Skip to content

Author: shooper

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, July 18, 2024

TO:
All School Administrators
District Department Directors/Consultants

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

SUBJECT:
2024-25 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Education Support Professionals

For the 2024-25 school year, administrators will need to conduct a training for all licensed educators as well as any education support professionals (ESPs) who will assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing on the state’s testing ethics policy. All licensed educators will need to be trained on the policy. Administrators will want to consider including computer lab assistants who function as the school’s test coordinator, any classroom aides that assist with testing, literacy aides who assist with Acadience Reading or Math testing or progress monitoring, or any office staff that assist test coordinators with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.

The three required procedures for completing this testing ethics professional development are listed on the “2024-25 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for ESPs” form, which is due to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 20, 2024.

As has been done in the past, administrators may provide the testing ethics training themselves using the Google slide deck linked in this memo. Alternatively, administrators may show the YouTube video linked below to school personnel. The video provides the same information as the slide deck. Once school personnel have been trained, either by a school administrator or using the video, they are required to sign the “2024-25 Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy Training Signature Form.” Administrators are asked to keep these signed forms on file at the school.

There are several materials attached with this memo for your use:

  • 2024-25 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist – This form needs to be filled out and sent to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 20, 2024.
  • Testing Ethics Presentation, 2024-25 – This is the slide deck if administrators choose to present the training in-person.
    2024-25 Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy – This document should be distributed to every licensed educator as well as any ESPs that assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.
  • Testing Ethics Video – This is the training video that may be used in lieu of a school administrator providing the training, though it is still recommended that school personnel view the video together. The video may also be found at this YouTube link.
  • Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Training Signature Form, 2024-25 – Administrators should retain a signed copy of this form for all licensed educators as well as any ESPs who assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.
  • Testing Ethics Policy FAQ – Administrators should distribute this FAQ document to all licensed educators and any ESPs that assist with district-, state- or federally mandated testing.

Please contact Ben Jameson or Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions.

Published on

DATE:
July 18, 2024

TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

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

SUBJECT:
Guidance on “Proof of Residency” Requirements

Inconsistencies districtwide in how parents/guardians have been asked to supply “proof of residency” documentation has led to difficulties in enrolling students and an unpredictable enrollment experience at different schools and levels. 

Effective immediately, all schools in Jordan School District will require TWO (2) proof of residency documents at the time of enrollment: One or two documents from Column A of the table below and no more than one document from Column B (the model document listing from the Utah State Board of Education has been used as a basis for this table):

 

Column A (1 or 2 documents)
 Column B (No more than 1 document)
  • Property deed. The deed must be for a primary residential property, not for investment or commercial property.
  • Mortgage statement from the most recent billing period.
  • Lease and payment record from the most recent billing period.
  • Government photo ID with current address.
  • Notarized Affidavit of Occupancy or Rental
  • Other documentation, as approved by Planning & Enrollment or School Administration
  • Pay stub
  • Bank or credit card statement
  • Utility bill
  • Vehicle registration
  • Voter registration
  • documentation
  • Church or religious records, including a notarized affidavit from a local congregation leader affirming that the parent resides within boundaries.
  • Other documentation, as approved by Planning & Enrollment or School Administration

If there are concerns with the provided documentation, a third document may be requested at the direction of school administration; however, requiring three documents should NOT be standard practice. Updated documentation can and should be requested when a parent/guardian submits a change of address request or when school administrators believe the family’s residency status has changed.

If the parent/guardian declares during enrollment that the family is homeless and qualifies for services under McKinney-Vento, the declaration covers BOTH residency document requirements. No further documentation can or should be requested from the parent or guardian and the student should be enrolled immediately. After enrollment, if there are concerns about eligibility for McKinney-Vento services, the school may coordinate with the district McKinney-Vento liaison for further assistance. 

An “explainer document” (in English and Spanish) to show to parents is attached to this memo. Additional information can be found in the Planning & Enrollment Manual at https://planning.jordandistrict.org/manual/enrollment/#ResProof 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
C. Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools

The Annual Jordan School District Administrative Leadership Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at West Jordan Middle School, 7550 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan Utah. Full-time Administrative Interns (paid) assigned to your building are also expected to attend. The agenda and flyer are attached. Our first Principal meeting is also scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2024, at West Jordan Middle from 8:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

All administrators are assigned a one-hour "escape room" slot (see link) on Thursday, August 8th which will be held at "A Great Escape-Gardner Village" located at 1100 W. 7800 S. #3, West Jordan Utah.

Additionally, the Jordan Education Foundation will need our help with a service project set up in the West Jordan Middle School gymnasium on Thursday, August 8, 2024. We ask each administrator to spend one hour before or after your assigned “escape room” slot to stop by and help with the service project. Random prizes will be drawn at a later time for those who show up to help with the JEF service project.

Published on

TO:
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Mike Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Jeri Gamble, Customer Support in Information Systems

21 Fund Summary Budgetary Data Mining Report: If you run the 21 Fund Summary report during July, the balances will not be correct until after Accounting has rolled June balances over to 2023-24 later this month.

Cash Receipts and Journal Entries: Make sure you are selecting 2024-25 when you add cash receipts and journal entries. You will continue to see the option for 2023-24 until October, which is when we will close out the 2023-24 year. Please review your cash receipts and journal entries that are in batch or WIP status. If any cash receipts are in 2023-24, then please edit them and change the year to 2024-25. The fiscal year cannot be changed on journal entries, so you’ll need to delete the 2023-24 journal entries that are in batch, submitted or WIP status and re-enter them.

Published on

TO:
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Mike Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Jeri Gamble, Customer Support in Information Systems

SKYWARD STUDENT

Rollover and Pre-transfers

Rollover has been completed which means the new 2024-25 school year is now our “current” school year. Pre-transfers have been turned off, so marking a student inactive on the Entity tab or making changes to the School Path tab will not remove a student’s entry record at your school. See the 2024-25 No Show Guidelines to follow when you are notified a student will not be attending your school for the 2024-25 school year.

Please remember, when entering new students for the 2024-25 school year, use the entry date of 08/20/2024.

Family Access Tutorial in Spanish

Breaking News!  There is now a Spanish tutorial available on jordandistrict.org for lunch and student fee web payments. It can be found by navigating to Parents & Students, Family Access (Skyward), Lunch and Fee Payments.

SKYWARD FINANCE

 21 Fund Summary Budgetary Data Mining Report:  If you run the 21 Fund Summary report during July, the balances will not be correct until after Accounting has rolled June balances over to 2023-24 later this month.

Cash Receipts and Journal Entries:  Make sure you are selecting 2024-25 when you add cash receipts and journal entries. You will continue to see the option for 2023-24 until October, which is when we will close out the 2023-24 year. Please review your cash receipts and journal entries that are in batch or WIP status. If any cash receipts are in 2023-24, then please edit them and change the year to 2024-25. The fiscal year cannot be changed on journal entries, so you’ll need to delete the 2023-24 journal entries that are in batch, submitted or WIP status and re-enter them.

Published on

DATE:
April 11, 2024

 TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Kindergarten Teachers

 FROM:
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

 SUBJECT:
Additional Preparation Days for Kindergarten Teachers

USBE recently announced, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the KEEP test will no longer be required for kindergarten students. As a result, the option to allow the use of testing days at the beginning and end of the school year has also been removed by USBE.

To mitigate the impact of the loss of testing days, the Jordan School District Board of Education has approved up to 3 additional preparation days for each kindergarten teacher per session taught. Teachers will receive a stipend of $500 per day worked up to the maximum allowed. These days may be used any time before the start of the school year to meet with parents and students and make preparations for a child’s entry into kindergarten.

Kindergarten teachers will need to complete a timesheet for the days worked and submit to the school principal by Friday, August 30, 2024 for payment on the September paycheck.

Timesheets should be sent to the Elementary Administrators of Schools for approval.

cc: Cabinet
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

Published on

DATE:
May 30, 2024

TO: 
All Principals
All Licensed Educators

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior

SUBJECT:
ETT: Supercharge Your Classroom Management Skills

This course is geared towards teachers who want to supercharge their classroom management skills! Effective Teacher Training (ETT) will be offered this summer from June 12-July 31. An $800 stipend is available to all licensed educators who complete the entire course.

Space is limited, so please distribute the attached flyer before your teachers leave for the summer and have them register on JPLS by June 7, 2024.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

The School Safety Center (SSC) is excited to share that we are hosting the 2024 Utah School Safety Conference. This will be the conference to attend! We have created a unique conference experience for Utah. Registration is now open.

WHO: School Safety & Security Specialists, School Building Administrators, Crisis-Response Team Members, School-Based Mental Health Professionals, School Resource Officers (SROs) and Law Enforcement, and other school employees who support school safety.

WHAT: 2024 Utah School Safety Conference

WHEN: Thursday and Friday, June 13-14, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM each day

WHERE: Riverton, Utah

ACTION: REGISTER HERE  *Registration is free of charge

MORE INFORMATION: See the attached flyer

Please direct all questions to schoolsafetyprograms@schools.utah.gov.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation

School Administrators,

I received the following letter from State Risk Management. State Risk is witnessing a major increase in reported accidents in and around school bus zones. Regretfully, Jordan School District has experienced several accidents in and around school bus zones this school year. The letter highlights the importance of dedicated school bus zones being used solely for the purpose of school buses and also emphasizes the importance of keeping bus zones free from all vehicles other than school buses. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Jordan School District is more than willing to provide personnel and resources to you as you develop your school's safety plan. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Matt Alvernaz, JSD School Safety Coordinator, at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623 or Brandon Conti, JSD Risk Management Coordinator, at brandon.conti@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8876. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

 

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

Registration for the Fall 2024 ESL endorsement class will be open on May 6th on the LCS website. Registration will close when full, so sign up quickly. These classes will be asynchronous. For additional questions, please contact Language and Culture Services.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

Please see the attachments for information on the S4K Connects Comprehensive School Safety Conference on  July 29th, 30th & 31st at the Larry H. Miller Conference Center in Sandy.

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

The following offices will receive a Pocketalk to assist when enrolling our Newcomer, Refugee, and Asylee students:

Elementary Main Offices
Middle School Counseling Centers
High School Attendance Offices

These devices are small, handheld instruments with over 80 languages to help in communication for registration. Please reach out to Language & Culture Services for any assistance with your new device.

Published on

DATE:
April 22, 2024

TO:
Applicable School Principals and Administrative Assistants
All Area Administrators of Schools and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting and Audits
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

SUBJECT:
External Audit Visits

The external auditors (Squire & Company, PC) will be visiting the following schools on the dates indicated. They will be reviewing school fees (appropriate amount charged, waivers, etc.) and financial information. Once finished, the auditors will want a few minutes with the Principal. If the Principal is unavailable, an Assistant Principal may meet with them. The auditors are planning on coming to the schools in the order listed. Exact times of arrival will vary depending on length of stay at earlier schools and travel time. If you have any questions or if your administrative assistant will not be available, please call Natalie Grange at (801) 567-8312.

April 29, 2024
Copper Hills HS
Sunset Ridge MS
Fox Hollow ES
Terra Linda ES
April 30, 2024
West Jordan HS
Joel P Jensen MS
Heartland ES
Riverside ES
May 1, 2024
Bingham HS
Elk Meadows ES
Elk Ridge MS
Westland ES

 

May 2, 2024
Herriman HS
Copper Mountain MS
Fort Herriman MS

May 3, 2024
Riverton HS
Rosamond ES
Monte Vista ES
Mountain Ridge HS

May 6, 2024
Oquirrh Hills MS
Southland ES
Jordan Hills ES
Hidden Valley MS