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Author: shooper

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, December 19, 2024

TO:
All School Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT:
WIDA ACCESS 2.0 Test Administration Training for Schools

School administrators are asked to pass this information on to anyone who will be proctoring or coordinating the WIDA Access testing in your school this year.

As part of a federal requirement and the state’s accountability system, districts are required to administer the WIDA Access 2.0 annually to all ML students who have earned a Language Proficiency Level (LPL) of less than 4.2 and a Speaking score of less than 3.5. The 2024-25 WIDA test administration window begins on January 7 and ends on March 7, 2025.

All school personnel who will assist with WIDA Access test administration are asked to attend a mandatory test administration training. Participants may choose to attend any one of six training sessions, including one online training. Training participants will need to bring a device. Please note that if schools choose to send a classroom teacher, principals will need to cover the cost of the substitute teacher. Test pool hours may also be used for this.

Those who are to be trained to administer the WIDA should register in Canvas Catalog so that we may create their accounts in the testing and training platforms prior to their selected training date. Please see the dates and times in the attached memo.

Please contact Ben Jameson or JoLynn Snelgrove in Assessment, Research & Accountability with questions about the WIDA Access test administration and training.

Published on

DATE:
November 21, 2024

TO:
Administrators of Locations with Employees Paid with Federal Dollars

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

SUBJECT:
Federal Program Work Certification

Federal Regulations require the district to certify the payroll of any employee being paid with federal funds. Accounting identifies employees that meet this federal criteria and prepares certification forms by location. Principals and department heads please review the attached instruction memo and look for your payroll certification email the week of November 18, 2024. Certifications are due Friday, December 6, 2024.

Please review your certification ASAP and contact Natalie Grange if you have any questions or concerns. natalie.grange@jordandistrict.org, ext. 88312

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services

The safety of our students, teachers, and staff is our #1 priority.  These few slides will remind all of us to slow down, be aware of our surroundings, and how we can all do our part in making the district a safe place to work.

Please take a minute in one of your upcoming staff meetings to review this information with your staff.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services at 801-567-8285.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Garett York, JAESP Committee Member

Join UEASP's Assistant/Aspiring Principal Conference coming up on December 5th from 8:30-3:00 at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan featuring Andrew Marotta and Hank Smith. You do not have to be a member of UAESP to attend. Register for the event at ueasp.org

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Published on

DATE:
November 20, 2024

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

SUBJECT:
Guidelines for Hiring Paraeducators Working in Special Education

Please see the attached document. The document will be emailed to all administrative assistants.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Assistant Principals

FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Schools
JAESP Committee Members

Each year, the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP) gives the Jordan Association of Elementary School Principals (JAESP) the opportunity to celebrate elementary principals for the great work they are doing in their schools.

The categories are:
*Distinguished Principal of the Year
*Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year
*Rookie of the Year
*Innovator of the Year
*Community Leader of the Year
*Student Advocate Principal of the Year
*Instructional Leader of the Year
*Principal Mentor of the Year

If you feel that an elementary principal or assistant principal has done exceptional work, we invite you to nominate them for an award by clicking this link.

This survey closes on December 11, 2024 at 11:59 pm.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation

You now have the ability to view bus video footage from your school's folder on either a PC or Mac computer. Please follow the attached instructions and remember to work with your building tech in order to complete this process effectively. Contact your school tech or Debbie McKinlay at 801-567-8841 with any questions you may have.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

Were you thinking about a mini grant option for your school but were not sure how to fit it into the schedule? We have some creative schools that are doing some fun, flexible things with scheduling their sessions. We would like to share their ideas with you.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

The Jordan Teacher Leader Fellows is searching for sixteen educators from a variety of teaching experiences. During their 2-year cohort, Teacher Leader Fellows will earn an annual $1500 stipend while engaging in a variety of professional learning experiences focused on teacher leadership skills and educational advocacy. Encourage your teachers to apply today for this exciting new opportunity! See the flyer for more details.

Published on

TO:
High School Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Tricia Rojas, Specialist, Health & PE

T&L is offering a PD for high school P.E. teachers. The goal is to have every high school represented. One substitute will be funded for each school, but all P.E. teachers are invited. Use the flyer to register.

The goal for this day of collaboration is to identify the needs and challenges of the current model of physical education in our schools. It will be a day of digging into the standards and discussing the future of P.E. and how it could be reinvented to engage more students and increase relevancy as it relates to JSD’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Please share this information with your P.E. teachers.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Tricia Rojas, Specialist, Health & PE

The elementary P.E. curriculum team has worked together on an aligned curriculum for students K-6. The activities come with standards, how to build the skills, and engaging games where students can develop the skills in a fun environment. It also includes ways to scaffold the skills and games for our adapted P.E. classes. See the attached memo for links to the resources.

District Elementary P.E. Folder

Elementary Scope and Sequence

Elementary Sports Units

Published on

DATE:
November 21, 2024

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Registrars
Secondary Attendance Secretaries

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

SUBJECT:
School Choice Permit Allocations and Procedures

The open enrollment permit window opened on Friday, November 15, 2024. Permit seat totals can be found on each school’s Enrollment Dashboard. Open the “2025-26” tab and scroll down to the permit section.

ACTION REQUIRED: Principals should review the individuals listed on their dashboard in the “Permit” section and ensure that permissions are marked appropriately. Planning & Enrollment will defer to the permissions marked for various staff members when requests for additional seats are made. Please ensure that staff information is updated by December 6, 2024.

Schools should verify all outstanding applications prior to leaving for Winter Recess and verify any applications received during Winter Recess as soon as possible in the morning on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, so that the lottery can be run that afternoon. Once the lottery has been run, schools may immediately begin offering seats (if available). Seats not accepted within two weeks should be revoked (after attempting communication with the parent) and reoffered to the next student in line on the waitlist. At least weekly, schools should verify applications in the 2025-26 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist. At least monthly, schools should verify applications in the 2024-25 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist.

During the early enrollment window (now through February 7), the availability of permit seats is governed by BUILDING CAPACITY. Schools that are the most full will have the least available seats. Adding seats is governed by rules of the tier system established by the Board of Education and, in all instances, requires conversation with the Administrator of Schools for the building. In the late enrollment window (after February 7 and 2.0 allocations are released), schools may request additional seats from their Administrator of Schools. Available seats in this window will be determined by the availability of space, by grade, in the teacher allocation based on current enrollment figures.

One final reminder: the early enrollment window (now through February 7) requires schools to seat students if permit seats are available. Schools MUST follow the waitlist order when offering seats. It is inappropriate – and potentially illegal – for a school to modify the waitlist order so that students who listed the school as a “first choice” are placed before others, regardless of their lottery priority. Schools who follow this practice may lose the ability to seat permit applications themselves. School administrators with concerns over this guideline may raise the issue with their Administrator of Schools.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

The Jordan Credit Center is hiring instructors of asynchronous virtual courses for original credit, grade replacement credit, and credit recovery. The number of instructors will be based on fluctuating student enrollment. Please see the complete Frontline listing for more details.

Date applications close: 11/26/2024
Date positions begin: January 2025

Published on

TO:
Licensed Personnel

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning

Jordan School District Board authorizes up to four (4) full-time employees to be selected for leave.

Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical leave provides a 1-year leave for professional study. Educators who have completed at least 7 years of continuous service in JSD may apply. Employees on sabbatical leave receive one-half of their salary. Please read Policy DP333 Neg – Sabbatical Leave for complete information. Applications are reviewed by the Local Professional Improvement Committee and approved by the Board.

Educational Leave
Educators who have worked in Jordan School District for at least three (3) consecutive years may apply for an Educational Leave. Educational leaves are for continued study and must include an outline of studies along with the application. Please read Policy DP332 NEG – Educational Leave for complete information. Educational Leave is without pay.

Applications for 2025-2026 Sabbatical and Educational Leaves are due February 1, 2025. Additional questions can be referred to Chris Westra, 801-567-8657.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Jordan School District Cabinet Members

All licensed administrators are invited to complete the following questionnaire by November 15, 2024. This formal process of gaining your input will serve as a conversation starter with your Administrator of Schools about work assignments for the coming school year (2025-26) in Jordan District. Personal preference is one of many factors considered when determining administrative assignments. This does not take the place of the need to sign up for a formal Principal interview. Please use this link to access the form: 2024-25 Licensed Administrator Assignment Questionnaire.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Office Staff

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager

We are excited to announce our annual Utah Skyward User Conference! The conference is scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th at Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building. Please see the attached agenda for additional details.

This conference is an opportunity to learn about Skyward directly from the source as most sessions are presented by Skyward staff. There are some fantastic sessions being offered this year, including Data Mining for Beginners, Data Mining for Advanced Users, Admin Bootcamp, Skyward Tips & Tricks, Grade Analysis, and Qmlativ Business sessions.

During these sessions, you’re welcome to ask questions. However, if you have an issue that may take more time to resolve, we suggest you call our help desk for additional support.

We hope you make the most out of this year's conference by discovering fresh insights, learning valuable tips and tricks, getting your questions answered, and exploring new possibilities within Skyward. If you have any questions about attending the conference, please feel free to call the help desk at ext. 88737.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
Garett York, JAESP Committee Member

Student Council Conference registration emails have been sent out. If you did not receive an email confirmation, you are not registered for the conference. Every year we have a few schools that come without registering. We are extremely full this year and won't have room for extra schools. Please reach out to UAESP at 801-891-4253 if you have any questions!

Published on

TO: 
Principals

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Teaching and Learning Administrator
Chris Richards-Khong, Teaching and Learning Staff Assistant Administrator

The Jordan School District is excited to announce the School-Based Associates (SBA) program for the 24-25 school year. For many years, past Associate participants have asked about bringing the powerful learning experiences within Associates back to their colleagues in the classroom. School-Based Associates will now make that desire a possibility!

The district approved mini-grant application is a streamlined Google form. Administrators or teachers can initiate this grant. Use the application guide to help you keep things simple. Call Chris Richards-Khong with questions 801-567-8158.

Zoom Link Q & A Drop-in Sessions Available 

Oct 1, 2024
10:40 - 11:40 AM
2:30 - 3:50 PM
Oct 3, 2024
12:15 - 12:50 PM
2:30 -3:50 PM
Oct 4, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 PM