2024-25 Ordering Newsletter #2

Dear Cottonwood Families,

This is your ultimate guide to efficient and successful order processing. Here you will learn to access The Cottonwood School's Ordering System (Procurify) and place all types of orders:

• Catalog Orders
• Technology
• Cottonwood TK-8 Curriculum Bundles
• Product Orders
• Curriculum, Materials & Supplies
• Passes, Memberships, Tickets & Subscriptions
• Service Orders from Community Partners
• Amazon Punchout Orders

Make the most of your instructional budget:

If you have not read Ordering Newsletter #1: Shopping Guide, please do. You will find information about ordering guidelines, available options, valuable resources and 2024-25 Budget Planners to help assist with planning and ordering decisions.

Returning families will notice a few improvements designed to simplify and optimize our processes to provide the best experience for everyone.

The 2024-25 Ordering Information will be available on the Parent Nest in September and will contain the most current and accurate information throughout the year. Please use this newsletter to begin!

1. Bookmark Cottonwood’s Ordering website: 2024-25 Cottonwood Ordering Site. (Also found on your clever dashboard.)

2. Password Creation: An invitation to create a password for login was emailed to everyone on 7/21/24. The email sender was notifications@mailer.procurify.com.

3. Check Spam/Trash: If you do not receive this invitation email, check your spam or trash folders.
4. If the link in the email has expired by the time you see it, please go to the Ordering Site and click the "Don't remember your password?" link and follow the prompts.
5. Contact: If you are still unable to access the site, email tech-help@cottonwoodk12.org.
6. Procurify Mobile App: Will be updated and available for use on July 22nd.

Watch the 3 min video tour of your Procurify account and see the pre-check instructions below:

1. Update notifications in "settings" in your account profile.

• We recommend turning off "received by" notifications as that indicates the business department has been invoiced (this is for internal use only)
• "Purchased" notifications mean the order has been processed and sent to the vendor for completion.

2. Verify that you can see each student’s budget on your family dashboard.

3. Confirm you have only one Family ID and that all of your students are listed.

If your forms are not fully complete, Family and Student data will not populate.

Please order thoughtfully.

• All orders are final. If purchased materials or services are no longer needed or wanted, items may be returned to The Cottonwood School, but refunds will not be provided.

If you come across errors or omissions or have questions, please reach out to your Summer HST for assistance.

Through our Tech Opt-in Program, The Cottonwood School provides high-quality, secure devices supported by our tech team.

• Review options by clicking on the Technology Catalog button below.
• In Procurify, select from the catalog and order the device that would work best for your student.
• After your order is processed, our Cottonwood Technology Team will reach out to schedule pick up of your selected device/s.
• Tax & Shipping Bundle is not required when ordering Technology Items in the catalog.

Tech Accessories and Equipment - Amazon: Items such as headphones and printers can be ordered via Amazon Punchout beginning August 5th. (These items are often available at the Lending Library.)

**Instructional Program Inclusions:

• Cottonwood Tech Devices are included in RISE and Cottonwood Virtual High School (CVHS) program fees when taking two or more classes (see program information for details).

Cottonwood offers thoughtfully created, complete homeschool curriculum bundles designed specifically for homeschool families while covering standards for each grade-level subject. Samples are available to view at the Lending Library.

• Select from the catalog and order the grade-level bundle for your student. You must include the email you would like to use for daily math video access.

• Complete grade-level bundles are available at a discounted price.
• Pacing guides and expert support provided
• Tax & Shipping bundle is not required when ordering Curriculum Bundles.

**Interested in portions of Cottonwood selected curriculum bundles? Individual items may be ordered from our Preferred Vendors in Procurify.

• Select from the Cottonwood Preferred Vendor list.
• Order the curriculum, materials, or supplies needed to support your student's learning plan.
• Order from 1 vendor only for each individual order.
• The Tax & Shipping bundle is required for ALL product orders regardless of whether it seems there is no shipping cost, the product is digital, or shipping is listed as free on the vendor's website. When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.

Preferred Vendors are businesses with whom we have an established relationship and method of payment, expediting our ordering process.

All product orders require tax & shipping bundles to be added.

Catalog items (Technology, Curriculum Bundles), Service Orders, and Amazon Punchout do not require this step.

After adding your items to the order:

• Select “+ Add from Catalog”
• Select the Bundles tab and select the Tax & Shipping bundle
• Increase the quantity by 1 for every $50 order (ex. A $150 order would have a quantity of 3 for taxes). Please see the Estimated Taxes & Shipping Table linked below.
• You do not need to change the quantity on the shipping line as $20 is applied to all orders.
• Once this has been added you can submit your request for approval to your HST!
• When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted in the funds balance to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.

At the beginning of the year, you may purchase yearlong memberships. Now is the time to consider year-long planning for passes, memberships, and subscriptions that support your educational plan, goals, and areas of study. Examples might include a California History Museum or Poppy Pass.

• Select from the Cottonwood Preferred Vendor list.
• Include Tax & Shipping bundle even if you think it is not needed. When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.
• Subscriptions will begin on or after the first day of school.
• All annual passes must be requested by October 30th at 4:30 pm.
  
• Packages vary greatly and families can work with their HSTs to determine the best fit for their educational needs.

*Schools are unable to purchase Lifetime subscriptions.

An example of a monthly subscription is KiwiCo subscription boxes. Subscriptions are often offered in 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, and 12-month durations.

• Select from the Cottonwood Preferred Vendor list.
• Order the shortest duration possible as cancellations/refunds are not possible.
• You can easily duplicate your order to request additional months if your student is enjoying the subscription.
• Include Tax & Shipping bundle even if you think it is not needed. When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.
  
• Subscriptions will begin on or after the first day of school.
• 12-month durations must be ordered by October 30th at 4:30 pm. 6-month and 9-month durations must be ordered by January 8th at 4:30 pm.

*Schools are unable to purchase Lifetime subscriptions.

Instructional funds may be used to purchase parent-led educational field trips, including chaperone tickets to attend trips and events with your students.

• Select from the Cottonwood Preferred Vendor list.
• Include Tax & Shipping bundle even if you think it is not needed. When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.

• Chaperone ratios apply: 1 chaperone ticket per 4 enrolled students, 2 chaperones per 5+ enrolled students. If a vendor or venue requires a different chaperone ratio, please reach out to your HST for guidance.
• Use the Comments section of your order to include 2 alternate times/dates for tickets in case your first choice isn't available.
• Trips may begin 9/1 or later and locations must be in California or the South Lake Tahoe Region. If you are considering a field trip outside this area, please contact your HST for guidance.

We offer multiple Community Connection events and School-led Field trips throughout the year. We highly recommend budgeting for these exciting opportunities. Families can learn about, and sign up for school-led field trips and events through the Wednesday Weekly. School-led Field Trips can be paid for with instructional funds or out of pocket, but are not purchased directly by families through Procurify. Please note that all field trips and events are non-refundable.

Our Community Partners are valued vendors who offer services to our students, such as classes and enrichment activities like gymnastics, dance, music lessons, etc. Each Community Partner has been carefully vetted and onboarded and is visible in the drop-down menu in Procurify.

Two-step process to register your student for a service with a Community Partner:

1. Parents register or sign up for classes directly with your selected Community Partner. The Cottonwood School does not register your student when you place the order.
2. Placing an Order in Procurify

• Select 1 Community Partner per order - select from the "Preferred Vendor" drop-down menu.
• Service orders must include the vendor's URL for the service requested or their class listing document, which can be found in the Community Partners Catalog.
• Orders can only be for 1 month, 1 session, or 1 semester. Classes and lessons can be grouped (e.g., $200 for 6 classes or $45 per lesson as many lessons as needed).
• Tax & Shipping bundles are not required for Service Orders.
• A Service Voucher is a promise to pay and is therefore NON-revocable and NON-refundable.

Service Order Guidelines

• Session/Semester Service Orders may begin on 8/15 or later.
• Session/Semester classes are paid for as a one-time fee for a set duration.
• Services that are for a month but do not start on the 1st are considered a session (e.g., gymnastics courses).
• If the service is a semester-long class, it must match the vendor’s billing/registration format on their website.
• Monthly Service Orders must begin on 9/1 or later.
• Monthly classes or activities that are billed monthly (e.g., gymnastics, karate, etc.).
• Services can be ordered up to 2 months in advance.
• Families are responsible for registration, competition fees, uniforms, costumes, and clothing. Instructional Funds cannot be used for these items.
• A Service Waiver of Liability (24-25 form) is included in your back-to-school forms. This must be completed before service orders can be processed.
• The Service Voucher must be provided before services are rendered and cannot be applied retroactively. It is essential to plan accordingly and allow sufficient time for processing. If you do not allow ample time, we cannot guarantee that your order will be processed before the class begins.
• Students may participate in Community Partner services up to 12 hours per week.

Cottonwood provides access to many online programs through your student's Clever Dashboard. These programs do not need to be ordered in Procurify. Please click on the Online Curriculum Hawks' Nest Landing Page button below to explore the wide variety of offerings.

TCS Supported Comprehensive Curriculum

The description of each program will indicate how it is ordered and our school-negotiated pricing

Supplementary Programs Included with Enrollment - Free to Cottonwood Students

The description of each program will indicate how it is added to your Clever dashboard

We will send detailed information to all families with directions to access Clever accounts in the July 31st Wednesday Weekly.

Amazon Punchout will open August 5th.

Please review the video below for directions on how to place an Amazon Punchout order. Alternatively, you can review these written directions here.

Important Amazon Punchout Tips

• Ensure you are logged out of any personal Amazon accounts on your computer/device before logging into Procurify to place an Amazon Punchout Order
• Maximum of 10 items per order - ensure all your items are Prime
• Choose the Free Prime Delivery option
• Tax and Shipping are not needed on Amazon Punchout orders
• Amazon has an extensive offering of products, so please make sure to adhere to the ordering guidelines in the Parent Nest.

• Your HST is your contact for any ordering questions. Our Business Department is not available to handle questions or issues individually.
• The Tax & Shipping bundle is required for ALL product orders regardless of whether it seems there is no shipping cost, the product is digital, or shipping is listed as free on the vendor's website. When your order is processed the final total will be adjusted to reflect actual tax and shipping costs.
• Catalog items, Service Orders, and Amazon Punchout do not require the Tax & Shipping bundle.
• When placing an order, please include in the Comments section any additional information that your HST or the Business Department would need to process your order.
• Select only one vendor per order.
• You must include links and all required information. Check and recheck before submitting your orders.
• Can't find the vendor in the Preferred Vendor List? Please know that some vendors do business under different names. If you do not see your vendor of choice, please search for the same product from a Preferred Vendor.
• Do you have a vendor you would like to use for services, that is not a Community Partner? Encourage them to sign up and/or complete their onboarding - Become a Community Partner Link.
  
• If your order is denied, you simply need to duplicate the order and make the needed corrections (unless it is an item that didn't meet the guidelines). You do not need to re-enter the entire order. (See the "Duplicating Orders - 4 Quick Steps" linked below). Amazon Punchout orders are not able to be duplicated.
• All orders must be secular and not religious.