Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
This year's teacher induction program participants.
This week CES teacher Jamie Davis and her compatriot, retired teacher Nancy Saionz, wrapped up another year of work on our new teacher induction program. This process offers teachers new to the Cañon City School District supports necessary to make the transition to their new job more productive. Participants have the opportunity to learn from each other and develop a support system they'll be able to use long into the future. I am quite impressed by the work these ladies are doing on behalf of our kids, and by the fact that we have such a wonderfully proactive new teacher induction process right here in CCSD.
Last Monday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Heartbeat gathering at St. Thomas More Hospital. This is a suicide support group consisting of community members who experienced the pain of having a close friend or family member complete suicide. I chose to address this experience as one of my Examples of Excellence this week because I think its is outstanding how these folks come together in support of one-another to address such an impactful personal experience. While there I also learned that Fremont County has one of the highest rates of attempted and completed suicide in Colorado.
Last Monday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Heartbeat gathering at St. Thomas More Hospital. This is a suicide support group consisting of community members who experienced the pain of having a close friend or family member complete suicide. I chose to address this experience as one of my Examples of Excellence this week because I think its is outstanding how these folks come together in support of one-another to address such an impactful personal experience. While there I also learned that Fremont County has one of the highest rates of attempted and completed suicide in Colorado.
YESS participants present projects to the Colorado School Safety Resource Center Advisory Board.
Participants shared their personal tragedies with me and I became aware of their concern that the issue of suicide is not often openly addressed in our schools. I certainly didn’t have answers to all their concerns, but I know I am a better person for having listened to their stories. I let the group know I am willing to learn all I can and that I will commit to doing all I can as a school district leader to help guarantee fewer families have to deal with such tragedy in the future.
I would like to share one other example of excellence I experienced this week, even though it was not particularly of local interest. While I chaired the quarterly Colorado School Safety Resource Center advisory board meeting on Tuesday several young men and women who participate a safety center driven program called YESS (Youth Engaged in School Safety) presented video projects to the advisory board. These showed students being interviewed about what makes them feel safe and secure at school, and what causes them stress. The projects were in draft form, but watching each of them effectively reminded just how impactful it can be for us all to spend time listening to our children about what they are experiencing at school. I thank CSSRC executive director Christine Harms and outreach coordinator Anna Gisetti for doing such fine work in pursuit of safer school environments.
I would like to share one other example of excellence I experienced this week, even though it was not particularly of local interest. While I chaired the quarterly Colorado School Safety Resource Center advisory board meeting on Tuesday several young men and women who participate a safety center driven program called YESS (Youth Engaged in School Safety) presented video projects to the advisory board. These showed students being interviewed about what makes them feel safe and secure at school, and what causes them stress. The projects were in draft form, but watching each of them effectively reminded just how impactful it can be for us all to spend time listening to our children about what they are experiencing at school. I thank CSSRC executive director Christine Harms and outreach coordinator Anna Gisetti for doing such fine work in pursuit of safer school environments.
The Focus of Our Work
Cañon Exploratory School
On Monday we will be interviewing 4 finalists to fill our open principal position at Cañon Exploratory School. These candidates were gleaned by a screening committee that looked closely at nearly 20 applicants. On Monday we’ll conduct school tours and a committee of school and district leaders will interview the finalists before making a a recommendation. Our focus will be on selecting the person who displays the best leadership skills and is committed to continuing growing the exploratory learning model far into the future.
It is also the time of year when we begin setting staffing levels in each building in order to address the educational needs of our students. As we build our district-wide budget we take a look at the anticipated number of students who will attend school at each building and in each grade level. From this, and based on past practice, we create a recommended staffing pattern for each building. However, in the next two weeks I will be meeting face to face with principals in each building to discuss these recommendations and to get feedback from them as to how we might develop a staffing recommendation that best meets the needs of their kids.
We are in the midst of annual teacher contract negotiations and at last week’s session we finalized language related to compensating elementary teachers who take the responsibility of supervising additional students on days we struggle securing an appropriate number of substitute teachers. We also reviewed a task force proposal related to the creation of a teacher rating appeals process required by the implementation of SB 191 style teacher evaluations. Then we spent the bulk of our remaining time discussing ways we might better provide staffing for the maintenance and support of instructional technology in the district. Many actionable options arose as a result of this particular discussion.
It is also the time of year when we begin setting staffing levels in each building in order to address the educational needs of our students. As we build our district-wide budget we take a look at the anticipated number of students who will attend school at each building and in each grade level. From this, and based on past practice, we create a recommended staffing pattern for each building. However, in the next two weeks I will be meeting face to face with principals in each building to discuss these recommendations and to get feedback from them as to how we might develop a staffing recommendation that best meets the needs of their kids.
We are in the midst of annual teacher contract negotiations and at last week’s session we finalized language related to compensating elementary teachers who take the responsibility of supervising additional students on days we struggle securing an appropriate number of substitute teachers. We also reviewed a task force proposal related to the creation of a teacher rating appeals process required by the implementation of SB 191 style teacher evaluations. Then we spent the bulk of our remaining time discussing ways we might better provide staffing for the maintenance and support of instructional technology in the district. Many actionable options arose as a result of this particular discussion.
Last Week
Local leaders answer questions at the rural philanthropy days listening session.
I spent last Monday finalizing our Expelled and At risk Student support Services grant submission. After getting that that done I still had time to attend a Heartbeat suicide support group meeting at the St. Thomas More Hospital. On Tuesday I attended a Rural Philanthropy Days listening tour session, and then took a trip to Denver and back to chair the quarterly Colorado School SafetyResource Center advisory board meeting. On Wednesday we had our monthly administration office staff meeting, I attended a Junior Achievement informational meeting, I engaged in some superintendent legislative advocacy, and then spent my late afternoon/evening in master contract negotiations with teacher leaders. On Thursday I had a series of routine staff, student, and parent meetings in my office. The highlight of my day on Friday was attending a Fremont County Retired Teachers Association lunch meeting.
This Week
The Cañon City Schools Board of Education.
This week students at varying grade levels will be engaged in statewide CMAS and PARCC achievement testing. On Monday I’ll participate in Cañon Exploratory School principal interviews, and I’ll end the day in a school board work session and regular meeting. On Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll be at Mt. Princeton participating in a Project Launch grant retreat designed to provide better services to support the social and emotional growth of preschool aged children in Fremont and Chafee counties. Despite this, I’ll return to Cañon in time on Wednesday to participate in another round of contract negotiations. I’ll spend time on Thursday attending budgeting meetings, topping that off on Thursday evening with a District Accountability Committee meeting during which director of student services Dominic Carochi and I will share proposed Unified Improvement Plan goals. On Friday I’ll begin meeting face to face with principals about next year's building staffing levels.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
