Dr. Vanessa C. Watkins

Email address- vanessa.watkins@cobbk12.org

Office number- 770-819-2438 ext 224

Cooper's Website- www.cobbk12.org/cooper

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns and to ask about volunteer opportunities.

Ending well and a jump start for fall

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are almost at the end of another school year. In 13 days the 2011-2012 school year will come to a close and most students will be promoted or placed in the next grade. 

We hope that you take the time to reflect with your student the academic and social areas in which he or she excelled and those areas in need of improvement.  The next grade will  bring new challenges but none that our students cannot meet and surpass.

Also, please make sure that your child has an opportunity to be challenged academically this summer as well as have an opportunity to relax and socialize.  The summer should not be a time to vegetate for two months. The new common core curriculum will require all students to perform at a higher level, and enrolling your child in a summer academic program would be a great way to give them a head start.

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins 

Parent Involvement Opportunities

Parents and Guardians,

Strong schools with positive school cultures expect and encourage parents to be involved in parent organizations and to volunteer throughout the school.  Parents are the community ambassadors for schools, and your opinion matters to us, your friends and family members.  The more connected you are to your child's school, the more knowledge you will have of what is working well and what needs to be changed.

At Cooper, parents have the opportunity to join and become active in the PTSA, school council, and the Cooper Foundation.  The purpose of the PTSA is to advocate for all students and to increase parental participation throughout the school. The school council is made up of parents and teachers and serves as an advisory group on matters such as the strategic plan, class size, the budget, etc. The Cooper Foundation is managed by the Cobb Foundation, and our purpose is to raise funds for school programs that are not funded by Cobb County.

As we look towards making plans for next year, we hope that you will inquire about and make plans to become more active in at least one of these groups to help strengthen Cooper's abililty to support our students and create a stronger and more positive school environment. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins 

 

needed to assist with keeping the lines of communication open in order toThere are several ways for you to get involved in the school.  

 

The CRCT is coming!

Parents and Guardians,

On Wednesday, April 18, all Cooper students will begin taking the CRCT.  Students in the 8th grade must pass the CRCT in order to be promoted to the ninth grade. 

All parents can assist their children by doing a few simple things:

Make sure that your child gets a good night's rest, Make sure that there are no new routines introduced (visitors, etc.), Make sure that your child eats a healthy breakfast, Make sure that your child arrives to school on time and every day, and Encourage your child to do his or her best.

We had a very exciting pep rally last week to get students inspired about doing their best on the state test.  Your encouragement can assist your child as well.

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

College visits during spring break

Parents and guardians,

Spring break is the perfect time to take your child on a college visit. Even middle school students can benefit from seeing and hearing what they need to do now in order to make it to college.

There are so many colleges in the metropolitan Atlanta area that even if you don't plan to go outside of the area for spring break your choices are almost endless.

According to Greatschools.org, it is also a great idea to take younger siblings along so that they can begin to think about their future beyond high school at an early age. Greatschools.org is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire and guide parents to become effective champions of their children's education at home and in their communities.  Visit their website and sign up for daily email tips about ways to support your child's education.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Watkins

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  ways to support your child's education.

Upcoming CRCT in April

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On Wednesday, April 18, and for several days thereafter, all 6-8 grade students will be taking the CRCT, Georgia's state test for students in all elementary and middle schools.  The test will be administered for all content areas- English language arts, reading, math, social studies, and science.  

Our teachers are currently completing review activities during the first portion of each class period to ensure that students can master the concepts being tested.  

We are also in the second week of "Math Madness."  Each morning during homeroom the students watch a grade specific video of a math concept which is demonstrated by one of the math teachers.  Students are then given about 10 minutes to complete related math problems.  Administrators and other staff members walk around to classrooms and pass out candy to those students who have correctly completed the problems. The students seem to really love the videos and all of the "hype" placed around Math Madness.  We are also preparing for a CRCT pep rally the end of March.

Stay tuned for more CRCT updates.

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Dear Parents and Guardians:

As we continue to partner together to provide a rigorous and relevant education for all of our students, we wanted to remind parents that you have the right to request a parent/teacher conference.  You do not have to wait for your child's teachers to contact you for a conference.  Please feel free to contact teachers via email and by calling the school and leaving a message with a return phone number.

Also, conferences do not have to be requested only when the student is not doing well in a particular class.  You may have concerns about the classroom procedures, grading policy, etc.  It helps us do our job better when parents consider themselves partners in the education of their children and when they are proactive in keeping the lines of communication open between the school and home. 

It takes all of us to do all of this.

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

 

Common Core Parent Meeting

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The PTSA will be hosting a Common Core Parent Information Meeting this Tuesday, February 28, at 6:00 P.M. in the theatre.  The meeting will be lead by Dr. Pam Dingle from the district's Curriculum and Instruction department.

Parents who attend can earn a dress down day this Friday for their children.

The Common Core will be the new curriculum for students in grades K-12 in the state of Georgia and 45 states in English language arts and math beginning next week.  It is very important that parents begin to learn about the new curriculum changes that will be implemented.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

Teacher's Blogs

Parents and Guardians,

Please continue to check the teachers' blogs on a regular basis.  The blogs should include daily/ weekly assignments, quizzes, tests, and links to websites that will assist students with learning the material.

Checking the blog is one of the easiest ways to hold your child accountable for homework assignments and to monitor that the teacher is posting assignments that are detailed and current. 

All teachers are expected to post information to their blogs on a weekly basis in order to keep parents and students up to date on assignments. 

By working together we can all ensure that students achieve at very high levels.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

 

 

 

Progress Reports Sent Home this Week

Parents and Guardians,

This Friday, February 17, progress reports will be sent home with students.  These are the first set of grades for the second semester.  

If you have any questions concerning your child's grades, please contact your child's teachers by calling the school or emailing them.  All of the teacher's email addresses may be found on Cooper's website.

The best way to determine your child's weekly assignments is to check the teachers' blogs. The blogs should have homework assignments and quizzes and tests listed so that you do not have to solely depend on what your middle schooler tells you.  This also helps you to hold your child accountable for completing those assignments.  

Again, please keep in touch with your child's teachers so that we can all work together for the success of your child.

Sincerely,

Dr. Watkins

Instructional Technology Sites to Visit

Hello Parents and Guardians,

There are some resources we wanted to share with you to help support your student's learning.  The following Apps may be downloaded for free to help with homework or projects:

Algebra Pro, Your Teacher, and Khan Academy (on YouTube).  All of these sites have tutorials where concepts are demonstrated in almost all of the content areas. 

Please have your child visit these sites and let us know if they were in fact helpful.

Thank you,

Dr. Watkins