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Category: Elementary Info

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jessica Stowe, Assistant Director of Teaching & Learning

Required literacy trainings for elementary teachers who are new to the district or are moving to a new grade level are now available for registration. If a teacher is moving grade levels and has already taken a specific training, they DO NOT need to take it again.

To register for these trainings, go to the Professional Development website and search for the titles or click on the direct links below. Please ensure that all new teachers are aware of the various training that they will need for their grade level and the dates offered. These are currently the only offerings for these classes this year. New teachers should sign up for one date for each training listed under the grade level they will be teaching. Wit & Wisdom and UFLI training will now be done in two parts. New teachers will need to enroll in both Part 1 and Part 2 for each of those classes.

Inservice rate will be paid for classes taken outside of contracted hours. Substitutes will be provided for all classes taught during contracted hours.

Kindergarten, First Grade, or Second Grade

Heggerty Training:  Training 9/3/26 4:15-7:15 p.m.

K-2 Wit & Wisdom Training (For new teachers not previously trained. Register for Part 1 and Part 2)

UFLI (For new teachers not previously trained. Register for Part 1 and Part 2)

LETRS - To Be Determined

Third Grade

MSRC Training: Training 9/3/26 4:15-7:15 p.m.

3-6 Wit & Wisdom Training (For new teachers not previously trained. Register for Part 1 and Part 2)

UFLI (For new teachers not previously trained. Register for Part 1 and Part 2)

LETRS - To Be Determined

Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, or Sixth Grade

MSRC: Training 9/3/26 4:15-7:15 p.m.

3-6 Wit & Wisdom Training (For new teachers not previously trained. Register for Part 1 and Part 2)

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
The Department of Transportation in Auxiliary Services

Transportation Moratorium Field/Activity Trips Dates 2026-27

When scheduling Field/Activity Trips for the 2026-27 school year, please make note of the following moratorium dates and times when Transportation will not be able to accommodate Field/Activity trips.

  • Fridays due to late start and early out schedule.
  • Fridays are available for required high school activities only.
  • Between the hours of 6:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Buses must return to schools by 2:00 p.m. in order for drivers to complete their scheduled routes to take students home.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
  • A limited number of buses are available on early out days. Please plan accordingly.

We encourage you to consider the following when planning your Field /Activity Trips: 

    • Mondays are days that are more readily available to accommodate requests. 
    • September and January are months with much more flexibility.
    • We anticipate the demand for Field/Activity Trips during spring months may be greater than in years past due to an increase of spring sports and elementary school field trips.

The 2026-2027 Moratorium Field /Activity Trips dates are:
August 18, 2026
7th Grade Orientation Day
September 10 & 14, 2026
The 9/11 Project (September 11th Memorial)
October 20, 2026
State Tournament Girls Soccer
October 27, 2026
State Meet Cross Country
October 27-28, 2026
State Tournament Girls Volleyball
November 13, 2026
State Football Semifinals at University of Utah
November 16-17, 2026
4th Grade Utah Symphony at TBD
January 25 & 27, 2027
State Drill Championships at UVU
February 8-9, 2027
5th Grade Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall
February 18-19, 2027
State Final Girls/Boys Wrestling at UVU
March 2 & 4, 2027
State Tournament Girls/Boys Basketball
March TBD, 2027
Utah Stars Basketball Game at Delta Center
March 16, 2027
ACT Testing
April TBD, 2027
High School Baseball (Kids Day) at Bees Ballpark
May 12-13, 2027
State Tournament Boys Volleyball
May 18-28, 2027
State Tournaments Multiple Sports; Boys Soccer, Boys Baseball, Track & Field, Softball, Boys Tennis, Girls Golf & Boys/Girls Lacrosse
June 1, 2027
Lagoon Day
June 1-3, 2027
High School Graduation Days

Please contact us with any questions. You can reach Mike Westover at 801-567-8809, Michele Yuill at 801-567-8804 and Janet Sadler at 801-567-8334.

Thank you so much for your assistance and support.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olsen, Student Services Administrator of Enrollment

Adding District Events to Google Calendar and ParentSquare

ParentSquare, the communication suite that has replaced Skylert for the District, allows for a connection with Google Calendar. Only one calendar can be linked from Google Calendar to ParentSquare, and this calendar should be a publicly accessible calendar of school events to allow users to see school events from the ParentSquare dashboard. In order for district events (such as school recesses) to appear in ParentSquare, they will need to be added to each school’s public Google Calendar.

There are two options for adding these events to your school’s public Google Calendar:

1. Manually enter events from your school’s level calendar, available on http://planning.jordandistrict.org/calendars/, or
2. Download the appropriate CSV files for your level at the link below and use the directions below to import the files into Google Calendar. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ijroLY7SRBwikRu1A5Y2W6fDMPOOEXI5?usp=drive_link

If any of the events in the files already exist on your calendar, a duplicate entry will be created that can be deleted later.

For directions on importing a file of events to Google Calendar, please follow the process outlined in “Step 2: Import events into Google Calendar” at this link: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37118. The calendar you select in Step 5 MUST be the public facing school calendar. Events will be added to whatever calendar you select and there is no easy way to “undo” this action.

Once the events have been imported into your school’s Google Calendar, an individual with administrator access rights to ParentSquare should follow the instructions below to connect the public Google calendar to ParentSquare:
• Link: https://parentsquare.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204107225-Link-Your-Google-Calendar-to-ParentSquare
• Please note that you must be signed in as a ParentSquare user to access the instruction document linked above.
• The instructions refer to a “Calendar ID” for your Google Calendar. You may need to access the calendar as the owner of the calendar (through your school’s unique email account) to obtain this ID.

Specific questions about ParentSquare should be directed to the Information Systems Help Desk at 88737. Questions about calendar dates should be directed to Caleb Olson at 88251.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, HR Generalist

If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before/after Labor Day for any reason not listed in policy DP335NEG or DP335B, you must submit a request as follows:  

How to Request
During the window, the employee must send the request through email. Please include your name, school, position, and the date you are requesting the leave. Requests left on voicemail or over the phone will NOT be accepted.

Licensed employees submit their request to licensedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

Education Support Professionals submit their request to classifiedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

The employee will receive an email confirmation within two working days after submitting the request. If the employee does not receive a confirmation email, then Human Resources has NOT received your request and your leave will not be approved.

School Holiday Date of Holiday Critical Days* Window
Labor Day Sept 7, 2026 Sept. 4 and Sept 8 July 24-Aug. 3, 2026

*Critical Days are the first student attendance days before or after a school holiday. If a non-student attendance day falls before or after a school holiday, the Critical Day is the day before or after that non-student attendance day when students are in attendance.

Licensed
Licensed Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 26-27

ESP
ESP Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 26-27

Published on

TO: 
Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Jane Olsen, HR Administrator, Head of Talent Acquisition
Mike Trimmell, Assistant Director of HR, Talent Development

Dear Administrators,
We ask our students to become curious thinkers, responsible teammates, and engaged citizens — and our new educators are the ones who will help them get there. Welcoming them well is our first chance to show what a Culture of Belonging looks like in Jordan School District.

Join us for the “Clap-In,” and “Clap-Out” the joyful, high-energy tradition that kicks off New Educator Induction and officially welcomes the newest members of the Jordan School District family. If you’ve been before, you know: it’s loud, it’s happy, and it sets the tone for the entire year.

Event Details
• Date: Friday, August 7th
• Time: Clap-In: 7:45–8:30 a.m. (estimated 8:30 a.m. departure)
Clap-Out: 2:30-3:30 p.m. (estimated 3:30 p.m. departure)
• Location: Bingham High School, Main Entrance (South side)

What to Expect
This is more than a warm welcome — it’s Jordan’s spirited community on full display, and our first chance to show new educators why JSD is the district of choice. Let’s make it unforgettable.

How to Bring the Spirit
• Dress to Impress: Wear your school or JSD gear with pride — show them the team they’re joining.
• Mascot Magic: Bring your school mascot to spread the cheer.
• Capture the Moment: Snap a selfie with a new educator at one of our two selfie booths — empathetic communicators say cheese!
• Cheerful Welcome Lines: Join the welcome lines and cheer our new colleagues in like the champions they are.

One friendly note: our new educators will already be loaded up with swag and takeaways, so please hold off on gifts of any kind during the Clap-In. Your presence and enthusiasm are the presents!

Show Your Support
Bring your team! If your school has new educators, aim to have two to three staff members there to offer a personal cheer. Nothing says “you belong here” like familiar faces from your own building on day one.

Parking Reminder
Please gather at the South (front) entrance of Bingham High beginning at 7:30 a.m. To keep the best parking open for our new educators, consider carpooling and use the North side student parking lot and walk through the North (back) entrance.

Our new educators chose Jordan — now let’s show them why that was the best decision they’ve made. Together, we’ll welcome the educators who will shape the next generation of JSD graduates.
We can’t wait to see you there as we clap-in an exciting new academic year!

Thank you,
Jane Olsen, HR Administrator, Head of Talent Acquisition
Mike Trimmell, Assistant Director of HR, Talent Development
April Gaydosh, Administrator of HR

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
 All Administrative Assistants
 Employees on 242- and 245-Day Contracts

FROM:
Brittany Bauer, HR Administrator, Data and Operations
 April Gaydosh, Administrator of HR

2026–2027 Calendar Change for 242 and 245 Contracts

Please be aware of a change to the 2026–2027 calendar for employees on a 242 or 245 contract. The non-contract days originally scheduled for Thursday, April 1, and Friday, April 2, 2027, will move to Monday, March 29, and Tuesday, March 30, 2027.

The student calendar and critical dates will not change.

Updated calendars can be found here:
242: 2026-27 ESP Admin 242D7H8H.pdf
245: 2026-27 ESP 245 D7H8H.pdf

If you have additional questions regarding assignments or special calendars, please contact Brittany Bauer, HR Administrator, Data and Operations, at brittany.bauer@jordandistrict.org.

For questions regarding leave days, critical days or impact on scheduled FMLA days, please contact Rebecca Eastman, HR Specialist, Leaves, at rebecca.eastman@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Directors
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services

Protect Your Child with Student Accident Insurance 2026-27

Health Special Risk, Inc. is offering two options for supplemental accident insurance, at-school coverage and 24-hour coverage. See attached flyer (English & Spanish) for additional information.  Please consider including the information in your school packets.

This information can be found on the Insurance Services website.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Katie Bastian, Director of Nutrition Services

Included is a new meal prices flyer for next school year. You are welcome to use this flyer to share the information with your school community. New meal prices have been updated in the registration materials and on the Nutrition Services Website.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems

Upcoming July Workshops! Please note the location change on July 28, 2026.

Drop in anytime between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM to:
● Get answers to your specific Qmlativ questions.
● Walk through complex processes with hands-on help.
● Set up and customize your personal list screens.

No appointments are needed—just bring your laptop and stop by when it's convenient for you!

Upcoming Workshop Dates:
● Tuesday, June 30th: District Office, Rm 129
● Thursday, July 9th: ASB, PDC 101
● Monday, July 13th: District Office, Rm 129
● Monday, July 20th: District Office, Rm 129
● Tuesday, July 28th: District Office, Conference Rm 100 (Please note the location change)

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Assistant Director - Support Services, Information Systems

ParentSquare Pointers - End of Year Archive

📁 All ParentSquare posts for the 2025-26 school year will be archived on June 30th.

Why do we archive?
●Let’s start the 2026-27 school year with a clean slate.
●To avoid clutter and make it easier for parents to navigate through posts.

📁 What will be archived?
●All posts and any photos included in posts.
●Media and documents uploaded to the Photos, Videos, Files section.
●Posts sent to Groups.

What will NOT be archived?
●Post sent on or after June 30th.
●Scheduled posts set to go out after June 30th.
●Posts tied to events happening after June 30th.
●Groups and group members.●Direct Messages.

📦 Access to Archived Posts
●You will still be able to access archived posts through the Advanced Search.

Should you have any questions or need assistance accessing archived posts, contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737, or ext. 88737.

Published on

DATE:
June 11, 2026

TO:
Principals Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

SUBJECT:
Fee Waiver Materials 2026-27

Schools need to collect and maintain the following, which may be requested as part of the school fees monitoring visits:

  • Students given waivers
  • Students denied fee waivers
  • Students who worked in lieu of a waiver

All USBE School Fees Notices and School Fee Waiver Applications can be found by clicking HERE.

Forms can be found under Grades K-6 and Grades 7-12 in multiple languages. The Fee Waiver Application, for both elementary and secondary was revised April 2026. Use the current form when having parents fill out the application.

Attention: Students who previously showed verification of eligibility do not need to resubmit documentation. It may be necessary for the principal (or designee) to contact the previous school of transferring students for verification of fee waiver status. Kindergarten students coming into the school, new students to the District, and students with extenuating circumstances will still be required to submit documentation.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Other Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olsen, Enrollment Consultant

As announced in a previous JAM, a discipline training for new administrators and administrative interns will be held on July 28, 2026, at the ASB Presentation Room from 8 AM to noon. Approximately 30 seats are available for current administrators who would like a discipline refresher.

See the previous JAM for details on the training.

Sign up for the training here.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, June 18, 2026

TO:
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
2025-26 Assessment Results Now in Tableau

All state assessment results for the 2025-26 school year are now available in Tableau.  Viewers will be able to see results for the district, schools and individual students.  Where relevant, viewers may also see results by classroom teachers (except with the ACT, Utah Aspire Plus, and the WIDA Access, which are not connected to classroom teachers).  The links below will help administrators navigate directly to the updated results for each assessment:

STAMP for DLI

Acadience Math

Acadience Reading

ACT 11th grade administration

6th grade CogAT

RISE (growth scores will be available in the fall)

Star Reading

Utah Aspire Plus (growth scores will be available in the fall)

WIDA Access (growth targets will be available in the fall)

AP exam results will be available in Tableau by the end of July (pending a release date from the College Board of July 10th).  The state will release DLM results for students with significant cognitive disabilities sometime in the fall.

For questions about these dashboards, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.  To request additional data or to see these results in another way, please contact the district’s data scientist, Brooke Anderson, in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brent Burge, Assistant Director, Human Resources

With the implementation of the new Rotation Assistant (RA) position in elementary schools for the 2026-2027 school year, the following information outlines the requirements and the process to move or hire employees who are teaching a rotation for STEM, PE, Fine Arts, etc.

Requirements

    1. RAs must be paid for through a school budget only.  “0050” may not be used.
    2. The maximum number of hours per week is 25.
    3. The RA assignment may only be used for STEM, PE, and Fine Arts.  Media or other assistants do not qualify for the RA assignment.
    4. To qualify for an RA assignment, the employee must meet the following qualifications:
      1. Requires one (1) year of experience working in a classroom setting; AND
      2. Must be “highly qualified-HQ” which includes one of the following:
        1. An Associate’s degree; or
        2. 48 semester hours from an accredited college; or
        3. Passed the ParaPro assessment ($80); or
        4. Project Para Title I ($15)

For information about becoming highly qualified, click here.

5. RAs are hired at lane three (3) unless they are a current or former licensed teacher.  The non-licensed RA may be eligible to advance to lane four (4) upon completion of one year as an RA and upon completion of a training program provided by Teaching and Learning.  Upon completion of the requirements, submit the Rotation Assistant salary change form to Teaching and Learning.

Procedures

  1. For current classroom assistants who taught a rotation in 2025-26, the school must submit a change form in Qmlativ to modify the employee(s) title, budget, FTE, etc.  You must include the subject they are teaching in the notes.  These employees will be allowed to continue, even if they do not meet the HQ status.
  2. If you are interested in moving a current part-time employee at your school into an RA position, you must first ensure they meet the HQ requirements.  The school will need to submit a change form in Qmlativ. Please note: If the employee does not meet the HQ standard, the employee will not be eligible to be hired, and the change form will be denied.
  3. To hire someone from outside your school into an available position for which they qualify, the school will need to submit a requisition in Frontline to post.  Please use the Rotation Assistant template.   The school will need to conduct interviews and references.  Before a hire sheet is submitted in Frontline, you must verify that they meet the HQ requirements.

If you have any questions on the process, please contact Human Resources.  For questions about the training, please contact Teaching and Learning.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Instructional Coaches
Kindergarten Teachers

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Michelle Lovell, Literacy Consultant
Mandy Thurman, Literacy Consultant

The following letter, as well as the attached Planet Kindergarten Newsletter, will be sent to all kindergarten teachers this week. Please celebrate them with us.

Dear (Kindergarten Teacher),

As a literacy team, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your incredible work this year. We recognize that it was a year filled with new challenges: quarterly goals, new curriculum, learning Mastery Connect, and new voluntary professional development opportunities. You not only stepped up to the plate, but you truly hit it out of the park!

Hundreds of teachers and coaches attended each session of the Planet Kindergarten PDs. We know this required sacrifice of your time and energy, but your extra effort in Tier 1 instruction, small groups, and data tracking has made a real difference. Thanks to your dedication, we have more proficient kindergartners in literacy skills moving on to first grade than ever before!

Please know how grateful we are for everything you’ve done. As you begin planning for next year, don’t hesitate to reach out for any support you need.

If you'd like a refresher of Letter Launch or dive deeper with the Letter Launch Workshop, we'd love to see you there.

Wishing you a wonderful summer filled with well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Thank you for changing the lives of students in Jordan District!

Published on

DATE:
June 8, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:
2026-27 Monthly Drill Schedule

This schedule is designed so that our district will remain in compliance with state regulations.  The design is set up so the district can help prepare and support each of your schools throughout the year to better implement these drills.  This schedule is to be followed throughout the district.

Secondary schools are required FOUR (4) evacuations a year.  You may do more if desired.

Elementary schools are required to conduct an evacuation EVERY OTHER MONTH.  These evacuations can follow any drill and DO NOT have to be in conjunction with a fire drill.  Due to this regulation and the mandated fire drill after winter break, an evacuation drill will need to be conducted in both December and January in order to remain in compliance.  This only applies to elementary schools.

Three virtual drill preparation trainings will be held back-to-back on the first Wednesday of each month at 2:40, 3:10 PM, and again at 3:30 PM.  The ZOOM LINK will remain the same for each session throughout the year.  School Safety Specialists are expected to attend.  Other administrators or interested employees are always welcome as well.

MONTH DRILL TYPE NOTES
August Fire First 10 days of school
September Secure
October Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
November Shelter
December Hold Evacuation required for elementary schools
January Fire First 10 days of school after winter break
February Secure
March Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
April Earthquake Great Shakeout. Evacuation is optional
May Drill of Choice Choose whichever drill is appropriate for your school

If there are any questions, concerns, or conflicts, please contact the District Safety Coordinator Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith Doleac, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

The Board of Education has approved an allocation of 16 days of substitute support (per school, per year) to provide classroom coverage when part-time assistants, who are designated as rotation assistants, are absent.

Human Resources will provide additional information and instructions regarding the process for requesting these substitutes at a later date.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators and All Financial Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services

For fiscal year 2027 the insurance composite rate will be increasing to $17,652 annually or $1,471 per month. This rate represents the District’s portion of medical and life insurance premiums for an individual employee. Please ensure you are using this amount when forecasting personnel budget costs for next year.

Additionally, for fiscal year 2027 the industrial insurance rate will be increasing to 0.2%.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Dan Ellis at (801) 567-8389.

Thank you.