Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
During my CCHS office hours this week I had an opportunity to meet face to face with counselor Tim Ritter about the great work he has been doing expanding opportunities for our high school students to take concurrent enrollment college coursework. I think Mr. Ritter has a tremendous vision regarding offering Cañon City School District students college level coursework, whether through traditional AP course offerings or through our Early College collaboration with Pueblo Community College It was a pleasant meeting and I can tell Tim is passionate about the work he does in support of our students.
While at the Colorado Association of School Boards fall regional meeting in Pueblo this week board secretary Lloyd Harwood and I were asked to reflect on the key assets of the Canon City School District. After a bit of discussion we concluded the many choices we offer families regarding school environment is at the top of our list, along with the tremendous experience of our administrators, teachers, and support staff, and the great relationships the board and administration has with teachers and support staff. CCSD is certainly rich in human resources.
Speaking of being human resource rich, this week I would like to spotlight Technology Program Assistant Kristen Solano. Kristen possesses a warm smile, an infectious laugh, and a great sense of humor. She has been called “the glue that holds the IT Department together,” and can always be found helping folks solve their technology issues. Recently she has even been answering questions about our new Google apps platform. Besides handling tech issues, Kristen also does a great job as the Records Custodian for the district. She goes out of her way to provide these quickly to military recruiters and college entrance personnel. She is even willing to help cover our administration office front desk duties whenever needed. Kristen is a remarkable asset to our district and a prime example of what Mr. Harwood and I were thinking about when we reflected on the quality people who work in the district.
While at the Colorado Association of School Boards fall regional meeting in Pueblo this week board secretary Lloyd Harwood and I were asked to reflect on the key assets of the Canon City School District. After a bit of discussion we concluded the many choices we offer families regarding school environment is at the top of our list, along with the tremendous experience of our administrators, teachers, and support staff, and the great relationships the board and administration has with teachers and support staff. CCSD is certainly rich in human resources.
Speaking of being human resource rich, this week I would like to spotlight Technology Program Assistant Kristen Solano. Kristen possesses a warm smile, an infectious laugh, and a great sense of humor. She has been called “the glue that holds the IT Department together,” and can always be found helping folks solve their technology issues. Recently she has even been answering questions about our new Google apps platform. Besides handling tech issues, Kristen also does a great job as the Records Custodian for the district. She goes out of her way to provide these quickly to military recruiters and college entrance personnel. She is even willing to help cover our administration office front desk duties whenever needed. Kristen is a remarkable asset to our district and a prime example of what Mr. Harwood and I were thinking about when we reflected on the quality people who work in the district.
The Focus of Our Work
Last Wednesday I attended the Southern Superintendent’s meeting in Pueblo where I learned about several key things.
First, an organization that calls itself “Build a Better Colorado” is striking up a statewide discussion about doing “something” on the November 2016 ballot to address state revenue issues created by the convergence of TABOR and the Gallagher amendments.
I also learned more details about the next generation(s) of accreditation of schools and districts in Colorado. CDE is now calling this Accountability 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 Accountability 2.0 will come out next fall and will still be fully determined by student performance on statewide assessments, including PARCC, CMAS, and ACT for now. Accountability 2.5 and 3.0 systems hope to include the same student performance measures, but will also add other measures of success such as opportunities offered to students (like college level coursework at high school), and measures of success related to local postsecondary workforce priorities, health and wellness initiatives, and actual on-site school quality reviews.
Finally, I have been working with several building leaders to create individual building evaluation processes To this point I have already prepared working drafts for McKinley, CCMS, and Harrison. At lunch on Monday I met with CCHS principal Bret Meuli to begin personalizing a building evaluation rubric for his school. I feel good about this process because I think it will help our schools create clear visions of success, while offering the district a way to measure their progress toward it.
First, an organization that calls itself “Build a Better Colorado” is striking up a statewide discussion about doing “something” on the November 2016 ballot to address state revenue issues created by the convergence of TABOR and the Gallagher amendments.
I also learned more details about the next generation(s) of accreditation of schools and districts in Colorado. CDE is now calling this Accountability 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 Accountability 2.0 will come out next fall and will still be fully determined by student performance on statewide assessments, including PARCC, CMAS, and ACT for now. Accountability 2.5 and 3.0 systems hope to include the same student performance measures, but will also add other measures of success such as opportunities offered to students (like college level coursework at high school), and measures of success related to local postsecondary workforce priorities, health and wellness initiatives, and actual on-site school quality reviews.
Finally, I have been working with several building leaders to create individual building evaluation processes To this point I have already prepared working drafts for McKinley, CCMS, and Harrison. At lunch on Monday I met with CCHS principal Bret Meuli to begin personalizing a building evaluation rubric for his school. I feel good about this process because I think it will help our schools create clear visions of success, while offering the district a way to measure their progress toward it.
Last Week
My schedule for the past week included in building office hours in 4 of our buildings, meetings related to student discipline matters, various instructional visits to school sites with principals, attending the southern superintendents association meeting in Pueblo on Wednesday, a meeting where I learned about Criminogenics, and then I attended the CASB Fall Regional meeting on Thursday evening in Pueblo with Lloyd Harwood.
This Week
During the coming week I’ll have office hours at CCMS, Harrison, CES, and Washington. On Tuesday I travel to Denver to chair the quarterly Colorado Safe Schools Resource Center advisory board meeting. On Wednesday evening we have our October evaluation council meeting. On Thursday evening I’ll attend a Canon City Facilities Corporation meeting. On Friday I’ll be back in Denver to present at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials conference.
My in building office hours for the coming week will be as follows:
Monday October 5th from 9 to 10 AM at CCMS
Monday October 5th from from 1 to 2 PM at Harrison
Wednesday October 7th from 9 to 10 AM at CES
Wednesday October 7th from 1:30 to 2:30 PM at Washington
George S. Welsh
My in building office hours for the coming week will be as follows:
Monday October 5th from 9 to 10 AM at CCMS
Monday October 5th from from 1 to 2 PM at Harrison
Wednesday October 7th from 9 to 10 AM at CES
Wednesday October 7th from 1:30 to 2:30 PM at Washington
George S. Welsh