Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
Washington Elementary Teacher Annette Nimmo presents about the YETI program.
This week at the Healthy Schools Leadership Retreat in Keystone the Lincoln School of Science and Technology staff was honored with a $500 Excellence Award and Washington Elementary personnel received a $300 Promising School Award. Also, Fremont County Regional Health Coordinator Brian VanIwarden, Cañon City Schools Health Professional Emily Cornella, and Colorado Department of Education (and former Cañon City Schools employee) Kristi Elliott presented a dynamic session on integrating school health professionals into wellness initiatives. Additionally, Brian VanIwarden, Washington Elementary Teacher Annette Nimmo, and Director of Instruction Adam Hartman offered a wonderful presentation on FAR's YETI program and how it activates student exercise. Cañon City Schools had lots to be proud of at this event!
I want to thank CCHS graduate Dr. Luke Javernick for his work setting up internship opportunities for students at our local technology incubator program called Tech Start. This has been a tremendous help in our meeting the requirements of our recently acquired PTECH grant. Last Friday this year's interns were honored and three new CCHS students were welcomed to the Tech Start fold. They are Yumiko Sakamoto, Roger Sakamoto, and Coleman Henderson.
Finally, thanks to our continued partnership with Pueblo Community College's Fremont Campus, great things are going on at SPLASh 2018! Roughly 150 kids are participating in this year's course called Starfish, Squid, & Fish ... Oh My! Additionally, CCHS Vocal Music Director Todd Albrecht has a star-studded team of helpers working with 45 young men and women in his annual Broadway Our Way camp. What great enrichment opportunities are being offered to our kids!
I want to thank CCHS graduate Dr. Luke Javernick for his work setting up internship opportunities for students at our local technology incubator program called Tech Start. This has been a tremendous help in our meeting the requirements of our recently acquired PTECH grant. Last Friday this year's interns were honored and three new CCHS students were welcomed to the Tech Start fold. They are Yumiko Sakamoto, Roger Sakamoto, and Coleman Henderson.
Finally, thanks to our continued partnership with Pueblo Community College's Fremont Campus, great things are going on at SPLASh 2018! Roughly 150 kids are participating in this year's course called Starfish, Squid, & Fish ... Oh My! Additionally, CCHS Vocal Music Director Todd Albrecht has a star-studded team of helpers working with 45 young men and women in his annual Broadway Our Way camp. What great enrichment opportunities are being offered to our kids!
School Health Professional Emily Cornella (right) shares advice on effective implementation of SHP grants.
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Tech Start guru Brad Rowland from takes new Cañon City High School interns on a tour of his facility.
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The Focus of Our Work
Julie Milam helps some of her SPLASh! students study a squid.
I've been writing for several weeks about the many summer construction projects we have going on in the district. At the same time, our technology department is engaged in an enormous amount of upgrade work related to secure building entry vestibules, security camera upgrades, and new building planning and design as they relate to technology implementation.
Additional areas of focus for our technology team include end-of-year reporting through CDE's data pipeline, converting our Infinite Campus student management system to web-based hosting so teachers using Chromebooks can access it, preparing for the CCHS and McKinley one-to-one Chromebook rollout by purchasing and configuring devices, relocation of unneeded computers at CCHS to other focus areas in the district, preparing for new teacher orientation on technology systems, conducting wireless audits and making needed modifications at CCHS, CCMS, and McKinley Elementary, hiring and training a new technology device repair person, updating all firmware on switches, arrays, and servers, updating all computer applications and plugins, updating websites, changing staff accounts to our new email format as logins, installing flat panel TVs at CCHS and McKinley for classroom display use with Chromebooks, imaging all district Windows mobile devices, scanning student records, supporting online pre-registration processes, reconfiguring student accounts in preparation for teh one-to-one rollout, updating Synergy Lab equipment and software at CCMS and Harrison, and installing brand new Synergy Lab equipment at CES, setting up an online payment system to be implemented this fall, setting up processes to check in and out Chromebooks, reconfiguring photocopiers so they can scan to Google Drive, setting up a backup internet connection (in light of our move to one-to-one devices), preparing our annual Read Act data report, setting up ClassLink at McKinley Elementary, relocating a data rack from Shaun Kohl's office to our district data room, installing additional network lines in district administrative offices (to support more reliable phone system use), movin P-Drive data to Google Team Drives, and last but not least, preparing to implement wireless internet access on district trip buses.
One other key area of focus is that on Monday evening our Board of Education will be voting on ratification of certified and classified negotiations agreements, as well as considering approval of recommended administrator placement and compensation.
Additional areas of focus for our technology team include end-of-year reporting through CDE's data pipeline, converting our Infinite Campus student management system to web-based hosting so teachers using Chromebooks can access it, preparing for the CCHS and McKinley one-to-one Chromebook rollout by purchasing and configuring devices, relocation of unneeded computers at CCHS to other focus areas in the district, preparing for new teacher orientation on technology systems, conducting wireless audits and making needed modifications at CCHS, CCMS, and McKinley Elementary, hiring and training a new technology device repair person, updating all firmware on switches, arrays, and servers, updating all computer applications and plugins, updating websites, changing staff accounts to our new email format as logins, installing flat panel TVs at CCHS and McKinley for classroom display use with Chromebooks, imaging all district Windows mobile devices, scanning student records, supporting online pre-registration processes, reconfiguring student accounts in preparation for teh one-to-one rollout, updating Synergy Lab equipment and software at CCMS and Harrison, and installing brand new Synergy Lab equipment at CES, setting up an online payment system to be implemented this fall, setting up processes to check in and out Chromebooks, reconfiguring photocopiers so they can scan to Google Drive, setting up a backup internet connection (in light of our move to one-to-one devices), preparing our annual Read Act data report, setting up ClassLink at McKinley Elementary, relocating a data rack from Shaun Kohl's office to our district data room, installing additional network lines in district administrative offices (to support more reliable phone system use), movin P-Drive data to Google Team Drives, and last but not least, preparing to implement wireless internet access on district trip buses.
One other key area of focus is that on Monday evening our Board of Education will be voting on ratification of certified and classified negotiations agreements, as well as considering approval of recommended administrator placement and compensation.
Excited parents pick up their children after a day of Starfish, Squid, and Fish . . .Oh My!
Override Progress
As promised through ballot question 3A in November 2017, as part of our 2018-19 fiscal year budget $85 thousand dollars is being allocated to local early childhood programs that serve Cañon City children, and an equal dollar per student, totaling $87,537, is being allocated to Mountain View Core Knowledge Charter School.
Bond Progress
CCHS windows are already being removed in preparation for replacement with energy efficient models.
Numerous projects related to our $7.5 million multi-facility repair grant are already in progress. A project kickoff safety meeting took place two weeks ago, including important instruction on how to handle asbestos for non-abatement personnel. Last week concrete cutting took place at Cañon City High School where our new ADA restroom door will be located. While this took place an unidentified water line was located, causing a temporary water service shut down.
I understand abatement and window replacement really going well at McKinley and CCHS. The work at Lincoln is going a little slower and may take one more week than we planned. Workers will start setting frames for windows that are ready next week and a semi load of replacement glass should be delivered on June 18.
According to our work schedule, Harrison K-8 new front entry bulkheads will be built this coming week.
Regarding water line replacement projects, unfortunately, we located some asbestos that needs to be abated in the water service tunnel at Cañon City High School. This was thought to have been removed back in the early 2000's, but it was missed. The Design-Build Team is working on a solution for this because it needs to be addressed before mechanical workers enter that section of the tunnel. Fortunately, we are about $47,000 under budget in other areas right now and we hope this will cover the cost of a solution.
Other items of interest include that we have all required permits in hand. We are waiting on proposals for new Lincoln lavatories. Architects are taking work drawn up by our operations team to develop a floor plan for our new grounds facility. Panic alarm installation is now happening at CCHS and Harrison, and we have decided to proceed with our required topographic survey and Geotech soil boring and testing in preparation of construction projects soon to take place on the Cañon City Middle School and Washington Elementary School campuses.
I understand abatement and window replacement really going well at McKinley and CCHS. The work at Lincoln is going a little slower and may take one more week than we planned. Workers will start setting frames for windows that are ready next week and a semi load of replacement glass should be delivered on June 18.
According to our work schedule, Harrison K-8 new front entry bulkheads will be built this coming week.
Regarding water line replacement projects, unfortunately, we located some asbestos that needs to be abated in the water service tunnel at Cañon City High School. This was thought to have been removed back in the early 2000's, but it was missed. The Design-Build Team is working on a solution for this because it needs to be addressed before mechanical workers enter that section of the tunnel. Fortunately, we are about $47,000 under budget in other areas right now and we hope this will cover the cost of a solution.
Other items of interest include that we have all required permits in hand. We are waiting on proposals for new Lincoln lavatories. Architects are taking work drawn up by our operations team to develop a floor plan for our new grounds facility. Panic alarm installation is now happening at CCHS and Harrison, and we have decided to proceed with our required topographic survey and Geotech soil boring and testing in preparation of construction projects soon to take place on the Cañon City Middle School and Washington Elementary School campuses.
Last Week
GE Johnson, the "build" portion of our Design-Build team. has moved a mobile office to our high school campus.
On Monday I had a series of routine meetings and time scheduled to complete this publication and catch up on correspondence. I started Tuesday meeting with Director of Operations Jeff Peterson and Travis Guerrette from RLH Engineering to talk about asbestos abatement plans related to window and water line replacement. I then appeared on KRLN's Morning Line, held a Superintendent’s Advisory Council meeting, and participated in our weekly Design-Build team meeting. We also held a CCEOE board meeting that afternoon. From Wednesday through Friday I attended this year’s Healthy Schools Leadership Retreat as part of a contingent from Fremont County. While there I caught up on email, worked on our board meeting information items, and sent calendar reminders to administrators about next year's evaluation deadlines.
This Week
Paul Kosek of GE Johnson is our construction superintendent. He is a Florence resident and has grandchildren who attend Cañon City Schools. With the award of our two school grants, he'll be a key part of our Design-Build team for the next two years.
On Monday I have a series of routine meetings once again, including a Board Work Session and our regular June meeting. On Tuesday I travel to Denver with Director of Instruction Adam Hartman, Principal Bill Summers, and a team of Cañon City High School teachers. From Tuesday through Thursday we'll attend the Colorado Education Initiative Assessment for Learning summer convening. This work is related to a grant we were awarded to develop ways to formatively assess students and to develop capstone processes. On Friday the 15th I'll attend a Building Excellent Schools Today new school grant kickoff meeting with Director of Finance Buddy Lambrecht, Jeff Peterson, our Owner's Representatives from RLH Engineering, and our CDE Regional Representative Anna Fitzer.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
