Cottonwood-Oak Creek Schools

Teamwork Tuesday is going strong! 💙🤝

Spirit Week continues at our District Office, and today our Executive Leadership Team showed exactly what teamwork looks like. Leaders proudly represented schools that helped shape their journeys—including Oak Creek Elementary, Verde Tech, Mountain View Preparatory, Dr. Daniel Bright, and Cottonwood Community School—a reminder that strong roots grow strong leaders. We’re especially proud that Mrs. Winters, Mrs. Janssen, and Mrs. Vocca are home-grown leaders, carrying forward the values of this community and doing what’s right for kids. Dr. Alley and Mrs. Woodword also bring their extraordinary talents and gifts to our team, strengthening the work we do every day for our students.

Mrs. Amato showed her school spirit for North Babylon High, Class of ’86, while Mr. Livingston proudly represented King’s Academy—proof that different paths can come together as one strong team.

Different schools. Shared purpose. One team, working together for our students and community. 💪🏫✨

🎉📚 Huge shoutout to our incredible 1st and 2nd graders at OCS! 🥳 This quarter, they've put in so much hard work and dedication to their reading, math, and everything in between! ✏️🧮

Today, they’re taking a well-deserved break and enjoying a fun movie 🎬 to celebrate all their efforts. But that's not all... our 1st graders have also been flexing their creative muscles! 💡📝 They wrote their very own advertisements to hire kids as elves—talk about creativity and teamwork! 👏🎅✨

These kiddos are showing what it means to work hard AND have fun. Keep it up, OCS! 💪 #OCSpride #FirstAndSecondGradeRock #HardWorkPaysOff #ElfAdventures

🏹 On Target for Success: COCSD Archery Hits the Bullseye! 🎯

We are incredibly grateful for the growing archery program thriving in the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District! 🏹👏 A huge thank you to Coach Day, along with the dedicated volunteers and coaches from our local archery community who work tirelessly to keep this time-honored sport alive for the next generation. The community support has been nothing short of amazing! 💙

This past Saturday, all four schools—DDB, MVP, CCS, and OCS—came together at the CCS gym for the Winter Fun Shoot ❄️🎯. Our after-school archery clubs showcased their talent, focus, and hard work in a tournament-style setting. Thank you to CCS for hosting and bringing everyone together! 🙌

Once again, thank you to Coach Day and all of the outstanding coaches who teach more than just archery skills through our 21st CCLC after-school programs. You’re instilling sportsmanship, teamwork, goal-setting, and camaraderie—lessons these students will carry for life. 💪🏽🏹
Thank you for making a difference! 💙👏

☕🍪🧣 Comfy, Cozy, Cocoa Monday at the District Office! 🧣🍪☕

The week started off right at the District Office with Comfy, Cozy, Cocoa Monday! Staff bundled up in their comfiest attire and enjoyed a hot cocoa and cookie bar that brought plenty of smiles and warmth to the day. 🍫❄️

Good traditions matter. A little comfort, a lot of teamwork, and a shared focus on the important work we do for our students and families. 💙🏫

📚✨ Future Educators in Action! ✨📚

VACTE students were at the District Office today taking a big step toward their future by completing their ParaPro exam! 📝🎓 These students are part of the Educators Rising program, led by mentor and educator extraordinaire Mrs. Genna Adams 👩‍🏫🌟

This is how we grow our own—students putting in the work, learning the profession, and preparing to serve the next generation. We are proud of their dedication, focus, and commitment to education. The future of our classrooms is bright! 🍎📖💙

🎉 Spirit Week is officially underway at the COCSD District Office! 🎉

Our staff didn’t just catch the spirit — they ran with it. This year’s door decorating has been taken to the next level, and the creativity, teamwork, and good old-fashioned fun are on full display.

Now it’s your turn! 👉 Vote for your favorite door and help us crown this year’s Spirit Week champion.

This is what makes our district special: people who show up, work hard, and still make time to build culture and community. Let the voting begin! 👏🚪✨

We had a great District PLC on Wednesday at DDB! Thank you to everyone for your collaboration and hard work on assessments. A special thank you to COCSD Governing Board members Mary Valenzuela and Ruth Ellen Elinski for joining us and supporting our work. We are also grateful to Tanya and the Sodexo team, Verde Tech High School, and Bent River Farms for providing the delicious, fresh-pressed apple cider. We truly appreciate everyone who helped make the afternoon a success! 🍎

Now that MVP's After-School Clubs have ended for the term (sob!), we want to take a moment to thank our amazing club leaders and volunteers, as well as the supporting staff across COCSD: You make students' lives so much richer, every single day. Your kindness, compassion, and dedication to the children's wellbeing is an inspiration!

Clubs begin again on January 26th! We're working on the enrollment form now, so stay tuned.

🎄✨ Spirit Week is coming to Oak Creek Elementary! ✨🎄
Next week is all about celebrating the season and bringing our school community together the way we always have—full of joy, tradition, and a little friendly fun.

Make sure your students join in on the holiday spirit each day. These moments add to the memories that make school special. Let’s finish the year strong and enjoy every bit of the festivities! 🎅📚❄️

Moments like this remind us why that connection matters.
At Oak Creek Elementary, we’re lucky to have YCSO Deputy Hall as our school safety officer — a familiar face who’s built his reputation on one simple gesture: handing out stickers to students every single day. It may seem small, but that steady, friendly connection goes a long way in building trust with kids.

And today, the kids paid him back in the best way.

They caught Deputy Hall off guard and covered him from head to toe in stickers. He stood there laughing, letting them have their moment, proving once again that real safety starts with relationships — the kind built through consistency, kindness, and showing kids you’re in their corner.

This is what positive relationship-building looks like. It’s the everyday interactions that make students feel seen, safe, and supported. We’re grateful for Deputy Hall and the genuine bond he’s created with our Oak Creek kids.

✨ Holiday Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Teddy Armstrong ✨

This season, we’re celebrating the traditions that shaped Teddy Armstrong in the best possible ways. Growing up in the White Mountains of Arizona, Teddy’s family didn’t have much—but they had service, music, and the great outdoors, and that was more than enough.

Teddy’s father, a schoolteacher in their small community, led by example. Holidays meant delivering fresh-baked bread to neighbors, cutting Christmas trees for widows on their street, and shoveling snowy driveways. Those early moments taught Teddy the kind of joy that only comes from helping others. ❤️

Teddy’s childhood was also filled with music—church choirs, school choirs, and singing carols around the Christmas tree. Those songs still bring back the warmth of simpler times. 🎶🎄

And every winter break, Teddy’s dad made sure the family got outside to soak in the quiet beauty of nature. Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking—each adventure carved out memories that still guide Teddy today. ❄️🌲

Now, Teddy and her husband are passing those traditions on to their four sons. They spend their time biking, hiking, camping, singing—and, just as importantly, serving. Every year, they quietly choose someone who might be struggling or spending the holidays alone and find a way to lift their spirits.

It’s a reminder that when we take time to serve others, we see our own blessings more clearly. ❤️✨

Help us celebrate Teddy Armstrong and the heart she brings to this season!