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Month: July 2019

Published on

DATE:
September 18, 2018

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Shelley Nordick, PhD, Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services Consultant

SUBJECT:
Elementary Media Assistants Guidelines

The top priority of elementary media assistants is to administer the school library. Under normal circumstances, they should not be given additional responsibilities outside of the media center. If additional responsibilities or changes are being considered, the Instructional Support Services Consultant should first be contacted to provide an assessment of the library program to determine if it is functioning in a manner that will allow the change without compromising the library program.

All Jordan School District library schedules should be arranged to deliver the following:

  • An open checkout time for students to independently come into the library to exchange books Monday through Friday.
  • An assigned library time for each class which should be at least 30 minutes. The library time should include check out and instruction time (which includes story time and library curriculum lessons that are based on the Utah Library Media Core).
  • A schedule that avoids having more than one class at a time in the media center.
  • Sufficient time for book reshelving and maintenance.
  • A two-hour weekly collaboration time for media assistants to work together to plan book promotions, displays, curriculum scheduling, and district projects.
  • Time for library upkeep (including processing books and orders, repairs, overdue books reports, etc.).

Also, please be aware that assistants who are scheduled to work more than five (5) hours per day are entitled to a 30-minute duty-free lunch (not included in the 17-hour paid schedule).

During the school year, four training meetings for the media assistants are held. Please work with your assistants in making arrangements so that both of the assistants can attend each of these meetings.

Please contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364 if you have any questions about these guidelines.

Published on

DATE:  
August 1, 2019

TO:  
All Principals

FROM:   
Human Resource Administrators
Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:  
Guidelines for Classroom Observations or Student Teacher Requests

Principals are directed to follow the guidelines below when receiving requests for classroom observations or student teaching assignments at their school locations. College/University students will have received and cleared a background check during their post-graduate institution program prior to beginning their classroom observation or student teaching experience.  All concerns regarding college/university student assignments should be directed immediately to an HR administrator.

Classroom Observation Requests
Requests for short-term observations from college/university students or advisors must include a written request to the school principal from the college/university advisor.  Such requests are approved at the discretion of the principal and the written requests are to remain at the school location.  Students approved to observe in the classroom are to be supervised at all times. 

Student Teacher Requests
During the student teacher assignment, an HR administrator will serve as a liaison between the principal and the college/university advisor; however, the advisor will work directly with the principal and the cooperating teacher.

Requests to student teach are approximately two to three months in duration and are made through the HR Department by the college/university advisor.  An HR administrator will contact interested principal(s) who will then identify a cooperating teacher meeting the following criteria and expectations.  The cooperating teacher must:

  • be a career teacher (not provisional);
  • is willing to complete student teacher evaluations;
  • is willing to work with the college/university advisor and allow the advisor to conduct classroom observations; and
  • will instruct, model, and mentor the student teacher in professionalism, best teaching practices and classroom management.

Please feel free to call an HR administrator with any questions regarding this process.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, August 1, 2019

TO:  
All Schools

FROM:  
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Earbud Orders for the RISE Summative and the Utah Aspire Plus Summative Tests

Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative tests once again this year.  Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds.  Please place your order by Friday, September 27, 2019.

To place an order, please click here.

Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to devise a system by which the same student uses the same earbuds throughout the year as there is no additional funding to purchase more than one pair of earbuds per student in grades 2-10.

If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Gaylene Miller in the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department at 801-567-8185 who can share the purchasing information obtained in the purchasing procedures and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, August 1, 2019

TO: 
All High School Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Fall AP Exam Registration Information

The College Board is now requiring that students register for their AP exams in the fall.  AP School Coordinators should receive an access code by email (on or about August 1st) and by mail near the start of the school year.  If AP School Coordinators have not received their access code, they will need to call 877-274-6474.

Once the access code has been received and before the start of school, the AP School Coordinator will need to sign into myap.collegeboard.org to enter the access code and complete the initial setup steps for AP registration and ordering.  The AP School Coordinator will also need to enter all AP class sections in the system and then notify AP teachers when their class sections and join codes are available.

AP teachers will need to log onto myap.collegeboard.org to access those join codes and provide them to their students.  On the first day of class, AP teachers will need to copy and distribute the join code assignment for all AP students and have them register.

Please see the attached documents for more information for AP School Coordinators, AP teachers, and AP students.  In addition, please see part 1 of the AP School Coordinator Manual.  School administrators are encouraged to share this information with their AP School Coordinator and AP teachers.

For questions about this new registration process or any other AP exam-related issues, please contact the College Board directly at 877-274-6474 or fill out an inquiry form at this link: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/ap-services-inquiry-form

Published on

Principals & Administrative Assistants:

The Administrators of Schools have some instructions they asked us to send out regarding the August 13th professional development. Each school will need to provide sign in sheets, with their staff names listed in alphabetical order as well as two columns for their staff to sign in. They will be signing in when they first arrive as well as when lunch is finished. A sample is provided with this email. Please send a copy (hard copy or electronically) to your AOS secretary, by August 5th, as well as provide a copy on a clipboard with pen attached for your principal to bring with them on the day of the conference (August 13th). Elementary principals will be stationed along the sides of the chairs with their clipboard and a sign that will be provided with your school name on it, so staff will be able to see where their principal can be found. High school and middle school principals will be on the first row of tables behind the chairs to sign in their staff members.

Principals, we would ask that you be at the Mountain America Expo Center no later than 7:15 a.m. so we can help you find your sign in area and get your sign to you. You may want to notify teachers that it would be a good idea to come early as there will be a lot of people trying to park and get signed in before the 8:00 a.m. start time.

Superintendent Godfrey would like each school to sit together. A seating chart will be sent out to each school a few days prior to the conference. At that time please make a copy for your principal to have on the clipboard for reference. You may also want to send a copy to your staff members so they have an idea of where your school will be seated.

Thanks for your help! AOS Administrative Assistants

 

Published on

The following are new administrative assignments effective August 1, 2019:

Allyson Stovall, teacher at Terra Linda Elementary, appointed administrator on special assignment in the Teaching & Learning Department.

Mandy Thurman, currently assistant principal at Hayden Peak & Bluffdale Elementaries, appointed consultant in the Teaching & Learning Department.

Elizabeth Felt, teacher specialist in the Teaching & Learning Department, appointed assistant principal at Blackridge & South Jordan Elementary Schools.

Ami Shah, teacher specialist in the Special Education Department, appointed assistant principal at Riverton & West Jordan Elementary Schools.

Nicole Johnson, currently on a leave of absence, appointed assistant principal at Columbia, Copper Canyon, Rosamond, Westvale, Jordan Hills & Westland Elementary Schools.

Cathy Ford, currently assistant principal at South Jordan & Blackridge Elementaries, appointed assistant principal at Hayden Peak, Falcon Ridge & Mountain Shadows Elementary Schools.

Published on

DATE:    
July 25, 2019

TO:  
Principals
Elementary and Middle School Resource Team Leaders
High School Special Education Team Leaders
Self-contained Support Class Teachers

FROM: 
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Special Education Director

SUBJECT:
25 Hour to 35 Hour Instructional Assistant Confidentiality and GoalView Trainings

The Special Education Department is offering some basic training to review confidentiality and GoalView training for instructional assistants that work 25 to 35 hours per week.  Please send all of your 25 to 35 hour per week assistants to one of the following training sessions.

August 15, 2019:
8:30am – 9:30am South Valley School Room 9

August 16, 2019:
8:30am – 9:30am South Valley School Room 9
1:00pm – 2:00pm South Valley School Room 9

Instructional Assistants with 25 to 35 hours per week should only pick one session each to attend and no instructional assistants less than 25 hours per week should attend this particular training.

To register for this training please contact Amanda Hamblin at 801-567-8176 or amanda.hamblin@jordandistrict.org with your session choice and which school you work in.

If the training session attended is outside of regular paid contract time, compensation will be provided.

If you have questions please call the special education department at 801-567-8177.

Published on

DATE:  
July 25, 2019

TO:   
Principals
Elementary and Middle School Resource Team Leaders
High School Special Education Team Leaders
Self-contained Support Class Teachers

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Special Education Director

SUBJECT:  
Instructional Assistant Trainings

The Special Education Department is offering training sessions for instructional assistants.  There are several options for instructional assistants to choose from in topics of trainings and dates these trainings are available.  These trainings are for all instructional assistants regardless of the number of hours they work.

Each instructional assistant should attend ONE half-day session and within that half-day, choose two sessions to attend.  Every Session runs 90 minutes.  The sessions cover behavior, data collection, instructional practices and the inside out of a special education classroom.

The dates and training schedules are as follows: (pick only one day and either the AM Sessions or the PM Sessions)

August 19, 2019 – ASB

  • AM Session 8:00am to 9:30am and 9:35am to 11:05am (every session runs for 90 minutes each)
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 102
    • Instructional Practices – PDC Room 103
    • Inside Out of a special education classroom – PDC Room 113
  • PM Session 12:00pm to 1:30pm and 1:35pm to 3:05pm
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 102
    • Instructional Practices – PDC Room 103
    • Inside Out of a special education classroom – PDC Room 113

September 12, 2019 - ASB

  • AM Session 8:00am to 9:30am and 9:35am to 11:05am (every session runs for 90 minutes each)
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 103
    • Inside Out of a special education instructional Practices – PDC Room 113
  • PM Session 12:00pm to 1:30pm and 1:35pm to 3:05pm
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 103
    • Inside Out of a special education instructional Practices – PDC Room 113

September 13, 2019 - ASB

  • AM Session 8:00am to 9:30am and 9:35am to 11:05am (every session runs for 90 minutes each)
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 102
    • Inside Out of a special education instructional Practices – PDC Room 113
  • PM Session 12:00pm to 1:30pm and 1:35pm to 3:05pm
    • Behavior and Class Management – PDC Room 101
    • Data Collection – PDC Room 102
    • Inside Out of a special education instructional Practices – PDC Room 113

To register for this training please contact Amanda Hamblin at 801-567-8176 or amanda.hamblin@jordandistrict.org with your session and class choices and which school you work in.

If the training session attended is outside of regular paid contract time, compensation will be provided.

If you have questions please call the special education department at 801-567-8177.

Published on

During the 2019-20 school year, the Department of Teaching and Learning, in partnership with Southern Utah University, will sponsor classes for a Gifted and Talented Teaching Endorsement. Please see the attachments for more details, and please relay this information to teachers who may be interested in the endorsement.

Published on

Jordan Education Foundation (JEF) CLASSROOM GRANT applications will be accepted Thursday, August 1 through Thursday, Ocotber 31, 2019.

See flyer for details.

To apply: Go to jordaneducationfoundation.org, and click on the Classroom Grants APPLY HERE link found on the front page.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, July 25, 2019

TO:  
All Principals and District Department Directors/Consultants

FROM:  
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
2019-20 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Classified Employees

Licensed teachers will do their testing ethics training as part of their annual crucial policies and procedures review. Principals do not need to train their teachers on testing ethics for the 2019-20 school year; however, principals will need to do an in-person training with any classified support staff that will participate in any kind of testing.

Instructions, materials, and documentation forms for the required 2019-20 Testing Ethics professional development, are being sent to schools via the Jordan Administrative Memo (JAM). These materials will also be available online at http://assessments.jordandistrict.org/ethics/ . The three required procedures for completing this testing ethics professional development are listed on the “2019-20 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for Classified Employees” form provided in the materials, which is due to the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department by Friday, September 20, 2019.

It is important that all classified staff that assist with testing be reminded that the professional testing ethics required for all Federally-mandated assessments such as NAEP and WIDA or State-mandated assessments such as RISE, Utah Aspire Plus, ACT, Acadience Reading benchmarks and progress monitoring, also apply to all District-mandated assessments such as benchmark tests, SLO assessments, and other District-created assessments. Students must not be given secured assessment questions as homework or discussion items. Any use of secured assessment questions for instruction, discussion, or homework compromises the validity and integrity of the assessment questions and constitutes a violation of professional testing ethics protocol.

Principals are to make sure that teachers as well as paraprofessionals that assist with testing understand that professional testing ethics must be followed when working with District-mandated as well as State- and Federally-mandated assessments. Principals are also to remind teachers and paraprofessionals that assist with testing that any potential disciplinary action specified for violating professional testing ethics on State- and Federally-mandated assessments, also applies to any violation of professional testing ethics on District-mandated assessments.

Published on

DATE:
July 18, 2019

TO:
Elementary School Principals

FROM:  
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools
Travis Hamblin, Planning and Student Services

SUBJECT:   
Kindergarten Enrollment – Birth Certificate Requirement(s)

Please see attached memo for guidelines.

Published on

Michael Anderson, previously Administrator of Schools, has been appointed Associate Superintendent. An application for the Administrator of Schools position has been posted at workatjordan.org. Cabinet assignments will be finalized once a new Cabinet member has been appointed. The application deadline is July 31.

Published on

Useful information will be presented for all administrative levels, including elementary.

Training will be provided for Elementary and Secondary Principals, Assistant Principals and School Resource Officers.

Friday, August 9, 2019
JATC South Auditorium
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

See flyer for more details.

Published on

DATE:   
July 17, 2019

TO: 
Principals
All Special Educators and Service Providers

FROM:  
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:  
SCRAM for 2019-20 School Year - October 1 Count

Please see attached memo for guidelines and multiple deadlines.

Published on

DATE:    
July 15, 2019

TO: 
High School Principals

FROM:  
C. Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT: 
Signs, Banners, Advertisements at High School Athletic Facilities

It is the desire of the Jordan School District Board of Education and administration that high school gymnasiums, and other athletic facilities not become overly cluttered with advertisements as to district from the purpose and intent of such facilities. The Board understands that school programs need revenue which can be generated from business patrons desiring to use the school gym and other athletic facilities for advertising purposes; therefore, the Board approves advertising in the gymnasium and other athletic facilities based upon the following guidelines:

  • The control of all advertisement is under the jurisdiction of the high school principal or principal designee and is responsible for the appropriate content of such advertisement. Any and all advertisement will support and reflect the values of Jordan School District. Advertisement shall:
    • Be age appropriate.
    • Not promote and substance or activity that is illegal for minors, such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs or gambling.
    • Not promote any political party, candidate or issue.
    • Not promote sexual material of any kind.
    • Not promote any religious organization.
    • Not promote any competing educational organizations to include, but not limited to charter schools, or any other non-Jordan School District K-12 school entity.
  • All advertisements shall be sold for each fall, winter and/or spring season and must be removed at the conclusion of the respective season. Business patrons may purchase advertisement for one, two or all three seasons.
  • All signs and banners must be of professional quality.
  • Signs and banners may not exceed 4’ x 8’ in size and may not be permanently affixed to the gymnasium or other athletic facilities.
  • If a sign or banner becomes damaged or vandalized in any way, it must be removed immediately and fixed prior to going back up.
  • The principal or principal designee should use wise judgement in the number of advertisement signs allowed as to avoid the appearance of excessive clutter.
  • Principals must be aware of and honor exclusive-type contracts. Avoid competition with a product given exclusive status, i.e., Coca-Cola versus Pepsi. Any and all agreements with the UHSAA, pre-arranged advertisements, and displays must be honored.
  • Contractual agreements should be in writing and signed by both parties. Long term contracts are discouraged as not to obligate future administrators. Agreements for the length of the sport season are encouraged.