Cooper Elementary School

Kindergarten Pre-Registration Starts Monday!

Cooper, our mission statement is, “We are a family of innovators who create pathways to learn, connect, and inspire.” This week, we will take a big step towards fulfilling this mission by starting Cooper Academies for our 4th grade students. Cooper Academies is a partnership between our school and our greater school community. This week’s academies will feature visitors from programs at Bentonville High School, Bentonville West High School, and Ignite. Later in the semester, we will bring in community partners for additional hands-on learning experiences. Each month, fourth grade students will have a learning experience within their academy. Our K-3 students, on the other hand, will have the opportunity to learn about pathways and careers during our annual Career Day. Career Day will allow students to discover areas of interest and help drive our academies in the future. We are excited to see our students learn, connect, and find inspiration from our greater school community this semester. Below is a quick promo from this week's Bronco Breakdown. It’s an exciting time to be a Bronco! http://tinyurl.com/Cooperacademies

Elf on a shelf, carols, holiday parties, and more. Today is another special day at Cooper Elementary!

This month’s staff member of the month is Kay Mills. Mrs. Mills is an instructional assistant and member of our WIN Team. She is in her second year in that role. WIN is an hour block of time where students receive support, intervention, and extension. She wears many hats at Cooper Elementary. You can find her in every area of the building at some point during the day. She starts the day in the cafeteria, monitoring and assisting students as they eat breakfast. Soon after, she spends time supporting students and teachers during WIN. She does this for all five grade levels at our school. You can also find Mrs. Mills in the cafeteria during several lunches, running the procedures, sharing stories, telling jokes, opening up milk cartons, and more. In short, Mrs. Mills is everywhere and is always willing to help. Mrs. Mills plays an important role in each student's growth, and she does much of this work behind the scenes and oftentimes, without the credit she deserves. She does an incredible job. Kay and I started our journey at Cooper Elementary at the same time, and it has been a pleasure to work alongside her. She is an excellent source of support for our students and our entire staff. I appreciate that she approaches situations with a problem solver’s mindset. She is also a learner who is working on her Canva video production skills. She’s awesome. Please help me celebrate Kay Mills, our December Staff Member of the Month! --Josh

Meet Stephanie Dwyer…or should we say, “Welcome back, Stephanie Dwyer!” We missed you and are so glad to have you back at Cooper Elementary! Mrs. Dwyer began her teaching career in 4th grade at Cooper Elementary two years ago. After venturing to another elementary school closer to her home, she realized that Cooper was the best place to be. Mrs. Dwyer loves the family-like atmosphere at Cooper and stated that Cooper simply feels like home. She is very grateful to have the opportunity to once again serve the students at Cooper. Here are some quick facts about Mrs. Dwyer: * Mrs. Dwyer came to Cooper after teaching 26 years in Southeast Kansas where she was born and raised. * Mrs. Dwyer believes that laughter is good for the soul and loves to make people smile. * Mrs. Dwyer loves to shop. She loves to buy shoes and purses because they always fit. We are so glad to have you back, Stephanie. Cooper feels more complete with you back in one of our classrooms. You are an amazing teacher but also a beloved coworker, mentor and friend.--Rachel

Today, 4th grade families are starting the process of selecting their student’s Cooper Academy. Cooper Academies are a part of our School of Innovation plan, and the academies will allow 4th grade students the opportunity to explore a Bentonville Schools career strand and learn alongside our broader school community. Cooper kids will participate in monthly activities within their academy. This year, students will select from the following academies: Animal Academy Bike Academy Culinary Academy Flight Academy Medical Skills Academy Performing Arts Academy Technology Academy Video and Film Academy We are excited to extend these learning experiences to our students in these fields in partnership with BHS, BWHS, and Ignite!

Happy Thanksgiving, Broncos!

We want to thank our amazing cafeteria team for their work in serving hundreds of families this week. Thanksgiving is all about coming together as a family and enjoying a meal and time together. This team makes it possible for ALL of our families to come to Cooper and share a meal with their student and our staff. It’s awesome to see a full cafeteria of people enjoying each other’s company and the meal prepared by this exceptional group of people. It is a great experience for our kids, and it’s great for our school. Thank you for going above and beyond for our students, our staff, and our families!

Today was awesome. We enjoyed serving and sharing a meal with our families. We had a HUGE turnout for kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade Thanksgiving lunches. We look forward to seeing our first and third grade families later this week. We’ll be rocking the hair and beard nets then, too. A big thank you to Joan and our amazing cafeteria team. They are exceptional, and hundreds of families enjoyed their hospitality and culinary skills this afternoon! We have so much to be thankful for here at Cooper. It’s great to be a Bronco!

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.