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Category: Elementary Action Required

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Utah State Senate Bill 150 requires schools to assess students three times per school year (fall, winter, & spring) and inform first, second, and third grade parents/guardians of whether or not their child is reading on grade level. Please send the attached letters home with your students to inform parents of their student’s beginning of year Acadience results by October 31. You may copy the letters onto your school letterhead and send the letters home with students.

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DATE:
September 30, 2021

TO:
All administrators

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

SUBJECT:
G Suite Content Monitoring (BARK) notification procedures

The G Suite content monitoring software (BARK) is now active. As the program begins roll-out and we get an idea of the implementation, you will begin receiving communications from Angie Rasmussen, the Student Safety and Wellness Specialist. Once an alert is received, an organized process will be followed and the attached document is an overview of how BARK alerts will be processed and communicated. Please review the attachment. Additional training and information will be provided as needed in coming weeks.

It will be critical that all administrators keep Angie Rasmussen’s contact information readily available (we would encourage you to keep her contact information in your cell phone contacts). Her contact information is:

Email:     angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org
Work Phone:     801-567-8197
Cell Phone:     801-859-5022

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement this critical safety and wellness measure. Please direct any questions directly to Angie.

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DATE: 
October 1, 2021

TO: 
All Medicaid Time Study Participants
Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Aides, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapist Aides, School Psychologists, Elementary Counselors, Elementary School Social Workers, Audiologists, Speech and Language Pathologists and Assistants, RNs, LPNs, Augmentative/Assistive Communication Teams, and all Special Education Staff and Assistants Providing Direct Services

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kami Ridd, Coordinator - Health Services Department

SUBJECT: 
Procedures for the 1st Medicaid Random Moment Time Study of 2021-2022 School Year

MEDICAID RANDOM MOMENT TIME STUDY
Friday, October 1, 2021
and continue through the end of the day
Friday, December 31, 2021

You have been identified as a participant in the Medicaid Time Studies during the 21-22 school year.

This year, the State of Utah has transitioned to a new way of completing the time study. Instead of entering codes for activities that you are doing for a 5-day week, for 3 different times during the school year, we will be using a model called “Random Moment Time Study”.

This model will ask you what you are doing for a 15 minute “moment” in your work day. Our vendor will randomly select a participant from our district participant list and send out an email asking simple questions about what you were doing during the “moment” selected.

If you are randomly selected, you will receive an email notification 24 hours prior to your selected moment in time. The emails will come from utmac@pcgus.com.

The email notification will provide you with a link to access the on-line Random Moment Time Study form. The hyperlink to respond to the moment will be included in the email. Email notification will be sent 24 hours before the moment and again at the exact time of the moment.

Notifications for completion will continue to be sent at 24 hours, 48 hours, and again at 68 hours after the moment has passed. After the 3rd reminder notice you will only have 4 hours to complete the study. Failure to complete the time study within the 3-day timeframe eliminates our ability to include that portion in our time-study reimbursements.

The first-time study window is from October 1 through December 31, 2021. You may be chosen multiple times or not at all. You will receive a randomly generated time study email anytime during this window. Please check your email each work day during normal work hours. 

We are excited that this new method for required participation is available and more conscientious of your time and hope that it will ease the burden that has existed in the past. We so appreciate all your efforts to document these crucial services to students. Your efforts assist us in helping to secure beneficial funds for our students and programs. Thanks again for all you do.

Questions – please reach out to Kami or Ruth in the Health Service office:

Kami Ridd
801-567-8516
kami.ridd@jordandistrict.org

Ruth Hendriksen
801-567-8515
ruth.hendriksen@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:   
September 29, 2021

TO:   
Building Principals
District Department Directors
Financial Secretaries
Administrative Assistants

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

SUBJECT: 
Student Data Privacy Resource Review Process

As explained in the September Principal and Assistant Principal meetings, Utah law (53E-9-301, 53E-9-303) requires local education agencies (LEAs) to create a publicly available metadata dictionary that contains a listing of:

  • All personally identifiable student data collected and shared by the LEA
  • A comprehensive list of all recipients with whom the LEA has shared personally identifiable student data, including the purpose for sharing the data, the justification for sharing the data (including if the sharing was required by federal law, state law, or local directive), and how the sharing is permitted under federal or state law.

This means that any third-party resource that receives personally identifiable student data from the District must be cataloged and, where necessary, reviewed for compliance with USBE data privacy expectations.

Rollout to Staff
Building principals are responsible to rollout the process to faculty and staff. The rollout consists of a six-minute video and a handout that were made available at Principal Meeting. Questions that the principal cannot answer may be forwarded by the principal to Caleb Olson in Planning & Enrollment. When the rollout has been completed, principals must indicate their school’s compliance on the reporting form.

Purchasing Changes
Prior to September Principal Meeting, Purchasing staff would hold school and department requisitions for resources that used personally identifiable student data and facilitated the process of gaining the necessary review and/or a student data privacy agreement. This review will now be handled through Planning & Enrollment, and until appropriate clearance is given by Planning & Enrollment to Purchasing, the requisition will not be processed.

A form has been created for school staff to submit a review request to Planning & Enrollment prior to entering a requisition in Skyward (please note that this form is different from the form teachers will use to request a review of classroom resources). This form should be completed by the individual or team that is requesting the purchase; administrative assistants may enter completed information as part of the requisition process but should not have responsibility for vetting the privacy practices of the requested resources. A fillable PDF form is available for individuals or teams to gather the necessary information so that another staff member can submit the form.

Teachers with specific questions about the process should be directed to your location’s digital coach. Administrators and administrative assistants with specific questions about the process may contact Caleb Olson (x88251).

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Jordan School District 2021-22 Dashboard

 

The Salt Lake County Health Department has been directed to move all COVID reporting and tracking to a county-hosted system. As a result, the reporting form link for Jordan District staff has changed. The new link is below.
Positive Case Reporting Form

 

Use this link to upload seating charts to your school's folder. Label the document with the teachers ,name, grade level, or subject. Please make sure these are complete, legible, and kept up-to-date. Use first and last names for the students.
Jordan School District 2021-22 Seating Charts

 

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According to State Law (Utah Code Section 53G-10-406; R277-910 ), all 4th grade students should receive the Elementary Botvin LifeSkills Training lessons. The main goals of the Botvin LST program are to teach prevention-related information, promote anti-drug norms, teach drug refusal skills, and foster the development of personal self-management skills and general social skills. Schools are asked to select at least one 4th grade teacher to attend the teacher training for Botvin LifeSkills. The training is designed to prepare teachers to deliver the curriculum with content and process fidelity. This training increases the effectiveness of the program and assists providers in developing implementation strategies for the program’s comfort and fit in individual sites.

How to Register for the Online Teacher Training:
Step 1: Click here to register on MIDAS--Be sure to go to your cart and “check-out” after registering to ensure that your registration is complete.

Step 2: After registering on MIDAS, participants should complete this survey so that we make sure to send the access code and materials to the correct email address and physical address.

Teacher’s Manuals:
All staff who complete the training will be given access to an electronic version of the teacher’s manuals. Due to the high volume of trainings completed, and due to Covid related issues with the printer, there has been a delay in shipping out the physical copies of the Elementary Teacher’s Manual. Staff who have completed the training and are having difficulties accessing the electronic version of the teacher’s manual can email support@nhpamail.com to regain access.

Stipend & Sub-Reimbursement Update:
Starting September 1st, LEAs may invoice USBE $150 for the following:

  • Sub-reimbursement for teachers who required a sub to complete the training
  • Stipends for teachers who completed the training after September 1st while off-contract

Starting September 1st, invoices can be sent to prevention@schools.utah.gov.

(In the meantime, USBE will continue to send the necessary stipend paperwork to off-contract teachers who completed the training through August 31st.)

Instructions for implementing the program in online/virtual settings:
The secure PDF version of the Student Guide and Teacher’s Manual are the recommended materials format for online and/or virtual classes.

Teachers who have completed the training should already have PDF access, and can email support@nhpamail.com if they have any problems accessing the materials.

Teachers who are teaching online should teach the lessons as close to the in-person instructions as possible including providing an opportunity for skills practice (live is preferable.)  

The Botvin LifeSkills Training provider is exploring resources to increase interaction online for LST Elementary for the 2022-2023 academic year.

For more information regarding the required Botvin LifeSkills Training Program:

Underage Drinking and Substance Abuse Prevention Program

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, September 23, 2021

TO: 
All School Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

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

SUBJECT:    
2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey – Preparation and Administration Details

The 2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey will be administered to parents, all school faculty and staff, and students in grades K-12 beginning Monday, November 1, 2021, and ending Friday, November 19, 2021. All parents, licensed educators, education support professionals and students should be invited and encouraged to participate in the survey.

The Stakeholder Input Survey is used as part of licensed educators’ annual evaluation, including this year’s JPAS Lite. Survey respondents have the opportunity to take part of the survey for school principals, assistant principals, classroom teachers and licensed support staff (i.e., instructional coaches, counselors, school psychologists, speech language pathologists, library media coordinators, cluster leaders, etc.). Thus, we need to ensure that the survey contains an accurate list of each school’s licensed educators for whom respondents can take the survey.

Principals and administrative assistants will receive staff verification lists via a shared Google Sheet from Ben Jameson that contains a list of licensed educators currently in Skyward. Administrative assistants, under the supervision of the principal or administrative designee, will verify the accuracy of that list, adding or deleting licensed educators as necessary. Staff verification lists will be sent to all schools by Thursday, September 30, 2021. Staff verification lists need to be verified and sent back to Ben Jameson by Friday, October 8, 2021. This will allow enough time to upload the staff lists into the survey. Once the survey begins, we will be unable to add or delete any staff.

The staff verification list should contain ALL licensed educators:

  • Principal
  • Assistant principals
  • Counselors
  • Teachers
  • School psychologists
  • Speech language pathologists
  • Library media specialists/coordinators
  • Cluster leaders
  • Instructional, technology, literacy, Title I or any other licensed academic coaches (non-licensed or athletic coaches need not be included unless they fill one of the above listed roles)
  • Any other licensed and certified educators at your school

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions.

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, September 23, 2021

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Rebecca Smith, Consultant over ALPS/Gifted and Talented

SUBJECT:
Universal CogAt Testing of 6th Grade Students Training and Test Administration

Principals, please share the memo below with your school test coordinator and 6th grade teachers.

Published on

DATE: 
September 15, 2021

TO: 
All Principals
All Special Education Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Principal, River’s Edge School

SUBJECT:
ASPEN Training for Special Education Personnel 2021-2022

ASPEN training will continue to be required for all licensed special education teachers, SLPs, school psychologists, elementary school counselors, and for all instructional assistants in SEB and Autism self-contained support classrooms during the 2021-2022 school year. First year staff and staff that have not completed the full certification ASPEN training should register for the training on JPLS. Training dates and times are attached to this memo.

Although not required, instructional assistants working in any other special education setting may choose to attend ASPEN at the discretion of their building administrator.

If you have more than one teacher or instructional assistant that needs to attend, please consider having them attend on separate days in order to maintain adequate coverage in your school. The Special Education Department will cover the costs of substitutes for licensed special education teachers that will be attending the full certification under budget code 1292. Instructional assistants will be asked to use True Time to record their typical workday hours on the day of the training. Any additional hours spent in the training above their typical workday will need to be recorded on a timesheet.

Class sizes for the full certification will be limited based on the location of the training in order to promote physical distancing. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in the physical skills associated with ASPEN at the end of the class.

Staff that participated in a full certification or recertification ASPEN training during the previous school year should plan on taking an ASPEN recertification class that will be offered online. Staff should register on JPLS for the recertification class. After they are registered, participants will receive an invitation within two working days to participate in the online course. Participants will have two weeks during which they can complete the course work at their own pace. This course is expected to take approximately 3 hours. Dates for the online sessions are attached to this memo. Participants that successfully complete the course will be compensated for 3 hours of work (licensed- inservice rate, classified- hourly rate).

Mandt training will continue to be required at Kauri Sue Hamilton and River’s Edge School. Personnel at these schools do not need to attend ASPEN. Others wishing to keep their Mandt training current may do so; however, participation is not mandatory and teachers and instructional assistants will not be compensated for their attendance.

For questions please contact:
Daveed Goodrich at daveed.goodrich@jordandistrict.org

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Optional training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on September 30, October 4, and 14 via Zoom. 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 one of the sessions, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge, at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org and let her know which date you would like to sign-up to attend. The total number of participants in each session will be capped at 80 (plus presenters). Because we want the sessions to have the same interactive environment as in-person sessions, attendees will be able to submit questions via ZOOM Chat. Attendees will also 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.

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All schools are required by Federal regulation to take continuing steps to notify students, parents, employees, and other school community members that the District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. Non-discrimination notices must reach them in more than one way, and the notice must also be prominently and permanently displayed on District webpages.

Both a long and short version of the non-discrimination notice have been provided here for school use.

Suggested locations for publishing the non-discrimination notice include:

  • School website - If the District houses your website on its servers, this has been done for you. You can access the notice from the ADAAA/Non-Discrimination link located in the footer at the bottom of each page of your website. If not, you will need to add a link to the District’s ADAAA/Non-Discrimination page.
  • Student and faculty handbooks – Each school will need to add the notice to these documents.
  • Course catalogs - The District Course Catalog is web-based, and has the ADAAA/Non-Discrimination link in the footer. If the school maintains a separate version for student use, the notice should be added.
  • Brochures on programs and activities
  • School newspapers, newsletters, and magazines

Published on

DATE: 
September 9, 2021

TO:  
All Administrators

FROM:   
Administrators of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Student Support Consultant

SUBJECT: 
District Safe School Committee Assignments

This year the format of the JSD Safe School Hearings has changed. Each week the committee will be made up of assistant principals from a secondary school, an elementary school, and a representative from various District level departments. The hearings will provide training/insight about Safe School Hearings and a chance for administrators to participate on the other side of the process.

With the approval of the Cabinet, the assignments have been carefully made for maximum balance. If you have been assigned, please add this date to your calendar and plan to be part of this committee on the assigned day. Hearings usually last until 1pm. Please do not take it upon yourself to substitute assigned days. In the rare event you cannot participate on your assigned day, please call Student Support Services or email janie.hyde@jordandistrict.org.

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Join us at our Family Fall Fair! There will be food, games, swag and some fun prizes. Come learn about the departments and resources in our District as well as the business partners around us. If you have a student in JSD, this event is for you!

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Classroom assistants are being allocated to help with any needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This may include covering classes when substitutes are not available. These positions are being funded through Federal COVID money for the 2021-22 school year. Principals may post, interview, and hire immediately. Each school is allowed one 25-hour COVID assistant.

The position will be a lane 1, 2, or 3 depending on their highly qualified status. The normal process will decide the lane placement.

Budget Code:   10 E xxx 7211 1084 165

Please note that this is in addition to the ESSER tracker/intervention assistant that was allocated per the memo on June 17, 2021. See memo HERE.

Published on

DATE: 
September 1, 2021

TO:  
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Please Update Your School’s SafeUT Dashboard Contacts

Administrators,

As staff members change at each of your schools it’s important to keep our SafeUT Dashboard up to date. Please email any updates or changes to who you’d like to have receive SafeUT tips to McKinley Withers, mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org. If you need a new account added to the Dashboard for a new hire please include their name and title in your email. For any individual that would like text message notifications, include a cell phone number. Thank you!

If your schools has not yet been added to the SafeUT Dashboard, please fill out the attached spreadsheet to have your school added.

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In order to align calendars at all levels and provide clarity and consistency for families and employees, elementary schools will be adjusting from a trimester to a quarter calendar. Parent teacher conferences will continue to be held twice a year at approximately the end of first and third quarters. An updated 2021-22 calendar is available on the Planning & Enrollment Calendars page.

In the past, report cards have been shared with parents/guardians at parent teacher conferences and at the end of the year as a final representation of a students’ grade for a class. This process will be slightly different this year because of the change from trimester to quarters. As the calendar indicates, parent teacher conferences do not directly align with the end of the quarter. With these changes, teachers will use the progress report to document and provide feedback about what each student is learning and the progress the student is making at the time of the parent teacher conference. Finalized progress reports will be made available to parents through Skyward at the conclusion of each quarter.

Reporting periods.

Progress reports have not changed from last year. We want to acknowledge the standards-based grading work that you have been doing with your teachers. We know your efforts to intentionally identify power standards and create explicit proficiency scales will help students learn and reach their highest potential. We will continue standards-based work throughout the year and hope to let the process prepare us for the implementation of new standards-based report cards in the coming year.

Published on

DATE: 
August 12, 2021

TO:  
All Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Administrators of Schools
Shelley Nordick, PhD, Administrator, Curriculum/Staff Development
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT: 
Utah Symphony Performance at Abravanel Hall for 5th Grade Students

Once again. we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 5th grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates for 5th grade at Abravanel Hall are February 8 and 9, 2022 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Your school’s date and time will soon be provided on a separate schedule. Please note that there are no assigned seats. Schools will be seated upon arrival.

Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.

Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on spreadsheet). The number of teachers should be included in your school’s final count. When entering your busing request, please include the correct group name (e.g. Daybreak, 115 Curr). This will ensure that the Curriculum Department will cover the busing fee.

Transportation requests should be completed as soon as possible. Due to the number of buses that need to be used for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on any other transportation requests for these dates.

Published on

DATE:       
August 20, 2021

TO: 
Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, PhD, Administrator, Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT: 
JSD-Arts Representatives for 2021-22

This year we will continue to have two District Arts Representatives (DARTS) represent your school throughout the 2021-22 school year. We have appreciated the work of past DARTS representatives and how they have helped strengthen arts instruction in your schools. Meaningful progress toward a greater level of arts integration has been made, and we wish this to continue.

DARTS meetings will be held on the following dates: September 15, October 27, December 1, January 26, February 16, March 16, and April 27. The meetings will be held at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Please assign two teachers to serve as your school’s DARTS representatives by either selecting a grade-level team, or two teachers from different grade levels. The DARTS representatives will meet once a month for two hours to learn and collaborate.  Teachers will be paid at the inservice rate and will earn relicensure points (Note: In addition to the two regular classroom teachers, your school's BTS arts educator will also be attending the DARTS sessions).

Please email the names of your choices for the JSD DARTS Team for the 2021-22 school year to linda.gold@jordandistrict.org as soon as possible.

Published on

DATE:       
August 12, 2021

TO:  
All Elementary Principals

FROM:   
Administrators of Schools
Shelley Nordick, Phd, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:   
Utah Symphony Performance at Herriman High for 4th Grade Students

Once again, we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 4th grade students at Herriman High. The performance dates for 4th grade at Herriman High are November 22 and 23 at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Your school’s date and time will be provided on a separate schedule in the near future. Please note that there are no assigned seats. Schools will be seated upon arrival.

Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.

Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on spreadsheet). The number of teachers should be included in your school’s final count. When entering your busing request, please include the correct group name (e.g. Daybreak, 115 Curr). This will ensure that the Curriculum Department will cover the busing fee.

Transportation requests should be completed as soon as possible. Due to the number of buses that need to be used for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on any other transportation requests for these dates.