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Category: Elementary Action Required

Published on

DATE:   
November 20, 2025

TO:   
All District Administrators

FROM:   
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
November 2025: Compliance with Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act

Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act (or GDPA, found in code at §63A-19) sets standards for the use and protection of employee and patron data collected and used by a governmental entity. The standards of the GDPA build on, but do not replace, existing protections for student data as found in state law (§53E-9) and federal law (FERPA and PPRA).

The GDPA requires the implementation of a privacy program across each governmental entity, with deadlines as soon as December 31, 2025. Jordan District will establish a committee to create and implement this privacy program. The committee will be under the direction of Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant in Student Services.

ACTION REQUIRED: The GDPA requires that all employees who "have access to personal data was part of the employee's work duties; or supervise an employee who has access to personal data” receive an annual training. In future years, this training will be included as part of Crucial Concerns; however, for this year’s compliance, each school and department will need to view the eight-minute training video prepared by the state Office of Data Privacy, which is linked below, prior to December 12, 2025 and report both A) completion of this requirement, and B) the number of employees who viewed the training on the spreadsheet also linked below.

A scheduled group viewing in an upcoming faculty or department meeting is likely the easiest way to complete this requirement.

The GDPA defines “personal data” as “information that is linked or can be reasonably linked to an identified individual or an identifiable individual” (§63A-19-101-24). Not every employee in a location will need to watch the video - many hourly employees in departments like Nutrition Services, Auxiliary Services, or site-based hourly custodial employees likely do not have access to “personal data” and can be excused from viewing at this time. Supervisors with questions may contact Caleb Olson (caleb.olson@jordandistrict.org or x88251).

Your cooperation with this requirement of the GDPA and with monitoring the JAM for future privacy program-related requirements and responsibilities is greatly appreciated.

Published on

DATE:    
November 18, 2025

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 (HOLD)

Our monthly drill preparation will now include an additional time slot to accommodate more schedules. The next one will be held on December 3rd at 2:40 PM, 3:10 PM, and again at 3:40 PM. Each session will last about 20 minutes.

This month we will be covering HOLD. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety. All other administrations 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 HOLD response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 5-7. 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.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 20, 2025

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 and Preparation 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 2025-26 WIDA test administration window begins on January 6 and ends on March 6, 2026.

See the memo below for all the details.

Published on

DATE:
November 12, 2025

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 10, 2025. Certifications are due Friday, December 12, 2025.

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

Published on

DATE:  
November 10, 2025

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

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Scott Festin, Planning Consultant

SUBJECT:  
School Choice Permit Allocations and Procedures

The open enrollment permit window opens on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Permit seat totals can be found on each school’s Enrollment Dashboard in Google Drive. Open the “2026-27” tab and scroll down to the permit section.

ACTION REQUIRED: Principals should review the individuals listed on their school’s 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 5, 2025.

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 Monday, January 5, 2026, 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 2026-27 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist. Schools should regularly continue to verify applications in the 2025-26 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist.

During the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026), 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 your Administrator of Schools. In the late enrollment window (after February 6 and 2026-27 FTE allocations are released), schools may request additional seats from their Administrator of Schools. Available seats in this window are determined by the availability of space and by grade in the teacher allocation based on current enrollment figures.

One final reminder: the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026) requires schools to seat students if permit seats are available. Schools MUST follow the waitlist order when offering seats. It is inappropriate 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 contact their Administrator of Schools.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith Doleac, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

We are launching a special initiative to maximize the use of the new Innovation Lab at Juniper Elementary and have secured funds to cover busing costs for all 4th grade students to visit.

Each school may schedule a trip for every 4th grade class using these funds. The experience is 2.5 hours long and accommodates 35 students per session. Chaperones must accompany the group.

Action Steps:

  1. Schedule your Innovation Lab visit directly with Juniper Elementary using this sign up form. (The buses for each 4th grade class will be covered. Disregard any part of the form that requests payment.)
  2. Schedule the bus directly with the Transportation Department and contact LeAnn Nelson at 801-567-8367 for the budget code.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 5, 2025

TO:    
K-12 Principals

FROM:    
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Nathan Foster, Health/PE Specialist, Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:   
Required Firearm Safety Instruction – Implementation for 2025-26

During the 2025 legislative session, Utah passed HB104, which requires firearm safety instruction to be provided three times in K-6, once in middle school, and once in high school. Jordan School District will meet this requirement by providing firearm safety instruction in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades, Health I, and Health II, aligned with Health Education standards.

Instruction may be delivered through live lessons, videos, online materials, or as part of health or physical education curricula. Before instruction, schools must notify parents or guardians and offer an opt-out option, with alternative educational activities provided as needed.

For details, resources, and curriculum materials to support this requirement, please review the attached HB 104 Implementation Document and visit the linked resources.

Please reach out to our JSD Health and PE Teacher Specialist, Nathan Foster, with any questions: nate.foster@jordandistrict.org.

HB104 - Parent Information Sheet - Opt Out Form

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, November 6, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:     
Historical Data Lookup Tool for Teachers

In the transition from mClass to ALO as the test administration platform for the Acadience Reading assessment, teachers lost access to valuable historical performance data for individual students. In an effort to remedy this issue, Assessment, Research & Accountability has created a student historical data lookup tool. Teachers can simply enter a student’s Skyward number to view historical Acadience Reading data for that student. Here is a list of the historical data included in each grade level lookup tool:

  • Composite benchmark level
  • Measure score
  • Measure benchmark level

Later today, school administrators and instructional coaches will receive an email from the district Acadience testing coordinator, Janice Sperry, which will give access to the historical data for their school. Each grade level will have its own data lookup tool that functions off of Google sheets. Principals are encouraged to delegate an assistant principal or coach to share the lookup tool for each grade level to their relevant grade level team (i.e., share the first grade lookup tool with first grade teachers, etc.). In addition, the look up tools for each grade level may be shared with anyone who has a legitimate educational reason for needing access to every student (i.e., special educators who work with multiple grade levels).

For questions about the Acadience Reading historical data lookup tool, please contact Janice Sperry in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Principals, please personally invite your School Community Council chair to attend this important meeting with the Jordan District Board Members.

Dear School Community Council Chair,

On behalf of the Jordan School District Board of Education, we invite you to the upcoming Jordan Parent Advisory Committee (JPAC) meeting. Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Location: Jordan Learning Center, 3706 W. 9800 S., South Jordan. (The Learning Center is located directly across the street from Elk Ridge Middle School.)

This important meeting will focus on two topics:

School Safety Update: Our School Safety Specialist, Matt Alvernaz, will present the latest updates on current safety protocols and be available to answer any questions.

ParentSquare Feedback: As time permits, we will gather your feedback on how it is working for parents.

Your insights and participation are very important to us. If you are unable to attend, please ensure another parent representative from your School Community Council attends in your place.

We look forward to a productive meeting and to seeing you there!

 

Published on

TO:
All Licensed Administrators

FROM:
Cabinet

All licensed administrators are invited to complete this form by November 14, 2025. 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 (2026-27) 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.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Admin Assistants

FROM:
Jordan District Cabinet Members

We are excited to announce and provide a method for employees to pay their school meal balances remotely without going to the front office. Please see the attached instructions on how to set this up. Employees can also set up recurring payments and low balance notifications similar to parents.

Additionally, we want to remind employees that they should avoid having a negative balance on their meal account. Employees may not have a negative balance greater than $10.00.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, October 16, 2025

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
2025-26 Stakeholder Input Survey Preview and Administration Materials

Jordan School District will be administering its own student, parent, and faculty/staff stakeholder input survey this year. The student survey will be administered to all students in grades K-12. The survey window opens Monday, November 3, 2025, and closes Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Administrative assistants were asked to verify a list of licensed educators at their school location, which was due on Friday, October 10th. Those verified and updated lists have now been added to the Stakeholder Input Survey. If schools have hired licensed faculty since October 10, 2025, please contact Assessment, Research & Accountability as soon as possible so that we can update your school’s surveys before the survey window opens. We will not be able to update the surveys once they go live.

See the memo below for all the details.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

Principals,

If you have any K-5 teachers that have not received training on the Open Up Math curriculum, please have them sign up for the final training of the year at this LINK. This information was also shared with teachers this week in a JEM.

Training Details:
Day 1:

  • Date: October 29th, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
    Location: ASB Presentation Room (Entrance C)
    Lunch will be on their own.

Day 2:

  • Date: November 10th
    (Half-day, grade-level sessions; details coming soon)

In these sessions teachers will dive deeper into evidence-based practices in mathematics, explore high-quality instructional mathematics materials, and gain strategies to strengthen their student-centered learning environment. We look forward to learning together and continuing to build a strong mathematics community!

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Lee, HR Administrator, Evaluations

The Beginning of the Year Interim is due by October 31, 2025. Remember that this includes a self-evaluation, three required goals, and administrator approval.

Please see the attached flyer.

Published on

DATE:   
October 1, 2025

TO:  
Administrators
Licensed Personnel

FROM:  
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brittany Bauer, HR Specialist

SUBJECT:  
Transition from CACTUS to USIMS

Dear Educators,

Starting November 30th, 2025, educators will no longer be able to access the CACTUS (Educator Licensing) platform. Instead, all licensing information will be available in the new USIMS platform.

To ensure a smooth transition, it is essential that you take the following steps:

  1. Set Up USIMS Profile:
    Begin by setting up your USIMS profile as soon as possible. This will allow you to access and manage your licensing information seamlessly once the transition is complete.
  2. Save Information from my.UEN CACTUS:
    Before November 30th, 2025, please save any important information you may need from the my.UEN CACTUS website. This step is crucial to avoid any disruption in accessing your licensing records.

For detailed instructions and support on setting up your USIMS profile and managing the transition, please visit the following link: USIMS Support and Instructions.

We understand that changes in systems can be challenging, and we are committed to supporting you throughout this process. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Brittany Bauer
HR Specialist, Licensing
801-567-8214
brittany.bauer@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, October 2, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
Kaye Rizzuto, DLI Consultant

SUBJECT:  
DLI STAMP Assessment and Training

School administrators are encouraged to send the following information to their DLI teachers.

USBE has a new DLI assessment contract with Avant’s STAMP assessment.  LTI’s AAPPL test will no longer be used for the fall DLI testing.

The DLI STAMP assessment window opens on Monday, October 20th and closes on Friday, December 12th.  Of course, students won’t start testing until after fall break.

Assessment, Research & Accountability does not currently have access to Avant’s testing system and we do not know when we will have access or when we will be able to give teachers access.  That said, here is what we know:

Test Preparation: DLI Teachers

  • The Utah STAMP website contains several guides under the heading ‘For Schools and Teachers.’
  • Check out the STAMP accommodations page for information about the types of accommodations available on the STAMP.
  • The FAQ for grades 3-5 may be found here and the FAQ for grades 6-9 may be found here.

Because this is a new assessment and because the state’s testing ethics policy requires an annual training for all statewide mandated assessments, the following virtual training dates will be available.  All DLI teachers or other school personnel who will be administering the STAMP will need to attend one of the virtual trainings listed below:

Friday, 10/10 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 10/17 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 10/31 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 11/7 - 8:30am or 1:30pm

Trainings will last approximately 45 minutes. All participants can join the virtual training using this Zoom link: https://jordandistrict-org.zoom.us/j/5266134800

Published on

TO:
Office and Administrative staff of schools and District departments

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

The agenda for the optional Zoom training session for office and administrative staff of schools and District departments is attached. The October 9 session will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. This meeting is a refresher course that will go over any changes in district departments this year, offer clarification on broad-based issues, and general reminders.

If you would like to participate, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org. Attendees of each session will receive an email the day prior to the training with instructions for connecting to the Zoom meeting.

Published on

TO:
New Administrators and anyone who wants a complete overview of Business and Auxiliary Services department information

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

Training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on October 7, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Auxiliary Services Building Presentation Room. 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 this session, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge, at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org. The total number of participants in this session will be capped at 60 (plus presenters). Attendees will be provided with a link to hand-outs 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

TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant, Digital Learning, Teaching & Learning

Get ready to create! The new JSD Innovation Lab at Juniper Elementary School is a digital makerspace filled with exciting tools like 3D printers, ChompSaws, and stop-motion cameras. Here, your classroom becomes a creative hub where students can develop critical thinking skills to bring their ideas to life. Although the new lab is located at Juniper Elementary, it is available to fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students district-wide. Sign up to get your school on the schedule!

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Earbud Orders for State Testing

Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing systems once again this year. Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds. Please place your order by Friday, October 17th.

To place an order, please click here.

Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to create a system by which the same student uses the same earbuds throughout the year as there is no additional funding to purchase more than one pair of earbuds per student in grades 3-10.

If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability at 801-567-8185 who can share the purchasing information and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.