Jordan School District
DATE:
April 10, 2025
TO:
Jordan District Administrators, Directors
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools
SUBJECT:
Time Schedule for the Last Day of School
Please review this memo carefully for your school dismissal time, and convey this information to your students and parents.
DATE:
April 9, 2025
TO:
School Administrators
School Safety Specialists
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
April Safety Drill – Great Utah ShakeOut 2025
On Thursday, April 17th 2025, at 10:15 A.M. a million Utahns will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the annual Great Utah ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.
All schools are encouraged to participate in this drill during the designated time, or to conduct an earthquake drill sometime in the month of April. This is an opportunity to incorporate emergency preparedness in classroom lessons and to include proper ways to protect oneself during an earthquake.
The Jordan School District has registered as a whole to participate in the Great Utah ShakeOut. You can find more information at: www.ShakeOut.org/Utah.
Please review the Jordan School District Safety Manual - Earthquake Action Plan and Standard Operating Guidelines on pages 28-31 for planning, drilling and responding to an earthquake.
For additional information or guidance please contact the District School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.
DATE:
March 28, 2025
TO:
Principals
FROM:
Lisa Dean, Chair, Licensed Educator Advisory Committee (LEAC)
SUBJECT:
LEAC Elections and Meeting Date
The Jordan Board of Education is pleased to announce that the Licensed Educator Advisory Committee (LEAC), which is made up of licensed employees from every school in the District, will resume meeting next month. The purpose of this committee is to give the Board information and feedback regarding issues that affect licensed employees.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 4 - 6:00 p.m. at JATC South, 12723 South Park Avenue (2040 W.) in Riverton.
REPRESENTATIVES
Elections will need to be held as soon as possible after spring break. The Board requests that the LEAC representatives elected from your school have not previously served on the committee.
Committee members will meet once this year and at least twice next year.
Elementary and special schools, Valley High School, virtual schools, JATC North and JATC South will send one representative, middle schools two representatives, and high schools will send three representatives. Help us by selecting the assigned number of representatives from your school using the following process. Please adhere to these procedures as outlined.
NOMINATION
DATE:
March 25, 2025
TO:
All Principals
All Special Education Staff
School Psychologists
Elementary School Counselors
FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior
SUBJECT:
Required ASPEN Training for Special Education Personnel, Elementary Counselors, and School Psychologists 2024-25
This is the final reminder of the remaining ASPEN training sessions for the 2024-2025 school year. ASPEN training is required during the 2024-2025 school year for all licensed special education teachers, SLPs, school psychologists, elementary school counselors, as well as all Education Support Professionals (ESPs) in SEB and Autism self-contained support classrooms who do not have a current Mandt certification. 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. Please see the attached memo for class and registration information.
DATE:
March 25, 2025
TO:
Principals
Staff Currently Trained in Mandt
FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior
SUBJECT:
Mandt Recertification Training
All staff members who were certified in Mandt in June, July, or August 2024 must attend one of the following recertification sessions to keep their certification current for the upcoming school year. Registration is on Canvas Catalog, and the classes will be capped based on trainer to learner ratio requirements. Please register ASAP for your preferred date. Please see attached memo for dates and registration information.
DATE:
March 26, 2025
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
School Safety Specialist List Update/Confirmation
Please review the attached spreadsheet and confirm that the information for your assigned School Safety Specialist is correct. If it is not, or there is a change, please update the information on the form. The information needs to be accurate in order for them to receive their stipends the end of April.
This needs to be completed by end of day on Wednesday, April 9th 2025. The list will be submitted as is after this date.
2024-2025 School-Based Safety Specialists
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to:
Matt Alvernaz
School Safety Coordinator
matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org
(801)567-8623
DATE:
February 26, 2025
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
SUBJECT:
Prevention Plan Update 2025-26
School administrators and teams are expected to update prevention plans annually and post them on their school’s website. Prevention plans address overall prevention efforts and include suicide, bullying, and violence prevention information. Additional information on updating your school’s prevention plan can be found at wellness.jordandistrict.org/preventionplan.
The template for prevention plans has been updated and school administrators can use this link to make a copy and update their plan for 2025-26 by filling in the highlighted areas.
The Wellness Team would gladly visit your school (upon request) to attend a team meeting and support you in completing your prevention plan!
If you’d prefer to take time away from your building to complete your prevention plan with the wellness team present, reach out to request “office hours” and we will schedule time at a District conference room that works for your team. Contact McKinley Withers (88245, mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org) to arrange for in-person support at your school or through District “office hours.”
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
As we plan both the June Administrator Training and the August Leadership Conference, we would like to identify specific training and professional development needs/wants that you may have. Please take a minute to complete the survey by choosing up to 3 topics of interest. If you have a topic that wasn't represented please feel free to add it to the short answer question (not required). Please complete this survey by March 24, 2025.
If you already completed this survey at the Principal or AP meeting you do not need to repeat it.
DATE:
March 20, 2025
TO:
All Principals
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
SUBJECT:
Stipend for Department Chairs and Team Leaders
Stipends for Department Chairs and Team Leaders will be paid in May.
A Google timesheet roster will be shared with principals and administrative assistants and should be completed by Friday, April 25, 2025. Department Chairs or Team Leaders will be paid out of the same program number from which their salary is paid.
Kauri Sue, River’s Edge, South Valley, and JATC will be paid as middle schools. If a school houses an additional special education program (cluster or preschool program), it will have an additional team leader allocation.
Budget Code
10 xxx xxx 2216 131
10 xxx 7551 2216 131 (Special Education)
DATE:
March 13, 2025
TO:
Elementary and Middle School South Jordan City School Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Safe Routes to School Meeting Sign Up (South Jordan Schools ONLY)
The City of South Jordan is prepared to meet with each administration to discuss your Safe Routes To School.
The meetings will be held on March 26th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM over ZOOM. Each meeting will be held in 10-minute increments. Please select a time slot on the SIGN-UP sheet provided. Times are on a first come first served basis. Feel free to work with one another as needed.
If more time is required to discuss an issue in depth, then we will schedule another time with the city to do so.
Take a moment to review your district SRTS form and ensure it is accurate and complete as the city will need to review it.
For any additional assistance or clarification please contact Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.
ZOOM Link
SIGN-UP Link
DATE:
March 5, 2025
TO:
Principals - City of West Jordan
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Safe Routes To School Meeting Sign Up (West Jordan Schools ONLY)
The City of West Jordan is prepared to meet with each administration to discuss your Safe Routes To School.
The meetings will be held on March 19th from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM over ZOOM. Each meeting will be held in 10-minute increments. Please select a time slot on the SIGN-UP sheet provided. Times are on a first come first served basis. Feel free to work with one another as needed.
If more time is required to discuss an issue in depth, then we will schedule another time with the city to do so.
Take a moment to review your district SRTS form and ensure it is accurate and complete as the city will need to review it.
For any additional assistance or clarification please contact Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.
ZOOM Link
SIGN-UP Link
TO:
Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning
The USBE Digital Teaching and Learning (DTL) Grant provides opportunities and tools for teachers in Jordan School District to address and close student achievement gaps through the use of high quality instruction that integrates technology. This survey will help us determine technology training and hardware/software needs for the 2025-2026 school year. Use the links below to complete the end of year DTL Survey from USBE. Survey is due April 9, 2025.
Admin Link for Survey - https://www.metirisurveys.com/se/601EA2D53C7D99AC
Teacher Link for Survey - https://www.metirisurveys.com/se/601EA2D57A84FAFE
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Consider sending your P.E. teacher/ESP to the SHAPE Conference, where they can attend numerous breakout sessions specific to their content. Examples of sessions include: games, behavior management, adaptive strategies, ML Support and more. You can sign up your teacher by completing the form, and the district will pay for their registration. The school will be responsible for covering classes and hourly pay.
The Shape Conference is a full day event on March 10, 2025. You can sign up your teacher by completing this form.
SHAPE Utah Website: https://www.shapeutah.org/
TO:
Principals - Cities of Riverton and Herriman
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
Schools located in the cities of Riverton and Herriman please use the corresponding link to sign up for a time slot to meet with the city. The date is March 12th with Riverton in the morning and Herriman in the afternoon (see sign up for times)
The three schools with a shared border between the cities have a set time to include both cities in the discussion. The times are already on the sign up. Contact Matt Alvernaz with any questions or if your school falls into this category.
DATE:
February 27, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
Parent Seminars in English and Spanish to Share!
Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to provide ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This collaboration offers FREE access to live, virtual educational sessions covering various topics. A calendar for March sessions is attached. Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. Previously recorded seminars can be accessed through a comprehensive library of sessions and resources for each topic. You can access the library of recorded sessions at any time by visiting this site: https://parentguidance.org/mhsindex.
For the month of March, we want to highlight the webinar titled What Parents Need to Know About Suicide Prevention. Suicide prevention is a critical subject, and we often receive requests from parents and stakeholders for more information and resources. We encourage you to share this vital information with your communities. This webinar takes place on Thursday, March 20th at 5 p.m. AND 7 p.m.
If parents register and can’t make it, they will have access to the recording. More information and the link to register can be found here.
Please share the attached fliers with your school community.
Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Principals,
We have adopted Open Up Resources K-5 Math as our new math curriculum for the 2025-26 school year. Please make sure all of your K-5 teachers are signed up for the math curriculum training.
We are kicking off our new K-5 math adoption of Open Up K-5 Resources with a district-wide Professional Development series. All K-5 and special education teachers (except FA teachers) will engage in 2 full professional learning days with an optional planning day. If you haven’t already, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAYS BY THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025.
Teachers should sign up for TWO comprehensive professional learning sessions, delving into effective routines, math practices, and student discourse on Day One and focusing on scaffolding, engagement, and rigor on Day Two. These sessions offer evidence-based strategies to enrich your student-centered learning environment and refine lesson structures.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to sign up for a paid optional 3rd full day of team-based planning to integrate your new insights into the curriculum, ensuring a dynamic and inclusive classroom experience.
See the attached flyer for more detailed information with a link at the bottom to sign up for training.
TO:
Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Spring Mentor Training will be available online through Canvas from March 31 to May 12. Training is provided to new mentors based on administrator recommendation. Complete the Google form for each mentor you wish to enroll. We have limited seats, first come first served. Teachers will be paid a $150 stipend for completing the mentor Canvas training.
Please confirm the following before completing this form:
The Google Form to submit names for mentor training is now open! Please submit your names by March 31st.
DATE:
Thursday, February 6, 2025
TO:
All Elementary and Middle School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
RISE ELA and Math Cluster Questions
Principals are encouraged to share the following information with their RISE-tested ELA and math teachers.
Beginning with the 2025 summative assessments, RISE ELA and math question items will be presented to students in a cluster format, similar to the RISE Science assessment. Cluster questions will appear in summative assessments for all grade levels in both content areas. Beginning, February 18th, cluster questions will also be available on the RISE Benchmarks for both ELA and math.
For RISE ELA, students will be presented with reading passages and will be required to answer several sections or clusters of questions that are both related to the passages and to each other. For example, a student will be asked to identify a main idea from the story in one question. Then another question will ask students to select sentences from the passage that support their answer to the first question. In addition, students will be presented with a variety of question types, including multiple choice, multi-selection, sentence selections, drop-down menus, tables, timelines, etc.
Similarly for RISE math, students will be presented with a math task accompanied by several sections or clusters of questions. Question items may be multiple choice, multi-select, drop-down menus, inputting numbers or equations, drag and drop, graphing/plotting, etc.
For a sample of how question items will work, please refer to the Training Tests on the RISE Portal. Please see these step-by-step instructions for accessing the Training Tests.
Recommended next steps to prepare teachers and students for these format changes:
For questions about the RISE assessment, please contact Ben Jameson or Kassidy Towery in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
January 29, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Monthly Drill Preparation (SECURE)
Our monthly drill preparation will be held on February 5th at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month we will be covering SECURE. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety. All other administrators are welcomed to attend as well. The meeting is also opened to any staff who may be interested.
After each monthly training all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.
Information regarding the SECURE response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 8-11. We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.
We will be holding this meeting over ZOOM so please join using this link.
TO:
Administrators
FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Following the release of the 2025-26 FTE V2.0 enrollment projections, the HR Department will provide training for all principals who may need to complete a Reduction in Staff (RIS).
See the document below for all the details and the LINK to sign up for the training.
