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
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Link Crew sponsor Shane Thornton helps introduce the Kindness Campaign to Washington Elementary students, Link Leaders polish up thier kindness presentaton, and The Pride sponsor Kevin Marushack introduces Link Leaders to the District Leadership Team as they prepare to present their idea.
Tuesday was National Kindness Day and on this day Cañon City High School's Link Crew Leaders launched a campaign that promotes spreading kindness in every school, and throughout the entire community. The Kindness Campaign was created by high school students and was first presented to every administrator at a District Leadership Team meeting.
The mission of the Kindness Campaign is to inspire everyone to be the best version of themselves, and to support others in doing the same. Students, teachers, and administrators are working together across the district to promote and spread this message. Students planned events, Kindness Campaign products were designed, and visuals were created and presented around the schools and the community.
Link Leaders who created this campaign invite everyone to join their mission. If you have an idea that exemplifies kindness in our schools and community share it with them and they'll making it part of the campaign. We encourage everyone in Cañon to participate in the Kindness Campaign and to Choose Kindness each and every time you get the chance!
Also last Tuesday, members of the Mckinley Elementary School staff hosted a Digital Resources Open House for parents and community. I attended this event and was impressed with the quality of information shared. This was a passion project by staff volunteers. Jessica Stevens, Mark Lyons, Kari Holcomb, Jessica Sprowes, Donna Biemilller, and Gina Thornton each proposed a topic and presented it to parents. Christina Braiden and Janelle Falk also worked on presentations though they were unable to attend. Jessi Hamilton, Amy Williamson, and Patty Willyard were kind enough to prepare a meal for all attending participants. We truly appreciate your effort!
The mission of the Kindness Campaign is to inspire everyone to be the best version of themselves, and to support others in doing the same. Students, teachers, and administrators are working together across the district to promote and spread this message. Students planned events, Kindness Campaign products were designed, and visuals were created and presented around the schools and the community.
Link Leaders who created this campaign invite everyone to join their mission. If you have an idea that exemplifies kindness in our schools and community share it with them and they'll making it part of the campaign. We encourage everyone in Cañon to participate in the Kindness Campaign and to Choose Kindness each and every time you get the chance!
Also last Tuesday, members of the Mckinley Elementary School staff hosted a Digital Resources Open House for parents and community. I attended this event and was impressed with the quality of information shared. This was a passion project by staff volunteers. Jessica Stevens, Mark Lyons, Kari Holcomb, Jessica Sprowes, Donna Biemilller, and Gina Thornton each proposed a topic and presented it to parents. Christina Braiden and Janelle Falk also worked on presentations though they were unable to attend. Jessi Hamilton, Amy Williamson, and Patty Willyard were kind enough to prepare a meal for all attending participants. We truly appreciate your effort!
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Jessica Stevens and Jessica Sprowes present interactive digital learning resources to interested McKinley parents.
Our Future Focus
Washington Literacy Coach Kelli Jones presents to Compass about how early literacy best practices might factor into annual Instructional program reviews.
Larry Oddo congratulates Shad Johnson as Shad takes the Board President seat.
We held our third Compass Committee meeting last Wednesday and it was well attended and the work was engaging. Compass continues to finalize what our annual building instructional program review process will look like. Key decisions made at this meeting included adding a rubric to measure the application of early literacy best practices for all schools that serve grades K-5. This will codify, on our terms, some good work we've begun during the past few years. We also agreed to allow any school that wishes to add a personalized rubric section to the review do so upon approval of the Compass Committee. We also decided we'll continue conducting a staff survey as part of the annual review process but will remove its scoring impact from the tally so as not to discourage any responders from being absolutely honest with their feedback. However, we agreed to replace that survey's impact with soon to be developed student and parent surveys that will factor into each school's final rating.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 16th. It will take place from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM in the District Board Room.
At its meeting last Monday, the Board of Education reorganized as it always does when new directors are seated. Shad Johnson will serve as our new Board President. Filling out the rest of the offices are Mary Kay Evans as Vice-President, Robin Reeser is our new Secretary, Beth Gaffney is our Treasurer, and Mike Near is our Assistant Secretary-Treasurer. Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Gaffney were chosen to serve on Compass Committee. Mrs. Reeser will also be our legislative liaison.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 16th. It will take place from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM in the District Board Room.
At its meeting last Monday, the Board of Education reorganized as it always does when new directors are seated. Shad Johnson will serve as our new Board President. Filling out the rest of the offices are Mary Kay Evans as Vice-President, Robin Reeser is our new Secretary, Beth Gaffney is our Treasurer, and Mike Near is our Assistant Secretary-Treasurer. Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Gaffney were chosen to serve on Compass Committee. Mrs. Reeser will also be our legislative liaison.
Bond Progress
I attended two important meetings this week about our school construction budgets. One was related to technology networking and the other to project alternates. Director of Technology Shaun Kohl has done great work thoughtfully incorporating current usable technology backbone items into both the CCMS and Washington projects. This will save us a lot of money and allow us to focus on other aspects of the projects. The second meeting was about alternate projects we hope to accomplish when various contingency funds are released. The general trajectory of each project leaves us hopeful that we'll be able to include almost everything we truly need from our alternate wish list. Board Secretary Robin Reeser attended the meeting along with former Board President Larry Oddo. Mr. Oddo is continuing to engage in this work until construction projects are done at the request of the current Board.
Last Week
A highlight of last week was playing ping-pong at The Pride's Friday Fun Night.
Last week I published another installment of Echoes from Cañon, offered formally solicited input to Centura Health/St. Thomas Moore Hospital, held a few challenging expulsion hearings and met with some concerned parents, attended our board work session and reorganization meeting, touched base with the Cañon City Police Department about school/community safety matters, held a Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, met with Assistant Superintendent Adam Hartman, Health and Wellness Coordinator Brian VanIwarden, and local entrepreneur Jay Jacoby about CañonThrives, conducted a District Leadership Team meeting, attended McKinley Elementary's Digital Resources Open House, prepared for and conducted a Compass Committee meeting, finished writing and submitting a McKinley Elementary EASI grant application, worked on federal programs application revisions, and attended a Mill Levy Equity Core Team meeting.
This Week
Adam Hartman facilitates an Instructional Leader PLC session held in October.
On Monday I'll publish another issue of Echoes from Cañon, observe McKinley Elementary instruction with Assistant Superintendent of Schools Adam Hartman and Principal Scott Morton, participate in a Social-Emotional Learning strategic planning session, meet with Adam Hartman to prepare for final Federal Programs grant budget revisions I'll submit during Thanksgiving Break, and attend a childcare sector launch meeting at ACCESS.
During the rest of the week, I'll conduct a Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, poke in on a CDE Transportation Audit site visit, participate in our monthly Instructional Leader PLC, work with Adam Hartman to facilitate our next Civic Canopy gathering, participate in CEIs Exemplar School Visit to Cañon City High School, sit in on a Youth Connections Grant webinar with Brian VanIwarden, and present the work we are doing at CCHS with Principal Bill Summers at an OEDIT dinner at the Dinosaur Adventure Park. I'll also touch base with Fremont County Department of Human Services Director Staci Kwitek, attend a Youth Connections data collection planning meeting, and attend a phone conference with representatives from Boulder, Greely, Gunnison and Sheridan about an Accountability Pilot Grant we are working on writing together.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
During the rest of the week, I'll conduct a Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, poke in on a CDE Transportation Audit site visit, participate in our monthly Instructional Leader PLC, work with Adam Hartman to facilitate our next Civic Canopy gathering, participate in CEIs Exemplar School Visit to Cañon City High School, sit in on a Youth Connections Grant webinar with Brian VanIwarden, and present the work we are doing at CCHS with Principal Bill Summers at an OEDIT dinner at the Dinosaur Adventure Park. I'll also touch base with Fremont County Department of Human Services Director Staci Kwitek, attend a Youth Connections data collection planning meeting, and attend a phone conference with representatives from Boulder, Greely, Gunnison and Sheridan about an Accountability Pilot Grant we are working on writing together.
Thanks for listening once again!
George S. Welsh
