Jordan School District
DATE:
September 18, 2025
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
September 2025: Data Privacy and LearnPlatform Chrome Extension
See the attached memo for how this extension will be rolled out to staff at individual schools.
DATE:
September 18, 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:
October 2025 School Counselor Training and Professional Development
October school counselor training and professional development opportunities. Please direct any questions to Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant, at 801-567-8309.
Wednesday Oct. 1 - CSCP Steering Meeting, District Office, Room 129
All Secondary Lead Counselors
8:00 am - 12:30 pm
Thursday Oct. 2 - BRISC Monthly Call, Zoom
All School Counselors (optional)
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Thursday Oct. 2 - Herriman Feeder Meeting, Herriman HS
Herriman Feeder Counselors K-12
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Thursday Oct. 9 - Bingham Feeder Meeting
Bingham Feeder Counselors K-12
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Friday October 10 - CSCP OCT SEC PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Secondary School Counselors
7:30 am - 9:00 am
Friday October 10 - CSCP OCT ELEM PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Elementary School Counselors
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Wednesday Oct. 15 - CSCP New Counselor Training, JATC North & South (Tours)
All New Counselors and Interns
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
DATE:
September 18, 2025
TO:
All Administrators & Threat Assessment Teams
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
Angie Rasmussen, Student Safety and Wellness Specialist
SUBJECT:
Upcoming Threat Assessment (CSTAG) Training
Threat Assessment (CSTAG) training consists of two (2) training levels, and both levels must be completed by all administrators and threat assessment team members. Level 2 training is for all who have completed Level 1 training (the web-based training from Navigate360) and builds upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.
Administrators and threat assessment team members are invited to repeat Level 2 for a practical refresher of CSTAG protocols. Select one of the two (2) session links below to register:
If you would like additional staff or threat assessment team member to receive CSTAG level 1, please email the request with the person’s name, title, and email address to Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org). CSTAG Level 1 is web-based through Navigate 360 and the training costs $100 per person. A request for reimbursement will be sent to the school after the staff member has been added.
For a school-wide training you can share the following brief message and video with your staff:
Violence prevention for all staff (7 minutes)
The importance of reporting: See, Hear, Care, Share
Promote a culture at your school that is safe to report any concern. This will help prevent an incident before it happens. We cannot predict violence in schools, but we can prevent it. Once an incident is reported, a threat assessment can take place. Without open, safe reporting among students and staff, school teams will be less equipped to assess threats preventatively. Students should be encouraged to see, hear, care, and share; and should never be punished for reporting a concern even if it seems strange or unreasonable.
We would love to hear about the violence prevention efforts and threat assessment practices at your school, or support your school with any specific training needs. Reach out to Angie to schedule a time to meet at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org!
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
Please use the attached document when hiring paraeducators at your school and share it with those at your school who are involved in the hiring process including admin assistants who are entering hire sheets in Frontline and Skyward.
DATE:
September 17, 2025
TO:
All Secondary 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 Back to Basics: The Essentials of EBD, OHI, and Anxiety in Special Education
The Special Education Department will be offering a training session for Secondary Special Education teachers on October 3rd.
This training will address: Does every student with an anxiety diagnosis qualify for IDEA educational classification? How can school teams communicate with parents about the difference between ADA (accommodations) and IDEA (SDI) when discussing eligibility based on an anxiety diagnosis?
Secondary Teachers will use this registration link to sign up.
Training Details:
Participation is optional.
DATE:
September 18, 2025
TO:
Elementary Administrators and Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager
SUBJECT:
Elementary Efunds Nutrition Training
We will be hosting a training for elementary school administrative assistants and office assistants on Monday October 6th in the auditorium of ASB from 1-2 pm. This training will cover how to use the Efunds system to take credit card payments for Nutrition Services in the main office. You will also be provided with a new credit card reader that will allow for swipe, chip, and tap to pay including Google Wallet and Apple Pay.
Please work with your administrator and staff to ensure you are able to attend. Please bring a laptop or Chromebook so you can follow along. We encourage you to bring some or all of your part time office help as well so they can see the training too; however, we understand this may not be possible due to scheduling and coverage concerns.
If you have questions regarding the training please contact Dan Ellis at extension 88389.
Thank you.
TO:
K-2 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
FROM:
Michelle Lovell, Consultant in Teaching & Learning
Schools who are using UFLI this year are invited to join Teaching & Learning for a special UFLI collaboration meeting. Teachers and coaches will be able to connect with other educators throughout the district to share effective strategies for UFLI instruction. Reserve your spot by signing up at this LINK.
TO:
Secondary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning
Principals,
We are excited to offer three upcoming professional development opportunities designed to strengthen Tier 1 instruction for secondary math teachers. These sessions will provide practical strategies and collaborative learning experiences to support high quality math instruction for all students.
We shared this information with your teachers as well, but would love your support in reminding teachers of these valuable learning opportunities. Detailed information about each session, along with registration instructions, can be found in the attached flyers.
Thank you for your continued support in fostering instructional excellence!
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning
Principals,
On September 26th from 1:00–3:00 p.m. at the ASB, we are offering a professional development session focused on leveraging iPads to enhance instruction with the Open Up math curriculum. Participants will explore strategies for delivering mobile math lessons, collecting student work, and displaying and discussing student thinking in real time.
We shared this information with your teachers as well, but would love your support in reminding teachers of this learning opportunity. Here is the link to register for the course.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
TO:
Elementary Administrators
FROM:
Megan Cox (Rose Creek)
Garett York (Southland)
Jessica Stowe (Bastian)
Ronna Hoffman (Oak Leaf)
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.
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.
DATE:
Thursday, September 18, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Math and Science Growth Scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus Now Available
2024-25 growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus math and science are now available in Tableau. You can access these scores at the following links:
In addition, proficiency and growth scores for 2024-25 are also available on the state’s Data Gateway. Both the Student Proficiency and Student Growth reports now have scores for both math and science.
As a reminder, growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus are calculated by USBE in partnership with the Center for Assessment. For more information to help you understand how growth is calculated, please see this helpful video.
With the core change that prompted a change in the RISE assessment, RISE ELA recently underwent a standard setting to determine new cut scores. The state board of education is scheduled to review the new cut scores in their September board meeting. Thus, proficiency and growth scores will not be released until October. School accountability report cards and TSI/ATSI/CSI exits and designations will be released in January 2026.
For questions about the information provided in this memo, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
TO:
Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
All items can be found in the 2025-26 Beginning of Year Documents
October 20, 2025 - Deadline
Upcoming Audit Information
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language and Culture Services
We will be facilitating interpretation for parent teacher conferences on Oct. 1st and 2nd for Elementary Schools. For languages other than Spanish, please fill out THIS FORM to secure an appointment.
We are not able to use LIA as student interpreters, as this is now a violation of Utah Law and Policy.
For Spanish, our department will reach out to your front office to coordinate your needs.
If you have an ESP that interprets, please have them sign up for our Interpreter Certification course on Sept. 26th.
TO:
High School Administrators
FROM:
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services
Have you planned your Homecoming festivities? Take a look at the attached document.
DATE:
September 10, 2025
TO:
All Jordan School District Principals (with bus route students)
FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kathy Jones, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator
SUBJECT:
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2025-2026
State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this fall. This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.
The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:
Monday, September 22 through Thursday, September 25, 2025
Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation procedure as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. The procedure will take place at your school and within the students’ regular 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 any combination of the three. 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 procedure quickly, safely and effectively.
We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.
DATE:
September 9, 2025
TO:
Principals and Assistant Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
Michelle Reyes, Attendance/Prevention Specialist, Student Services
SUBJECT:
Proactive Tools for Addressing Attendance Throughout 2025-26
Districtwide data indicates that chronic absenteeism is a growing problem. Throughout the school year, Student Services will be providing resources, tools, and reminders to help our District address this critical issue. Research consistently shows that regular school attendance is directly linked to higher academic achievement, improved social-emotional development, and a greater likelihood of on-time graduation. When students are present, they are more engaged in learning, build stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, and don’t fall behind on foundational skills.
In short, attendance is important! Together, we can make an impact on students’ futures by addressing attendance. As part of this collective effort, using the State’s Every Day Counts Attendance Initiative, we’ve developed the following attendance theme:
Attendance Campaign Theme: “We’re Better When You’re Here”
(Use this link for PDFs to print or email Michelle for prints)
September 2025 Attendance Resources and Reminders
Questions? Contact Michelle Reyes at michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8205.
DATE:
Thursday, September 11, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Earbud Orders for State Testing
Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing systems once again this year. Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds. Please place your order by Friday, October 17th.
To place an order, please click here.
Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to create 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 3-10.
If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability at 801-567-8185 who can share the purchasing information and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.
DATE:
Thursday, September 11, 2025
TO:
High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Shmoop Access for the 2025-26 School Year
School administrators are encouraged to forward this information to their ACT prep teachers.
USBE has once again made available a free ACT prep online program for all high school students from 9th grade and up. Students may access this free program at this link: schools.shmoop.com
The Magic Word for the 2025-26 school year for students to complete the login process is: FRYSAUCE.
Teachers may access Shmoop by creating an account using their single-sign-on via Canvas. Check out this YouTube video for how to do this.
For more information about Shmoop, including instructions for students to set up their own Shmoop account, please see this information page.
For administrators interested in an online or in-person training on how to use or implement Shmoop in your school, please fill out Shmoop’s training request form.
Here are some other resources for making the most of this great ACT prep resource:
For questions about the ACT or Shmoop, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
Thursday, September 11, 2025
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
Rebecca Smith, Consultant, Gifted & Talented
SUBJECT:
6th Grade CogAT Test Administration Training
The test administration window for the 6th grade CogAT opens October 27th and closes December 4th. 6th grade teachers, in collaboration with school test coordinators, can administer this assessment to their classes.
A test administration training is being offered to school test coordinators as well as 6th grade teachers. School administrators may attend a training session, but it is not required. Testing pool hours may be used for ESPs who are attending a training session outside of their usual hours. There is no funding for substitutes; thus, schools will need to cover the cost of a substitute if a classroom teacher is attending a training session. Attendees should bring a device to the training.
Below are the training session dates, times, and locations. Those who are planning to attend a training session should sign up here.
| Date | Time | Location |
| Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 9:00 – 10:30 am | PDC 112
7905 South Redwood Rd., West Jordan Entrance D |
| 1:00 – 2:30 pm | ||
| Thursday, October 2, 2025 | 9:00 – 10:30 am | |
| 11:00 – 2:30 pm |
Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability or Rebecca Smith and Frankie Walton in Gifted & Talented with questions.
DATE:
September 08, 2025
TO:
High School Principals
Assistant Principals Responsible for District/School Suburbans
FROM:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
SUBJECT:
Change in Terminology for District/School Suburbans
Beginning September 08, 2025, the terminology related to our district/school vehicles previously referred to as "Suburban(s)" will now be designated as "Large SUV(s)."
Action Required:
Your help in implementing these updates promptly is greatly appreciated.
All involved school personnel are asked to review the Jordan School District Large SUV documentation to ensure you are familiar with the guidelines for their use. This will help maintain consistency and clarity across all communications and operations.
