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Category: Elementary Action Required

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Mark your calendar and save the date to attend the Literacy Promise Conference. There are some fantastic presenters in attendance this year that you will not want to miss.

T & L will pay for up to three individuals from each school to attend the Literacy Promise Conference held on March 20-22. This can include administration, coaches or teachers. Schools are not required to participate or may choose to send less than three individuals. Responses will be accepted through March 8th. Please click on the link below and fill out the form to list the individuals who will be paid for through T&L. If your school would like to send more than three individuals, registration can also be done at the school or individual level using the QR link on the enclosed flyer.

The conference is March 20-22, 2024 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah.

LINK to register individuals to be paid by T&L.

Published on

DATE:
January 11, 2024

TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kristin Norris, Teacher Specialist-SLP/A, ESY Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines
Attached: ESY Eligibility Facts, Tips, and Documentation

In order to afford parents the opportunity to exercise their due process rights, the process outlined is to be followed beginning January, 2024 to March 20, 2024.

Please read the entire memo to ensure proper implementation of all existing and new procedures.

Some procedures and documentation requirements have changed.

Data for ESY should be current from this school year and reflect ongoing needs of the student.

The 2024 ESY Memo and forms will be available on the Special Education Forms website.

If you have questions you can talk with your Teacher Specialist or reach out to Kristin Norris at kristin.norris@jordandistrict.org.

If you are interested in working with the ESY program, applications are currently being accepted (application available online on the SpEd Forms page for current employees). The number of staff hired will be based on the number of eligible students who will be participating in the program. No staffing decisions can be made, until the programming needs and the numbers of participating students are determined. If you have questions, please contact the appropriate ESY coordinator as identified in the attached memo.

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DATE:   
January 3, 2024

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
Registrars
DLI Teachers

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Kaye Rizzuto, Consultant Dual Language Immersion
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT:   
DLI Student Permits and Movement Between Levels

The following guidelines will assist schools in identifying where DLI students should be placed when moving between levels within a feeder.

DLI students will generally attend school through the feeder where they began the program. As long as the student remains in the DLI program, a seat will be available for them at each level through high school. This means that a middle school or high school may receive a DLI student who may not live in their boundaries.

  • Students in DLI who are out-of-boundary should be granted a permit manually in Skyward using the “D” reason code.
  • Please do NOT use PowerSchool for DLI out-of-boundary permits, otherwise students must legally be allowed to remain at the school through the last grade offered even if they choose to end their participation in the DLI program.
  • Every year by mid-January, a “sending” DLI school should prepare a list of DLI students who are planning to continue in the program at the next level. This list should specifically identify the students who do not live in the boundaries of the “receiving” school but who qualify to attend because of their participation in the DLI program. This will allow the “receiving” school time to pre-enroll these students in Skyward by the end of January and have these students counted in their yearly 2.0 FTE allocation. An administrative assistant or registrar should review and send this list to the “receiving” school for enrollment.

Additional Considerations:

  • If a student begins a program in one pathway and later becomes a boundary student of a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language, they may enroll at their new boundary school and join the pathway for that school; however, doing so will forfeit any seat or claim on the previous DLI pathway.
  • If a student begins a program in one pathway and later wishes to move to a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language but has not moved into the boundaries for the school they wish to attend, they may do so only if A) space is available in that school’s DLI program, AND B) an out-of-boundary permit seat (in Skyward) is available and can be granted to that student. In this instance, established out-of-boundary permit priorities and waitlist orders must still be followed.

Published on

DATE:
January 3, 2024

TO:
All Principals
All Certified and ESPs

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior

SUBJECT:
ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills

Seats are limited and fill quickly, so learners need to register on JPLS as soon as possible.

Beneficial for: All general education and special education teachers.
Also welcome: Specialists, mental health providers, ESPs.

 

Published on

Each year, the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP) gives the Jordan Association of Elementary School Principals (JAESP) the opportunity to celebrate elementary principals for the great work they are doing in their schools.

If you feel that a principal or assistant principal has done exceptional work, we invite you to nominate them for National Distinguished Principal of the Year or Assistant Principal of the Year through this survey.

All nominations are due January 17, 2024. Please remember this is for elementary principals and assistant principals only. The following administrators are ineligible to be nominated, because they have received the award: Teresa Christensen, Nick Hansen, Joel Pullan, Ronna Hoffman, Meredith Doleac, and Beth Pollock.

Thank you for taking time to nominate exceptional elementary administrators!

Nominate on the link in the attachment.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, January 4, 2024

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT: 
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access

The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners. This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students. This Supreme Court case essentially ensures that students’ civil right to an equitable education and the government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for doing so.

The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test. Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access. Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.

So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? Basic procedures are outlined below:

  • The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent.
  • If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal. Schools should use their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators to note the parental exclusion.
  • Schools may accept a parental exclusion in writing, but they cannot provide an opt out form to exclude students from the WIDA Access.

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

Published on

DATE:   
January 4, 2024

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
Required Fire Drill Within the First 10 School Days

All schools are required to conduct a fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year. This provides a great opportunity to review plans, emergency response/Incident Command assignments, evacuation maps, outside rally locations, communications, and related supplies.

Please take special care to orient new students and staff, individuals with special needs and younger students that may not have been exposed to fire alarms/strobes and emergency response protocols. Please be sure to clearly announce that it is a “drill”.

Please call the Jordan School District 24-hr. Alarm Response 801-567-8865 at least 30 minutes in advance of the drill, so the fire department is not dispatched.

Use the JSD Incident Command System Manual - Fire Action Plan as your drill guideline. Jordan School District Safety Manual

Report the drill and any related meetings using the JSD report form on Google Drive. Link: 2023-24 REPORT EMERGENCY — DRILLS, ACTUAL EVENTS, or MEETINGS

Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matt Alvernaz the District Safety Coordinator at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623.

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The Utah State Board of Education Teacher Salary Supplement Program (TSSP) qualifications and application deadlines are available for 2023-2024. The application deadlines are printed below.  Information regarding the TSSP program and qualifications is found at the following Utah State Board of Education (USBE) link:

Application Term Dates
An application term indicates a preference of when and how often the educator would like to receive any bonus. Applicants may select one of the following terms before the respective deadline:

 

Term      # of Payments      Application Available & Accepted   Application Deadline

Trimester               2              Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM        Wednesday, November 15, 2023 11:59 PM

Semester               1              Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM        Wednesday, January 31, 2024 11:59 PM

Annual                   1              Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM        Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:59 PM

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We ask all West Jordan, Copper Hills, and Herriman feeder schools to send the flyer out to their students using Skylert or Peachjar.

Pizza dinner will be served! Space is limited, RSVP HERE to secure your spot!

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Admin, please share this information with your teachers.

Many of your teachers are pursuing a STEM endorsement (see our EIP website for a full list of endorsements). USBE WILL REIMBURSE THEM FOR THEIR EDUCATION! This is called the STEM Endorsement Incentive Program (EIP). See the attached flyer and link to our EIP website for more information.

The next round of reimbursement applications is due January 8th, 2024 for teachers who completed STEM courses in Summer/Fall 2023 (courses through December 31, 2023). If you have any questions, please reach out to the content consultant. We would love to talk to you!

Published on

DATE: 
December 19, 2023

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
January Drill Preparation (Fire)

The first monthly drill preparation will begin on January 3rd at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrations 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. Use meet.google.com/ntp-szhs-yvn to join.

Information regarding fire response and evacuation protocols can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on page 15 (Evacuate) and page 32 (Fire). We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

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Take note of the following information. There are links to a training invitation and two monthly Newsletters with important communications about the School LAND Trust (SLT) Program.

Please forward the District School Community Councils newsletter to all SCC council members.

The newsletters are also accessible online on the USBE website with different language options.

Published on

DATE:   
December 6, 2023

TO:     
All Principals

FROM: 
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:  
January 2, 2024 Optional Special Education PD

Please see the attached memo for more information.

Published on

As we begin to prepare for the 2024-25 school year, we would like to collect our mid-year 6th grade Acadience and Growth Measure data as soon as possible. This will allow us to provide the data to middle school principals and counselors as they begin their 7th grade registration process in January.

Please advise your 6th grade teams to administer their mid-year Acadience and Growth Measure in December, with the deadline being Friday Jan. 12, 2024. The mid-year testing window for Growth Measure opened December 1, 2023.

The data we collect will inform the rubrics that we use as recommended guidelines for Reading placement. (See attached.) We appreciate your patience and collaboration in our efforts to use data to do what is best for students.

Published on

Don't forget to run your home language report. It's time to make sure all students are screened and ready to learn. Your school goal should be zero students on your report.

  • Student Skyward
  • Families Tab
  • Jordan Program
  • Registration Reports
  • Student Language Survey Report
  • Description: HLS Report
  • Entity: Low & High should be your school ###
  • Student Selection: Non-English Students without LEP records

*** WIDA WINDOW IS Jan. 8 to March 8 - It's time to make sure all students are screened and ready.

Your school GOAL should be zero students on your report

Published on

DATE:
December 8, 2023

TO:
All Principals
Self-Contained Support Classroom Teachers

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
Training for All Teachers who Administer the DLM

It is mandatory for all teachers that have students that will be taking the DLM this year to attend one of the training sessions below. Please plan on joining us to learn how to make the most of administering the DLM as well as how to maximize your instructional time and resources. Please sign up using JPLS. Please see the attached memo for course and section numbers for your desired training session.

Please reach out to Jen Birrell for Elementary or Mikaylee Krebs for Secondary if you have any questions.

Published on

DATE: 
November 30, 2023

TO:  
All Administrators
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Standard Response Protocol (SRP) Schedule of Drills/Evacuations and Trainings 2023-24

A uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident is the foundation of a safe school. Effective school safety measures require schools to anticipate the unthinkable and practice how they will respond, react, and behave when a crisis occurs. Consistent ongoing emergency safety training and practice is required to adequately educate students, staff, and parents.

Beginning January 2024, monthly SRP emergency safety drills will be implemented district-wide at each school. Each month a different SRP safety drill will be assigned by the District and conducted by the school. Schools will schedule the specific date and time the drill will be conducted during that month. (i.e. If “HOLD” is assigned for the month of February, the school will schedule the date and time during the month of February to conduct the dill.) Currently schools are required to conduct four (4) emergency evacuation drills annually – the number of evacuation drills will not increase unless the school chooses to do so (see March below).

Training will be provided monthly to assist schools in implementing the monthly SRP safety drill. Beginning Wednesday, January 3, 2024 – and every first Wednesday of the month, two (2) virtual training sessions will be held (3pm and 3:30pm) to train on the monthly SRP safety drill (links will be provided in a JAM prior to the first Wednesday of each month). Administrators over safety and School Safety Specialists should attend. Following the monthly virtual training, the resources used in the training will be shared with schools to train their staff and students. Schools should communicate frequently with patrons about emergency safety drills and procedures. It is expected that the School Safety Specialist will assist in all safety training and education efforts.

After school staff and students are trained, the school should conduct the assigned SRP safety drill for that month. (i.e. – If ‘Fire Drill’ is the drill assigned to January, then the administrator/school safety specialist will attend the training on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at either 3pm or 3:30pm. After the Zoom training the administrator and school safety specialist will receive the materials to train school staff – the school staff will then be trained. School staff will then educate and train their students. After school staff and students are trained the school will then conduct the drill.)

The schedule of SRP safety drills & trainings for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year is as follows:

Month SRP Safety Drill Virtual Training

(1st Wednesday at 3 or 3:30pm)
January Fire Drill (10 days after winter break) - Evacuation Wed. January 3
February Hold Wed. February 7
March Lockdown – Evacuation Optional Wed. March 6
April Great ShakeOut – Evacuation

April 18, 2024

 Wed. April 3
May Shelter Wed. May 1

Schools should adjust their current plans to match the schedule provided.

The updated District safety manual, printable posters, and other SRP materials may be found on the Jordan School Safety webpage. Additional resources including printable signs, guidebooks, videos, and parent handouts may be found on the I Love Your Guys website.

Please contact Matt Alvernaz (matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org) or 801-567-8623 should you have any questions or would like any help or training.

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, December 7, 2023

TO: 
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT: 
WIDA ACCESS 2.0 Test Administration Training 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 2023-24 WIDA test administration window begins on January 8 and ends on March 8, 2024.

All school personnel who will assist with WIDA Access test administration are asked to attend a mandatory test administration training. Participants may choose to attend any one of six training sessions, including one online training. Training participants will need to bring a device. Please note that if schools choose to send a classroom teacher, principals will need to cover the cost of the substitute teacher. Test pool hours may also be used for this.

Those who are to be trained to administer the WIDA should register in JPLS so that we may create their accounts in the testing and training platforms prior to their selected training date. Following are the training dates and times:

Date Time Location Additional Information
Wednesday, Jan. 10 8-11 am  

Presentation Room

 

Entrance C

 

Auxiliary Services Building (7905 S. Redwood Rd)

 All participants should register on JPLS – Course #102001.

 

Participants should bring a laptop/device.

 

If schools choose to send a classroom teacher, principals will need to cover the cost of a half day sub.
1-4 pm
Thursday, Jan. 11 8-11 am
1-4 pm
Tuesday, Jan. 16 8-11 am
1-4
Wednesday, Jan. 17 8-11 am
1-4 pm
Friday, Jan. 12 8-11 am Zoom

Please contact JoLynn Snelgrove in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about the WIDA Access test administration and training.

Published on

DATE:
November 30, 2023

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
Safe Routes to School Updates

Safe Routes Utah very recently created a new website, Safe Routes Utah. The designated contact for Safe Walking Routes that each school had on file should have been sent an email on November 14th with a new username and login information to access the new site. If you or your designee for safe walking routes did not receive this email or if there is a new contact or person assigned to safe walking routes at your school, please contact Kristen Hoschouer at khoschouer@utah.gov as soon as possible to request the login information.

All 2023-24 Safe Route to School maps, regardless of their last approval, must be re-approved by the district on the new site by December 22, 2023. Any changes that were made to your schools 2023-24 Safe Routes to School map after July 10th of 2023 were not included in the new site transfer and will need to be updated on your school’s map on the new mapping site and submitted for approval on or before December 22, 2023.

Schools should begin the Safe Route to School process for the 2024-25 school year as soon as possible. Your schools Safe Routes to School map for 2024-25 must be entered on the new site on or before Friday, January 26, 2024 for approval.

The mapping process on the new website has been updated as well. Instructions on the website state that schools should:

  1. Identify their Safe Routes Committee
  2. Create/update their Safe Routes Map and submit for district approval
  3. Once the map is approved, they will create/update their Safe Routes plan report

All of this information, including guides and video tutorials, can be found on the new Safe Routes website.

The updated district Safe Routes To School Form can be found on our Jordan School Safety website or click this link for direct access. The document requires you to make a copy. Please change the title to reflect your school and share it with the district School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz, once it is complete and ready for review.

Please reach out to Matt Alvernaz (matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-5623) with any questions.