more and to get better, and if you visit her class, the lessons keep getting better and better despite the challenges that come her way. It is difficult to believe she is so early in her career. She is already a master and a natural at the art of teaching, and we couldn’t be more proud to name Mrs. Elaine Frost as our Cooper Elementary teacher of the year. Please help us celebrate Mrs. Frost!

The Cooper PTO is hosting a Family Game Night on Friday, March 8th from 6p-8p. This is a great time to get out of the house, play some games together, and enjoy each other! We have games of all kinds, including yard games! Cooper Reads will be selling various food items, with all proceeds going towards the purchase of a book vending machine for the school. This is a free event, but we do ask that you bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to a local food pantry. All families who attend will be entered into a raffle to win some brand new games. We hope you can make it! -Cooper PTO

We start each week with an episode of the Bronco Breakdown, a video series to share information with students about our school, our events, our counseling message, our celebrations, and more. Starting this week, we are able to share full episodes of the Bronco Breakdown with our families. You can access this week’s Bronco Breakdown via our new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@cesbroncos . Subscribe to our channel to receive updates when new videos and Bronco Breakdown episodes are posted. Enjoy!

We are increasing the fun in our school tours. Prospective students will receive a map of “Cooper National Park” to help them navigate the building, learn about encore, transportation, playgrounds, and more. We are also adding some junior rangers as guides, too. Welcome to Cooper, future Broncos! https://youtu.be/pAHGGNxKZBQ

Mrs. Tia Glover is a prized member of our WIN team and our February Staff Member of the Month. Her connections to Cooper began years ago when her children were students and she became the PTO President for 2 years. She loved having a small glimpse inside the school and ways to give back. Last year, a P.E. position opened up and for her, "It opened my eyes to the many ways our children are cared for at Cooper." When asked what she loves about Cooper, she said, "I love that I get to see the excitement when a student understands a concept and the satisfaction that comes from their hard work. I also love the people I get to work alongside. I feel inspired by their dedication and genuine concern for each individual student. Plus, they are just plain fun!" According to members of our Cooper family, Mrs. Glover is incredibly patient and kind. She sees the good in every person and situation and is always looking for ways that she can help make wherever she is a better place. She is the kind of person that makes those around her feel calm and understood. One of her colleagues described Tia says that she "couldn't ask for a better teammate. She makes coming to work super fun. We laugh so much and so hard everyday that it hurts. I can always count on her when I need her and she is always willing to jump in." A few fun facts about Mrs. Glover: The furthest place she has traveled to is New Zealand, where her mom is from. She can play the piano, organ, and ukulele. As you can tell, Tia Glover is a very special member of the Cooper team and is truly loved by all, maybe because everyone around her feels genuinely loved. - Rachel

Join us this Saturday at BHS for the Bentonville Schools Career Fair. This event is for anyone interested in a licensed or classified position at Cooper or elsewhere in Bentonville Schools. We hope to see you there!

We are having an art show! On the 14th, visit the Cooper gallery, featuring framed works of art by our Broncos. Then, step into the cafeteria to enjoy our 3rd grade musical performance. It is going to be a great evening!

The coolest thing happened today in 2nd grade. 2nd grade students secretly organized a baby shower for their teacher, Mrs. Yearber. They stashed gifts in classrooms, donuts in the office, and cookies and balloons in other rooms. They even scheduled it around Mrs. Yearber’s duty schedule. The shower was a student operation, and it was a success. Thank you, Mrs. Yearber’s class for your creativity, planning, and love. You made today exceptionally special and memorable for the Yearber family. They will remember your incredible (and sneaky) kindness for years to come. Photo credits go to, yep, you guessed it: The kids. They tackled that part, too.