🌱 Oak Creek School’s Agriculture & Culinary classes are off to a fantastic start! 🍅👩‍🍳
As we slowly creep into fall, our students have been busy harvesting, cooking, and selling the bounty from our school garden—putting their hard work and classroom learning into action!

Mrs. Ludden would personally like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the generous donors, grant organizations, families, and our PTO who make this program possible. Your contributions help our students grow valuable skills, confidence, and a love for agriculture and good food. 🌻🥕💚

We are so grateful for our amazing community!
Thank you for helping our program thrive! 🌱

Proposed Improvements at Oak Creek Elementary School
Proposed capital bond projects at Oak Creek Elementary School include lighting, gutters and downspouts, sidewalk safety improvements, HVAC and roofing repairs, gym renovation, plumbing and water line improvements, well and septic systems, a public address system, safe and secure entry access and network infrastructure. Proposed bond investment: $5,300,000.

Estimated tax rate of $0.43 per $100 of net assessed valuation.
Learn more at www.cocsd.us

🏈 WE’RE HIRING! Oak Creek School is looking for a Flag Football Coach for the upcoming school year!

This is a great opportunity to mentor student-athletes, build confidence, encourage teamwork, and help students grow both on and off the field.

Interested candidates should email Principal Julie Tatum at jtatum@cocsd.k12.az.us.

Join the Oak Creek team and make a difference! ❤️🖤

#OakCreekSchool #COCSD #WereHiring #FlagFootball #StudentAthletes

🎒✏️ Ready, Set, Learn!

Oak Creek Elementary School is excited to welcome our incoming kindergarten students to Kindergarten Bootcamp!

This two-day experience will give students an opportunity to become familiar with school, learn about being a kindergartner, and feel more confident as they prepare for the new school year.

📅 Thursday, July 23 & Friday, July 24
⏰ 8:30–11:30 a.m.
📍 Oak Creek Elementary School

We can’t wait to welcome our newest students and help them begin their kindergarten journey! 🍎📚

🎒✨ Back to School Night is Almost Here! ✨🎒

Oak Creek School families, we can't wait to welcome you back for the 2026–2027 school year!

📅 Tuesday, July 28, 2026
🕠 5:30–6:30 PM
📍 Oak Creek School Cafeteria

Come meet your teachers and staff, learn about transportation and our 21st CCLC program, and get ready for an amazing school year!

📚 Reminder: Please bring your school supplies to your child's classroom during Back to School Night.

📝 Class lists will be posted at the front office beginning July 24.

We look forward to seeing all of our Oak Creek families as we kick off another fantastic year of learning! 💙🍎 #COCSD #OakCreekSchool #BackToSchool #WelcomeBack #GrowingTogether

Yesterday, our 5th grade students at Oak Creek School participated in a very special Manners Luncheon

This experience was about so much more than just sharing a meal. Students learned how to properly set a table, fold napkins, mingle before dinner, and most importantly, how to see themselves sitting confidently at the table.

They practiced the art of real conversation — no electronics, no distractions — just genuine interaction with peers and adults. Students learned how to politely request something from a waiter, how to handle trying foods they may not like, and how to engage respectfully in social settings.

A huge thank you to our amazing 7th grade volunteers, who served as our wait staff yesterday. These students participated in their own manners luncheon two years ago, and it was incredible to watch them step into leadership roles and model kindness, confidence, and professionalism for our younger students.

An extra special THANK YOU to Mrs. Clemson for organizing and putting on this wonderful manners luncheon each and every year. The amount of time, care, and heart that goes into this experience does not go unnoticed, and we appreciate her more than words can say.

A huge thank you as well to Mr. Wheeler for allowing us to use the library and helping create such a beautiful atmosphere for the event.

And the BIGGEST shoutout to The Krow for providing the absolutely amazing, amazing, AMAZING food! The students and staff loved every bit of it, and your generosity helped make the day even more memorable.

The students dressed up, showed wonderful manners, and had an amazing time. We are so proud of the growth, confidence, and character they continue to show each day at Oak Creek School.

There are not enough words to truly express how grateful we are for Tom Coultas and Kaley Badger. 💙

So many people have commented about how amazing our PTO is at Oak Creek School and how it seems like we must have a huge team of volunteers behind the scenes. The truth? It’s just these two incredible humans.

Tom and Kaley are the entire PTO for Oak Creek School.

They show up for our teachers, our students, and our staff day after day without asking for recognition or praise. They organize events, support classrooms, celebrate our kids, spoil our staff, solve problems before anyone even knows they exist, and somehow make everything look effortless.

Their generosity, dedication, and love for the Oak Creek School community are unmatched. They pour countless hours, energy, creativity, and heart into making our school a better place for everyone.

Because of Tom and Kaley, our students feel celebrated. Our teachers feel appreciated. Our staff feels supported. And Oak Creek School feels like family.

They are not only incredible at what they do — they are simply incredible people. The kind of people every school dreams of having and every community is lucky to know.

Thank you, Tom and Kaley, for every early morning, late night, event, fundraiser, kind gesture, encouraging word, and act of service you’ve given to Oak Creek School. We see you, we appreciate you, and we are endlessly thankful for you. 💙

🌍🍽️✨ Our 6th grade OCS students absolutely BLEW US AWAY with their Civilization Restaurant Project this week! 👏💙

What started as a history assignment turned into a full-blown real-world learning experience that combined 📚 history, ➕ math, ✍️ writing, 💼 business, 🎨 design, 🗣️ public speaking, 👩‍🍳 cooking, and 🤝 teamwork all in ONE incredible project!

Each student group created an entire restaurant concept inspired by one of the civilizations we studied 🌎🏺

They developed:
🍴 A restaurant name, logo, and theme
📝 A 3-paragraph written piece including an introduction, restaurant description, and future plans
📋 A full menu with realistic local pricing
🧾 Customer orders with 3.5% tax calculations and 15%, 20%, & 25% tip options
📐 Display signs and restaurant layouts drawn on graph paper with area calculations for each section and total space
⚠️ An allergen/ingredient list for safety and awareness

But they didn’t stop there… 👀🔥

Each group also:
👩‍🍳 Cooked one item from their menu
🎥 Recorded themselves prepping and cooking it
🍽️ Brought 25–30 sample servings to school
🏫 Transformed our campus into a REAL restaurant experience by serving their “customers” — teachers and classmates alike! 👏✨

The creativity 🎨, confidence 💪, problem-solving 🧠, and effort ❤️ these students showed was absolutely incredible. Watching them proudly explain their concepts, serve their dishes, and apply classroom skills in such a meaningful way was something truly special 🌟

We are SO proud of our OCS 6th graders and the hard work they poured into this project 💙💛 The future is BRIGHT for these students! ☀️🎓✨

#OCSPride #FutureLeaders #HandsOnLearning #6thGradeSuccess #CivilizationProject #RealWorldLearning #StudentCreativity #OCSFamily 💙

🌟 Congratulations to OCS student, Kellan Altringer, for being named a Sparklight Winner! 🌟

Kellan’s essay, “Using Social Media in a Healthy Way,” explored the impact social media can have on teens’ mental health, addressed cyberbullying, and shared ways teens and parents can promote healthy online habits and safety.

We are incredibly proud of Kellan for using his voice to encourage kindness, awareness, and healthy choices in today’s digital world. Kellan will receive his award during the OCS Promotion Ceremony. 🎉👏

#OakCreekElementary #SparklightWinner #StudentSuccess #DigitalCitizenship

♻️📱💻 Got old electronics collecting dust? Turn them into something GREAT! 🎉

Oak Creek School PTO is running an on-going select electronic recycling fundraiser, and they need YOUR help! 🙌

They happily accept:
📱 Old or broken cell phones
📲 Tablets
🖨️ Used printer cartridges

Just drop your items in the collection box located in the OCS school office 🏫💚

It’s an easy way to declutter, help the environment 🌎, and support our school at the same time! ✨

Spread the word and keep those recyclables coming! ♻️👏

✨ Our OCS Kindergarten students are building strong math skills through hands-on learning!
Using manipulatives like counters, cubes, shapes, and number tools, students explore counting, sorting, patterns, addition, and problem-solving in fun and meaningful ways. 🧮🔢

When children can touch, move, and see math concepts in action, learning becomes exciting and confidence grows every day. We are so proud of our little learners and the big thinking happening in Kindergarten! 💙🍎 #OCSKindergarten #HandsOnLearning #MathMatters #FutureProblemSolvers

🚨 Important Update for Oak Creek Elementary Families 🚨

Oak Creek Elementary is currently experiencing a power outage. APS estimates power will be restored around 5:30 PM.

Because the outage affects our well system and restroom access, we will be releasing students early for health and safety reasons. Dismissal may begin at 1:45 PM, and a bus will be available at 2:00 PM to take students home to their regular stops.

If you are able to pick up your child, please come to the campus.

All 21st Century clubs and today’s soccer game are canceled.

If you have questions, please contact the district office. Thank you for your understanding and support.

🎉🐄🌽 Can you spell B-I-N-G-O?! 🌽🐄🎉
💚✨ Family Fun + Community Love = BIG WIN! ✨💚

What an absolutely AMAZING night at our Family Engagement Bingo Night at Oak Creek Elementary School! 🎊🎶

🙌 A HUGE shoutout to our incredible volunteers, our rockstar PTA, and LISA for their generosity and support—this event wouldn’t have been possible without you! 💛👏

😁 From start to finish, the room was filled with hundreds of smiles, laughter, and pure joy—our families and students made it a night to remember! 🎉💫

🌱🐓 And the best part?! Together, we raised an incredible $1,295 to support Mrs. Ludden’s Agriculture Program! 🐐🌻 Your support helps grow hands-on learning opportunities for our students—how awesome is that?! 🌾📚

🎯 THANK YOU to everyone who came out, played, laughed, and supported this special event. Our community truly showed up! 💚

🎵 B-I-N-G-O… and Bingo was our WIN-O! 🎵 🐶🎉

Curiosity in Action: Learning Beyond the Test 💡
State testing season can bring a lot of nerves—especially for our third graders taking it for the very first time. But at OCS, we believe learning should still be engaging, meaningful, and even a little fun along the way 💡
Mrs. Bond’s third grade class recently combined science and hands-on exploration in a STEM-focused lesson all about reflections on concave and convex surfaces. Students investigated how light behaves, made observations, and discovered how reflections can change depending on the shape of a surface 🔍✨

Moments like these remind us that even during testing season, curiosity and creativity continue to shine in our classrooms. We’re proud of our third graders for working hard, staying engaged, and embracing learning every step of the way! 💙

🚨 WE’RE HIRING! 🚨

Oak Creek School is looking for a P.E. Teacher to join our amazing team!

🕒 20 hours per week
📍 Small, supportive K–8 school environment

✨ Why join OCS?
✔️ STEM Accredited
✔️ Tight-knit school community
✔️ Unique Ag & Culinary Program

If you’re passionate about helping students stay active, build confidence, and have fun—this could be the perfect fit for you!

👉 Apply now: OCS.COCSD.US

📞 Contact:
Principal Julie Tatum
📧 jtatum@cocsd.k12.az.us
📱 928-634-2288

Come be part of the OCS Crew! ❤️💛
#NowHiring #PETeacher #EducationJobs #ArizonaJobs #JoinOurTeam

Thank you Cornville Community Association!

OCS Agriculture would like to give a huge shout out to the Cornville Community Association! They provided grant funding that supplied organic potting soil, organic compost, and herbs for the garden. We love growing and appreciate all your support! -Mrs. Ludden, Oak Creek Agriculture Teacher

Oak Creek School had some very important visitors… and let’s just say our students may now believe they have been officially promoted to Junior Law Enforcement Officers.

A huge thank you to Cottonwood Police Department — Officer Bond and Officer Cervantes — and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department, especially Deputy Brown for spending time with our students and letting them experience the very serious responsibilities of police work.

These responsibilities included:
• Sitting in patrol vehicles
• Testing the sirens (multiple times… for quality assurance)
• Pressing every button they could find
• Honking the horn
• Trying on SWAT gear that instantly made them 10x cooler
• And investigating exactly where all the important equipment is stored

There may or may not now be several students who believe they are fully qualified to conduct traffic stops in the Oak Creek School parking lot.

The friendly competition between our local law enforcement agencies also gave students a glimpse into the teamwork, professionalism, and dedication that keep our community safe every single day.

On a serious note, COCSD and Oak Creek School are incredibly lucky and blessed to have such a strong partnership, relationship, and connection with the Cottonwood Police Department and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. Our students not only get to learn about public safety, they get to see firsthand the people behind the badges who care deeply about this community.

Thank you for your time, your service, and for giving our students a day they won’t forget. And don’t worry… we promise we returned (most of) the future deputies and officers back to class.

#CommunityStrong #FutureOfficers #OakCreekSchool

🍎 Oak Creek Elementary is Hiring!

We’re looking for a great 5th Grade Teacher to join our amazing OCS Crew!

⭐ STEM Accredited
⭐ Small K–8 School Community
⭐ Agriculture & Culinary Programs

📲 Apply today: OCS.COCSD.US
📞 928-634-2288

👉 Know a great teacher? Tag them or share this post!

#NowHiring #OakCreekElementary #TeacherJobs #ArizonaTeachers

🐣🌸 Easter Egg Hunt in Cornville! 🌸🐣

Bring the kids out for a fun-filled Easter Egg Hunt at Oak Creek School!

📅 Saturday, April 4th, 2026
📝 Registration: 9:00 AM
🥚 Egg Hunt Begins: 10:00 AM

👧🧒 Ages: 0–8

🎉 Activities Include:
🚲 Bikes
🏆 Prizes
👒 Easter Hat Parade

This community event is sponsored by the Cornville Community Association and is a great way for families to celebrate the season together.

Grab your baskets and come join the fun! 🌷🐰🥚