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Author: npage

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Parent Teacher Conferences are fast approaching, and many of you will find your school in need of one or more interpreters in order to serve the needs of your parents. Mirsa Joosten is happy to find an interpreter in each language you need, but this can be extremely difficult when there is not sufficient time for her to make arrangements. The virtual format, should we need to use it, can make finding interpreters even more difficult. For these reasons, we ask you to please request your interpreter no later than the dates given below by completing the Interpreting and Translation Services Request Form available on the Equity and Compliance webpage, if you have not already done so.

Level Conference Date(s) Date Interpreter Request Due
High Schools September 28-29, 2022 September 21, 2022
Middle Schools September 28-29, 2022 September  21, 2022
Elementary Schools October 5-6, 2022 September 23, 2022

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Singleton PLC Assignments:   LINK

Singleton PLCs

Middle School Assistant Principals, please review the attached list of Singleton PLC assignments and the PLC calendar. Please add a zoom link to your assigned group before Sept. 9th. The initial meeting will be virtual via zoom and then it will be determined by each PLC group whether to continue meeting virtually or in-person.

Action Steps:

  • Create and distribute virtual link for initial meeting on Sept. 9th

  • Determine whether to continue meeting virtually or in-person for monthly meetings

  • Select a team leader (if different from last year)

  • Select someone to take minutes

  • Place copies of PLC minutes in the appropriate singleton group folder in the 2022-23 shared drive. 

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Principals:

As you are planning your SCC meeting dates, please keep in mind that your 2023-24 LAND Trust & TSSA plans will be due on March 24, 2023. The plans must be approved in your last SCC meeting of their year. Please plan your dates accordingly!

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Portable classroom ramps are very expensive and the District does not keep an inventory of extra ramps.

When there is a ramp request for a legitimate ADA accommodation, administrators should contact their AOS first, to discuss the specific circumstances. If the AOS deems the ramp necessary, they will then contact Facility Services to determine the best school to move a ramp from along with an appropriate timeline for the installation.

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DATE:   
September 1, 2022

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
BARK Content Monitoring

Now that school is back in session, here is a review of our districtwide content monitoring system which runs through a software system called BARK. BARK was awarded a contract extension over the summer and we will continue to screen alerts and send them to schools for review. NO other content monitoring software should be purchased by schools. BARK monitors all student accounts across all JSD schools and levels. Here is a summary of the notification protocols and procedures.

  • BARK uses an AI to scan student Gmail messages, Google chats, Google documents, and Google slides, regardless of the device that is used. As long as the student is logged in to and using their Jordan District Google account, the content can be monitored.
  • Notifications and alerts are categorized as non-severe, severe, and imminent.
  • The alerts are monitored primarily by Angie Rasmussen, JSD Student Safety and Wellness Specialist. Some will require additional investigation at that level to determine the context and to weed out false positives.
  • Notifications to schools will include administration, counseling, and other mental health teams. This allows for several adults to receive notifications in case they are somewhat time sensitive.
  • Notifications will come in an email from Angie unless it is urgent, then a phone call or text message will be communicated.
  • Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 3pm on a school day to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
  • Content alerts are not monitored over the weekend or on days that students don’t attend, but emergency alerts will still be sent when immediate intervention is needed.
  • We will continue to receive after hours imminent alerts and will continue to work with administrators when immediate intervention is required.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

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DATE:   
September 1, 2022

TO:  
District Administrators
School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Content-Specific Opt-Out Requests

Please see the attached memo.

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School Administrators:

Please review next week’s JAM (September 8, 2022) for a summary of the FTE Audit process and required due dates. The FTE Audit is critical to ensure employees are paid correctly and from the correct budgets. The audit will be electronic again. However, if you would like assistance, you will have the option to schedule an appointment with HR to review your audit.

We appreciate your time in completing this essential task.

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DATE:   
August 24, 2022

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

Once again, we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 5th grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are February 6 and 7, 2023 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. Schools will be seated upon arrival.

Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.

Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on 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 that need to be used for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on any other transportation requests for these dates.

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Please take note of the following clarification on the difference between "Grade Transmittal Days" and "Professional Development Days." This information is also being distributed to employees via JEM.

Grade Transmittal Days are scheduled three times per year (October 21, January 17, March 27) as required in District Policy D207 - Calendar Development. These days occur each year in the Jordan School District. Payment for these days is built into the base teacher salary. Students do not attend. In-person work by teachers is not required; however, schools are open and teachers may use time on this day for finalizing and submitting grades.

Professional Development Days are three days throughout the year (September 16, November 4, April 21) where the Board of Education and District Administration have converted a student instructional day to a professional development day, as allowed by Utah Code 53F-2-102(d). These days are authorized on a year-to-year basis. These days are included in the 187 days of the standard teacher contract. Students do not attend. Principals may use up to three hours of each day for required professional development activities. The remainder of the contract day is to be used by teachers for planning and preparation.

The level and teacher calendars have been updated to clarify this change:

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DATE:   
August 24, 2022

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 4th Grade Students

Once again, we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 4th grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are November 14 and 15, 2022 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Your school’s date and time are provided on the attached spreadsheet. Schools will be seated upon arrival.

Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.

Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on 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 that need to be used for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on any other transportation requests for these dates.

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DATE: 
September 1, 2022

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 2022-2023

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, September 12, 2022 through Friday, September 16, 2022

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation one day during the week as they drop your students off in the morning. 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 front door this year. 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.

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All new principals and new SCC Chairs need to attend one of the SCC Trainings for this year. Two trainings will be held in a Zoom format. If you have any questions contact Nadine Page, nadine.page@jordandistrict.org or 801.567.8182 (x88182).

September 28, 2022 - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting    LINK

September 29, 2022 - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting    LINK

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With the restructure of the Human Resource Department, which includes Brittany Bauer and Jane Olsen in their new assignments as HR Specialists, the HR Department has a new look. While Brittany and Jane will focus on NEW EMPLOYEES, Brent and June will focus on CURRENT EMPLOYEES for all employee groups. For additional details, please see the attached graphic. We look forward to continuing to serve you.

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1-year temporary agreements are not required for part-time employees.

1-year temporary agreements are required for all full-time/contracted employees who are paid from the following programs and program codes. Please submit these completed forms to the HR Department by or during the FTE audits in September 2022. Click this link for the 1-Year Temporary Agreement form found on the employment.jordandistrict.org/AdminOnly website.

Program Code:  5679
Program Name:  School Based Mental Health
Department:  Student Services
Employee Type:  Licensed

Program Code:  5886
Program Name:  Beverly Taylor Arts Learning Program
Department:  Teaching & Learning
Employee Type:  Licensed

Program Code:  7685
Program Name:  SAMHSA AWARE Grant
Department:  Student Services
Employee Type:  Licensed

Program Code:  7220
Program Name:  GEERS
Department:  Special Education
Employee Type:  ESP

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DATE:   
August 15, 2022

TO:  
Elementary Principals

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

SUBJECT:  
Assemblies by Artistic Resources for Teachers and Students, Inc. (ARTS, Inc.)

ARTS, Inc., now in its sixty-third year of operation, was founded in 1959 and has provided performances in all forty-one school districts in Utah, reaching more than 250 schools each year with professional arts and education programming. We welcome their artists in our schools again for the 2021-22 school year.

Click this link to find:

  • The assembly schedule with the date and time the artists will be at your school.
  • The contact information for the performing group coming to your school.

The artists have been instructed to contact you at least two weeks prior to their assembly to verify starting times and specific needs for their performance. If the date selected for the music group to perform at your school does not work with your schedule, please contact the music group as soon as possible to reschedule. The name and phone number of the contact person for each group have been provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364.

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Educators who enroll and complete the online new mentor training in August or September (2022) will receive a $150 stipend. This training is a 3-hour online course and is for BRAND NEW MENTORS ONLY.

Educators will need to register on JPLS. Please contact the JES office with any questions at (801) 567-8369 or rebecca.lee@jordandistrict.org.

Please let educators know who may be interested in becoming certified as a mentor.

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Please note the following changes to the Transportation Moratorium Field/Activity Trips Dates 2022-23. The 4th Grade Utah Symphony has been changed to November 14 and 15 at Abravanel Hall. November 16 is no longer a moratorium date. Please plan accordingly.

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DATE: 
Thursday, August 25, 2022

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Tableau Login Moving to Google SSO

Due to a change on Tableau’s security policies, we will be transitioning all Tableau logins to Google single sign on (SSO). Beginning Thursday, September 1, when Tableau users try to sign into their accounts, they will be redirected to a Google login page. Tableau users will use the same login credentials as their district email for Tableau. Here are the new login procedures effective September 1st:

  1. Navigate to the Tableau login page: https://sso.online.tableau.com/public/idp/SSO
  2. Enter your district email address.
  3. You will be redirected to a Google login page. Enter your district email and password.

Please direct any questions about Tableau to Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

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US Code 106 has declared September 17 as Constitution and Citizenship Day. All educational institutions are urged to “make plans for the proper observance of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and for the complete instruction of citizens in their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the State and locality in which they reside.”

This year September 17 is on a Saturday. Please find a way to celebrate this important document and citizenship with your students sometime during the week of September 12-16. UEN has provided some great resources for all grade levels which could be done in the social studies classrooms.