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Administrators, please share with parents and guardians:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our 5th grade maturation program as part of our health and wellness curriculum for 5th grade will be held online for the 2020-2021 school year. Our maturation program is presented in an online video format presented by health care providers. While this is not a mandatory program, this is presented as an opportunity for you to watch the program together. Students are encouraged to talk to their trusted adults for questions or concerns that they may have. Our presentation can be found online at:  https://pe.jordandistrict.org/healthandwellness/

Sincerely,

___________________________________

Administrators, please share with parents and guardians:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Due to COVID-19 and attempts to decrease the possible spread of the virus, the Utah Department of Health has recommended that mass vision screenings be suspended for the health and safety concerns related to COVID-19 for the 2020-2021 school year. Parents are encouraged to take their child to their physician for a thorough eye screening. Students who are in special ed., getting a new special ed. evaluation, or a re-evaluation will be screened using appropriate distancing guidelines. Parents and teachers may contact their school nurse to request a vision screening on all other students that they may have a concern about.

Instructional Coaching Institute (ICI)
and
Supports for Administrators

The Instructional Coaching Institute is intended to create a united vision and purpose in Jordan School District in order to better support teachers. Meetings are held weekly at the ASB from 11:00-1:30 with the exception of a few that will be held virtually due to limited space availability. All district and school instructional leaders are considered part of the Instructional Coaching Institute and attend meetings. This includes:

  • Instructional Coaches
  • Title I Coaches
  • BYU/UVU Facilitators
  • T&L Specialists
  • T&L Consultants

This weekly communication is intended to inform you about topics and discussions that will be covered in the weekly meetings as well as on updates from Teaching and Learning. If you would like to attend and receive the information alongside your coach(es) you are welcome to do so or can join virtually. Parts of the meetings will be recorded and available after the meeting as well. Links to join virtually or to watch the recordings can be found inside the link below.

Helpful Links

  • Weekly Agenda/Zoom Link/Recording
  • Weekly T&L Updates
    • Assessment
    • Online Program
    • Literacy
    • Math
    • Science
    • GT
    • ELS
    • Other

In an effort to support students, teachers, and administrators in online learning, T&L will provide an extra contact to encourage participation for students who are not engaged in the learning process. Teachers who have students who are not participating in class meetings, who have not logged into the Canvas course, and who have not responded to teacher communications are asked to complete this FORM. Efforts will be made to contact the parents. Schools will be notified if there are special circumstances or other important information. It is expected that a teacher uses multiple methods of communication prior to completing the form. If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Navratil at kimberly.navratil@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8131

The new Title IX regulations require anyone involved with Title IX issues to undergo specific training. Most often, the person involved with initial decisions related to Title IX allegations is the school principal. The Utah Division of Risk Management in cooperation with the Utah State Board of Education and the Office of the Attorney General has planned training for the new Title IX Regulations, with a particular focus on those responsible for initial decisions and for those responsible for the review of those initial decisions, as well as Title IX Coordinators. This training will fulfill the training mandated by the Title IX Regulations.

This new Title IX Regulations training is being offered as a virtual only training from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a 1-hour break for lunch, and all principals are encouraged to attend. Please select one of the training dates below.

October 27th 9 AM - 4 PM

October 29th 9 AM- 4 PM

November 10th 9 AM - 4 PM

November 12th 9 AM - 4 PM

Please test the event prior to attending by clicking the ‘Test Event’ link in order to minimize the amount of technical issues on the day of the training.

DATE:   
September 5, 2020

TO: 
All Principals
All Special Education Staff

FROM:    
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Principal, River’s Edge

SUBJECT:   
ASPEN Training For Special Education Personnel 2020-2021


ASPEN training will continue to be required for all licensed special education teachers, SLPs, school psychologists, elementary school counselors, and for all instructional assistants in SEB and Autism self-contained support classrooms during the 2020-2021 school year. First year staff and staff that have not completed the full certification ASPEN training should register for the training on JPLS. Training dates and times are attached to this memo.

Although not required, instructional assistants working in any other special education setting may choose to attend ASPEN at the discretion of their building administrator.

If you have more than one teacher or instructional assistant that needs to attend, please consider having them attend on separate days in order to maintain adequate coverage in your school. The Special Education Department will cover the costs of substitutes for licensed special education teachers that will be attending the full certification under budget code 1292. Instructional assistants will be asked to use True Time to record their typical workday hours on the day of the training. Any additional hours spent in the training above their typical workday will need to be recorded on a time sheet.

Class sizes for the full certification will be limited based on the location of the training in order to promote physical distancing. Participants will not be engaging in the physical components associated with ASPEN training at this time. Participants should plan on wearing a mask while attending the class.

Staff that participated in a full certification ASPEN training during the previous school year should plan on taking an ASPEN recertification class that will be offered online. Those who completed the ASPEN recertification course last school year should plan on participating in the third step of ASPEN, which will be offered via Canvas. More information regarding these recertification courses will be forthcoming.

Mandt training will continue to be required at Kauri Sue Hamilton and River’s Edge School. Personnel at these schools do not need to attend ASPEN. Others wishing to keep their Mandt training current may do so; however, participation is not mandatory and teachers and instructional assistants will not be compensated for their attendance.

For questions please contact:
Daveed Goodrich at daveed.goodrich@jordandistrict.org or
Cassidy Hansen at cassidy.hansen@jordandistrict.org

Administrators:

We’ve received several calls asking if One-Time Riding Passes (see attachment) are available for student use this year. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and efforts to comply with physical distancing and contact tracing, we highly discourage the use of One-Time Bus Riding Passes for student use. Please have your office staff refrain from issuing these passes until further notice. In the case of a truly exceptional circumstance, please contact our dispatch center at 801-567-8840 prior to issuing the pass so that we can discuss your specific situation and make the necessary arrangements.

Thank you,

Jordan School District Transportation

DATE:  
September 10, 2020

TO:     
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Attendance Secretaries
Registrars

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

SUBJECT:    
2020-21 Attendance on Fridays and Learner Validated Attendance for Virtual Students


Please see the attached memo.

Cultivating SEED in Diverse Environments
UTSTA 2020-21 Yearlong Virtual Conference

The virtual Utah Science Teacher Association (UtSTA) conference starts in October. This is a great opportunity for teachers to become familiar with and expand their understanding of the new SEEd standards. Funding will need to be provided through individual school however a grant opportunity is available. You can easily apply for a grant to attend this conference.

Please see flyer below for information on how to apply for a grant and registration information.

 

DATE:  
September 17, 2020

TO: 
Administrative and Office Staff of Schools and District Departments

FROM:  
John Larsen, Business Administrator

SUBJECT: 
Business Department Training for District and School Office and Administrative Staff


Please see the memo and agenda below for information about the optional training being conducted by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments.

The Assistant Principal meetings will be held in the ASB Presentation Room in-person and also virtually. It's expected that you will attend one of the meetings each month. The room will hold 20 people. In-person slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. After those slots are filled please sign up for the virtual slots. This will provide room for a total of 50 people per meeting. The course number is: #101627. There are two section numbers for each meeting. Listed below are the JPLS section numbers for the September and November meetings. The access information for the virtual meeting will be provided for those who have signed up in JPLS before the date of the meeting. If you have any questions regarding signing up in JPLS please call Chris Westra at x88657. Other questions may be directed to Nadine Page at x88186.

September 17, 2020
Assistant Principal Meeting
1:00-3:30 pm
ASB Presentation Room
20 In-Person Slots -- Section # 116444
30 Virtual Slots -- Section #116445

September 22, 2020
Assistant Principal Meeting
8:00-10:30 am
ASB Presentation Room
20 In-Person Slots -- Section #116446
30 Virtual Slots -- Section # 116447 

November 5, 2020
Assistant Principal Meeting
1:00-3:30 pm
ASB Presentation Room
20 In-Person Slots -- Section #116448
30 Virtual Slots -- Section #116449

November 10, 2020
Assistant Principal Meeting
8:00-10:30 am
ASB Presentation Room
20 In-Person Slots -- Section #116450
30 Virtual Slots -- Section #116451

Middle School Singleton PLC meetings scheduled for Friday, September 11th will be postponed until October 9th. More information will be coming regarding a virtual format and meeting assignments. Singleton teachers wanting to collaborate on their own during PLC time, should follow the direction from their principal.

As students return to the classroom, the focus of instruction must be on grade-level standards, along with appropriate scaffolds that make the standards accessible to all students. Instead of sending students backwards to fill in all the potential gaps in their learning, teachers are encouraged to focus on filling in the most critical gaps at the moment they’re needed (just-in-time) rather than halting progress on grade-level instruction to address deficiencies in previous grade-level standards (just-in-case). Providing “just-in-time” scaffolds addresses the content knowledge and skills students need to engage in the most immediate work of the grade at the moment it is needed.

In a context of uncertainty, it can be challenging to monitor how well students have retained skills and are learning new skills, while keeping mindful of students' social-emotional wellness.

The JSD Assessment and Intervention Flowchart is provided to guide the process of assessing and intervening during this unique time. Schools are encouraged to use the attached assessment flow chart, summarized below:

  • SCREENER (All Students) Screeners are typically quick to administer and provide predictive information about academic successes. Screeners are not designed to map out completely what students’ specific knowledge and skill deficits might be. Screeners are used to determine which students are performing below grade level or proficiency level.

o   K-3 Screener: Acadience

o   4-6 Screener: SRI

  • DIAGNOSTIC (Specific Students) Diagnostic testing is provided to students identified through the screener in order to better understand the specific knowledge and skills needing reinforcement and provide appropriately targeted interventions.

o   K-3 Diagnostic given to students scoring well below benchmark (See chart for options)

o   4-6 Diagnostic given to students scoring below grade level (See chart for options)

  • BENCHMARKS (ALL Students) Benchmarks are given to all students periodically through the year. Benchmarks are used to measure progress towards the core standards. They can serve as a reference of rigor in formative assessments. Benchmarks, used in conjunction with formative assessments, help drive instruction.