Cañon City thrives through adventurous spirit, dynamic people, innovative schools, and historic charm.
Echoes from Cañon
Our Mission
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
The Cañon City School District is future-focused, providing innovative educational opportunities to successfully prepare all students to meet any challenge they may face.
Our 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
As a future-focused school district, our instructional technology coaches have worked hard to offer relevant professional development to staff. A big part of this work is a new website and badge program that was just rolled out. The website features three levels of badges that can be earned indicating proficiency in technology-related areas. The first level, beginner badges include tutorial videos and a quiz. The second level, practiced users, require participants to complete a list of tasks recorded on Screencastify to prove they are using and becoming comfortable with features in the Google Suite. The third level, advanced users, is designed to require badge earners to using applications at a modification level in their classrooms or in conjunction with other staff. As an individual completes the requirements for a level, they will fill out a badge request form, and the district will award them badges both electronically, through Schoology, and physically, to be displayed prominently in their classroom or office. Staff can also earn professional development clock hours by taking these courses. For every four courses completed an individual will receive two clock hours that can be used toward salary advancement/certification renewal credit. This will be tracked through our Instructional Technology department and who will be awarding certificates to participants. Certificates can then be turned into the Human Resources department so employees can receive their professional development hours.
The goal of this program is to offer “A La Carte” style professional development opportunities so staff can build upon their technology skills in a “whenever, wherever” setting. Individuals will be able to complete courses and earn badges whenever they like.
The Instructional Technology Department plans to add courses ensuring teachers, paras, administrators, and support staff access to training that helps them grow their digital skills to effectively support our students and our community.
Staff can access the professional development badge website at this link: https://sites.google.com/canoncityschools.org/itpdbadgeprogram/home
The goal of this program is to offer “A La Carte” style professional development opportunities so staff can build upon their technology skills in a “whenever, wherever” setting. Individuals will be able to complete courses and earn badges whenever they like.
The Instructional Technology Department plans to add courses ensuring teachers, paras, administrators, and support staff access to training that helps them grow their digital skills to effectively support our students and our community.
Staff can access the professional development badge website at this link: https://sites.google.com/canoncityschools.org/itpdbadgeprogram/home
Our Future Focus
A Jenkins Middle School classroom.
Last week a cadre of Mountain View Core Knowledge School staff visited Jenkins Middle School in Colorado Springs. Jenkins is an award-winning middle school with over 900 students in grades 6 through 8. Most important, they are also recognized as a Capturing Kids Hearts Blue Ribbon School. Mountain View Core Knowledge has been applying elements of Capturing Kids Hearts for several years now. Principal/Director Karen Sartori says, "to see a school this size show consistency and dedication to Capturing Kids Hearts at the level that they do is impressive. To hear the stories of the changes this brought to Jenkins was heartwarming. I think I speak for our entire team when I say that we were deeply inspired by our visit."
The MVCKS visiting team collaborated with Jenkins leaders, toured classrooms unannounced, visited with a student whose course in life was changed by the Capturing Kids Hearts philosophy, and made use of an empty conference room to brainstorm, reflect, and begin planning for improvements in their own building. I understand these learnings will be shared with the entire MVCKS staff on their next professional development day, February 28th.
quick (usually 15 questions or less) perception surveys so we can better understand the performance of our schools.
The MVCKS visiting team collaborated with Jenkins leaders, toured classrooms unannounced, visited with a student whose course in life was changed by the Capturing Kids Hearts philosophy, and made use of an empty conference room to brainstorm, reflect, and begin planning for improvements in their own building. I understand these learnings will be shared with the entire MVCKS staff on their next professional development day, February 28th.
quick (usually 15 questions or less) perception surveys so we can better understand the performance of our schools.
We are fast entering the evaluation season, and this kicks off with me conducting our Assistant Superintendent of Schools evaluation process, that of directors, and the Board of Education conducting mine. At Monday's work session the Board will receive the results of the superintendent evaluation survey as well as my evaluation self-reflection. AS we work through these items, each school will once again experience an Instructional Program Evaluation. These will be conducted this year by Compass Committee, will employ a newly revised rubric focused on measuring the achievement of our district mission, and will include student and parent survey data. Please, please, please be sure to respond to these
Our Focus on Safety and Wellness
On Friday we had to make a late decision to delay the start of school. Though the original weather forecast was for light snow, calling for it to stop by 5 AM, the flakes continued to fall quite heavily through mid-morning. As a result, though our operations crew was out early clearing parking lots and walkways, they had to circle back to re-plow and re-shovel. Thus, a decision was made at 6 AM to delay the start of schools by two hours. We recognize that is too late for some folks and truly apologize for how this played out. Just so you know, whenever we anticipate weather that could warrant closure or a delay, we rise early to monitor conditions and do our best to make a decision by 4 AM. When forecasts confidently call for extreme cold, snowy, and icy conditions, we are often able to decide on a course of action before everyone goes to bed. We recognize this is most helpful when you are planning your day.
Once again, we apologize for our late decision on Friday and will do all we can to avoid replicating that. When in doubt, please remember to check our social media feeds or the School News and Alerts button on our website for up to date information. This can be found at http://www.canoncityschools.org
Once again, we apologize for our late decision on Friday and will do all we can to avoid replicating that. When in doubt, please remember to check our social media feeds or the School News and Alerts button on our website for up to date information. This can be found at http://www.canoncityschools.org
Override and Bond Progress
We are now far enough into our new facility construction processes to get serious about ordering new furniture. This will include opportunities to test drive some samples, and the folks at Cañon City Middle School and Washington Elementary are looking forward to this.
Last Week
A team from Cañon City Schools consisting of Daniel Coppa, Chris Coppa, Shaun Kohl, and Adam Hartman presented how to prepare schools for a one-to-one device program and blended learning at the Winter CASE Convention.
Last week I took a personal day on Monday. On Tuesday, despite the bad weather, I attended to several legislative items in Denver. On Wednesday our delayed start changed my schedule, but I was able to attend a Social-Emotional Learning/School Health Professionals grant staffing meeting, and Director of Human Resources Misty Manchester and I finalized building staffing recommendations. I was in Westminster on Thursday and Friday for the annual Colorado Association of School Executives Winter Leadership Conference.
This Week
A typical classroom scene during last year's CES Instructional Program Evaluation.
This Monday I'll watch the weather carefully in the morning, write another installment of Echoes from Cañon, work with McKinley Elementary School Literacy Coach Jessica Stevens to finalize our new instructional program review rubric in a format that will work in Google Sheets, and write up a series of director evaluations before attending a board work session and meeting. On Tuesday I'll attend a touching base meeting with CCEA leadership, I'll also touch base with the Cañon City Police Department, hold a directors meeting, a District Leadership Team meeting, and then I'll participate in a Cañon City Middle School construction walkthrough. On Wednesday we'll meet about renewing our Health Plan, I'll join in on an Opportunity Coalition legislative call, facilitate a site visit at Cañon Exploratory School to evaluate its instructional program, attend a meeting bout reinstalling solar panels taken off the CCMS and Washington buildings during construction, and attend a construction project update meeting. Thursday brings a Pikes Peak Alliance meeting, some director evaluations, and a Positive Youth Development training meeting. On Friday I'll attend a regional superintendent gathering and a Colorado School Finance Project meeting in Denver.
Other Voices
The Cañon City School District is conducting a Blood Drive this week, Friday, February 14th from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Administration Building (101 N. 14th Street).
If you'd like to schedule an appointment online, here are the steps for doing it online.
1. Go to: www.vitalant.org
2. Click "make your appointment"
3. Under donate as guest click appointment
4. Check the option "blood drive code" and enter: 00511
Give blood, save lives!
. . . and thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
If you'd like to schedule an appointment online, here are the steps for doing it online.
1. Go to: www.vitalant.org
2. Click "make your appointment"
3. Under donate as guest click appointment
4. Check the option "blood drive code" and enter: 00511
Give blood, save lives!
. . . and thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
