Cottonwood-Oak Creek Schools

🏹 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!

🎄✨ Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Stephanie King ✨🎄
Instructional Coach & New Teacher Mentor

For Mrs. Stephanie King, Christmas traditions are the heartbeat of the season. Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, her family kicks things off by decorating their Christmas tree together 🎄, sipping hot cocoa ☕️, and turning up their favorite holiday music 🎶. It’s a timeless way to welcome the holidays.

Another favorite tradition is driving around town to admire the Christmas lights 🚗✨. With candy canes in hand 🍬 and holiday tunes playing, her family soaks up the magic shining across the community. And on Christmas Eve, they keep one treasured custom alive — opening a single present before bedtime 🎁.

In her classroom, Mrs. King builds that same sense of joy and connection. Her students love singing Christmas songs together 🎤 and making ornaments for their families 🎨 — small creations that spread a lot of cheer.

We’re grateful for the warmth, spirit, and guidance Mrs. King brings to our district every day. ❤️🌟

Good Food = Good Mood! 😄🥗
Sodexo is keeping our students fueled and feeling their best this winter. Foods rich in fiber and Omega-3s help support focus, energy, and overall well-being — exactly what our bodies need when the cold sets in. ❄️💪

Pair those nutritious meals with fun physical activities, and you’ve got a winning combo to keep both mind and body running strong all season long.

Thanks, Sodexo, for serving meals that truly make a difference! 👏🥦✨

Cartwheel Comes to Cottonwood! 🎉

Our district leadership had a meaningful afternoon today. Superintendent Vocca, Dr. Alley, and Board President Mrs. Valenzuela met with the national team from Cartwheel to talk frankly about the challenges our rural Arizona families and students are facing when they’re looking for mental-health supports. 💬

The Cartwheel team came ready to listen, and the conversation focused on building stronger partnerships that will strengthen mental-health services for our students right where they need them most — in their own community. 🏫
Students can also receive support in the privacy of their own home, with their parents there to help guide the process. 🏡💙

A solid step forward for our kids and our community. ✨

If your family could use some additional support, reach out to your child’s school counselor or get started here:
https://www.cartwheel.org/families

Staff Spotlight: Lyndsay Ludden, Agriculture Teacher

Oak Creek School is proud to shine a spotlight on Lyndsay Ludden, our dedicated and inspiring Agriculture teacher. With 19 years of experience in education, Lyndsay’s passion for working with children is matched only by her commitment to helping them understand where their food comes from and how to make healthy choices.

In her classroom and school garden spaces, Lyndsay teaches students how to grow, tend, harvest, and cook with fresh ingredients. Her hands-on lessons bring learning to life—whether students are planting seeds, preparing a simple recipe, or sampling the fruits (and veggies!) of their labor. She also takes her upper-grade students on field trips that explore the origins of their food and provide real-world lessons in shopping wisely and on a budget.

Outside of school, Lyndsay pours her love for agriculture into her own ventures: The Hoppy Goat Farm and the Arizona Mushroom Company. Though her spare time is limited, her dedication to cultivating good food and sustainable practices never wavers.

Lyndsay’s greatest passion is empowering the next generation to understand the benefits of eating healthy, knowing what’s in their food, and appreciating the effort that goes into producing it. Her enthusiasm, expertise, and genuine care make her an invaluable part of the Oak Creek School community.