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Category: Elementary Action Required

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CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels and both levels must be completed by all administrator’s and threat assessment team members. Please see the memo below for all the details.

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Employee Health & Wellness Day FlyerTo help manage added stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are converting Friday, February 11, into a Health and Wellness Day for employees, in place of the Flex Friday previously scheduled.

We are extremely proud and appreciative of community partners who are contributing to our Health and Wellness Day because they care deeply about teachers and all district employees.

For complete details of free offers, discounts and all of the in-person and virtual activities available to employees on Health and Wellness Day, Friday, February 11, please see the flyers below or visit wellness.jordandistrict.org/day

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A reminder to spend your At risk funds. Your reporting for EARS can be completed on this form. Please include the totals you used from the 5336 budget. You can view this sample here as you work on the spending for 2021-22. Please email your final budget to M. Love-Day (michelle.love-day@jordandistrict.org). A new funding budget will be allocated soon.

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We invite parents who are newcomers (refugee, immigrant, or asylee) to our school district to attend this month’s parent orientation to get information on how they can best help their child in school. Please have parents fill out this RSVP form. If you need a flyer translated into another language, please contact michelle.love-day@jordandistrict.org.

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DATE:  
Thursday, February 3, 2022

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey Results

51,139 students, parents and educators participated in the 2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey, which was administered in November 2021.

The Stakeholder Input Survey results have been released via Tableau accounts for school principals. Principals may request that their assistant principals have access to the results in Tableau by contacting Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability. PDF reports containing individual educator effectiveness ratings will also be distributed to principals in the coming days. Those reports will subsequently need to be distributed to educators. More information about these pdf reports will be forthcoming.

Principals may access school and district survey results by clicking here or through their Tableau accounts: Explore > Surveys > Stakeholder Input Survey > 2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey

In addition to district results, each school will have the following dashboards that contain their school’s survey results:

  • [School Name] Faculty Stakeholder Input Survey
  • [School Name] Parent Stakeholder Input Survey
  • [School Name] K-3 Student Stakeholder Input Survey and [School Name] 4-6 Student Stakeholder Survey for elementary schools
  • [School Name] 7-12 Student Stakeholder Input Survey for secondary schools
  • [School Name] Stakeholder Input Survey Overall Educator Effectiveness Scores

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

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Registration for the Literacy Promise Conference is now available! This is a conference you will not want to miss! There is an amazing line-up of presenters this year including Linda Ferrell, Nancy Frey, David Kilpatrick, and Kelly Gallagher just to name a few. The conference will be held March 23-25, 2022 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah. The Teaching & Learning department will pay the registration fee for an administrator and up to four other staff members from each school. Noreen Samowitz will complete the registration. Please contact her by March 13th with the list of attendees from your school. Schools are responsible to secure and fund their own substitutes for this event. More information can be found here.

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Updated information from USBE: 

LETRS 3rd Edition (Teacher Training)
If you still have participants that need to enroll in unit 1, there is still plenty of room and dates available for enrollment. Below are direct links to units 1-4, please share with any participants that may still need to enroll for these unit trainings. 

LETRS, UNIT 1 (General Registration) – Course #60068 (NO ADDITIONAL SECTIONS WILL BE ADDED FOR THIS UNIT) 

*All sections with low enrollment are subject to cancellation due to low enrollment, if a section is flagged, participants currently enrolled will be notified through MIDAS and will be encouraged to enroll on a different section and date. 

LETRS, UNIT 2 (General Registration) – Course #60077
LETRS, UNIT 3 (General Registration) – Course #60078
LETRS, UNIT 4 (General Registration) – Course #60079

*Units 5-8 (vol.2) are coming soon, we will share these courses and links once we have them ready for General registration enrollment in MIDAS.

For JSD teachers: When teachers have completed BOTH the online coursework and the online class, then they can complete this survey Unit Course Completion Form to receive their $500 in their next paycheck.
Questions? Call Bev Griffith at 801-567-8466 or email beverly.griffith@jordandistrict.org.

LETRS for Admin:
I’m also excited to announce that a few additional sections were added to the LETRS for Admin, part 1, course (#60389). Any administrative participants that would like to enroll for part 1 now can do so by following the links below:

LETRS for Amin, part 1 (Admin Overview) – Course #60389
LETRS for Amin, part 2 (Principal Primer) – Course #60446

*Remember that LETRS for Admin is a two-part course and you will need to enroll and attend both.

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Mentoring in Jordan School District is essential to retaining and supporting new teachers in their first three years of teaching. Each year provisional teachers are identified and provided a mentor. Below are a few reminders and updates. 

Reminders:

  • Make sure you know who your lead mentor teacher is. Decide if this individual will remain the lead mentor or if you need to assign a new lead mentor. 
  • Have teachers who are interested in becoming mentors sign up for the mentor training on JPLS. Teachers cannot mentor if they are provisional or if they are not trained. 
  • All mentors will be recertified every 5 years. Teachers will be notified when they need to recertify. Teachers who do not recertify will no longer be able to mentor. 
  • Administrators are to work directly with lead mentors in assigning mentors and mentees. 

Updates:

  • Mentors and mentees must be logging all meetings they have on their shared log. 
  • Mentors, mentees, and lead mentors have clearly defined roles with each contributing to the partnership. 
  • Mentors, mentees, and lead mentors have updated contracts that must be signed at the beginning of the mentoring partnership. 
  • Quarterly surveys are sent out to mentees and mentors to gather information as to how district mentor specialists can provide needed support.
  • Each school needs to have a designated administrator over mentoring at their school. This will facilitate communication between district mentor specialists, teachers, and administration.
  • The administrator over mentoring, at their school, will have specific duties. See attached information.
  • Each school will need to complete the administrator mentor survey indicating which school administrator will be over mentoring.   Mentoring Survey

Administrator Mentor Checklist

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DATE:   
Thursday, January 27, 2022

TO:   
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
2022 RISE Summative Test Administration Training and Resources

The RISE assessment is a computer adaptive criterion referenced assessment system that includes summative tests for English Language Arts (ELAs), Mathematics, Science, and Writing. Please see the memo below for the summative tests that are scheduled to be delivered to the listed elementary grades.

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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 use the attached letter templates to send information home to all parents/guardians of students in first, second, and third grades by February 28, 2022.

Acadience Mid-Year (English On-Level)

Acadience Mid-Year (English-Below Level)

Acadience Mid-Year (Spanish-On Level)

Acadience Mid-Year (Spanish-Below Level)

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The JES department recognizes that due to COVID-19 and other unforeseen circumstances schools are feeling overwhelmed with meeting deadlines. In an effort to support schools as they work hard to meet the needs of students, the UETS- based JPAS Full Evaluation due date has been changed. All full evaluations will now be due April 22, 2022.

This change includes all educator, teacher specialist, counselor, psychologist, and administrative evaluations. Please contact the JES office with any questions at (801) 567-8369.

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Educators who are working toward a professional license through the APPEL program have specific requirements that must be met and signed off. To better assist those educators in collection requirements for the Competencies section a document has been created and added to Perform accounts.

Educators will go to My Folder - Tasks - APPEL Domains VI and V Requirements - Go to Form and write a description of the artifacts they will show or upload into Perform (Indicators 50-62 from the UETS-based Domain Document). Once the educator has completed the description for each indicator and gathered all evidence to show they will submit the form to the supervisor for approval. Approval is completed once the supervisor reviews the evidence and description, selects a rating for each indicator, and then clicks on the Approve button.

The administrator will go to My Staff - Staff and then select Folder next to the form labeled APPEL REQUIREMENTS - DOMAINS IV AND V for the correct teacher. The administrator will not be able to go to the form or view the form until the teacher has submitted it.

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School/Department Administrators:

We will be providing additional training opportunities for administrators and administrative assistants on the Frontline Recruiting and Hiring system during the week of January 24 - 28. All trainings will be at the District Office in 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.

Our Classes at Jordan School District

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

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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. The virtual format, should we need to use it, can make finding interpreters even more difficult. For these reasons, we ask you to please request your interpreter no later than the dates given below by completing the Interpreting and Translation Services Request Form available on the Equity and Compliance webpage, if you have not already done so.

Level Conference Date(s) Date Interpreter Request Due
High Schools February 16, 2022 February 4, 2022
Middle Schools February 16 - 17, 2022 February 4, 2022
Elementary Schools March 16 – 17, 2022 March 4, 2022

 

Getting your requests in early will be especially important for secondary schools, as Mirsa will not be available during the week of secondary conferences.

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Dear Principals, 

Please send the 6th grade parent letter to Parent via SkyAlert. It provides parents important information about the options for mathematics that are available to their students in middle school. There is an English and Spanish version. 

Thank you for your support in this matter. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Amy Kinder at (801) 567-8469 or email amy.kinder@jordandistrict.Org.

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DATE:
January 10, 2022

TO:  
All Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT: 
Covid Guidelines for 5th Grade Utah Symphony Performances at Abravanel Hall

We are looking forward to the Utah Symphony performances on February 8th and 9th. As a result of the recent Salt Lake County health mandates, please be aware of the following:

  • The concerts are being presented in a Salt Lake County facility. As a result, face masks will be required for all attendees.
  • Proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the performance will be required for those 12 and older. This will apply to all teachers and chaperones.

Please convey this information to your 5th grade teachers as soon as possible. In addition, in order to facilitate communication with your school’s 5th grade teachers, please have your administrative assistant complete this brief survey that will provide information that is needed by the Symphony staff.

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DATE:
Thursday, January 13, 2022

TO:  
Elementary Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Acadience Reading and Math Testing for the MOY and EOY Windows

The Acadience Reading and Math middle-of-the-year (MOY) window will close on Monday, January 31, 2022. As a department, Evaluation, Research & Accountability will continue to do all it can to ensure that our assessment assistants are able to complete K-3 testing at the remaining elementary schools. As has been the practice for the last two years, we will continue to use department personnel to fill gaps on assessment teams so that we can test each class scheduled for that day.

There are many possibilities which may render us unable to complete testing at a school such as another snow day, illness, staff shortages, or a high rate of student absenteeism. With 41 elementary schools and a short testing window, if we miss testing at a school due to a snow day or cannot finish a school in the allotted time, we may be unable to come back and complete testing. In such situations, the school would need to complete testing on its own.

Here are a few ways that, together with your help, we can mitigate this situation as a possibility:

  • Ensure that your testing schedule allows for some flexibility. Second and third grade classes test quickly because we only administer the Acadience Reading measures while kindergarten and first grade take longer because we also administer the Acadience Math measures. Because of this, it is helpful if teachers can be ready to come early or late.
  • Avoid scheduling kindergarten and first grade classes back to back, when possible. Because these grade levels participate in both reading and math testing, they take longer to finish for each student.
  • We have asked instructional coaches to assist us on testing days. On occasions where the coach is unavailable, we may not have enough staffing even with department personnel to complete testing in a timely manner.
  • We have asked that schools provide at least one adult runner. When schools are not able to do so, one of the assessment assistants assumes this responsibility, which means that tester isn’t testing as many students and we once again may not be able to complete testing in a timely manner. Parent volunteers who know classroom locations are acceptable runners.

In the event that there is another snow day, a high rate of student absenteeism, or we cannot complete testing at a school, the following steps will be taken:

  • Because the state requires grades 1-3 testing, we will leave the remaining kindergarten classes to the school to be tested and focus on grades 1-3 if we have another day scheduled at that school.
  • Schools will need to put together and coordinate a testing team to complete testing of remaining untested students.
  • All instructional coaches have been trained on both Acadience Reading and Math test administration and can provide training to school personnel.
  • Schools may also use the Canvas training courses to train personnel on test administration. The Acadience Reading Canvas course may be accessed here: https://jordanpd.instructure.com/enroll/E4MAF7  The Acadience Math Canvas course may be accessed here: https://usbe.instructure.com/enroll/96NGXW
  • Principals may also contact Ben Jameson to set up a training as well.

We recognize the depth and breadth of what we are asking schools to do if we cannot complete testing. Having schools complete their own testing is a last resort and every effort will be made to avoid it.

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

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DATE: 
January 8, 2022

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

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 2021-22 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. Please note that additional dates have been added, and these are expected to be the final dates for the remainder of the school year. Additional information is included on the attached memo.

For questions please contact:
Daveed Goodrich at daveed.goodrich@jordandistrict.org or Cassidy Hansen at cassidy.hansen@jordandistrict.org

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DATE:
January 4, 2022

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Special Educators

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

SUBJECT:
Manifestation Determination Procedures Reminders from Principal Meetings

Special education students and students referred for a special education evaluation are considered to be a protected class as outlined in the Utah State Board of Education Special Education Rules - V. DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES (34 CFR § 300.530), pages 101-107. Students who reach the 10-day suspension threshold and/or are referred for a district level hearing, must have a Manifestation Determination meeting.

Administrators should notify a student’s special education case manager of any disciplinary actions the student is involved in as soon as possible to determine whether or not a Manifestation Determination meeting is needed and/or to consider if behavior needs to be addressed in the student’s IEP. If it is determined that a Manifestation Meeting needs to be held, the case manager should complete a formal Notice of Meeting inviting the required IEP team members. If a Manifestation Determination meeting is not required, the IEP team should determine if an IEP meeting needs to be held to address behavior concerns.

Please see the Jordan School District Special Education Procedures and Policies Manual for information on members of the Manifestation Meeting and when one should be conducted.  You can also contact your teacher specialist for additional information.

If you have questions about a specific student or situation, please contact a Special Education Administrator or your Special Education Teacher Specialist.