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
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Harrison School Computer Club watch event where Wonderworks International Robotics League awards were announced. As a reminder, this year the Wonderworks Robotics League had 8,400 participants, representing 4,500 teams from 91 different countries. Through the competition, teams or individual students are charged with building a robot and programming it to complete specific tasks. This year three teams with representation from Harrison K-8 and Mountain View Core Knowledge School competed, and all three advanced to the semi-final round! One of our teams also advanced to the final invitational round. Last Monday it was announced The Cue Machine, a Cañon City team of 12-14-year-olds consisting of TJ Evagash, Tyler Balch, Terrence Coburn, and Andrew Piquette actually finished in the top 5 of the international competition! This is the second year in a row our district has experienced such success in the program. Congratulations!
Our yearly practice has been to honor our retirees at a district coordinated reception. Unfortunately, circumstances have not yet allowed us to do so in 2020. In an effort to honor those who faithfully served children for so many years, I'd like to offer a quick shout out to Anita Hood, Tim Ritter, Deb Denardo-Been, Lowell Miller, Shelly Stringari, Rebecca Reed, Michael Krein, Bill Freda, Kevin Harthun, and Janet Wahlberg. I wish you the happiest of retirements, and promise we'll do our best to honor your dedication to students in person when circumstances allow.
Near the end of the school year, Harrison Art Teacher Suzanne Cooper assigned students to paint rocks with messages and to hide them for others to find. Suzanne reported a lot of wonderful creativity was displayed during the lesson. However, she was struck (not literally, fortunately) by a particular project produced by a student who simply wanted to pass forward a message of hope. I've included an image of it here. What a great example of a Harrison Hawk living by the school's core belief.
On a final note, kudos are due to our Special Services department, led by Director Tim Renn. This year, for the first time in many, the staff was recognized by the Colorado Department of Education for completing 100% of its initial special education evaluations within sixty days of receiving parental consent to do so. Doing this quick analysis allows us to more effectively support the needs of exceptional students. Add to this the news that just this week CDE announced Cañon City Schools is receiving a $75,000 grant as reimbursement for high-cost services! Thank you all for this wonderful work!
Near the end of the school year, Harrison Art Teacher Suzanne Cooper assigned students to paint rocks with messages and to hide them for others to find. Suzanne reported a lot of wonderful creativity was displayed during the lesson. However, she was struck (not literally, fortunately) by a particular project produced by a student who simply wanted to pass forward a message of hope. I've included an image of it here. What a great example of a Harrison Hawk living by the school's core belief.
On a final note, kudos are due to our Special Services department, led by Director Tim Renn. This year, for the first time in many, the staff was recognized by the Colorado Department of Education for completing 100% of its initial special education evaluations within sixty days of receiving parental consent to do so. Doing this quick analysis allows us to more effectively support the needs of exceptional students. Add to this the news that just this week CDE announced Cañon City Schools is receiving a $75,000 grant as reimbursement for high-cost services! Thank you all for this wonderful work!
Harrison Technology Teacher Karin Steadman with some of her Wonderworks Robotic League participants.
Our Future Focus
On each of the past two Tuesdays and Thursdays, a team of district educators has engaged with the Colorado Education Initiative on a plan for reopening our schools in August. The key to this work is the understanding our staff, students, and their families will need extra support as we restart, so the focus of our effort has been laying the groundwork to do so. These plans will be incorporated in our district reopening work and will guide much of the first month of our instruction.
Once again, our three basic plans for restarting in-person school are as follows:
Plan A: We’ll conduct classes as normal with very few limits to attendance, though possibly with precautions in place such as monitoring health conditions of staff and students daily, establishing and socially isolating cohorts of students and staff, and requiring the use of personal protective equipment if necessary or required.
Plan B: We’ll operate a hybrid attendance schedule to meet the requirements of gathering size limitations to support social isolation of reasonably sized cohorts or to accomplish social distancing, with precautions in place such as daily monitoring of health conditions of staff and students and requiring personal protective equipment if necessary or required. For elementary students, this may mean they only get to attend school each day in half-day shifts for a period of time. For secondary, this may mean every other day attendance for a while.
Plan C: Should a breakout of COVID-19 occur, some or all of our buildings will be closed, or some individual classrooms/cohorts of students and staff will be required to remain at home in quarantine for a designated period of time. If this were to happen, all instruction for those students impacted will be delivered through digital means.
Once again, our three basic plans for restarting in-person school are as follows:
Plan A: We’ll conduct classes as normal with very few limits to attendance, though possibly with precautions in place such as monitoring health conditions of staff and students daily, establishing and socially isolating cohorts of students and staff, and requiring the use of personal protective equipment if necessary or required.
Plan B: We’ll operate a hybrid attendance schedule to meet the requirements of gathering size limitations to support social isolation of reasonably sized cohorts or to accomplish social distancing, with precautions in place such as daily monitoring of health conditions of staff and students and requiring personal protective equipment if necessary or required. For elementary students, this may mean they only get to attend school each day in half-day shifts for a period of time. For secondary, this may mean every other day attendance for a while.
Plan C: Should a breakout of COVID-19 occur, some or all of our buildings will be closed, or some individual classrooms/cohorts of students and staff will be required to remain at home in quarantine for a designated period of time. If this were to happen, all instruction for those students impacted will be delivered through digital means.
Our Focus On Health and Wellness
I want to once again remind everyone that our Cañon City Schools Nutrition Services Team is providing summer meal service to ANY child who wishes to participate. Grab and go meal distribution takes place at the following locations every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday:
Canon City High School - 10:45am - 11:05am
Canon Exploratory School - 11:25am - 11:55am
Harrison School - 12:10pm - 12:30pm
Lincoln School of Science and Tech - 1:00pm - 1:20pm
McKinley School - 1:30pm - 1:50pm
For more details and additional information please visit our website at www.canoncityschools.org, call 276-5813 or visit Canon City Schools Team Nutrition on Facebook.
Canon City High School - 10:45am - 11:05am
Canon Exploratory School - 11:25am - 11:55am
Harrison School - 12:10pm - 12:30pm
Lincoln School of Science and Tech - 1:00pm - 1:20pm
McKinley School - 1:30pm - 1:50pm
For more details and additional information please visit our website at www.canoncityschools.org, call 276-5813 or visit Canon City Schools Team Nutrition on Facebook.
Override and Bond Progress
Work continues on our two school construction projects. Both the north and south pods have been demolished at Washington Elementary, and the old vocational structure has been completely removed on the Cañon City Middle School campus, revealing the new main entrance to the facility. The Cañon City Middle School staff is scheduled to move into the new parts of the structure during the week of June 22nd. I have not yet heard a timeline for the occupation of the new Washington Elementary structure.
On the override front, the school district will continue to commit $350,000 of this funding per year toward staff compensation. We are also completing a major renovation of the Cañon City High School Tiger Dome in part thanks to this funding. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Adam Hartman continues to update learning resources with his portion of the funding, and though we got a head start on the process this spring thanks to COVID-19, we are still following our timeline to extend our one-to-one device program into all elementary grade levels. This effort includes the installation of touch display boards in all K-5 classrooms. Of course, a per-pupil portion of our annual override funding is still passed on to the Mountain View Core Knowledge charter school for use as they see fit, and our Early Childhood Education Council receives a flat sum of $85,000 each year to expand preschool services for Cañon City students. A highlight of this effort in the coming year includes the opening our very own preschool sits on the McKinley Elementary School campus for the 2020-21 school year.
On the override front, the school district will continue to commit $350,000 of this funding per year toward staff compensation. We are also completing a major renovation of the Cañon City High School Tiger Dome in part thanks to this funding. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Adam Hartman continues to update learning resources with his portion of the funding, and though we got a head start on the process this spring thanks to COVID-19, we are still following our timeline to extend our one-to-one device program into all elementary grade levels. This effort includes the installation of touch display boards in all K-5 classrooms. Of course, a per-pupil portion of our annual override funding is still passed on to the Mountain View Core Knowledge charter school for use as they see fit, and our Early Childhood Education Council receives a flat sum of $85,000 each year to expand preschool services for Cañon City students. A highlight of this effort in the coming year includes the opening our very own preschool sits on the McKinley Elementary School campus for the 2020-21 school year.
The Past Two Weeks
In the past two weeks, I met with building leaders to continue planning to reopen our schools, participated in a director meeting, attended Rural Alliance, Opportunity Coalition, and Pikes Peak Alliance legislative advocacy meetings, conducted an Administrative Office Staff meeting, attend a school board work session and meeting, participated in four Colorado Education Initiative Accelerated Design Network sessions, and began completing our annual Federal Programs grant application.
Upcoming
In the next two weeks, I'll publish another installment of Echoes from Cañon, work diligently on our annual Federal Programs grant application, hold weekly director's meetings, continue planning for the August reopening of our schools, attend a regional Manager's meeting, a Communities That Care meeting, and an FEDC Board of Directors meeting, attend a P-TECH Partners digital gathering, and prepare a message for the upcoming Gateway to College virtual graduation ceremony. Most importantly, I'll work with our finance department to finalize a budget for the 2020-21 school year.
Other Voices
We held a candle-lighting ceremony in honor of JoAnn Bliss
JoAnn
It is with deep sorrow the Cañon City School District shares the news that JoAnn Bliss, a beloved mathematics teacher who dedicated 17 years of her life to our children here in Cañon City, passed away.
JoAnn worked in several of our schools, retiring at the end of the 2018-19 School Year.
Always known for going out of her way to support student learning, JoAnn exhibited the attitude that students should take positive risks and profit from their mistakes. She always took the time to make sure students understood concepts so they could be successful in her class, and in their lives. JoAnn simply poured her heart and soul into her students, and each knew she cared deeply about them.
JoAnn Bliss was a bright spot in the work lives of everyone she came in contact with.
At JoAnn's request, there will be no services. However, Cañon City Schools is arranging a candlelight gathering at the high school in her honor.
Please keep JoAnn's daughter, Elizabeth, and her entire family in your thoughts and prayers.
A beautiful candle-lighting ceremony as held in her honor last Friday night on the Cañon City High School campus, and it was attended by many of her students and colleagues.
Thanks to all for listening once again.
George S. Welsh
JoAnn worked in several of our schools, retiring at the end of the 2018-19 School Year.
Always known for going out of her way to support student learning, JoAnn exhibited the attitude that students should take positive risks and profit from their mistakes. She always took the time to make sure students understood concepts so they could be successful in her class, and in their lives. JoAnn simply poured her heart and soul into her students, and each knew she cared deeply about them.
JoAnn Bliss was a bright spot in the work lives of everyone she came in contact with.
At JoAnn's request, there will be no services. However, Cañon City Schools is arranging a candlelight gathering at the high school in her honor.
Please keep JoAnn's daughter, Elizabeth, and her entire family in your thoughts and prayers.
A beautiful candle-lighting ceremony as held in her honor last Friday night on the Cañon City High School campus, and it was attended by many of her students and colleagues.
Thanks to all for listening once again.
George S. Welsh
