Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence

As a result of former GATE coordinator Adam Hartman filling our open director of instruction position, Shyla Swisher has been asked to step into the leadership of our GATE department. Since being selected, Shyla has been hard at work this summer making sure her transition is a smooth one. Mr. Hartman has had nothing but good things to say about the work she has done to this point. Thank you Shyla, for your willingness to take on such a key role in our district.
I also thank Misty Manchester and Casey Bursha for all their hard work preparing and conducting this year’s new teacher training. Last Wednesday and Thursday, we hosted a little over 35 new certified staff members, doing our best to prepare them for their new roles in our buildings.
Finally, PARCC English language arts and math, and CMAS science and social studies results were officially released by the Colorado Department of Education last wee. Though we still have much work left to decipher what it all means, we are quite pleased that out of 14 PARCC tested areas we grew substantially in 10, stayed level in 2, and only slightly lost ground in 2. Additionally, based on significant increases in 8th and 11th grade science performance, the Cañon City School district was highlighted as a bright spot of improvement during CDE’s CMAS release press conference.
I also thank Misty Manchester and Casey Bursha for all their hard work preparing and conducting this year’s new teacher training. Last Wednesday and Thursday, we hosted a little over 35 new certified staff members, doing our best to prepare them for their new roles in our buildings.
Finally, PARCC English language arts and math, and CMAS science and social studies results were officially released by the Colorado Department of Education last wee. Though we still have much work left to decipher what it all means, we are quite pleased that out of 14 PARCC tested areas we grew substantially in 10, stayed level in 2, and only slightly lost ground in 2. Additionally, based on significant increases in 8th and 11th grade science performance, the Cañon City School district was highlighted as a bright spot of improvement during CDE’s CMAS release press conference.
The Focus of Our Work
The full attention of the Cañon City School District is on opening its doors to students on Thursday August 18th. On Monday morning we’ll hold a half day all staff assembly at Cañon City High School where we’ll welcome all employees to a new school year, celebrate our many accomplishments from the past year, set a focus for the coming school year, and learn from a series of guest speakers about school safety, criminogenic, and how educators have the funnest job on the planet. Teachers will return to work in their buildings on Monday afternoon, attend building level training sessions on Tuesday, and work in classrooms preparing for kids on Wednesday. A glance at my calendar also shows there will be quite a few parent events this week from ice cream socials and a smoothie party, to an informational town hall meeting at CCHS.
Last Week
Last Monday I met with Dominic Carochi about the work he will do to transition the district to a replacement director of instruction. I then met with Harrison K-8 principal John Pavlicek about staffing patterns at his school. In the afternoon I finalized a presentation of facilities options for the school board, then met with the board in a work session designed to share information about changes being put into place at Cañon City High School, and finally met in the regular board session. On Tuesday I met with my Superintendent’s Advisory Council and conducted a lot of office work. On Wednesday and Thursday I poked in to observe Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing training, shared a presentation about our district vision and mission with new teachers, met with Harrison building leaders once again, dropped in on a Mountain View Core Knowledge School board meeting, attended a Cañon 2020 committee meeting, and met with director of instruction Adam Hartman about his department priorities for the coming year. On Friday I had an early morning meeting with CCEA representatives, met with CCMS dean of students Jesse Oliver, attended an MTSS meeting about a high school student, met with district nutrition services staff members about budget matters, and met with CCHS ICAP counselor Stacy Andrews and grants coordinator Bret Meuli about the implementation of our Counselor Corps grant.
This Week
On Monday we’ll welcome all staff members to the 2016-17 school year. On Tuesday I’ll attend part of our new classified staff members training, conduct a SAC meeting, and then I’ll make the rounds to the Lincoln smoothie party, the McKinley ice cream social, and the CCHS town hall meeting. On Wednesday I’ll make my way around to several of our buildings to check on preparations for the first day of school. On Thursday as our students return to school I will attend my first Early Childhood Leadership Commission meeting in Denver. Friday will be a great day to visit schools to welcome back students.
Extra Points

Cañon City High School principal Bill Summers has worked all summer to implement new safety, behavior, and instructional plans, and has also worked hard to communicate what this might look like. As a result, in this week's Echoes (below), I include a letter to the public he has written.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
As we begin another year earnestly preparing Canon City students for their best futures, I want to communicate our planned program changes for the coming school year(s). While these changes may appear to be abundant and dramatic, only some of them will occur at the beginning of this year. Additionally, some of the changes are driven by the Colorado State School Board’s decision made in 2015 to require all students graduating in the year 2021 to meet a graduation requirement. The Canon City School board is working to codify its requirements for local students. Therefore, district schools, and in particular the high school, must be ready to meet these requirements beginning with its entering freshmen in the school year 2017-2018. I invite every community member, and most especially parents of our students, to attend a town-hall-style meeting at Canon City High School on the evening of 16 August from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the school’s auditorium. In order to best prepare attendees for that meeting, I offer an insight into the meeting’s agenda and our planned programs:
First and foremost, we’re going to improve the high school’s security. As I’ve travelled around the state coaching and visiting schools in both cities and rural communities, it’s clear that Canon City High School needs to better regulate who is present in our school on a daily basis. To bring us up to a level commensurate with many schools, all exterior doors will be locked from the inside and routinely monitored. Students and staff will not be allowed to routinely open the doors for other students or staff. Furthermore, all students, staff, and district employees must visibly wear identification badges at all times. Students who forget their badges must report to the office and check out a temporary badge to wear during the day. Finally, all visitors to the school will check in at the front door kiosk; they will be asked to surrender a driver’s license or identification card in order to receive a visitor badge. Visitors will only retrieve personal cards upon return of the badge.
After we ensure a safe and secure environment, Canon City High School is committed to a “Culture of Excellence.” This culture demands adherence to academic and behavioral standards which make every student’s experience positive on a daily basis. Two new programs will safeguard a top-notch education. The first program is an academic intervention and enrichment program called, Work Sessions. Each teacher in the building will offer a routine, weekly opportunity for students to receive extracurricular academic help. Typically, these sessions will occur after school, before school, or during lunch (based on the teacher’s schedule). If a student does not achieve the level of success necessary to regain a successful grade within three work sessions, he or she will be scheduled for a Saturday session. Work sessions and Saturday sessions are available to all students wishing to improve their understanding of academic material.
The second program under the banner of “Committing to Excellence” is a revised disciplinary program that keeps students in school, rather than suspending them out-of-school for warranted behavior. Our Alternative-to-Suspension (ATS) program resides within the high school and is being staffed by top notch educators who are dedicated to continuing the academic success of a disciplined student, while correcting his or her future behavior through counseling and coping mechanisms. While the ATS program is not meant to be entertaining or enjoyable for a student, it is meant to prevent him or her from falling behind in coursework while learning the value of appropriate behavior. The ATS program replaces Out-of-School suspension for mid-level behavior infractions. Students will still be expelled from school for serious safety-related offenses.
In order to be excellent, students must attend class. In the coming year, the school will strictly enforce the school board’s attendance policy. Our school board’s policy includes the statement: “The maximum number of unexcused absences a student may incur before judicial proceedings may be initiated to enforce compulsory attendance is 4 in a 30-day period or 10 within a school year.” It also provides specific reasons when a student may be absent. These reasons will be clearly presented during the town hall meeting, and they are clearly spelled out in the new edition of the Canon City High School Student Handbook, publish on the CCHS website and to be distributed at the beginning of the school year. In trying to prevent a student from becoming truant well before we reach these numbers and with the belief that unexcused absences are a behavior issue, if a student is absent from school without a school board approved reason, he or she will be assigned to the ATS program. As a parent, I know that there can be extenuating circumstances. If a parent needs need to gain my approval for a school absence that is not listed in the school board list, I am more than willing to work with that parent to reach a compromise beneficial to a student’s success.
Finally, in order to provide relevance in the classroom and to meet state mandated graduation requirements, the district will begin a journey to transform our current curriculum to a Career Pathways curriculum. A Career Pathways curriculum allows students to choose classes based on their inherent and discovered interests. This curriculum prepares all students for follow-on careers, training, and education. I will fully explain the planning process for the new curriculum at the town hall meeting, where I hope to hear community feedback and answer questions. It is important to note that the Career Pathways curriculum will not be implemented until the 2017-2018 school year; next year will be used to plan its course.
The late Mohamed Ali said, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” It is my sincere goal to improve the tradition of excellent education and memorable positive experiences that our community’s students deserve. The high school staff is dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment in which our students spend a large portion of the lives pursuing future success. We further want to create a culture of excellence at the high school that provides relevant education to all of our students, helping them achieve success in whatever career they choose. I look forward to meeting you at Canon City High School on August 16th at 7:00 PM in the auditorium, and I am even more excited to begin the school year.
Bill Summers
Cañon City High School Principal
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
As we begin another year earnestly preparing Canon City students for their best futures, I want to communicate our planned program changes for the coming school year(s). While these changes may appear to be abundant and dramatic, only some of them will occur at the beginning of this year. Additionally, some of the changes are driven by the Colorado State School Board’s decision made in 2015 to require all students graduating in the year 2021 to meet a graduation requirement. The Canon City School board is working to codify its requirements for local students. Therefore, district schools, and in particular the high school, must be ready to meet these requirements beginning with its entering freshmen in the school year 2017-2018. I invite every community member, and most especially parents of our students, to attend a town-hall-style meeting at Canon City High School on the evening of 16 August from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the school’s auditorium. In order to best prepare attendees for that meeting, I offer an insight into the meeting’s agenda and our planned programs:
First and foremost, we’re going to improve the high school’s security. As I’ve travelled around the state coaching and visiting schools in both cities and rural communities, it’s clear that Canon City High School needs to better regulate who is present in our school on a daily basis. To bring us up to a level commensurate with many schools, all exterior doors will be locked from the inside and routinely monitored. Students and staff will not be allowed to routinely open the doors for other students or staff. Furthermore, all students, staff, and district employees must visibly wear identification badges at all times. Students who forget their badges must report to the office and check out a temporary badge to wear during the day. Finally, all visitors to the school will check in at the front door kiosk; they will be asked to surrender a driver’s license or identification card in order to receive a visitor badge. Visitors will only retrieve personal cards upon return of the badge.
After we ensure a safe and secure environment, Canon City High School is committed to a “Culture of Excellence.” This culture demands adherence to academic and behavioral standards which make every student’s experience positive on a daily basis. Two new programs will safeguard a top-notch education. The first program is an academic intervention and enrichment program called, Work Sessions. Each teacher in the building will offer a routine, weekly opportunity for students to receive extracurricular academic help. Typically, these sessions will occur after school, before school, or during lunch (based on the teacher’s schedule). If a student does not achieve the level of success necessary to regain a successful grade within three work sessions, he or she will be scheduled for a Saturday session. Work sessions and Saturday sessions are available to all students wishing to improve their understanding of academic material.
The second program under the banner of “Committing to Excellence” is a revised disciplinary program that keeps students in school, rather than suspending them out-of-school for warranted behavior. Our Alternative-to-Suspension (ATS) program resides within the high school and is being staffed by top notch educators who are dedicated to continuing the academic success of a disciplined student, while correcting his or her future behavior through counseling and coping mechanisms. While the ATS program is not meant to be entertaining or enjoyable for a student, it is meant to prevent him or her from falling behind in coursework while learning the value of appropriate behavior. The ATS program replaces Out-of-School suspension for mid-level behavior infractions. Students will still be expelled from school for serious safety-related offenses.
In order to be excellent, students must attend class. In the coming year, the school will strictly enforce the school board’s attendance policy. Our school board’s policy includes the statement: “The maximum number of unexcused absences a student may incur before judicial proceedings may be initiated to enforce compulsory attendance is 4 in a 30-day period or 10 within a school year.” It also provides specific reasons when a student may be absent. These reasons will be clearly presented during the town hall meeting, and they are clearly spelled out in the new edition of the Canon City High School Student Handbook, publish on the CCHS website and to be distributed at the beginning of the school year. In trying to prevent a student from becoming truant well before we reach these numbers and with the belief that unexcused absences are a behavior issue, if a student is absent from school without a school board approved reason, he or she will be assigned to the ATS program. As a parent, I know that there can be extenuating circumstances. If a parent needs need to gain my approval for a school absence that is not listed in the school board list, I am more than willing to work with that parent to reach a compromise beneficial to a student’s success.
Finally, in order to provide relevance in the classroom and to meet state mandated graduation requirements, the district will begin a journey to transform our current curriculum to a Career Pathways curriculum. A Career Pathways curriculum allows students to choose classes based on their inherent and discovered interests. This curriculum prepares all students for follow-on careers, training, and education. I will fully explain the planning process for the new curriculum at the town hall meeting, where I hope to hear community feedback and answer questions. It is important to note that the Career Pathways curriculum will not be implemented until the 2017-2018 school year; next year will be used to plan its course.
The late Mohamed Ali said, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” It is my sincere goal to improve the tradition of excellent education and memorable positive experiences that our community’s students deserve. The high school staff is dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment in which our students spend a large portion of the lives pursuing future success. We further want to create a culture of excellence at the high school that provides relevant education to all of our students, helping them achieve success in whatever career they choose. I look forward to meeting you at Canon City High School on August 16th at 7:00 PM in the auditorium, and I am even more excited to begin the school year.
Bill Summers
Cañon City High School Principal