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Month: December 2016

Published on

Applications for 2017 Outstanding Educators and Outstanding Special Educators open on January 3 and close on February 10, 2017.

Access the application and rubric starting January 3rd: www.jordaneducationfoundation.org

Details to follow. Reminder that JEF will honor a teacher from every school during the week of April 17. From those nominations we will select the ten or so finalists to receive $1,000 and be recognized at the Annual JEF Awards Banquet at Little America on April 27, 2017.

We kindly ask you to make certain that you submit a nomination from your school prior to February 13.

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DATE:
January - February, 2017

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Ron Bird, Director of Information Systems
Mark Sowa, Instructional Technology Consultant

SUBJECT:
Encryption of Hard Drives on Specific Systems

In order to better protect HIPPA and FERPA data on Jordan School District PCs and laptops, hard drives will be encrypted on systems used by employees with the following job functions.

  1. Psychiatrists
  2. Speech Language Pathologists
  3. Occupational Therapists
  4. Physical Therapists

The encryption will be done by the Instructional Support Technician who is assigned to your school. The technician will provide some training on what encryption means and what will change on the systems that have the hard drive encrypted.  Some systems have already been encrypted throughout the school district. Users have reported that encrypted systems function normally as they did prior to being encrypted.

It is anticipated that encryption will take place at each school during the months of January and February.

Thank you for your support and understanding of this important effort to protect student data.

RB

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Elementary Principals:

The materials for the 7th-grade math placement exam are currently being delivered to your 6th-grade teams. There are two testing window:

  • January 30 to February 10 for B and C tracks as well as traditional students.
  • February 21 to March 3 for A and D tracks

All testing materials should be returned to Wendy Harmon in Curriculum. Thank you for your help with the testing.

 

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DATE: 
December 15, 2016

TO: 
All School Principals
All School Financial Secretaries

FROM:   
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Heather Ellingson, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits
Daniel Ellis, Accountant/Internal Auditor

SUBJECT:   
School Bank Account Balances for December 31, 2016

Please send the following information for each bank account balance as of December 31, 2016 to Accounting by January 20, 2017.  If you have multiple bank accounts, please list each account separately.  For elementary schools who have completely closed their separate accounts please indicate so on the form.

School Name
Name of Bank
Type of Account (checking, savings, money market)
Account Balance

The balance requested is the balance from your December bank statements, not Skyward.  This information is required annually and will be used to complete reporting requirements for Utah Money Management Council.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Dan Ellis at (801)567-8389.

Thank you.

Published on

DATE:  
December 15, 2016

TO:    
All School Principals
All School Financial Secretaries

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Heather Ellingson, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits
Daniel Ellis, Accountant/Internal Auditor

SUBJECT:  
Quarterly School Financial Report for October, November, and December 2016

Each school is asked to report the quarter end account balance and transaction detail with the Apple Volume Purchase Program and return with your bank reconciliation.  If your school has no Apple account, please so indicate and return.

Please include the account balance with Apple on the reconciliation sign off form and print a report or screen shot(s) of the balances and quarterly transactions from Apple’s website.  If you need assistance, please contact your Curriculum Technology Specialist – Bonnie, Deana, Harrison, Nancy.

Please photocopy the selected elements and send to Accounting by January 20, 2017.

Please include:

  • The signed attached memo to Accounting
  • A copy of your October, November and December 2016 Reconciliation Worksheets
  • A copy of your October, November and December 2016 Bank Statements
  • A copy of your October, November and December 2016 Skyward Balance Sheets
  • A copy of your October, November and December Outstanding Check Reports
  • Screen shot(s) of your December 31, 2016 Apple Volume Purchase Program transaction history and balance

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Liz Robins at (801)567-8267.

Thank you.

Cc:
Michael Anderson, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools
Anthony Godfrey, Administrator of Schools
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Teri Timpson, Administrator of Schools

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Principals:

​Several inquiries have been directed to our office regarding proper protocol when a school is having heating and/or air conditioning issues.  Please adhere to the following steps and take a minute to share this information with your administrative assistant and head custodian.

  • T​he first step is to have the custodian submit a work order.
  • ​If a work order has been completed and the problem continues, or if ​one of our HVAC technicians hasn't yet diagnosed the problem and the temperature is affecting the learning environment, the second step is to call the maintenance department directly​ at 801-567-8862.
  • ​Please refrain from having teachers contact the maintenance office, as this can create multiple work orders for the same issue.
  • When contacting the maintenance department, the call should come from ​the principal, administrative assistant, head​ custodian, or ​assistant/​sub custodian.

In addition, ​please help us be as efficient as possible by making sure teachers and staff ​at your school involve the head custodian when maintenance issues need to be resolved.  The head custodian should be the point of contact between the school and the maintenance department.  Perhaps this could be an agenda item for your next faculty meeting.​

​Have a wonderful holiday season and t​hanks for your cooperation.

 

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The School Board has approved the purchase of mobile labs for each elementary school.  You may expect to receive 30 MacBook Air laptops and a storage cart early to mid-January.  Secretaries should contact Corie Fuller to asset tag all devices prior to having your tech complete formatting.

You will, also, receive 30 Microsoft Office Suite licenses (1 per device).   We are unsure if download information will come via email OR disc in the regular mail.  Either way, know they have been purchased and techs will be able to load it for you.

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Principals:

As you recall, we held a series of Focus Groups in late October followed by site visits to neighboring districts.  Based on the information gathered, it was determined the benefits of professional development would be greater if the support were tailored to the needs of each school, sessions were mostly held on site, and all teachers could attend.  To this end, in addition to online courses and district-sponsored workshops, we are moving forward with the following action steps:

  1. The grade level sessions for team representatives scheduled for February and April are being cancelled.
  2. Literacy specialists will create updated PD modules that can be tailored to the needs of individual schools and delivered in a format determined by the requesting school.
  3. Teacher and Principal Advisory Groups will be formed and meet regularly over the next several months to provide input into supporting resources for schools.

Teachers who have previously registered on JPLS for the February and/or April trainings will receive an email indicating the cancellation of these sessions.  Please let others involved, who may not have registered yet, know of this change.  Also, be certain that scheduled substitutes are cancelled.

I am very appreciative of each of you, your teachers, and the honest insightful feedback that has been shared over the past couple of months.   The mission of the Literacy Team is to assist and inspire teachers as they implement effective literacy instruction within a professional learning community.  We will continue to accept feedback and make adjustments in our effort to provide schools the literacy support needed to achieve your goals.

As always, please contact me with any questions that arise.

Thank you for your support.

Becky

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The Jordan School District Safety Team has received many requests for further resources to help establish Reunification Action Plans for your schools.  In response, Breanne Stump, from Fox Hollow Elementary, has agreed to teach a course and share her planning ideas and experience.

You may register for the course in JPLS: https://jpls.truenorthlogic.com/U/P/Channel/-/Guest/Login Incident Command Reunification Planning Exercise, #101157
Date - Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Time - 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Place -  Auditorium at the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood)
Please park and enter on the north side of the building.

You are welcome to invite members of your school Incident Command team that would find this opportunity helpful.  Each location is responsible for substitute coverage if needed. Please contact Peggy Margetts (x88753) with any questions.

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Facility Access During Winter Recess

Please submit Card Access Scheduling requests in Sprocket to have doors open for activities that will occur during Winter Recess, when the facility is normally closed.

Principals that would like to keep the exterior doors locked and allow employees to have badge access will need to submit a Card Access Scheduling request indicating the applicable dates and times.

Remember to submit a Sprocket Heating and Cooling request to correspond with the time the building will be occupied.

Call Alarm Response at 801-567-8865, in advance of any unscheduled opening and closing.

Please call Sandi Abplanalp with any card access and door scheduling questions: 801-567-8616.

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DATE:     
December 14, 2016

TO:
All Elementary, Middle, and Traditional High School Principals

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Heather Ellingson, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits

SUBJECT: 
December 2016 Budget Transfer Request

Please review your budgets and complete the attached Budget Transfer Request if you would like to transfer between your postage, supply, textbook and equipment budgets. The signed form is due back to Heather Ellingson no later than January 3, 2017.

Published on

DATE:
December 12, 2016

TO:
Principals
All Provisional Special Educators

FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum, Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:
Assessment Analysis Class

The Special Education department is providing training for provisional special education teachers to assist in analyzing tests administered in Jordan. The teachers will be exposed to multiple tests that are given by other service providers.

This class is primarily for new special education teachers. If other special educators in your building need this training, please contact Michelle Chavez. The attendance is at the discretion of the building principal and special educators must arrange for a substitute. Substitutes may be requested by using the program code 1292. Teachers should register through JPLS (JPLS: #114628 USBE (.5) Credit Available).                                     

Date:
January 5, 2017, 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.
January 30, 2017, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.                                    

Where:
District Office, Room 129

Published on

DATE:   
December 1, 2016

TO: 
High School and Center-Based School Principals
High School Special Education Team Leaders

FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Admin. of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:  
Destruction of Special Education Records

School districts are required to keep special education records five years past the student’s twenty-second birthday. In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Jordan School District must notify parents and afford them the opportunity to receive special education records before destruction of those records can occur.

As of December 1, 2016, such notice will have been advertised to parents for students whose birthdates are prior to September, 1989 (i.e., students who are 27 years of age).  Any records for this time period that have not been requested by January 31, 2017 should be submitted for destruction following the procedures identified below:

  1. A list must be submitted to the special education teacher specialist assigned to your school which identifies each student’s name, birthdate and student number for all files to be destroyed.
  1. The special education teacher specialist will review the list and notify the team once it is verified that the records may be submitted for destruction.
  1. NEW PROCEDURE: Follow the Shredding of Confidential Records procedures outlined in the September 8, 2014 memo from Auxiliary Services which reads:

Records to be destroyed will now need to be retained in a secure place at your school. When you have accumulated more than 10 boxes, please contact Columbus Secure Document Solutions at 801-262-1588 to schedule pickup and disposal.

Please remove records from loose leaf binders or hanging file folders. All confidential records must be boxed, taped shut and visibly labeled as CONFIDENTIAL TO BE DESTROYED. Boxes not secured and labeled will not be accepted. Please collect all boxes in one central location. At the scheduled date and time, please have someone available to direct workers where the boxes are for quick and efficient pick up.

Note that special education records may be submitted for destruction at any time after January 31, 2017 as long as the destruction meets the criteria and has been approved by the special education department.

  1. Please remember that the Utah State Records Retention Schedule mandates that student transcripts be retained permanently.

If you have questions, please call the special education teacher specialist assigned to your school.

cc:
Paul Bergera, Auxiliary Services
Susan Sudbury,  Placement Office
Luann Leavitt, Student Services
Sandra Riesgraf, Communications

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The Utah Retirement Systems will be providing a presentation on the Tier 2 Retirement program for all employees who are in their first year of retirement eligible employment. Attendance is highly encouraged. P

Please pass the attached flyer on to employees in your school/department that may be interested.

Published on

DATE: 
December 6, 2016

TO:  
All Principals

FROM: 
Administrators of Schools
June LeMaster, Ph.D., Human Resource Administrator
Travis Hamblin, Human Resource Administrator-Licensed

SUBJECT: 
Underqualified Educators – Academic Pathway to Teaching (APT) and Letter of Authorization (LOA)

See attached memo and APT Flowchart.