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Author: communications

Published on

DATE:    
April 17, 2017

TO: 
All Jordan School District Principals – with bus route students

FROM:     
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Herb Jensen, Director of Transportation
Kathy Simmons, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator

SUBJECT:
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2016-17

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this spring.  This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, April 24, 2017 thru Friday, April 28, 2017 

Your school’s regular bus driver will perform this evacuation as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week.  This procedure takes place at your school and is located in your normal bus drop off/pick up zone.  All professional school bus drivers that transport students are required to perform evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.  Bus evacuation will be through the rear door, side door, front door or a combination.  Students will then, under the direction and supervision of the bus driver, evacuate and meet in a safe place approximately 100 feet away from the bus.

Your assistance is welcome but not mandatory to complete this required evacuation drill quickly, safely and effectively.

We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.

Cc:  Jordan School District Cabinet Members

 

Published on

Hey Utah Schools:

How did your school use its School LAND Trust Funds this school year? Show and tell us, and you could win an extra $1000 in School LAND Trust Funds for your school.

  • Take a fun photo showing how your school used its School LAND Trust Funds this school year
  • Post to Instagram with a short description, including your school's full name, district, and #SITLAfunds17

​OR​

Email it to sitlanews@utah.gov by April 28 and we'll post it for you

  • Get students, teachers, parents, everyone to vote for your photo
  • Two schools will win $1000 each

1) photo with the most likes, and 2) judges' choice photo

This contest is co-sponsored by the School Children's Trust Office at the Utah State Board of Education and the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). Visit the #SITLAfunds17 website for more information.

https://trustlands.utah.gov/sitlafunds17/

Published on

DATE:
April 18, 2017

TO:
Principals and District Administrators

FROM:
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent of Schools

SUBJECT:
Stipend for Department Chair and Team Leaders

Stipends for Department Chair and Team Leaders will be paid during the May 2017 payroll.

  • Elementary Schools may pay $300 for 8 Team Leaders.
  • Middle Schools may pay $500 for 12 Department Chairs or Team Leaders.
  • High Schools may pay $500 for 16 Department Chairs or Team Leaders.

A multiple time sheet roster should be submitted to the office of your Administrator of Schools by May 2, 2017.  All Team Leaders or Department Chairs will be paid out of the same program number from which their salary is paid.  In most cases, this will be 0050.  Each time sheet should be clearly marked “Stipend for Department Chair” or “Stipend for Team Leader.”

Kauri Sue, River’s Edge, South Valley, and JATC will be paid as middle schools.  If a school houses an additional special education program (cluster program or preschool program), the school will have an additional team leader allocation.

Budget Code

10  xxx  xxxx  2216  131

Published on

It is time to determine which reading software program (if any) you would like to use for the 2017 – 2018 school year.  See the attached information page for details on each software program, including the recommended minimum weekly usage requirements.  We would like to have as many licenses as possible paid from State grant funds.  I will submit applications on your behalf to USBE for each individual school. Please send an email with the following information to becky.gerber@jordandistrict.org as soon as possible.

  1. Which program(s) would you like to use?
    NOTE:  iReady is no longer an option using these grant funds.  If your students have been using iReady and you would like to continue with this program, you will have to use a different funding source to secure licenses.

Success Maker (Pearson)

Lexia Learning

Imagine Learning

None of the above

  1. Which grade levels will use the program(s)?

K – 1    (All students may have access.)

2 – 3    (Used  ONLY for students needing intervention, as determined by their BOY DIBELS score.)

  1. How many students will be using the program(s) based on what you selected above?

K – 1 _____________                         2 – 3 ___________________

FYI:  Small license (1-160)  Medium license (161-549)  Large license (550+)

  1. Do you agree to ALL of the following Assurances?
    • The LEA has the technical capability to run the software for which licenses are requested. (YES.  The 60 MacBook Air laptops can be used to run any of the choices given on this application.)
    • District technical support will be provided as appropriate to assign in the implementation of the software program. (YES, we can support the choices you have been given on this application.)
    • The LEA agrees to implement the software with fidelity based on the recommendations of the software provider, including minimum number of minutes per week, included professional development for teachers and/or administrators, and technology specifications.
    • The LEA agrees to report student data on learning gains as measured and recorded by the software by student SSID. (Data can/will be gathered by USBE directly from the vendor.)
    • The LEA is submitting a request for licenses to be used at a school where the principal and the K-6 faculty agree to the terms of implementation.

Published on

Thank you for remembering computers purchased with K-3 Literacy Grant funds should be used for Early Intervention Software Programs until the end of the year.  This will ensure year-end diagnostic assessments can be administered and students will have the opportunity to meet their usage goals.  Funding for next year may be in jeopardy if usage goals are not met.

Published on

DATE:  
April 6, 2017

TO: 
Elementary Principals

FROM:   
Laura Finlinson, Administrator, Curriculum and Staff Development
Becky Gerber, Language Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:
2017-2018 Language Arts Key Standards Curriculum Maps & Pacing Guides

The Elementary Literacy Specialists, along with the ELA Teacher Advisory Group, have prepared several standards-based resources to assist teachers in their ELA planning for the upcoming school year.  Based on feedback from these teams and the ELA Principal Advisory Group, we are scheduling time at each school to help teachers understand the documents and how to use them.

The professional development will include a brief online video about important literacy instructional components that teachers will be expected to view prior to the face-to-face meeting at the school.  The on-site meeting will include a review of the standards-based documents, 2017-2018 curriculum maps and pacing guide.  We will show teachers how to use the curriculum maps and allow time for team planning so we can provide assistance and answer questions. Each meeting will be facilitated by the Teacher Advisory Group member from the school paired with an ELA teacher specialist and customized to meet the specific needs of the faculty.  The meeting is expected to last 1 – 2 hours, depending on what the team is asked to include.  Teachers will receive inservice rate for attending meetings scheduled off contract time. Subs will be provided for any meetings scheduled during the school day.

For schools that may need more detailed support in using Journeys, some information can be incorporated into this meeting.  More in-depth Journeys training can be scheduled at a separate time, if needed.  We will be offering several PD opportunities focused on Journeys during the summer and that information will be sent out following the Spring recess.

To schedule this meeting, please send an email to becky.gerber@jordandistrict.org and include the following information:

  • Preferred date (April 26 or later)
  • Time
  • Any specific requests/questions you would like included/addressed during the meeting

(We can schedule up to 10 schools at a time, so we are pretty confident we can meet all requests.  However, having a ‘second choice’ date might not be a bad idea.)

We look forward to the opportunity to assist schools in planning for standards-based literacy instruction for the upcoming school year.

Published on

DATE:    
April 6, 2017

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Dr. Patrice Johnson, Superintendent
Anthony Godfrey, Administrator of Schools
Brad Sorenson, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools
Mike Anderson, Administrator of Schools
Teri Timpson, Administrator of Schools
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development

SUBJECT:
Required DIBELS Training for Administrators and K-3 Team Leaders

Required training for all elementary principals and their K-3 team leaders will take place to assist schools in developing a deeper understanding of the DIBELS assessment and instructional resources and strategies that can be implemented from information gathered from this assessment.

The meetings will follow the schedule outlined below.  Each school will bring a team of five people made up of the Principal and a team leader from each grade, K-3.  The Curriculum Department will pay for the cost of substitutes for teachers. (Sub code 5805)

FEEDER DATE TIME LOCATION
Bingham May 8, 2017 8:30 – 11:30 ASB Auditorium
Copper Hills April 27, 2017 8:30 – 11:30 ASB Auditorium
Herriman May 4, 2017 8:30 – 11:30 ASB Auditorium
Riverton April 24, 2017 8:30 – 11:30 ASB Auditorium
West Jordan May 18, 2017 8:30 – 11:30 ASB Auditorium

Each participant is asked to bring a laptop to the training.  Participants should also know their login and password information for the mCLASShome.com website.  Assistance with this information will be provided the day of the training from 8:00 – 8:30 OR by contacting Becky Gerber in advance.

We look forward to the opportunity to help schools use DIBELS data to make instructional decisions that will ensure student growth and progress in the critically important foundational literacy skills.

Published on

The USBE has adopted a Seal of Biliteracy.  This means that graduating seniors who have scored 18 or above as a junior on the ACT test and have a proficiency of Intermediate-Mid or higher as shown on the AAPPL or other approved test, can have this seal appear on their transcript.

Students will apply through counselors, and registrars will input the information in Skyward under "Educational Milestones".  High school principals will receive detailed information in hard copy form directly after the Spring Break.  Questions on this new seal should be directed to Pam Su'a in Curriculum.

 

Published on

Utah State Risk Management Annual Facility Self-inspection Survey - Now Closed

Due to technical issues that Utah State Risk Management has encountered with the Self-Inspection Survey System, they have had to shut it down early.  As a result, Jordan School District is not required to submit any additional surveys for 2016-2017.  If your school's survey has not already been submitted, you do not have to complete it for this school year.  USRM appreciates all of the effort that many of you have already made and sincerely apologizes for every inconvenience.

USRM hopes to have a new version available to you for next year.  The new system will be similar in design and they hope to include all prior data.

If you have any further questions, please contact JSD Risk Management Coordinator Ron Boshard: 801-567-8876, or ron.boshard@jordandistrict.org

Published on

Principals:

A nine question Home & Hospital survey will be emailed to you, Attendance Secretaries, Registrars and Counselors on Monday, April 3, 2017.  The survey will be open from April 3 – 17.  The data we gather from the survey will be beneficial as we begin to make future decisions for Home & Hospital.  Thank you in advance for completing the survey!

Published on

2017 Outstanding Classified Employee Nomination Form is Available Online

https://docs.google.com/a/jordandistrict.org/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYg2G8_o7AB5JaPvlCNMp5cIYhScG1kRUD3BL4ZCNXFuDhoA/viewform?c=0&w=1

Submission Deadline: Monday, April 24, 2017

See attached flyer.

Published on

Ten JSD social studies teachers will have an opportunity to participate in the Jordan/Granite Civics Academy this summer, June 5-9, 8:30-3:00.  Participants will receive a stipend of $750 for successful participation and completion of the Academy.  There will be readings pre-Academy and a project of the teachers choice with students during the 2017-18 school year.

To apply, please send an email to Pam Su’a at pamela.sua@jordandistrict.org giving your name, the school and grade taught.

Published on

DATE: 
March 28, 2017

TO:  
All Middle and High School Principals

FROM: 
Laura Finlinson, Administrator, Curriculum and Staff Development
Lisa Robinson, Director, Special Education

SUBJECT:  
Invitation to Attend Math Co-Teaching Information and Showcase

Several of your colleagues have been working hard this year to develop best practices around Co-Teaching in Math instruction. We would like to invite you to attend a Co-Teaching information discussion for administrators on April 20, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., District Office Room 129.

If you are considering co-teaching for the coming school year, or in the near future, we invite you to attend and learn from administrators and staff who have already implemented co-teaching. During this meeting we will share feedback we have gathered from teachers, identifying what works and what doesn’t, and have open discussion about how to best move forward.

In conjunction with this, we will hold a co-teaching showcase that morning from 8:00-11:00 a.m., District Office Room 129, and invite you to attend to hear from the teachers about their experiences with co-teaching. You are welcome to come to all or part of this session.