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Author: bgroo

Published on

DATE:   
December 4, 2025

TO:  
Building Principals
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
Secondary School Counselors

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:  
Name and Gender Changes on FERPA Records (December 2025)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows a parent/guardian or eligible student (a student 18+ years of age) the opportunity to request changes or amendments to the contents of their education record. Policy AS61 - Student Records and Transcripts requires that these requests be made to the building principal.

See the memo below for all of the details.

 

 

Published on

DATE: 
November 24, 2025

TO:  
Building Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
Secondary School Counselors

FROM:   
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
November 2025: Reminders and Guidelines on Enrollment Age

Please review the following guidelines and reminders on enrollment ages:

Kindergarten:

  • A student must be five years old before September 2 to enroll in kindergarten.
  • If a student misses the deadline (typically meaning they turn 5 between September 2 and December 31), a parent/guardian may enroll in private preschool and provide proof to the school of mastery of the kindergarten core. Upon receipt of this documentation, the student may be enrolled the following year in first grade.
    • Previous guidance has stated that the student must enroll in “an accredited kindergarten.” Accredited kindergartens do not exist. The student must complete the core through a private kindergarten program.
  • A student who moves to Utah from another state where the student was actively enrolled in kindergarten may enroll in kindergarten in Utah even if they do not meet Utah’s age deadline upon receipt of documentation of the enrollment.

Other Grades:

  • A student enrolling for the first time is placed in their age-appropriate grade.
  • Students enrolling in Utah from foreign countries are placed in their age-appropriate Utah grade, regardless of what grade they may have last completed in their home country.
    • Parents who disagree with the placement may pursue acceleration or retention AFTER enrolling.
    • Foreign exchange students participating in a one-year program may be placed in a different grade at the discretion of Student Services.
  • Jordan District will honor grade placement decisions made by other education agencies in the United States to a maximum of one year’s difference (meaning one year’s acceleration or retention). Contact Student Services for additional guidance, if needed.

Maximum Age in High School:

  • Utah Code §53G-6-201(10) defines a “school-age child” as a minor who is at least six years old but younger than 18 and has not been legally emancipated.
  • This means that compulsory education applies to students from 6-17. At age 18, a student (who is now a legal adult with all associated rights) can choose to withdraw themselves from school, as they are no longer legally required to attend.
  • Eighteen-year-olds may continue to attend for the remainder of their senior year. They may also choose to withdraw to attend Southpointe.
  • Because Jordan District honors grade placements from previous states to a maximum of one year’s difference, there may be instances where a student (due to a previous retention or late-start to kindergarten) turns 19 during their senior year. These students may continue through to graduation, but additional steps or precautions may need to be put in place for extracurricular events or trips to ensure the safety of all students.
  • Students should not remain enrolled in regular public school after turning 20 (with the exception of students on IEPs receiving appropriate services). Students in this situation should be directed to adult education offerings. Exceptions to this guideline require the approval of the relevant Administrator of Schools and Student Services.

 

Published on

DATE:   
December 4, 2025

TO:    
All School Administrators

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness

SUBJECT:
FREE Mental Health Education for Parents and Caregivers

Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to provide ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This collaboration offers FREE access to live, virtual educational sessions covering various topics. Please share the following resources with your school community:

  • A calendar for December’s Mental Health Series sessions is attached. Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. Previously recorded seminars can be accessed through a comprehensive library of sessions and resources for each topic. You can access the library of recorded sessions at any time by visiting this SITE.
  • Ask a Therapist live virtual event. This is an anonymous opportunity to ask questions from a licensed family therapist about your child’s mental health. It is a live event on December 9th at 6 pm with access to the recording afterwards. Some common parent questions can also be viewed on the Parent Guidance website.

Please share the attached flyers/resources with your school communities. Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

 

Published on

DATE:
August 5, 2025

TO:
All Administrators
All Financial Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools
John Larsen, Business Administrator

SUBJECT:
Staff Appreciation Funds (formerly known as Staff Discretionary Funds)

As a reminder, Staff Appreciation Funds have been allocated for all staff members (both licensed and ESP) for snacks, meals, etc. in conjunction with Professional Development. Please see the attached memo for budgeting and other helpful information on utilizing these funds.

 

Published on

DATE:     
November 26, 2025

TO: 
All Principals, Directors and Supervisors

FROM:     
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

SUBJECT:  
DP375 – Vacation Schedule for Administrative Personnel

Clarification of administrator vacation days carryover:

  • Administrators receive 20 frontloaded vacation days on July 1st of each year. These frontloaded days are earned throughout that current year.
  • Administrators may carryover up to 20 earned vacation days from the previous year. Any earned days over 20 not used by December 31st of each year will be forfeited.

Therefore, as of December 31, 2025, any unused vacation days above 40 days will be forfeited. These 40 days consist of the 20 days that were frontloaded on July 1, 2025 for the 2025-26 year, as well as up to 20 unused earned days that were allowed to be carried over from the previous 2024-25 year.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Assistant Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Michelle Lovell, Consultant, Elementary Language Arts
Mandy Thurman, Consultant in Teaching & Learning

Please see the attached document for instructions on how to access the MasteryConnect Data Dashboard for the Kinderagerten Quarter 1 Literacy Goal - Letter Names and Sounds. Please contact Mandy Thurman or Michelle Lovell with any questions.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Assistant Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Michelle Lovell, Consultant, Elementary Language Arts
Mandy Thurman, Consultant in Teaching & Learning

Please see and share the attached document for instructions and materials for 1st grade teachers to assess and input data into MasteryConnect for the 2nd quarter literacy goals. All data must be entered by January 23, 2026. Please contact Mandy Thurman or Michelle Lovell with any questions.

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, December 4, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
Proficiency Scale Survey

We have appreciated the many educators who have engaged with the Proficiency Scale Survey in order to provide feedback about the district’s ELA, math, science and social studies exemplar power standards and proficiency scales.

We want to be sure that every teacher has a voice in the development of these exemplar power standards and proficiency scales. The survey administration window has been extended to Friday, December 19th. Thus, principals are encouraged to provide designated time during contract time for teachers to take the survey.

Teachers may access the survey at this LINK

Questions about the survey instrument may be direct to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability. Questions about the power standards and proficiency scales may be directed to Carolyn Gough in Teaching & Learning.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, December 4, 2025

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
K-2 Literacy Goals Tableau Dashboard

In an effort to assist elementary school administrators and instructional coaches track their school’s progress towards achieving the K-2 Literacy Focus and Goals, Assessment, Research & Accountability has developed a couple of Tableau dashboards:

  • K-2 Literacy Goals for Acadience Reading – This dashboard displays the K-2 literacy goals by grade level for all of the goals linked to the Acadience Reading benchmark and progress monitoring tools. Dashboard viewers may see grade level goal status by quarter, grade and teacher.
  • K-2 Literacy Goals: Compare Schools – This dashboard allows viewer to compare goal status by school for goals linked to Acadience Reading benchmark and progress monitoring tools. Viewers may see overall status for all goals as well as filter down to individual goal, grade level or quarter.

For goals linked to data teachers input into Mastery Connect, please see these step-by-step instructions developed by the Literacy Department.

For questions about the K-2 Literacy Tableau dashboards, please contact Brooke Anderson in Assessment, Research & Accountability. For questions about the K-2 Literacy goals or the Mastery Connect report, please contact your school’s district literacy coach.

Published on

DATE:    
December 4, 2025

TO: 
All Elementary Principals

FROM: 
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:   
Utah Symphony Performance at Abravanel Hall for 5th-Grade Students

We are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for the 5th-grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are February 9 and 10, 2026 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Your school’s date and time are provided on the attached spreadsheet. Please note that there are no assigned seats. School groups will be seated upon arrival.

The Utah Symphony will provide study materials to prepare your students before the performance.

Please have your administrative assistant complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time are shown on the spreadsheet). The number of teachers (which may also include a parent and two chaperones for each class) should be included in your school’s final count. When entering your busing request, please include the correct group name (e.g. Daybreak, 115 Curr). This will ensure that the Teaching and Learning Department will cover the busing fee.

Transportation requests should be completed as soon as possible. Due to the number of buses needed for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on other transportation requests for these dates.

 

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, December 4, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:   
Tableau Dashboards Updated with Growth Scores

RISE and Utah Aspire Plus Tableau dashboards have all been updated with 2024-25 growth scores. In addition, RISE ELA proficiency has also been updated with 2024-25 results.

Here are a few dashboards where administrators may view RISE and Utah Aspire Plus growth scores:

RISE:

Utah Aspire Plus:

For questions about these dashboards, please contact Ben Jameson or Brooke Anderson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:   
November 19, 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:  
December School Counselor Training and Professional Development

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

Wednesday, Dec. 3 - CSCP Q2 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, Dec. 11 - BRISC Monthly Call, Zoom
All School Counselors (optional)
10:00 am - 11:00 am

Thursday, Dec. 11 - Herriman Feeder Meeting, Mountain Creek MS
Herriman Feeder Counselors K-12
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Friday, Dec. 12 - CSCP SEC PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Secondary School Counselors
7:30 am - 9:00 am

Friday, Dec. 12 - CSCP ELEM PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Elementary School Counselors
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Monday, Dec. 15 - CSCP BRISC Training - Consult Call, Zoom
All New Counselors and Interns
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Wednesday, Dec. 17 - CSCP Steering Meeting, District Office, Room 129
All Secondary Lead Counselors
8:00 am - 12:30 pm

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

The Jordan Education Access Committee and Language and Culture Services cannot wait to see you at the annual What I Wish You Knew Conference. This year, the theme is "Our Stories Matter."

This year the conference will be highlighting and showcasing leadership from our wonderful District departments. Please come to learn from our Keynote from author, Kyle Reyes, Author of Lenses of Humanity.

  • Where: West Jordan Middle School
  • Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
  • Date: Jan. 20, 2026

Published on

DATE:   
November 20, 2025

TO:   
All District Administrators

FROM:   
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
November 2025: Compliance with Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act

Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act (or GDPA, found in code at §63A-19) sets standards for the use and protection of employee and patron data collected and used by a governmental entity. The standards of the GDPA build on, but do not replace, existing protections for student data as found in state law (§53E-9) and federal law (FERPA and PPRA).

The GDPA requires the implementation of a privacy program across each governmental entity, with deadlines as soon as December 31, 2025. Jordan District will establish a committee to create and implement this privacy program. The committee will be under the direction of Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant in Student Services.

ACTION REQUIRED: The GDPA requires that all employees who "have access to personal data was part of the employee's work duties; or supervise an employee who has access to personal data” receive an annual training. In future years, this training will be included as part of Crucial Concerns; however, for this year’s compliance, each school and department will need to view the eight-minute training video prepared by the state Office of Data Privacy, which is linked below, prior to winter break and report both A) completion of this requirement, and B) the number of employees who viewed the training on the spreadsheet also linked below.

A scheduled group viewing in an upcoming faculty or department meeting is likely the easiest way to complete this requirement.

The GDPA defines “personal data” as “information that is linked or can be reasonably linked to an identified individual or an identifiable individual” (§63A-19-101-24). Not every employee in a location will need to watch the video - many hourly employees in departments like Nutrition Services, Auxiliary Services, or site-based hourly custodial employees likely do not have access to “personal data” and can be excused from viewing at this time. Supervisors with questions may contact Caleb Olson (caleb.olson@jordandistrict.org or x88251).

Your cooperation with this requirement of the GDPA and with monitoring the JAM for future privacy program-related requirements and responsibilities is greatly appreciated.

Published on

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith Doleac, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

PRINCIPAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE JORDAN LEARNING CENTER (JLC - 3706 W 9800 S, SOUTH JORDAN) 

A beverage service will be provided at 7:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Attached you will find a copy of the presentation given at the Jordan School District annual School Community Council trainings. Links to the State School LAND Trust websites are also provided for additional information. Please feel free to share this information with your SCC chair.

Jordan District Schools - LINK

School LAND Trust Website - LINK

Published on

TO:
School Principals

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

LCS will be hosting an additional Zoom session of Addressing Discriminatory Language: Resources for Administrators on December 3rd from 2:00 to 2:45. Administrators will receive access to Nearpods and other resources that can be used with students in one-on-one settings to help teach them the impact of discriminatory language.

Please review the attached flyer for more details and the registration link.

This is a repeat session of the Zoom sessions held on November 6 & 7.

Published on

TO:
Administrtors

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

Language & Culture Services will be starting new ESL Endorsement cohorts in Jan. 2026. It takes one school year to complete (Jan. -  Dec. 2026, not including summer break) and is competency-based.

  • Format: Hybrid - virtual modules with one in-person session per month.
  • Credit options: USBE credit (free) or SUU credit ($69 per course). Both credit options can be applied towards a lane-change. Participants will receive 15 credits (3 per course) and 1 more USBE Credit upon completion of a Capstone Portfolio.

Published on

TO:
Administrtors

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

Due to popular demand, and in accordance with Title III laws and policy, Language & Culture Services would like to hold another interpreter training to get staff and paraeducators certified. LCS will provide this free training if there is enough interest. LCS is considering a March 6 training, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will receive 7 relicensure points.

Please fill out the form at the link below by Dec. 12, so that LCS can plan accordingly.