Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
McKinley Staff received CPR training last Thursday.
May 7th through 11th has been declared Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week by our Board of Education, and not surprisingly, many of our folks have already earned mention as examples of excellence.
McKinley Elementary School Principal Scott Morton and District Nurse Patricia Sallie partnered last Thursday with the Fremont Regional Wellness Committee to train staff in CPR techniques as part of their professional development day activities.
Last week Cañon City High School teacher Madison Tortessi was chosen as a 2018 Jared Polis Foundation Teacher Recognition Honoree. She'll be recognized as one of eleven 2018 recipients. Madison is being honored for her work as a caring, effective, and dedicated teacher. The honor comes along with a $1,000 discretionary award, a $500 technology award, a $1,000 teacher-directed school grant, and a crystal apple she can proudly display. In addition to all of this, Ms. Tortessi will be highlighted in the Denver Post in late May.
Congratulations are also due Cañon Exploratory School's Krystal Safford for being named Alpha Delta Kappa Tau Teacher of the Month of April.
McKinley Elementary School Principal Scott Morton and District Nurse Patricia Sallie partnered last Thursday with the Fremont Regional Wellness Committee to train staff in CPR techniques as part of their professional development day activities.
Last week Cañon City High School teacher Madison Tortessi was chosen as a 2018 Jared Polis Foundation Teacher Recognition Honoree. She'll be recognized as one of eleven 2018 recipients. Madison is being honored for her work as a caring, effective, and dedicated teacher. The honor comes along with a $1,000 discretionary award, a $500 technology award, a $1,000 teacher-directed school grant, and a crystal apple she can proudly display. In addition to all of this, Ms. Tortessi will be highlighted in the Denver Post in late May.
Congratulations are also due Cañon Exploratory School's Krystal Safford for being named Alpha Delta Kappa Tau Teacher of the Month of April.
UCCS students visited classrooms at Cañon City Middle School.
Once again the staff of Lincoln School of Science and Technology scored a 100% on their annual fire safety inspection. This is the second year in a row for them. Congratulations to Principal Tammy DeWolfe, Head Custodian Abe England and the Lincoln staff. Thank you for your continuous commitment to keeping our children safe!
Finally, thanks go out to Cañon City Middle School Principal Tim Renn for working hard to attract and retain new high-quality educators to Canon City. Last week Mr. Ren hosted a Colorado Center for Rural Education event on the CCMS campus. CCRE brought future teachers from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs to tour his school. Job satisfaction is one of the greatest incentives when it comes to recruiting and retaining high-quality staff, and Mr. Renn and the entire Falcon staff were excited to show their visitors just how great it is to work on the CCMS campus. Thanks for going the extra mile Tim!
Finally, thanks go out to Cañon City Middle School Principal Tim Renn for working hard to attract and retain new high-quality educators to Canon City. Last week Mr. Ren hosted a Colorado Center for Rural Education event on the CCMS campus. CCRE brought future teachers from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs to tour his school. Job satisfaction is one of the greatest incentives when it comes to recruiting and retaining high-quality staff, and Mr. Renn and the entire Falcon staff were excited to show their visitors just how great it is to work on the CCMS campus. Thanks for going the extra mile Tim!
The Focus of Our Work
Jared Polis Foundation Teacher Recognition Honoree Madison Tortessi guides work being done at Cañon City High School to improve performance assessment.
Last Thursday a third negotiations meeting was held by representatives of the Cañon City Education Association and Cañon City Schools. During this six-hour session, additional committee work was shared and Tentative Agreements were made in three key areas. We hope to wrap up negotiations on Monday, May 21st when one final contract language item and staff compensation will be addressed.
The topic of a 4-day week calendar arose recently because Cañon City is the only district in our region that has remained on a 5-day week. This option is being considered because of fears we could be at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining great educators. It has also become a topic of discussion among board directors because they were just about to cast votes on a recommended later daily start next year at Can1on City High School. The board understands making a decision to adjust the high school start time could be in conflict with a possible shift to a 4-day week, if that's the course it chooses to pursue.
The board is serious about how a 4-day week might play out in Cañon City. However, they recognize the real issue at hand is how we continue to attract and retain the highest quality educators to work with our children.
The topic of a 4-day week calendar arose recently because Cañon City is the only district in our region that has remained on a 5-day week. This option is being considered because of fears we could be at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining great educators. It has also become a topic of discussion among board directors because they were just about to cast votes on a recommended later daily start next year at Can1on City High School. The board understands making a decision to adjust the high school start time could be in conflict with a possible shift to a 4-day week, if that's the course it chooses to pursue.
The board is serious about how a 4-day week might play out in Cañon City. However, they recognize the real issue at hand is how we continue to attract and retain the highest quality educators to work with our children.
District and Association representatives met in a negotiation session last Thursday. Director of Instruction Adam Hartman tells me it has become a bit of a game to locate my hat each week when I publish Echoes. See if you can help him find it!
The deadline for schools and districts to notify the Colorado Department of Education they are adopting a 4-day week calendar is May 11th. Because of our belief making such a decision that would greatly impact our families and children requires a thorough and transparent process of information exchange, option exploring, and community input, the Board feels heading down this path is impossible before the 2018-19 school year. Thus, our 2018-19 calendar proposal is similar to what we currently have in place.
Moving forward, the Board has committed to conducting a comprehensive process during the 18-19 school year in which the guiding question will be, "how can we continue to attract and retain excellent educators to work with our children long into the future?" If the answer to this question leads them to the conclusion a 4-day work week is necessary to accomplish such a goal, that will be one outcome of the process.
I invite anyone interested in participating in an Interest-Based Solutions approach to answering this guiding question to reach out to me to let me know they would like a seat at the table, and why. Email recipients of Echoes from Cañon can do so by simply responding by email.
Director of Instruction Adam Hartman is pleased to report the 2018 state testing process is complete. All materials have been returned and electronic sessions are closed. Though there were many hurdles and unique challenges this year, he says everyone stuck to the task at hand. I want to share a big thank you to all the folks who guided us through this work.
Moving forward, the Board has committed to conducting a comprehensive process during the 18-19 school year in which the guiding question will be, "how can we continue to attract and retain excellent educators to work with our children long into the future?" If the answer to this question leads them to the conclusion a 4-day work week is necessary to accomplish such a goal, that will be one outcome of the process.
I invite anyone interested in participating in an Interest-Based Solutions approach to answering this guiding question to reach out to me to let me know they would like a seat at the table, and why. Email recipients of Echoes from Cañon can do so by simply responding by email.
Director of Instruction Adam Hartman is pleased to report the 2018 state testing process is complete. All materials have been returned and electronic sessions are closed. Though there were many hurdles and unique challenges this year, he says everyone stuck to the task at hand. I want to share a big thank you to all the folks who guided us through this work.
Last Week
I had the pleasure of being spied by a robotic eye while filming a webinar for our learning partners at Lindamood-Bell.
On Monday I worked with Director of Human Resources Misty Manchester and Director of Instruction Adam Hartman to set 2018-19 building staff levels. This work is key to our budgeting and salary negotiation process. I also enjoyed attending our annual retirement celebration dinner that evening. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I participated in three interviews for the next PCC-Fremont Campus Dean. I also attended a weekly design-build construction team meeting, a series of routine monthly meetings, and recorded a webinar for our learning partners at Lindamood-Bell. On Thursday I held a preparation session for the upcoming BEST Board meeting when this year's grant decisions will be made and then attended a six-hour negotiation meeting. On Friday I attended a series of meetings, worked on this communication, and poked in to see some of the Blossom Music Festival performances, as well as the track meet.
This Week
There's no school on Monday but I'll be working on many communication items. Throughout the week I'll attend several teacher/staff appreciation events, a monthly CCPD touching base meeting, a now weekly Design-Build construction planning meeting, a leadership team meeting, and our Regional Wellness Advisory Team meeting. I'll take personal time on Thursday to attend a dear friend's CU Boulder graduation. Friday will be filled with a regional superintendent gathering and some more routine meetings.
The Way I See It
On occasion I like to throw an opinion piece into this weekly publication. In coming across a letter Cañon City High School Principal Bill Summers prepared for a presentation to the Cañon City Rotary Club, as well as for his parents through an end-of-school-year newsletter, I thought it might be worth sharing. In it Mr. Summers tackles some timely issues while sharing the amazing progress being made at Cañon City High School. So here goes:
My sincere appreciation to the staff at Cañon City High School on behalf of your students. The effort imparted to improve curriculum, scheduling, engagement, security, and relevance was substantial over the past 9 months. When we embrace a culture of growth and selfless improvement, everyone wins, especially learners.
Take a break! Have a fun, family and friends-filled summer. Be excited to return next year to a Chromebook in the hands of every student and a blended online curriculum. Be excited to be in an environment where teachers have created 14 new courses for Career Pathways learning. Know that the community of Fremont County supports us immeasurably as evidenced by the 56 employers who have stepped up to sponsor internships for our students in the coming school year. Be overjoyed that CCHS leads the state in attainment of Early College credits on behalf of our students and their families—and this feat just took a dramatic step forward. The Colorado Department of Education picked CCHS as the fourth overall, and first rural school, to institute a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (PTECH) program, providing an unlimited number of students two tuition free years at Pueblo Community College in a STEM career field. Thank you to our partners in this endeavor, PCC-Fremont and TechSTART!
In my 27-year career in the military, I spanned a political environment that included remnants from the fallout of a post-Vietnam War era force through eleven years after 9/11. I saw America’s opinion of the military progress from disdain, to comfortable trust, to near-fanatical appreciation. There were many occasions dining out with my family when another patron paid our bill as a token of appreciation for my service. In my 4½ years deployed to remote operations, I received one care package after another from a 5th-grade class in Kentucky or a Rotary Club in Colorado. While those acts of generosity made me appreciate the spirit of my fellow citizens, what made the difference to most service members during this time was that our federal government righted the substantial wrong of paying a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine below the poverty level by authorizing above-cost-of-living salary increases. No matter which side of the political aisle an American fell, there were few objections after our country was attacked by an outside force, to putting tax dollars into service members’ wallets to compensate them for their sacrifice. Recognizing inequity and reversing it is what makes us the greatest nation on earth.
I am now an educator. I will not compare the sacrifices made between the community of educators and service members, but I can speak to the fact that both populations contain passionate and tenacious men and women who want nothing more than to further American values. I also believe both populations hold the future prosperity and security of our nation in the palm of their hands. Would it not be wonderful to see a young teacher and her family out to dinner proceed to the checkout counter to find that another patron, perhaps a school parent, had picked up the tab? Would it not be fitting for a person who spends 182 days of her year caring for a significant-needs child be able to support herself above the poverty line on a governmental wage? And would it not be appropriate for our state to value education at a level that placed us at least in the upper-half of the national average for per pupil funding?
Cañon City voters thought so when they approved a Mill Levy Override and Bond this past November. Cañon City educators felt proud and well supported by the community as a result of this tremendous acknowledgment. While there are many generous individuals in our community who support educators, people who donate at a significant level year-after-year, we have not yet righted what’s wrong. There’s one more step. It is now time for the voters of the state to show their value for education.
Have a great summer!
Bill Summers CCHS, Principal
. . . let's all show our appreciation for the hard work our educators do on behalf of children.
Thanks for listening once again.
George S. Welsh
My sincere appreciation to the staff at Cañon City High School on behalf of your students. The effort imparted to improve curriculum, scheduling, engagement, security, and relevance was substantial over the past 9 months. When we embrace a culture of growth and selfless improvement, everyone wins, especially learners.
Take a break! Have a fun, family and friends-filled summer. Be excited to return next year to a Chromebook in the hands of every student and a blended online curriculum. Be excited to be in an environment where teachers have created 14 new courses for Career Pathways learning. Know that the community of Fremont County supports us immeasurably as evidenced by the 56 employers who have stepped up to sponsor internships for our students in the coming school year. Be overjoyed that CCHS leads the state in attainment of Early College credits on behalf of our students and their families—and this feat just took a dramatic step forward. The Colorado Department of Education picked CCHS as the fourth overall, and first rural school, to institute a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (PTECH) program, providing an unlimited number of students two tuition free years at Pueblo Community College in a STEM career field. Thank you to our partners in this endeavor, PCC-Fremont and TechSTART!
In my 27-year career in the military, I spanned a political environment that included remnants from the fallout of a post-Vietnam War era force through eleven years after 9/11. I saw America’s opinion of the military progress from disdain, to comfortable trust, to near-fanatical appreciation. There were many occasions dining out with my family when another patron paid our bill as a token of appreciation for my service. In my 4½ years deployed to remote operations, I received one care package after another from a 5th-grade class in Kentucky or a Rotary Club in Colorado. While those acts of generosity made me appreciate the spirit of my fellow citizens, what made the difference to most service members during this time was that our federal government righted the substantial wrong of paying a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine below the poverty level by authorizing above-cost-of-living salary increases. No matter which side of the political aisle an American fell, there were few objections after our country was attacked by an outside force, to putting tax dollars into service members’ wallets to compensate them for their sacrifice. Recognizing inequity and reversing it is what makes us the greatest nation on earth.
I am now an educator. I will not compare the sacrifices made between the community of educators and service members, but I can speak to the fact that both populations contain passionate and tenacious men and women who want nothing more than to further American values. I also believe both populations hold the future prosperity and security of our nation in the palm of their hands. Would it not be wonderful to see a young teacher and her family out to dinner proceed to the checkout counter to find that another patron, perhaps a school parent, had picked up the tab? Would it not be fitting for a person who spends 182 days of her year caring for a significant-needs child be able to support herself above the poverty line on a governmental wage? And would it not be appropriate for our state to value education at a level that placed us at least in the upper-half of the national average for per pupil funding?
Cañon City voters thought so when they approved a Mill Levy Override and Bond this past November. Cañon City educators felt proud and well supported by the community as a result of this tremendous acknowledgment. While there are many generous individuals in our community who support educators, people who donate at a significant level year-after-year, we have not yet righted what’s wrong. There’s one more step. It is now time for the voters of the state to show their value for education.
Have a great summer!
Bill Summers CCHS, Principal
. . . let's all show our appreciation for the hard work our educators do on behalf of children.
Thanks for listening once again.
George S. Welsh