Cottonwood-Oak Creek Schools

🌟 Camp Innovation = Fun + Fitness! 💪🎉 We're having an absolute blast at Camp Innovation, where learning meets movement and every day is an adventure! From exciting relay races to creative obstacle courses, our campers are getting active, building teamwork, and discovering just how fun physical education can be. 🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️⚽ Smiles, sweat, and high-fives all around – this is what summer is all about! 🌞

🌵🎶 Camp Innovation is rockin’ the desert! 🎶🌞 Our campers are bringing the heat with creative team names, catchy chants, and fun-filled camp songs! From Sneaky Snakes, Looney Lizards to The Sand Devils, the desert vibes are strong and the energy is high! 🔥🌄 Let the singing, cheering, and summer fun continue! 🎤🧡

🏃‍♂️⚽ $10 Sports Physicals – One Day Only! 🏀🏃‍♀️ Presented by Northern Arizona Healthcare Is your student-athlete ready for the upcoming sports season? Get their required sports physicals done for just $10! 📅 Date: Wednesday, June 26th 🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM 📍 Location: 1298 W. Finnie Flat Rd., Camp Verde, AZ 86322 🚶‍♂️ Walk-ins only – No appointment needed! ✔️ Quick ✔️ Affordable ✔️ Convenient For more info, call 928-639-5555 Don’t wait until the last minute—take care of those physicals early and get your athlete game-ready! 🏈🏐⚾ #SportsPhysicals #NAHealthcare #CampVerdeAZ #StudentAthletes #GetGameReady

🌟 Camp Innovation is off to an incredible start! 🌟 From teaming up with Manzanita Outreach to help assemble food packages, to splashing around at Riverfront Park and the Cottonwood Pool, to exploring stories at the library—our campers have had a week full of purpose and play! We've also been busy with hands-on creativity—making soap, door mats, playdough, and so much more. 🎨🧼🧽 We’re only one week in, and the energy is amazing. Here’s to more discovery, fun, and learning at Camp Innovation! 💡☀️ #COCSDCampInnovation #SummerLearning #HandsOnFun #ManzanitaOutreach #CottonwoodAdventures

🎉 Highlights from Last Night's Governing Board Meeting 🎉 The Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District Governing Board had a meaningful evening recognizing the dedication and service of some incredible members of our school community! 👏 Congratulations to Natalie and Jolene from Cottonwood Community School’s kitchen crew for receiving the 5-Year Golden Plate Award from the Yavapai County Health Department! Your commitment to serving our students healthy and safe meals is truly appreciated. 🙌 We also honored Ray Morrison for his 27 years of outstanding service to the district. Ray’s dedication has left a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for his many years of commitment. 📘 The board also approved two important updates for the 2025–2026 school year: ✅ A newly revised District Athletic Handbook ✅ Updated Emergency Response Plans to enhance safety and preparedness across our schools. Thank you to everyone who continues to support our schools and community. We are #COCSDProud!

🎨🌲 Creative Vibes at Camp Innovation! 🌲🎨 Our art classes are bursting with imagination! This week, campers are making tree cookies (wood slice art!) and diving into the colorful world of acrylic pouring. 🌈🖌️ It’s messy, fun, and totally unique—just the way we like it. We love watching our campers express themselves through nature and color. 🍃🎨

Camp Innovation is off to an AMAZING start! 🎉 A successful launch yesterday with talented staff and eager campers who were here and ready to learn! Thank you to our amazing community partners—Verde Valley Science Vortex, the Cottonwood Library, Cottonwood Recreation Center, and Bent River Farm—who are helping make camp an incredible experience for over 200 students this summer. Let the fun and learning begin! 🌟 #CampInnovation2025 #SummerLearning #CommunityPartners #VerdeValley #STEM #ReadingFun #PhysicalEducation #YouthDevelopment #CottonwoodAZ #SummerCamp #KidsInAction #21stCCLC

📚✨ Planning for Student Success! ✨📚 This week District administration, academic coaches, and dedicated reading specialists and teachers from across Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District came together at the District Office for a powerful data review session. Together, they analyzed state assessment and benchmark data to identify student strengths and opportunities for growth. With a shared commitment to continuous improvement, our teams have begun developing updated school Site Integrated Action Plans for the 2025–2026 school year. These plans will guide our efforts to provide every student with the tools they need to thrive. We’re proud of the collaboration and dedication shown by our educators as we work to create meaningful and impactful strategies for student achievement. 💪🍎 #COCSD #StudentSuccess #DataDriven #Teamwork #FutureReady

📚🚨 While students enjoy their summer break, our district administration is hard at work preparing for a safe and successful upcoming school year! We are diligently reviewing and revising our emergency operations plans. This week, we had the privilege of working with Michael Nelson, a trained FEMA consultant, who led a valuable safety training session. District leaders were joined by staff and dedicated community partners including Rick Contreras from the Cottonwood Fire Department and Deputy Alex Hawkins from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Together, we focused on communications, emergency protocols and the National Incident Command System to ensure we're ready to respond effectively in any situation. We’re committed to keeping our schools safe and prepared—because student safety is always in session. 💙👮‍♂️🚒 #COCSDSchoolSafety #CommunityPartners #EmergencyPreparedness #CottonwoodStrong

📚✨ Avoid the Summer Slide! ✨📚 Did you know that kids can lose up to two months of reading skills over the summer if they don’t keep practicing? This learning loss is known as the “Summer Slide” — and it can make the return to school much harder for students each fall. The good news? You can help prevent it with just 20 minutes of reading a day! 📖 Whether it’s a chapter book, graphic novel, magazine, or reading aloud together, those daily reading minutes really add up and help kids keep their minds sharp and their love for learning strong. 🌞 Make reading part of your summer routine: Read together at bedtime or after lunch Visit the library and let kids choose their own books Join a summer reading challenge or log your minutes Let’s keep our kids growing and learning all summer long! What’s on your child’s reading list this week? Share in the comments! 👇📚🧠 #StopTheSummerSlide #ReadEveryDay #COCSDSummerReadingFun

📣 Calling all future Marauders! 📣 MUHSD Spiritline is bringing the energy this summer with our Mini Marauder Summer Camp—starting June 2nd! 💙💛 Does your little one love to dance, cheer, and show their school spirit? This is the perfect opportunity for them to learn from the best—our very own MUHSD Spiritline athletes! 🌟 Open to Elementary Students 📅 Camp starts June 2nd 🎉 A fun-filled week of cheers, chants, dances, and a special performance! Spots are limited—don’t miss out! ➡️ For more information, follow us on Instagram @ mingus_spiritline

Book Bonanza at Oak Creek! Thanks to the Marine Toys for Tots Literacy Program, every student from Preschool to 8th grade picked out a brand-new book to kick off summer reading! Ms. Borden’s room was buzzing with excitement as students swapped recommendations, planned book trades, and dove into their next adventure. Extra books? They’re now in our Little Community Library, outside the Preschool gate! #toysfortotsliteracy

Celebrating the End of a Great School Year! 🎉🍔 The COCSD Governing Board, administration, teachers, and staff came together to celebrate the end of another amazing school year with a delicious BBQ provided by our friends at Sodexo! 🌭🍉 The afternoon was filled with laughter, love, and smiles as we reflected on the hard work and accomplishments of the year. A special moment was dedicated to honoring Nurse Bob Clark as he heads into retirement. 🩺💐 He was presented with a thoughtful gift basket as a small token of our immense gratitude for his years of dedicated service to our students and school community. Thank you, Nurse Bob—you’ll always be part of the COCSD family! Here’s to rest, renewal, and an exciting year ahead! 💛 #COCSD #EndOfYearCelebration #ThankYouNurseBob #SodexoBBQ #SchoolFamily #CottonwoodOakCreekSchools

🎾 Summer Tennis Lessons with Andrea Meyer! 🎾 Looking for a fun and active way for your kids to spend the summer? Join Coach Andrea Meyer for beginner-friendly Summer Tennis Lessons in Cottonwood! 🏃‍♀️☀️ 📅 Session Dates: ✅ June 2–13 ✅ June 16–27 ✅ July 7–18 🕗 Class Times: 🎾 Ages 8–10: 8:00–9:00 AM 🎾 Ages 11–13: 9:00–10:00 AM Whether your child is picking up a racket for the first time or looking to improve their game, these small-group lessons are a great way to learn skills, build confidence, and have a blast on the court! 📞 To register, call Andrea at (928) 300-4352 📧 Or email: andreaimeyer@yahoo.com Spots are limited—reserve yours today! #SummerTennis #TennisWithAndrea #YouthSports #CottonwoodAZ #GetInTheGame

🏐 MINGUS YOUTH VOLLEYBALL CAMP 🏐 Hosted by Mingus Coaches & Former High School Players Calling all young athletes! Ready to bump, set, and spike your way into summer? Join us for the Mingus Youth Volleyball Camp—a fun, skills-based camp for boys and girls entering 1st–9th grade for the 2025–2026 school year! 📅 Dates & Grades: ➡️ June 16–18: 1st–5th Grade | 💲Cost: $60 ➡️ June 16–20: 6th–9th Grade | 💲Cost: $100 🎽 Includes a Mingus Volleyball T-Shirt! 🕒 Camp Times by Grade: 8:00–10:00 AM: Grades 1st–3rd 10:00 AM–12:00 PM: Grades 4th–5th 1:00–3:00 PM: Grades 6th–9th (first 3 days) 8:00–10:00 AM: Grades 6th–8th (last 2 days only) 📍Location: Mingus Union High School Gym 🛒 Register at: mingusbookstore.com 📆 Deadline to Register: June 2nd Spots fill fast—don’t miss your chance to learn from experienced coaches and former high school players! 🏐🔥 #MingusVolleyballCamp #YouthSports #CottonwoodAZ #SummerVolleyball #MingusUnion #TrainWithTheBest

Last evening, Wheel Fun Directors Brad Viereck, Marty Glinsky, and I had the privilege of witnessing a powerful moment. Witten Armstrong carefully opened a manila envelope and read aloud the letter from the Arizona Community Foundation announcing that he had been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Logan’s Hero Dirt Scholarship. When he reached the part that revealed the scholarship amount, $22,000, he paused, visibly moved. The Logan’s Hero Dirt Scholarship Fund was established in 2022 at the Arizona Community Foundation and is now fully endowed. It is open to all Wheel Fun alumni across Arizona annually, regardless of where they live when they apply, and supports any post-secondary educational pursuit. The scholarship honors the legacy of Logan, a then 12-year-old student rider whose impact helped inspire the creation of this fund. 2025 represents the first high school graduating class of students who began riding with Wheel Fun in our earliest days. As Wheel Fun expands to all 15 Arizona Counties, the Logan’s Hero Dirt Scholarship will be able to touch countless lives.

🏀 Cottonwood Parks & Recreation Basketball Camp 🏀 Ready to shoot, dribble, and score this summer? Join us for our Basketball Camp for 1st–8th Graders, coached by the talented Mingus Union High School Basketball Team! 🏆 🗓 Dates: June 23rd – June 27th 📍 Location: Cottonwood Recreation Center 📅 Register by: June 1st 📲 Contact: Tristan Wright at (928) 639-3200 or twright@cottonwoodaz.gov This week-long camp is perfect for all skill levels—whether your child is just getting started or looking to sharpen their game. Don’t miss this awesome opportunity to learn from high school athletes and have fun on the court! Spots are limited—register today and get ready for a great week of hoops! 🏀🔥 #CottonwoodRec #YouthBasketball #MingusBasketball #SummerCamp #CottonwoodAZ

📣 To Our Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District Families 🌞 As we wrap up another incredible school year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you—our students, families, and community—for your support, dedication, and partnership. This year has been full of growth, learning, and unforgettable moments, and we couldn’t have done it without you. 💙 Wishing each of you a safe, relaxing, and joyful summer break! Whether you're traveling, exploring new hobbies, or simply enjoying time with family, we hope it’s filled with fun and good memories. We’ll see you back in the fall, refreshed and ready for another amazing year together! ✨ With gratitude, Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District #COCSD #ThankYouFamilies #SummerBreak #COCSDPride

Verde Tech High wrapped up the year with a field trip to Crema Craft Kitchen! ☕🥐 Students and staff shared laughs, stories, and some seriously delicious pastries and coffee as we celebrated a fantastic year together. See you next year! 💚