Echoes from Cañon
Our Board Adopted Core Beliefs
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy.
2. We believe learning growth matters most, requires risk-taking, and the work we do in our schools has the greatest impact on this.
3. We’re future-focused, believing the development of certain traits and skills will best prepare our students for ever-changing careers.
4. We emphasize what is good for kids over the needs and comfort of adults.
1. We meet the social-emotional needs of all students, putting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy.
2. We believe learning growth matters most, requires risk-taking, and the work we do in our schools has the greatest impact on this.
3. We’re future-focused, believing the development of certain traits and skills will best prepare our students for ever-changing careers.
4. We emphasize what is good for kids over the needs and comfort of adults.
Our Core Beliefs in Action
Danny Tezak shares a gift given to him by employees with Lisa Tedesko and Fremont County high school students.
Last weekend Fremont County Student Intern and Apprentice Coordinator Lisa Tedesko attended the Tezak Heavy Equipment Christmas party. While there, she learned Tezak employees, and those from their sister company Rocky Mountain Landscape, pooled funds in the form of a gift-donation to our Intern and Apprentice program in Danny Tezak’s honor. What a blessing! Lisa has already deposited these funds in a special CCEOE account to be spent on scholarships for students who successfully complete intern and apprentice experiences this school year.
Speaking of intern and apprenticeship opportunities, early this week I received a message from Colorado Department of Education staff thanking Cañon City High School Counselor Stacy Andrews for sharing information about our capstone and work-based learning processes at this year's Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Symposium in Alamosa. CDE reports they have heard nothing but rave reviews about her effort. Thank you, Stacy, for representing this wonderful work we are doing on behalf of students so well!
Speaking of intern and apprenticeship opportunities, early this week I received a message from Colorado Department of Education staff thanking Cañon City High School Counselor Stacy Andrews for sharing information about our capstone and work-based learning processes at this year's Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Symposium in Alamosa. CDE reports they have heard nothing but rave reviews about her effort. Thank you, Stacy, for representing this wonderful work we are doing on behalf of students so well!
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Finally, on Friday afternoon, five student representatives from our Cañon City High School Tiger Open Pathway program, along with TOP Director Ande Davis, received a statewide student achievement award from the Colorado Association of School Boards. TOP was one of only two programs recognized this year as an innovative education program successfully preparing students for life after high school. While at the CASB convention, TOP students also manned their own exhibitor booth where shared their passion project progress and described their learning experiences to school board members from all over Colorado.
Our Future Focus
Cañon City High School student Reese Dominguez (right) was invited on stage during the CASB Convention to share his thoughts about how schools can be improved.
'Tis the season when I drive many of our Cañon City Schools department leaders crazy by referring student requests for information related to Cañon City High School senior government public policy presentations to them. Those especially hard hit for information this year include Director of Student Support Services Paula Buser, Nutrition Services Manager Janelle Grooms, Director of Operations Jeff Peterson, Director of Finance Buddy Lambrecht, and Business Services Manager Keri Peterson. Paula, Janelle, Jeff, Buddy, and Keri, I can't thank you enough for your time investment in providing our 12th graders with data they need to deliver meaningful public policy proposals to their peers, and perhaps even our board of education.
Cañon City Schools once again sent high school leaders to the Colorado Association of School Boards Annual Convention student strand. This year Carter Cooley, Diamond Deatherage, Alyssa Delducca, Kaedyn Dewitt, Reese Dominguez, and Anavay Martinez represented us well. Each collaborated with other high school students around the state to develop a solution to an injustice they identified at school, and the primary focus of this year's student effort surrounded student future focus and social-emotional wellness. Reese Dominguez so impressed program leaders that he was even asked to share his thoughts with all convention attendees during a general session!
Cañon City Schools once again sent high school leaders to the Colorado Association of School Boards Annual Convention student strand. This year Carter Cooley, Diamond Deatherage, Alyssa Delducca, Kaedyn Dewitt, Reese Dominguez, and Anavay Martinez represented us well. Each collaborated with other high school students around the state to develop a solution to an injustice they identified at school, and the primary focus of this year's student effort surrounded student future focus and social-emotional wellness. Reese Dominguez so impressed program leaders that he was even asked to share his thoughts with all convention attendees during a general session!
On Friday evening board members shared a pizza dinner with CASB student leaders.
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On Saturday morning CASB student leaders and board members met over breakfast.
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This is the fourth straight year our Board of Education has enrolled students in the leadership strand, and after attending, each cohort has been invited to participate on the Cañon City High School Building Leadership Team and to engage the board of education on a quarterly basis. Historically, our first CASB student leader cohort re-wrote the Cañon City High School vision and mission statement from the student perspective, our second cohort challenged the district to develop more of a future focus (codified in our 3rd core belief), and our third cohort laid the groundwork for the adoption of our 1st core belief about student social-emotional wellness. We look forward to learning all we can from our newest group of CASB student leaders and seeing what they do to push us toward more effectively meeting the needs of our children.
Override Progress
On Wednesday, December 5th the District Technology Visioning Committee met to discuss progress made and lessons learned on our one-to-one Chromebook implementation at Cañon City High School and McKinley Elementary this year. We also discussed professional development related to next year's Chromebook infusion at all 6th through 8th-grade levels, as well as what support should look like for elementary staff as we prepare to provide Chromebooks for elementary age students during the 2020-21 school year. In an effort to learn more on this front a staff contingent will be visiting Stone Mountain Elementary School in Denver this week.
Bond Progress
Valley-Wide and SolVista representatives consider design aspects of the School Based Health Center that will be located in the upgraded CCMS.
Last week we approved a construction change order resulting in a reduction of roughly $360,000 related to the Cañon City Middle School building design process, the total of which now will cost us $1.7 million instead of just a bit over $2 million as originally budgeted.
We also approved a change order reduction of approximately $315,000 related to the Washington Elementary building design process, the total of which now will only be $1.098 million instead of just a bit over $1.3 million as was originally budgeted.
Our design process for both projects continues to go well, having held all day sessions once again at each school last week. Chuck Jordan, our Owner's Representative from RLH, reports we only have two significant unknowns left causing us not to be able to move on to a preliminary cost calculation. The first is significant in that our soils samples on the Washington site indicate deep clay issues. This is no surprise, as the whole reason we are pursuing a
We also approved a change order reduction of approximately $315,000 related to the Washington Elementary building design process, the total of which now will only be $1.098 million instead of just a bit over $1.3 million as was originally budgeted.
Our design process for both projects continues to go well, having held all day sessions once again at each school last week. Chuck Jordan, our Owner's Representative from RLH, reports we only have two significant unknowns left causing us not to be able to move on to a preliminary cost calculation. The first is significant in that our soils samples on the Washington site indicate deep clay issues. This is no surprise, as the whole reason we are pursuing a
Washington Elementary life skills teachers consider final design aspects.
new Washington building is that the soils are creating structural issues with the current building. We have indicated to our design-build that we are willing to get a little less than we want as far as quality in the Washington structure above ground to ensure we get all the quality we need below ground on the Washington site.
The second outlier we are facing are costs related to LEED 4 mechanical requirements. We are finding these to be quite cost prohibitive. Our projects are part of the first cycle where LEED 4 mechanical is being required by BEST, and I hear builders and architects all over Colorado are finding this to be much more costly than anticipated. We have discussed this with our Owner's Representative and have agreed we'll either need to back off this standard or seek additional financial support from BEST to pull it off.
One very exciting aspect of our new Washington Elementary School project will be our opportunity to upgrade The Merry Place, a learning area constructed in honor of former Washington Teacher Mark Merry to encourage education in an outdoor environment. Our current design offers two opportunities to continue Mr. Merry's memory, and we are engaging the Merry family to help us choose the spot and finalize the design.
The second outlier we are facing are costs related to LEED 4 mechanical requirements. We are finding these to be quite cost prohibitive. Our projects are part of the first cycle where LEED 4 mechanical is being required by BEST, and I hear builders and architects all over Colorado are finding this to be much more costly than anticipated. We have discussed this with our Owner's Representative and have agreed we'll either need to back off this standard or seek additional financial support from BEST to pull it off.
One very exciting aspect of our new Washington Elementary School project will be our opportunity to upgrade The Merry Place, a learning area constructed in honor of former Washington Teacher Mark Merry to encourage education in an outdoor environment. Our current design offers two opportunities to continue Mr. Merry's memory, and we are engaging the Merry family to help us choose the spot and finalize the design.
Mrs. Davidson considers several design options for commons/auditorium seating at CCMS.
Last Week
Our Board of Education shared how they intentionally plan for long term improvement and stability during breakout session at this year's CASB convention.
Last week I worked with our board to prepare breakout presentation for the Colorado Association of School Boards annual convention in Colorado Springs. Our topic was How one rural board of education intentionally plans for continuous improvement. I also appeared on KRLN Radio’s Morning Line program, conducted a Superintendent’s Advisory Council meeting, attend an Interest-Based Solutions session on attracting and retaining high-quality staff, and dropped in on all day building design session at Cañon City Middle School and Washington Elementary. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Adam Hartman and I also visited Harrison Principal Marne Autobee and Assistant Principal Garrett Olguin about progress being made on Harrison's Kids at Hope school culture initiative. Later in the week, I attended a CCEOE quarterly meeting and a district technology visioning committee meeting. I was then in Springs with Adam and our board from Thursday through Sunday attending the Colorado Association of School Boards annual convention.
This Week
I'll begin this week with an early Monday morning McKinley Turnaround Support Team meeting, conducting an expulsion hearing, and engaging in a phone conference with Colorado Education Initiative folks about an upcoming series of public engagement and planning sessions on which they'll be supporting us. I'll end Monday with a board work session and regular meeting. On Tuesday I have a monthly touching base meeting with Director of Student Support Services Paula Buser, a monthly meeting with local law enforcement agencies, Superintendent's Advisory Council, a District Leadership Team meeting, a CCEA leadership touching base meeting, and a Fine Art of Christmas performance. On Wednesday I'll be touring Stone Mountain Elementary School in the Denver area with a team of Cañon City teachers to learn more about how they support their one-to-one Chromebook program at the elementary level. On Thursday I'm back in Denver for an Early Childhood Leadership Commission meeting. That evening there will be a Cañon 2020 visioning meeting, and on Friday evening we hold our annual Classified Association Christmas gathering.
Thanks for listening once again.
George S. Welsh
Thanks for listening once again.
George S. Welsh
