Cottonwood-Oak Creek Schools

This week, Mr. Dalton, YCSO Deputy Hawkins, and Officer Roger Scarem attended the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) School Safety & Security Summit in Litchfield Park.

They joined state and national leaders in school safety, including Dr. Kenneth Trump, Dr. Paul Tighe, John Michael Keys of The “I Love You Guys” Foundation, Yavapai County Superintendent Steve King, and retired Superintendent Tim Carter.

The focus of the summit was on making schools safer through:
💙 Preparedness in uncertain times
💙 Supporting student mental health as part of safety
💙 Working together as a whole community
💙 Preventing violence
💙 Strengthening reunification protocols

Parents and families can feel confident knowing our school and law enforcement partners are actively learning, planning, and working together to keep our schools safe, supportive, and ready for any challenge.

Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Richard Dambrov

Mr. Richard Dambrov is in his 15th year of teaching and his 4th year at Verde Tech High School, where he serves as Lead Teacher and teaches high school math, science, and first-year agriscience.

Mr. Dambrov is passionate about creating real-world learning opportunities for his students. In his agriscience classes, students learn the science of agriculture through hands-on labs and then apply their knowledge at a local farm, gaining valuable skills while helping to grow healthy food in the community.

Outside of school, Mr. Dambrov enjoys mountain biking, traveling, and camping with his family.

We are proud to recognize Mr. Dambrov for his dedication, creativity, and leadership at Verde Tech High School and within the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District.

🍎 FREE Meals for All Students – All Year Long! 🥪

We’re excited to share that Sodexo is providing FREE breakfast and lunch for every student, every school day, all year long – no forms, no fees, just delicious, nutritious meals!

Fuel your student’s day with a healthy start and a satisfying lunch to help them learn and grow.

📅 Breakfast + Lunch = Always Free
📋 Check out our daily menu here: https://cocsd.nutrislice.com/menus-eula

Because when students eat well, they learn well! 💙

#COCSD #FreeMealsForAll #Sodexo #SchoolMeals

📱 Have you heard about the Wait Until 8th Pledge?

It empowers parents to join together in delaying smartphones for kids until at least the end of 8th grade—helping reduce pressure on both students and families.

This movement aligns with Arizona HB 2484 and COCSD’s new policy: students may not use cell phones or electronic devices on school grounds—including lunch and breaks—unless a teacher gives explicit permission. Phones must also be stored during instructional time.

Learn more about the pledge here ➡️ https://www.waituntil8th.org

Good evening MVP families... if your student was riding the Wild Burro bus route and your bus stop was canceled, we have great news. We are able to reintegrate a larger bus into our fleet which will allow us to transport more students for this route. Starting Monday, 8/18/25 the following stops are reactivated:
Fir & 12th St/Verde Dr
Fir & 6th St/Paradise Rd
Fir & Monte Tesoro

The times will be the same as they were before the cancellation. Routes are available to view on our district website or click the link below. Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience the cancellation has caused, but we're happy we were able to come up with a solution before too long. Have a great weekend! -Daniel Maldonado, Transportation Director
https://www.cocsd.us/o/cced/page/transportation

🍎 FREE Meals for All Students – All Year Long! 🥪

We’re excited to share that Sodexo is providing FREE breakfast and lunch for every student, every school day, all year long – no forms, no fees, just delicious, nutritious meals!

Fuel your student’s day with a healthy start and a satisfying lunch to help them learn and grow.

📅 Breakfast + Lunch = Always Free
📋 Check out our daily menu here: https://cocsd.nutrislice.com/menus-eula

Because when students eat well, they learn well! 💙

#COCSD #FreeMealsForAll #Sodexo #SchoolMeals

🚨 Parents – Quick Check! 🚨

We need YOUR help to keep your child safe! 🛡️💙
Log in here: https://cocsd.apscc.org/PXP2_Login.aspx and make sure:

📲 Emergency contacts are current
🩺 Health forms & conditions are complete
📘 Handbook user agreement is signed

⏳ Must be completed by TODAY or your account will be locked and you’ll need to contact your school’s office to regain access.

It only takes a few minutes – but makes a BIG difference!

✅ Update now to help us care for your child in any situation.

#COCSD #UpdateNow #StudentSafety

📚✨ Celebrate Readers in Sedona! ✨📚

Join us for the Celebrate Readers! event on Saturday, October 4th at the Community Library Sedona.

This special day is brought to you by Imagination Library and Unisource—two organizations dedicated to sparking the joy of reading and supporting lifelong learning. 📖💡

Bring your friends, family, and little book lovers for a day filled with stories, fun, and community spirit. Let’s come together to honor the power of books and the magic of imagination!

📅 When: Saturday, October 4th
📍 Where: Community Library Sedona

Let’s make this a chapter to remember! ❤️📚

#CelebrateReaders #SedonaLibrary #ImaginationLibrary #Unisource #LoveToRead #CommunityEvent

Good afternoon OCS families... due to shortage of drivers we will not be able to run the Big Horn Sheep AM route tomorrow, Fri 8/15/25. If your student rides Big Horn in the morning, please find an alternate way to get to school that day. We WILL be able to run the PM route and your kids will get home on Fri. We do apologize for this major inconvenience. - Daniel Maldonado, Transportation Director

🌟 Supporting Student Mental Health & Wellbeing 🌟

At COCSD, we believe in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students so they can reach their full potential—both in school and in life. 💙

That’s why we’re excited to share that we’ve partnered with Cartwheel, a trusted mental health provider for K-12 schools, to bring additional support to our students and families.

Through Cartwheel, our students and families have rapid access to telehealth services, including:
✅ 1:1 therapy
✅ Medication evaluation & management
✅ Parent guidance
✅ Family therapy

If you think your child could benefit from these services, please reach out to a member of our school counseling team.

Together, we can help our students thrive—academically, emotionally, and socially. 💬✨

#COCSD #StudentWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #CartwheelCare #StrongerTogether

🚨 Powerful Message. Real Impact. 🚨

COCSD was proud to partner with MATFORCE to bring Michael DeLeon — the #1 booked school presenter in the nation — to our schools! 🎤✨

Michael, founder of Steered Straight, Inc. and creator of Beyond Scared Straight, shared his powerful story and inspired our students to:
💡 Find their purpose
💬 Talk with family & trusted adults
🚫 Avoid alcohol, nicotine & drugs

From a troubled past to a mission of hope, Michael’s message is clear: Your choices shape your future.

Thank you MATFORCE & Michael DeLeon for making a difference! 💙
#COCSD #MATFORCE #SteeredStraight #MichaelDeLeon #PositiveChoices

Good morning MVP families... a little good news. The numbers are not as high for the AM run of Wild Burro, so we will continue to pick up along the Fir St. stops, MORNING ONLY. This includes the following....

Fir St & 12th
Fir St & 6th
Fir St & Monte Tesoro

I am sorry for the confusion, but hope this helps out some in getting your students to school. The stop times will remain as they previously were. We are still not dropping students off at those locations in the PM. Please send anyone looking to drive our school buses our way so we can re-establish those stops in the routes. Thank you - Daniel Maldonado, Transportation Director.

Shout out to the Cottonwood Home Depot team and the Milwaukee Tool representative for their stellar customer service! Thank you for going above and beyond to help Verde Tech High School purchase items for our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs—we appreciate your support for our students’ hands-on learning!

🎉 Congratulations, Teddy Armstrong! 🎉

We’re thrilled to announce that Teddy Armstrong, our incredible 21st Century Coordinator, has been selected as a recipient of a $500 Classroom Grant by Findlay Subaru in Prescott! 🚗🍎

Teddy was featured in the Yavapai County Education Foundation’s Tribute to Educators Magazine last spring, and this well-deserved recognition speaks volumes about the professionalism, passion and dedication Teddy brings to our district every day.

Teddy will be honored at a special celebration hosted by Findlay Subaru on August 27th at 5:00 PM in Prescott. 📅🎊

👏 Let’s all take a moment to say — Congratulations, Teddy! Your hard work and unwavering commitment to our students and programs make a real difference. We are so proud of you!

#COCSDPride #ThankYouTeddy #21stCenturyLeader #EducationMatters #FindlaySubaru #YCEF #ClassroomGrant

🚍✨ Big News from COCSD Student Support Services! ✨🚍

We’re thrilled to share that a few weeks ago, our Student Support Services team welcomed a brand-new multi-handicapped bus into the fleet! 🛠️💙

Today, our incredible Transportation Department and Niles Radio was hard at work getting it fully equipped with radios and GPS—just one more important step to ensure our students’ safety on the road. 📡🛰️

We can’t wait to get this beautiful bus rolling and serving our students soon. Stay tuned for its official debut! 👀👏

#COCSD #StudentSupportServices #TransportationTeam #SafetyFirst #NewBusDay

Good afternoon, MVP families... it is with regret that due to a high student count on the Wild Burro bus, we will need to remove stops from the route. This will mean the students at those stops will need to find alternate means of transportation to get to and from school. We ask that they not try to get on the bus at a different stop, as this will defeat the purpose of what we are trying to do. We are currently overloaded with students who are trying to take the bus and need to reduce those numbers for their safety. The stops to be removed are the following:

E Fir & 12th St/Verde Dr
E Fir & 6th St/Paradise Rd
E Fir & Monte Tesoro Rd
E Pima & Tavern Grill

This will go into effect starting Monday, 8/11/2025. Of course, with the hiring of more drivers, this will alleviate the situation and allow us to transport to these areas again. If you or anyone are interested in becoming a school bus driver, please reach out to the Transportation Department for more information. We do apologize for the major inconvenience this will cause a lot of families. - Daniel Maldonado, Transportation Director

📣 COCSD Governing Board Meeting Highlights

Last night, the COCSD Governing Board held its regular meeting—and we were honored to have special guests in attendance! 🙌

A heartfelt thank you to the Cottonwood Fire Department for joining us and leading everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance 🇺🇸. The Board also took a moment to recognize and celebrate the department’s outstanding support of our schools through their Back-to-School Supply Drive. Their generous donations played a big role in making our Welcome Back Celebration such a success! 🎉

As many know, due to ongoing state budget constraints, our teachers often pay out of pocket to provide classroom supplies. This donation was a much-needed boost and deeply appreciated by our staff and students alike 💙✏️📚.

The Board also acknowledged Ms. Barbara Amato for her exceptional work in successfully transitioning our district's health insurance provider from Kairos to Motiv Health. This was a massive project—completed in a short timeframe just prior to the start of the new year—and Barbara tackled it with patience, grace, professionalism and dedication. Thank you, Barbara! 👏

#COCSD #CommunitySupport #BackToSchool #ThankYouCFD #Teamwork #EducationMatters #COCSDPride

First Full Week at Verde Tech High School!

It’s been a busy and exciting start to the year! One of our students took a moment to hang out with a furry friend — a small reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things. We’re looking forward to another fantastic year!