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Category: Elementary Action Required

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DATE: 
October 28, 2021

TO: 
Principals

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

SUBJECT:
Infusing Intentional Social Emotional Learning

We are so lucky to work in education! Our essential, meaningful work is laid out in front of us: to prepare our students for a successful, thriving life in adulthood. When a student is dysregulated (upset/crying/afraid), they cannot access the part of their brain they need to think, complete tasks, process rewards and consequences, or reason. As learners, it is their job to make mistakes. It is their job to get dysregulated so we can support them in learning how to appropriately regulate themselves.

Social and emotional skills are absolutely essential for success. Most “bad” behavior happens because kids don’t yet know another way to deal with a particular situation or how to be in control of their impulses. These skills have to be learned! Often we see these skill deficits as “bad” behavior. Consider this: Listening is a skill that has to be learned through practice. Calming down is a skill that has to be learned and practiced...the list goes on!

The brain considers safety the number one priority at all times! And guess where most of the danger is these days? Not out in the jungle with the lions. Not with the bears. The danger is here at school. It’s learning how to be part of the social world. It’s the fear of getting in trouble, or failing at something that others find easy. It’s the stress of having to learn and pass tests and follow rules. It’s hard and every student needs an environment where they can practice the skills necessary for navigating their world.

Please review the attached Social and Emotional Learning Skills document to familiarize yourself with the "skills" we will discuss. Prior to next week's principals meeting, please complete the following skill "pre-assignment":

Say It Out Loud

  • When you use a skill in your everyday work (or fail to use a skill), say it out loud!
    • Intentional social and emotional learning starts with noticing. Verbalizing your skills in front of students helps you AND your students grow their social and emotional competence. Some examples could be, "I was feeling a little bit frustrated and I took a minute to calm down," "I am writing this down on a sticky note to make sure I follow through."
    • When you notice a student using a skill, say it out loud! Having their use of skills be reinforced (no matter how small) helps them on their journey of social and emotional development. Some examples could be: "I noticed that you stated your feeling," "I can see you are breathing slowly to calm down." You'll know it when you see it and taking a few minutes to notice helps!

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Administrators:

Please share this information with educators in your building and/or department who might be interested.

The EDLF faculty will be holding a virtual information session on November 1 at 4:00 pm. The attached flyer will enable an individual to access the session and pose questions. Also, feel free to distribute the flyer to any individuals you think have great potential for leadership in JSD.

The session is sponsored by The School Leadership Team in EDLF, including David Boren, Bryan Bowles, Jim Melville and Spencer Weiler.

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Administrators, please share this with your teachers.

Are you interested in or currently pursuing a STEM endorsement? Let US PAY FOR YOUR EDUCATION! This is now called STEM EIP = Endorsement Incentive Program. Have questions? Review our FAQ Document. If your questions aren’t answered, please reach out to your representative. We would love to talk to you!

Applications are reviewed each month, so teachers can submit as soon as they complete a class. There were a couple of updates in October, please use the link to access the most recent application.

STEM EIP FAQ

STEM EIP Application

This is a GREAT opportunity!

Amy Kinder: Mathematics
Jane Harward: Science
Kami Taylor: Computer Science

ELEMENTARY ENDORSEMENTS:

SECONDARY ENDORSEMENTS:

*Please note that the college coursework pathway for the Ed Tech Endorsement is the only one eligible for this program.

 

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Don’t miss out on scheduling a Healthy Utah Testing session for your school!

All employees and their spouses covered on the Jordan School District PEHP medical plan are eligible to participate in the health incentive program. You and your spouse can earn $50 each by participating in the free biometric testing session and completing a questionnaire.

If you would like to schedule a PEHP Healthy Utah testing session for your school, please send an email to cheryl.matson@jordandistrict.org with the date and time you would like to host the testing session. Healthy Utah is currently scheduling on a limited basis and days fill up fast, so don’t delay. Testing sessions can be scheduled between January and April at this time.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to the JSD insurance department (801-567-8255). Please see flyer below.

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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. Finding interpreters for virtual meetings can be even more challenging. For these reasons, we ask you to please request your interpreter right away by completing the Interpreting and Translation Services Request Form available on the Equity and Compliance webpage, if you have not already done so.

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As you may be aware, USBE is in the process of updating the K-6 social studies standards. Part of the process is to open the standards for public comment. Please invite your teachers to review the standards and complete the survey below regarding the new social studies standards. (The standards are available from the survey form.) Teachers know best what works for their students, so it is important they have a voice in the creation of these standards.

Link to Elementary Social Studies Standard Draft

 

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The following are reminders to keep in mind when completing evaluations. 

Full UETS-based JPAS -- Teachers on a full UETS-based JPAS will upload student performance information (SLO) and stakeholder input in place of completing the interview portion of the JPAS. Teachers can upload the documents directly from their computer by logging into Perform and choosing “My Folder” -- “Evidence” -- “Add Artifact.” Teachers are asked to name the file and can then choose to upload a document from the computer or add a URL. 

  • Student growth can be recorded on the form that was previously sent out in this issue of JAM. Please review the instructions and make sure teachers have the form for uploading. If any other documentation is being used, please  ensure  that the document includes: 
    • The core standard
    • A growth target
    • Pre assessment information (include dates and scores)
    • Post assessment information (include dates and scores)
    • A summary of student growth
  • Stakeholder input could include climate survey information, copies of emails or descriptive phone logs. The intent is to show personalized communication with parents.

Administrators may access evidence by logging into Perform and  selecting “My Staff” -- “Staff” -- the individual teacher’s folder -- “Evidence.”  (No action is required.)

The first cycle for provisional teachers is due December 18, 2021.

Interim --  Teachers on an Interim JPAS will complete a self evaluation and 3 required goals at the beginning of the year and reflect on the 3 required goals at the end of the year. Teachers can access the evaluation by logging into Perform and choosing “My Folder” -- “Tasks” -- “Beginning of Year Interim Form.”  Teachers must click on the “Save and Submit” button once they have completed the beginning of the year form so that the evaluator can access the form for approval.

Administrators may access and approve Interim Evaluations by logging into Perform and selecting “Signatures.”  Evaluations will not be available for approval until after the teacher has “Saved and Submitted.” 

Beginning of the year requirements and approval are due October 31, 2021. 

Teachers on an Interim JPAS will complete an end-of-year reflection by logging into Perform and choosing “My Folder” -- “Tasks” -- “End of Year Interim Form.”  Student growth (SLO) and stakeholder input are uploaded at this time. 

  • Student growth can be recorded on the form that was previously sent out in this issue of JAM. Please review the instructions and make sure teachers have the form for uploading. If any other documentation is being used, please  ensure that the document includes: 
    • The core standard
    • A growth target
    • Pre assessment information (include dates and scores)
    • Post assessment information (include dates and scores)
    • A summary of student growth
  • Stakeholder input could include climate survey information, copies of emails or descriptive phone logs. The intent is to show personalized communication with parents. 

Deadline for completion of Interim Evaluations is May 31, 2022

Information regarding the evaluation of specialized subgroups can be found on the 2021-2022 Evaluation Processes document. 

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School budget allocations will be updated by the end of the month for actual October headcounts. If you would like a transfer to be processed, please fill out the budget requests form, found at the link below, and mail or email to Natalie Grange in Accounting, Budgets, and Audits.

Please call or email if you have questions.

Natalie Grange
Extension 88312
Email Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org

https://jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/083_budgettransfer.pdf

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, October 14, 2021

TO:
Elementary School Administrators

FROM:
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:
2021-22 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 1, 2021, and closes Friday, November 19, 2021.  At the beginning of October, schools were sent a list of licensed educators and licensed support staff at your school and were asked to submit any changes to that list.  Those verified and updated lists have now been added to the Stakeholder Input Survey.  If schools have hired licensed faculty since October 8, 2021, please contact Evaluation, Research & Accountability as soon as possible so that we can update your school’s surveys.

To prepare for, and administer, the 2021-22 student, parent, and faculty/staff stakeholder surveys, please make sure the following activities are completed for each of the stakeholder input surveys:

Student Survey

  • There are two student surveys, one for students in grades K-3 and one for students in grades 4-6. Before students take the survey, a link to both of the student surveys needs to be placed on the computers in your computer lab(s) and/or Chromebooks.  The links to both surveys will be sent to your school techs.
  • Schedule dates and times within the survey window for students in grades K-6 to take the survey under supervision in the computer lab(s) at your school or on classroom Chromebooks. The surveys are short and should take 10-15 minutes to complete.
  • Distribute scripts to teachers or school personnel who will administer the survey to students. Please note: Teachers in the younger grades, especially in kindergarten and first grade, should anticipate reading the survey question items to students.  Survey administration time for younger students will likely take longer.

Faculty/Staff Survey

After the survey window opens, individual licensed faculty and classified staff will receive an email from the district with a link inviting them to participate in the Stakeholder Input Survey.  Principals may consider notifying teachers and staff that such an email will be forthcoming.  School administrators will also receive the link to the faculty survey that they can distribute to school personnel as needed.

Parent Survey

After the survey window opens, parents will receive an email from the district with a link inviting them to participate in the Stakeholder Input Survey.  Schools may wish to send out a Skylert and post the link to the parent survey on school websites. School administrators will receive a link to the parent survey that they can distribute to parents as needed.

School administrators may preview the surveys by using the links below.  We would ask that school administrators verify that all of the licensed classroom teachers and licensed support staff show up in the survey for your school.  If the survey is missing a licensed educator, please email Ben Jameson at ben.jameson@jordandistrict.org as soon as possible with the educator’s full name and position description (licensed classroom teacher or licensed support staff).  Once the survey goes live, we will not be able to make any changes to the survey.

Student Surveys:

K-3: https://jordandistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4H3vnzY8mBZvZb

4-6: https://jordandistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_80mQWA5ScajnO85

Parent Survey:

https://jordandistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5b51SLRJaH9JWlL

Faculty Survey: 

https://jordandistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRlNQk8FsnOwVq5

Please direct any questions or concerns regarding the Stakeholder Input Survey to Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

Published on
It’s time to sign up for LETRS Admin in-person training!! Please share with your school psychs!!!

REMINDER: LETRS for Administrators is a two-part training that can be completed any time between now and the end of the 2022-23 school year.  Your textbook/online work is not required to be completed prior to attending a training but is required to be completed before the end of the 2022-2023 school year.  These are all day trainings starting at 8:30am to 3:30pm.

Part 1 is open right now: Course #60389. 

Part 2 will start on January 10, 2022: Course #60446.

Please check out the LETRS Information web page for updated information about all things LETRS and remind your teachers to do the same! 🙂

FROM USBE: “Just wanted to remind everyone that the LETRS for Admin (General Registration) is open for enrollment, there are plenty of open spots available for part 1 of 2.  Please remember that you do not need to have online work completed to attend the LETRS for Admin trainings.  If you have a chance attend this week please take a moment to enroll in MIDAS using course #60389.  We currently have several days that have very low enrollment numbers and we’d like to fill those up as much as possible, unfortunately if we do not have sufficient enrollment participation sessions will have to be cancelled and some of you will have to find a different date to attend your training.”

Published on

DATE:
October 8, 2021

TO:
Principals
All Special Educators and Related Service Providers

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:
Important Deadline--Please Read Immediately
SCRAM Data Due by the end of day Monday, November 8, 2021
Updating SCRAM for December 1 Funding Count

We are fast approaching our December 1 SCRAM count deadline. Special Education Resource and Cluster Team Leaders will soon receive a SCRAM report via Move-It of all students who are currently receiving services through your school’s special education program(s). All team members and service providers need to verify each student on this list as either correct, changed, exited/moved, and/or incomplete. Please check that the names, entry dates, scram school, service patterns, weekly minutes and providers are correct for each student on the printout. If a correction needs to be made, a new scram document should be submitted. 

All Corrections and SCRAM reports are Due: 

By 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 8, 2021

Special education funding and, therefore, school staffing/assistant allocations, etc. are contingent upon the accuracy of this data.  Your timely and accurate response is critical!  Thank you for all your efforts to get us the correct information in a very short time period.

 

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Additional Incident Command System training is available for anyone in Jordan School District that has a key role in conducting drills and responding to emergencies, such as administrative assistants, custodians, campus monitors, school resource officers, etc.  This will be a refresher on the Incident Action Plans basics, a general review of response roles, and a chance to ask questions and dialogue.

The same course is available either in the morning, or in the afternoon for your convenience.  It will be led by Emergency Operations Manager Lance Everill.

Auxiliary Services Building

Entrance C

Presentation Room C100

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
or
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Please register using JPLS: Link

Relicensure: 1.5 credit hours/points

Questions, contact: Lance Everill 801-567-8623, lance.everill@jordandistrict.org

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Permit trainings will be held on November 3 and 11. Participation at these trainings is mandatory for at least one individual responsible for permit processing at each school. Principals will be trained at the November Principal Meeting, but are welcome to attend the training with their staff member if interested. A level focus has been assigned to each session. Staff are encouraged to attend a session for their level so the questions and discussion are more relevant, but may attend another session if necessary.

Elementary focus: Wednesday, 11/3, 9-11 AM and 1-3 PM

Secondary focus: Thursday, 11/11, 9-11 AM and 1-3 PM

Each training will be held at the ASB Auditorium and is capped at 50 participants. Please register at the link below:

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School/Department Administrators:

Effective October 1, 2021, all licensed job postings must be submitted and posted using Frontline (Recruiting/Hiring).

ESP and Miscellaneous positions have been posted on Frontline since July 1, 2021.

We will be providing additional training opportunities for administrators in October. All trainings will be at the District Office room #129. Please bring a laptop for the hands-on training. For available dates/times and to schedule a training session, visit the link below.  Space is limited in each session.  Additional sessions will be added if needed.

http://my.setmore.com/bookingpage/f57956d4-89fa-4c97-a0c8-2c23dae48da6/class/ca3255bc94f2c43465ebd65ffec952433b9cb80582

Also available on HRConnections and AdminOnly are the training videos and tutorials. Contract Brent Burge at #88224 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Human Resources

 

Published on

Date: October 7, 2021

To: Administrators

From: John Larsen, Business Administrator
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

Subject: True Time Access from Home

Effective October 11, 2021, recording and submitting True Time from home will no longer be accessible. As always, employees will still be able to view their True Time status and history from any location with Internet access.
If you have special circumstances where an employee at your school or building needs access from home, please complete and email the following form to sarah.palmer@jordandistrict.org. This form will be available for future use on the Payroll Department’s webpage.
Thank you.

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JSD SPED Compliance Dashboard Protocol 2021-2022

  • Teacher Specialists will create and share a Google Compliance Dashboard Data Sheet for each of their schools with the SPED team leaders containing IEP and 3 Year Re-Evaluation Due Date data from Goalview. The Google Sheet will include a tab for compliance data reporting, a master caseload and a tab for each case manager.
    1. Sheets will be named “SCHOOL NAME Compliance Dashboard Data Sheet” Examples: Bastian Compliance Dashboard Data Sheet, HHS Compliance Dashboard Data Sheet
    2. To keep in compliance with FERPA, these Google sheets with specific student data should only be shared in RESTRICTED mode.
  • Team leaders will run a monthly Goalview report for IEP/Re-Eval due dates (https://youtu.be/ridwrtZ0bPg) and collaborate with their teacher specialist and school team members to update and make notes on their school Compliance Google Sheet to update IEP and 3 Year Re-Eval due dates.
    1. If a new student from out of the district has a current IEP/Evaluation the team has accepted, they should be uploaded to Goalview and/or the data should be input into the appropriate Goalview forms so IEP/Evaluation documents can be accessed via Goalview. Notes can be made on the data sheet if the forms have been uploaded onto Goalview to demonstrate compliance.
  • Team leaders will update 3 data points for each case manager on their school Compliance Data Reporting Sheet on a monthly basis during a regular weekly team meeting by the monthly due date. (See chart below).
    1. # of files on caseload
    2. # of files with compliant IEP due dates
    3. # of files with compliant 3-Yr Re-eval due dates
  • Teacher Specialists will crosscheck Goalview and each school’s Compliance Dashboard Data Sheet with the data reported by team leaders.
    1. Update the % data in each school’s Compliance Dashboard Data sheet
    2. Input the current compliance data into the SPED Goalview Compliance Dashboard Data sheet for each team member and school on a monthly basis by the monthly due date (See chart below).
  • Updated Compliance Data will be available to school administrators for their school only through Tableau on a monthly basis (See chart below).

 

School Team Leader Compliance Google Sheet Reporting Due Date Teacher Specialist Verification &

 Dashboard Input Due Date

 Date Updated Compliance Data will be on Tableau for Administrators
September 27, 2021

October 4, 2021

 September 30, 2021

October 6, 2021

 October 1, 2021

October 8, 2021
October 27, 2021 October 29, 2021 November 1, 2021
November 23, 2021 November 30, 2021 December 1, 2021
December 15, 2021 December 17, 2021 January 3, 2022
January 27, 2022 January 31, 2022 February 1, 2022
February 25, 2022 February 28, 2022 March 1, 2021
March 28, 2022 March 31, 2022 April 1, 2022
April 26, 2022 April 29, 2022 May 2, 2022
May 27, 2022 May 31, 2022 June 1, 2022

 

 

 

Published on

Date: September 24, 2021

From: Special Education Department

Subject:  Paraprofessional Training Courses

Basic Paraprofessional Course

All special education paraprofessionals that are new to the district (As of the 2021-22 school year) must take the Basic Paraprofessional Course. This course aligns with the Utah State Board of Education Paraprofessional Handbook on the critical understandings for a paraprofessional. It is a 5-hour Canvas course that the paraprofessional should complete off contract time. They may receive payment for up to 5 hours and will have 3 months to complete the course from the date they are invited to the Canvas course. Payment for the course follow verification of course completion.

Advanced Paraprofessional Course

All paraprofessionals that are assigned in a support classroom or special school must take the Advanced Paraprofessional Course. The objectives of this course focus on additional information on behavior, data collection, instruction, and the application of the coursework in their placement. This is a 35-hour course, with 20 hours of coursework on Canvas outside their school day and 15 hours of practical project. The para will get paid an hourly rate for up to 20 hours for the off-contract coursework. They are not eligible for payment for the 15-hour practical project because that time will occur during their contract time. It is anticipated that the completion of this course should take place over an extended period of time, but must be completed within six months of the date of the invitation to the course. Paraprofessionals will receive payment for the course and credit of completion after receipt of their timecard and verification of course completion.

*Paraprofessionals that have completed both courses and have worked for the district for at least one year may be eligible for a lane change from Lane 2 to Lane 3 if they meet the highly qualified requirement. Lane change requests must include the Lane Change form (attached in the Canvas course Completion Module) and a copy Certificate of Completion that the paraprofessional will receive via district mail after verification of course completion. The lane change request and certificate of completion should be emailed to Amanda Hamblin at amanda.hamblin@jordandistrict.org.

Goalview Paraprofessional Training

Secondary clerical paraprofessionals must complete the Basic Canvas course and the Paraprofessional Goalview training course before they are given access to Goalview.

Registration for All Courses

To register for any of the paraprofessional courses, the paraprofessional’s supervising teacher or team lead should email Malynda Tolbert at malynda.tolbert@jordandistrict.org with the paraprofessional’s name, school, assignment (e.g., cluster paraprofessional, resource paraprofessional, clerical paraprofessional), and the course that the paraprofessional should be registered. The paraprofessional will get a Canvas email invitation and an invitation from Malynda within 48 hours of the request. The supervising teacher or team lead will be cc’d on the invitation.

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The elementary progress reports have been changed to reflect the move from trimesters to quarters. As you work to help your teachers prepare for parent teacher conferences, please use the information in the September 2nd edition of JAM and this Elementary Progress Report table.

The content of the progress report has not changed. Please encourage your teachers to refer to the progress report rubric in order to provide a score for each indicator, including “Reads grade level text.” Teachers can determine if a student is reading at grade level by evaluating each student’s performance on a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to, student reading materials in Journeys, benchmarks, other formative assessments, and Acadience.

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We have been so excited to visit schools and see the great work you are doing with the implementation of Really Great Reading (RGR) and 95% Walk to Read. We have heard many teachers express their appreciation for the skills and knowledge they are gaining in LETRS training. We are working to ensure that all teachers receive their compensation in a timely manner and we appreciate your patience in this process. The following is an update on the payment processes:

  • All teachers should have received compensation for attending the summer literacy launch training. 
  • We anticipated RGR compensation would be included in the September paycheck; however, we’ve heard from some teachers that it was not and we apologize. All RGR timesheets have been turned in and should be in the October paycheck at the latest.  
  • We are currently processing the timesheets for the extra day that was given to teachers for implementation purposes.  
  • Compensation for LETRS training will be provided after completion of each unit (includes online modules, bridge-to-practice, and in-person training). Teachers are asked to submit this form upon completion of a unit. Submitted forms will be processed at the end of each month to be paid the following month. Teachers completing unit 1 by the end of October will receive a $100 incentive.

Please feel free to reach out to T&L if you have questions or concerns:

Sara Henderson 801-567-8161  |  Michelle Lovell 801-567-8087  |  Mandy Thurman 801-567-8119  |  Ronna Hoffman 801-567-8242  |  Shelley Nordick 801-567-8122