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Author: bgroo

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning

Mark your calendar and save the date to attend the Literacy Promise Conference. There are some fantastic presenters in attendance this year that you will not want to miss.

T & L will pay registration fees for up to three individuals from each school to attend the Literacy Promise Conference held on March 12-13, 2026. This can include administration, coaches, or teachers. Schools are not required to participate or may choose to send fewer than three individuals. Responses will be accepted through March 4th. Please click on the link below and fill out the form to list the individuals who will be paid through T&L. If your school would like to send more than three individuals, registration can also be done at the school or individual level using the QR link on the enclosed flyer. Schools are responsible for substitute costs as needed.

The conference is March 12-13, 2026 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah.

LINK to register individuals to be paid by T&L.

Published on

DATE: 
January 22, 2025

TO:
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT: 
February School Counselor Training and Professional Development

February School Counselor training and professional development opportunities. Please direct any questions to Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant, at 801-567-8309.

Wednesday, Feb. 4, CSCP Q3 In-Service Training, JATC-South, Auditorium
All School Counselors attend session 1 or 2
Session 1 -- 8:00 am - 10:00 am; Session 2 -- 10:15 am - 12:15 pm

Thursday, Feb. 5, CSCP BRISC Training - Consult Call, Zoom
All New Counselors and Interns
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Thursday, Feb. 5, Herriman Feeder Meeting, Copper Mountain MS
Copper Hills Feeder Counselors K-12
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Tuesday, Feb. 10, Riverton Feeder Meeting
Riverton Feeder Counselors K-12
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Wednesday, Feb. 11, CSCP Steering Meeting, District Office, Room 129
All Secondary Lead Counselors
8:00 am - 12:30 pm

Wednesday, Feb. 18, CSCP Counselor Collaborative Committee, District Office, Room 129
Only School Counselors appointed to this committee
8:00 am - 11:30 am

Wednesday, Feb. 25, USBE Training: Updates and Essentials, JATC-South, Auditorium
All School Counselors and Administrators due for required training renewal
8:00 am - 2:30 pm

Friday, Feb. 27, CSCP FEB Small Group ELEM PLC, Various Schools
Elementary School Counselors
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Published on

DATE: 
January 22, 2026

TO:
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance

SUBJECT:
January School Psychologist Guidance Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2026, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Matthew Wappett, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Institute for Disability Research and Policy and Practice, at Utah State University will provide us with a presentation on surviving stress, burnout, and becoming more resilient.

Part-time Staff:  I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.

Published on

DATE:
January 21, 2026

TO:
All Elementary Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:

Professional Development Opportunities for UFLI and Open-up Math in Special Education

Attached is a listing of professional development opportunities for Elementary Special Education licensed staff in the Special Education Training. A link to sign up for each training will be sent to Elementary Special Education Licensed Staff Members via email. If they have already attended but need a refresher, they may attend again.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
JAESP

Please submit questions to be discussed by JAESP committee and Cabinet by the first Tuesday of each month. You may submit concerns or questions using the Google Form below OR you may send items to be discussed directly to Megan Cox at Rose Creek, Garett York at Southland, Jessica Stowe at Bastian, Ronna Hoffman at Oak Leaf.

Google Form Link

All items will be discussed anonymously as we work to provide clarification and solutions to concerns of elementary administrators.

Notes of the discussions will be published on a Google Doc titled "JAESP Committee Notes 2025-26" which will be shared with Elementary Administrators.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

On February 12, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., we will be hosting a professional learning session on “Leveraging Language Objectives” in your math class.

This hands-on workshop will equip teachers with practical strategies to foster academic language and deepen students’ conceptual understanding. Participants will learn how to design lessons that integrate math vocabulary and encourage meaningful classroom discourse, supporting student success. Middle school teachers have received invitations via email, and district-covered substitutes will be provided.

Here is a link to a flyer with registration information.

Thank you for your support in reminding teachers of this opportunity!

 

Published on

Date:
January 15, 2026

To:
All School Principals

From:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

Subject:
LAND Trust and TSSA Plans Available for Entry

The School LAND Trust program Final Report for 2024-2025

is now available for entry on the State website. Reports must be submitted on the School LAND Trust reporting site no later than Friday, February 13, 2026.

Final Report expenditures will not be entered by the principal, but will be displayed and space will be available for principals to enter an explanation for those expenditures.

The 2026-2027 Upcoming Land Trust Plan can be submitted after the final report is completed, submitted, and finalized by the District Office. The due date for submitting 2026-2027 Land Trust and TSSA plans is March 20, 2026. This allows sufficient time for plans to be approved by the Board prior to receiving funds for the 2026-27 school year.

TSSA Plan and Folder LINKS: 2026-2027 School TSSA Plans.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brittany Bauer, HR Specialist

We are pleased to announce an important update regarding the license renewal process; the Board has changed administrative rules to reduce the burden for active educators. Educators holding a Professional Educator License with experience in a Utah educational agency, school, school district or charter for the past five (5) years are no longer required to complete the license renewal form or obtain an administrator’s signature.  Educators complete more than 100 hours of professional learning and collaboration within the context of their jobs. Use this quick tool to determine if the form is required for you. For additional information, you may refer to the Step-by-Step Guide to Educator License Renewals.

Steps to Renew

  • Complete renewal form with administrator signature, if required (Do I have to complete the renewal form? tool).
  • Login to USIMS.schools.utah.gov.
  • Complete the USIMS Professional Educator License Renewal Process (Link to detailed steps - Google Doc). 
    • Utah Educator Ethics Review
    • Complete ALL CHECKLIST TASKS
      • USBE Student Data Privacy Course is no longer required. You may check the box indicating, “I have completed the student data privacy course” in USIMS even though you have not done it. This is a temporary work around.
    • Report 100 renewal hours completed, if required.
    • Complete/Finalize “Professional License Renewal”.
    • Go to “License Info/Print License” to verify your license has been renewed; new expiration date will be 6/30/2030.

If you have not worked for all of the previous five (5) years, you must complete the Professional Educator License (PEL) Renewal Form to renew your license. The form may be completed either digitally (PDF) or printed and filled out manually. The educator must document a minimum of 100 hours of renewal activity. 

Complete the online renewal process in Utah Schools Information Management System (USIMS). Educators should only finalize the renewal in USIMS once ALL requirements have been completed and the form has been reviewed and signed by a licensed administrator or other approved authority. The signed/approved form is then maintained by the educator and is not submitted to USBE unless the educator is notified of a monitoring review. Failure to maintain documentation and follow licensing procedures may result in a repeal of your license renewal and referral to the USBE Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC).

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

The Elementary Math team is excited to invite teachers from your school to participate in upcoming district-wide collaboration sessions on February 9th, 10th, and 11th at the ASB in PDC 101. These sessions are designed for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade teachers and will foster meaningful dialogue around what’s working in math instruction and where we can grow together.

Each interactive session will run for 2.5 hours, bringing together educators from across the district to celebrate successes, share experiences, and identify current challenges. Feel free to invite one lower grade (K–2) and one upper grade (3–5) teacher from your school to attend and contribute their valuable perspectives.

Please add your selected teachers’ names and school name to this spreadsheet. The district will provide half-day substitutes for participating teachers.

Thank you for supporting this opportunity for collaboration and continuous improvement in elementary math. We look forward to learning together.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Angela Montague, HR Administrative Assistant Lead

New for the 2025-2026 school year, administrative substitutes should be requested under the following guideline:

• Principals (all levels) who will be absent from the building for three (3) or more consecutive days.
• Assistant Principals (elementary level) who will be absent from the building for three (3) or more consecutive days.
• Assistant Principals (secondary level) who will be absent from the building for five (5) or more consecutive days.

All requests for an administrative substitute should be made through the following link on the Admin Only HR webpage.

• Under HR Resources, select Substitutes – the google form to submit your request is found under Tutorials.
• Under Information, you can view a list of Current Admin Subs or any Admin Sub Bio’s.
• All admin sub requests will be filled by Angela Montague, HR Administrative Assistant.
• You will receive an email confirmation when the assignment is filled and Angela will enter the sub assignment in Frontline as well as request badge access for the admin sub.

Please contact Angela directly with any questions at 801-567-8222 or angela.montague@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

TO:
Principal

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

On January 26, 2026 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., we will be hosting a professional learning session on “How the Brain Learns Math” in the Presentation Room at the ASB. Middle and High school teachers have been invited via email to attend this session and substitutes will be covered by the district.

The session includes an engaging workshop with Dr. Amber Gardner focused on how the brain learns math. Your support in reminding teachers about this valuable professional learning opportunity is greatly appreciated. This session will provide the opportunity for teachers to collaborate, with a focus on enhancing instruction, increasing student engagement, and improving student achievement.

Here is the link for the registration.

Thank you for your support!

Published on

DATE: 
January 15, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Survey Coordinators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT:
Panorama Student Feedback Survey Window – Winter 2026

The winter 2026 Panorama student feedback survey window will open on Thursday, January 29, 2026 and will close on Friday, February 27, 2026. Schools may access their student opt-in list by running this data mining report. Student Services provides the opt-in list to Panorama the week prior to the window closing and at least one time midway through the survey window. For additional information and resources please see the Panorama Student Feedback Survey Dates and Opt-In Report JAM sent on July 17, 2025. Other resources for administering surveys, survey questions, or general information about Panorama may be found on the Student Services website here.

Survey response rates may be accessed through your Panorama login and results are typically available the week following the last day of the survey window. Panorama has recently expanded the survey reporting tools and schools now have access to detailed disaggregation by demographics, cohort, trending, etc.

The Spring survey window is April 20, 2026 - May 15, 2026.

Schools wanting additional Panorama training should reach out to Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Kaye Rizzuto, Social Studies Consultant

The America 250 Student Awards program is an exciting opportunity for students and their families to celebrate the founding of the United States through creative projects, community service, and more. This initiative is open to all K-12 students.

Key Details:

* How to Participate:
• Students select activities from the official list.
• Activities can be completed individually or with family involvement.
• Students collect signatures as they complete each activity.
• Completed forms must be submitted (by photo or scan) by April 10, 2026.

* Recognition:
• Awards will be presented at a special celebration in May (details forthcoming).

* Action Steps for Principals:
• Share this opportunity with students, teachers, and families.
• Encourage school-wide participation.

Let’s help our students make history and show their American pride. More information, including submission links and the official activity list, will be provided as available.

Published on

DATE: 
January 12, 2026

TO:  
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Resource & Cluster)

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

SUBJECT: 
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Training

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) is the alternative assessment required for students who are participating in the Essential Elements curriculum. It is a requirement that all new teachers in our district who will be administering this assessment need to be trained. This training will be held on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 7:30 to 10:30 am via Zoom. Please sign up through Canvas. https://pd.jordan.com DLM Training for New Teachers.

Rosters from the Canvas course will be used for Elementary teachers to cover any hours outside of their contract. If attendees need class coverage, they should make arrangements with their school team (e.g., use paraeducators).

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell for Elementary Teachers and Lucia Evans for Secondary Teachers.

Jen Birrell: 801-567-8905 or jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org
Lucia Evans: 801-567-8295 or lucie.evans@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:
January 12, 2026

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
Professional Development Opportunities for Special Education Teams on De-escalating and ESIs.

The Special Education Department is pleased to announce upcoming training sessions for school-based teams. Content for this training mirrors the training delivered during the January 2026 Principal’s meeting, adapted for team-wide participation. To foster maximum collaboration, we strongly encourage entire teams—including Licensed Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, and Instructional Assistants—to attend the session together. Principals are welcome to join with their team.

Please note that part-time Instructional Assistants will be compensated for their participation through a JSD Timesheet.

We invite teams to select their preferred training date by completing the specific form below. Because space is limited for each session, we recommend early submission to ensure your first choice.

● March 6, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Presentation Room (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "C")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

● April 17, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Auditorium (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "A")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

Attendance is optional.

Published on

TO:
Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

Please submit all school allocation budget transfer forms to Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org, no later than January 23, 2026.

Budget transfers for this school year cannot be made after January 31, 2026. The budget transfer form is attached.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, January 15, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT:
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access

The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners.  This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students.  This Supreme Court case essentially preserves a student’s civil right to an equitable education and the federal government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for providing an equitable education to English learners.

The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test.  Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access.  Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.

So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? USBE has provided the following guidance:

“Parents/guardians can elect to exclude students out of language services, but they cannot exclude students from WIDA ACCESS.  LEAs must provide the student with the opportunity to test.  LEAs should document everything if parents/guardians refuse to allow their student to test.  Parents/guardians always have the ultimate right, but LEAs cannot provide parents/guardians a testing exclusion form to sign in order to opt the student out of testing.  The only way a student can be deemed proficient and be reclassified as a former EL is by taking ACCESS.”

The following are the recommended procedures to follow when a parent/guardian wants to opt their student out of the WIDA Access:

  • The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent. School administrators may also provide this parent handout created by USBE for the WIDA ACCESS.
  • If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal using their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators to note the parental exclusion.
  • Schools may accept a parental exclusion in writing, but they cannot provide an opt out form to exclude students from the WIDA Access.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.