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Author: npage

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DATE: 
September 6, 2023

TO:    
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Wellness Representatives Training 9-19-2023

The wellness team is excited to announce the in-person Educator Wellness Training for your school or department’s designated Educator Wellness Representatives on September 19, 2023 at JATC-S from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Administrators are invited to attend with their school wellness representative, if you plan to attend, please RSVP using this link. Schools will need to cover the cost of a sub for their rep, if required.

The Wellness Rep Training will be full of great information that you won’t want to miss! We’re excited to welcome Amy Miner, Founder and Owner of In Focus Education Group as our guest speaker, as well as presentations from PEHP, JSD Insurance Services, and Blomquist Hale. Lunch will be provided and attendees will participate in practical workshops where they’ll connect with other Wellness Reps and work together to build an Employee Wellness Plan for your school. Let’s start the year off WELL!

Review the attached flyer and share it with your school or department’s representative so they can RSVP!

Still need to designate a rep for your school or department? No problem! Fill out this brief form and send them to the training! Keep in mind the following:

  • It’s recommended that principals choose a licensed, non-administrative, non-mental health team staff member as their designated rep. Also, we recommend they work with a leadership team or social committee at your school.
  • The purpose of these representatives is to encourage employee wellness initiatives.

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Optional training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on September 19 (1:00-4:00 pm) and October 12 (8:00-11:00 am) via Zoom. This training opportunity is for school or department personnel including principals, assistant principals, administrative assistants, clerks, aides or others with responsibilities correlating with the Business or Auxiliary Services Departments. The draft agenda is attached. If you would like to participate in one of the sessions, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org and let her know which date you prefer to attend. The total number of participants in each session will be capped at 80 (plus presenters). Because we want the sessions to have the same interactive environment as in-person sessions, attendees will be able to submit questions via Zoom Chat. Attendees will also be provided with a link to handouts provided by the presenters so they can be viewed during the training or downloaded for future use. We hope you will take advantage of this training opportunity.

Published on

DATE:  
September 5, 2023

TO:  
All Elementary Principals
All Secondary Principals

FROM:    
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Elementary Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Elementary Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Elementary Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Elementary Schools
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT: 
September/October 2023 School Counselor Trainings

See the attached memo for the details.

Published on

Reminder: School FTE Audit's DUE Monday, October 2, 2023

School Administrators:

The School FTE Audit process is critical in ensuring employees are paid accurately and out of the appropriate budgets. Like last year, the FTE Audit will be electronic. Below is the process we will follow for the audits:

Electronic FTE Audit Process:

  • September 20, 2023 – HR has shared with principals and administrative assistants the FTE Audit Report via Google Sheets. Please review the report with your administrative assistant. The report will include verification of faculty/staff, FTE, title and budget code(s). Please refer to the “Instructions” sheet in the document for assistance in completing the audit.
  • October 2, 2023 – DUE DATE for the FTE Audit Report to be completed for HR to process. Check the “yellow” box on the front page to indicate audit completion.
  • THE BEST NEWS OF ALL – All corrections made on the FTE Audit Report will be made by HR upon return. Change forms will not be required; however, new hires not listed on the report will require the submission of a hire sheet to HR in Frontline.
  • If you are interested in meeting with HR to review/assist with your audit, a link will be available on the Instructions sheet in your audit documents. You are welcome to invite your administrative assistant and Assistant Principal. You can schedule a time to meet. We ask that you review the audit and come prepared to the meeting with needed changes to your audit.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Published on

Writable PD - Presented by Writable Developers and Staff
Sept. 22, 2023 ~ 1:00-3:00 PM
Virtual Training
Register in JPLS:
JPLS Course #101966
Section #127761

*Writable has been purchased by the district with licenses available for all secondary students*

This is an optional PD for all secondary teachers to learn more about Writable and how it can be integrated into any class in order to strengthen students’ writing. Below is a description of the PD:

Getting Started: In this initial session, participants will learn how Writable fits within their core curriculum and become prepped and ready to begin using the program as they continue through the learning path.

Learning Objectives:

  • Explore the key features and uses for Writable, including the new AI Feedback feature
  • Identify how Writable fits within your core instruction
  • Learn how to incorporate Writable into both informal and formal writing assignments

Essential Question: What do I need to know to get started with Writable and how will I continue learning?

Published on

DATE:
August 30, 2023

TO:
Elementary Principals

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

SUBJECT:
JSD-Arts Representatives for 2023-24

This year we will continue to invite two District Arts Representatives (DARTS) to represent your school throughout the 2023-24 school year, and we are pleased to be able to continue this program which received the Sorenson Legacy Exemplary Program Award in 2023. We have appreciated the work of past DARTS representatives and how they have helped strengthen arts instruction in your schools. Meaningful progress toward a greater level of arts integration has been made, and we wish this to continue.

DARTS meetings will be held on the following dates: September 13, October 18, November 15, January 17, February 28, March 20, and April 17. The meetings will be held at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium from 4:30-5:30 p.m. 

Please assign two classroom teachers to serve as your school’s DARTS representatives. The DARTS representatives will meet once a month for one hour to learn and collaborate. Teachers will be paid at the inservice rate and will earn relicensure points (Note: In addition to the two regular classroom teachers, your school's BTS arts educator will also be attending the DARTS sessions). 

Please email the names of your choices for the JSD DARTS Team for the 2023-24 school year to jana.shumway@jordandistrict.org or jacquelin.webster@jordandistrict.org by Tuesday, September 12, 2023 if possible.

Published on

DATE:  
September 1, 2023

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 2023-2024

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 11 through Friday, September 15, 2023

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. This drill will take place at the 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 drill quickly, safely and effectively.

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

Published on

Dear Principals,

Please share the following Strategic Planning Participation Survey with all of your parents. The survey can be sent separately or as part of other communications to your community tomorrow, Friday, September 1, 2023. The survey closes Wednesday, September 6th at midnight.

Thank you.

=====================

Strategic Planning Participation Survey for Employees, Parents & Students

We are excited to partner with parents and community members to make Jordan School District the very best it can be for the families and students we serve. As we begin work on updating the District’s comprehensive strategic plan for the future, we invite you to be a part of the process.

The strategic planning process will help define our vision and prioritize our resources. We are committed to developing a plan that is inclusive of the strengths, hopes, beliefs, and values of our community.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences through the survey below, which should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Additionally, students in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to take the survey at their school buildings.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we embark on this important process.

Published on

DATE:   
August 31, 2023

TO:  
Secondary Principals
Elementary Principals

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:   
Ballet West 2023-24 Student In-Theater Presentations

Ballet West is again providing free presentations of the following ballets in the Capitol Theater:

  • Dracula (Grades 5-12)
  • The Firebird (Grades 1-12)
  • The Nutcracker (Grades K-12, One and Two-Hour Presentation Available)
  • Swan Lake (Grades 1-12)
  • Fairy Tale Theater (Grades 1-12) 

Each program begins with an educational introduction and is followed by a portion of the repertoire currently being performed for the general public. 

The link to Ballet West’s website with further information (including dates and times) on all of the student performances is Ballet West Student In-Theatre Performances .

If any of your teachers are interested in having their classes attend any of the performances, please have them contact Susy Peterson at susanlyn.peterson@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8296. Seating is limited and performance slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

Please be aware that transportation costs must be covered by individual schools. Neither Ballet West nor the Teaching and Learning Department will be covering the costs of transportation.

Published on

DATE:    
August 30, 2023

TO:    
All Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
Optional Unique & Inspire Professional Development

We are excited to be able to provide two new curricula for our special education teachers this year. Unique provides a convenient, cloud‑based platform for educators to deliver differentiated, standards‑aligned content enhanced by powerful assessments, data tools, and evidence‑based instructional support. Inspire provides a research- and evidence-based intervention curriculum to supplement the core curriculum. There are two optional trainings available on our September 22 Professional Development Day.

  • Unique is for all self-contained classrooms (all grade levels)
  • Inspire is for elementary resource classrooms (secondary content to come soon).

Unique Professional Development (all grade levels for self-contained teachers)

  • Friday, September 22, 2023 at Valley High School from 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Inspire Professional Development (All elementary resource teachers)

  • Friday, September 22, 2023 at River’s Edge School from 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Please sign up on JPLS to confirm your attendance.

Unique:
Course- 101963
Section- 127735

Inspire:
Course- 101964
Section- 127736

 

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Staff members working in any other special education setting may choose to attend ASPEN at the discretion of their building administrator and at the cost of their school. For questions please contact: cassidy.hansen@jordandistrict.org or daveed.goodrich@jordandistrict.org.

Please see the memo below for all the details.

Published on

September has been designated as Founder’s Month by the Utah State Legislature. The bill states that public schools are encouraged to recognize and observe this occasion. You can do this through programs and teaching in class about the Founding Fathers and important founding documents. September 17th is also Constitution Day and all public schools who receive federal funding are asked to observe this day.

You may have received a Founder’s Month Curriculum in the mail. Please remember that all curriculum should be approved before use. It will not be mailed directly to you. Teachers have access to materials on the district website: Social Studies

Jordan District currently has a team of teachers K-6, who have been asked by USBE to create curriculum for the whole state on the new elementary social studies standards. These teachers have been working on great lessons that teachers can use for Founder’s Month and Constitution Day that are grade level appropriate.

We want to make sure that we are following all state and federal mandates and guidelines. You will be notified of these important dates through JAM and teachers will receive notifications through JEM. When teachers have questions, please direct them to the district website or you can contact Kaye Rizzuto, JSD Social Studies Consultant at kaye.rizzuto@jordandistrict.org (801) 567-8320.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, August 21, 2023

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Parent Invitation to Participate Volunteer List

The Parent Invitation to Participate Survey was disseminated to parents throughout the district earlier this month. Parents had the opportunity to indicate their willingness to participate in school community councils and PTA/PTSA organizations for their students’ schools. Parents provided their contact information as part of their survey response.

A list of parent volunteers for each school has been made available in a Tableau dashboard. There is a separate dashboard for each level (elementary, middle and high). Those dashboards may be accessed here.

School administrators are encouraged to provide the PTA/PTSA contact list to their parent organization presidents.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability for questions about the survey or the dashboard.

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

TO:   
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Record of August 15th Professional Learning Day Attendees

School administrators may access a Tableau dashboard that contains a record of all educators who signed in using the QR code for the August 15th professional learning day. The dashboard may be accessed here. Administrators may also filter the list by conference location.

For questions about this dashboard, please refer to Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

Published on

We are pleased to continue two opportunities for math competitions at the middle school level for 7th and 8th grade students: (1) Math Olympiad (school-based) and (2) Math Tournament (district-based). Refer to the attachment for details. Contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.