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Category: Elementary Info

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants

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

We know that Utah schools work hard to increase financial literacy among students and their families, and my529, Utah’s 529 educational savings plan, appreciates your efforts. my529 looks forward to working with your school to help inform your parents and guardians about saving for their children’s future education expenses.

Under Utah law, elementary schools are required to provide information during school enrollment to parents or guardians of kindergarten students about saving for qualified education expenses, including details about my529 (see Utah Code Ann. § 53G-10-305) — and my529 is here to help.

Each year, my529 sends brochures to elementary school principals to fulfill this requirement. To help get the word out about saving for qualified education expenses, my529 will send enough brochures for each school’s entire student body. Please ensure they are distributed at the beginning of the school year. The brochure is also available in Spanish.

If you have questions about my529, the elementary school brochures, or if your school would like a PDF version of the brochure or Spanish-language brochures, please contact Taryn Owen, Marketing Specialist, at 801.456.7344 or email towen@my529.org.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators
Coaches
Kindergarten Teachers

FROM:
Carolyn Gough - Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Jessica Stowe - Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning
Mandy Thurman - Elementary Literacy Consultant of Teaching and Learning

Dear Kindergarten Teachers,

It’s so exciting to begin another school year and our second year of Planet Kindergarten and Letter Launch! Last year, our kindergarten students left kindergarten and began first grade in a stronger place than they have historically. That is something worth celebrating!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Letter Launch Workshop. Thank you to everyone who participated and especially to those who shared their expertise by teaching breakout sessions. I’ve heard so much positive feedback about the presentations! I’ve posted all of the resources shared by our presenters on the Letter Launch Workshop page of the K–2 Goals website.

We have one more Letter Launch class on September 11 at 1:30-3:30. This is a repeat of last year’s Letter Launch class and is designed for new teachers, those who were unable to attend previously, or anyone who would like a refresher.  Please register in Canvas.

Upcoming Dates & Kindergarten Goals

I’ll be sending newsletters throughout the year to help you stay up to date on data and give you a glimpse into some of the inspiring things happening across the district.

Kindergarten has two goals for the first quarter:

    • Students will be able to identify 43 first sounds on Acadience progress monitoring
    • Students will be able to name all letters and their corresponding sounds

Mastery Connect dates for letter and sound data:

  • September 4 — First optional progress monitoring opportunity in Mastery Connect 
  • October 2 — Second optional progress monitoring opportunity in Mastery Connect
  • November 6 — District benchmark for letters and sounds in Mastery Connect

These optional progress-monitoring dates are an opportunity not only to see your classroom data, but also to become familiar with Mastery Connect and the many features the platform has to offer. Larisa Nageli is over Mastery Connect and would be more than happy to talk through any questions or concerns you have. 

Most importantly, remember that you are not in this alone. If at any time you feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or simply aren’t sure what to do next, the literacy team is here to support you. When you share your questions or concerns with us, you help us better understand what teachers need and plan meaningful training and support.

Thank you for all that you do each day. Your work matters tremendously. There isn’t a day that goes by that our literacy department doesn’t recognize the dedication, creativity, and hard work you are putting into building strong readers across Jordan School District.

We are so excited to see what this year brings!

With gratitude,

Lori McCarty 

Published on

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith McPhail, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

The following information is being provided for your awareness and to share with staff members as needed. While we are still finalizing some aspects of this rollout, please feel free to begin moving forward with these guidelines as you consider the needs of your students and programs. Lunchroom managers are already in compliance with food served in cafeterias.

Please make note of the exceptions to State Code included on the attached flyer. We've also included a template that you may share with teachers who would like to request permission from parents to provide food in the classroom. Principals should approve any permission slips as well as any personalized information about food usage in the classroom that is sent home by teachers. If your teachers have already incorporated this permission into their disclosures, there is no need to change their process at this time.

If you have further questions, please contact your AOS.

Published on

DATE:
August 20, 2026    

TO:
All Administrators    

FROM:
Ian Roberts, Director of Facility Services   

SUBJECT:
2026-2027 Facility Services Contact Updates 

Facility Services has a number of updates to personnel for the 2026 – 2027 school year. You  will find the updated contact information and area responsibilities within the facilities department below. Refer to Facility Services web page for any additional information. Please  share these updates with your administrative assistants and custodians.

 

 

Published on

TO:
Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

Annual Leave During the Contract Days Before School Starts
All Licensed Employees

8/10/26-8/17/26
Licensed employees may not use annual/personal leave during the contract days before school starts. However, they may, through correlation with the principal, arrange to exchange one of these days for another non-contract day.

Annual or Personal Leave During the First Five Days of School
All Licensed and ESP Employees

8/19/26-8/25/26 Elementary Schools
8/18/26-8/24/26 Secondary Schools
8/18/26-8/24/26 District Offices Auxiliary Services

DP335NEG-Annual Leave-Licensed
DP335B-Annual Leave-Education Support Professionals

Per District policy, annual or personal leave days may not be used during the first five days of school, unless the leave reason is listed in policy as an exception. If any of the exceptions do apply, you must provide both the leave reason and the policy exception in the time off description. If the leave reason does not meet the policy exceptions, Licensed employees will be docked $170 and ESP employees will be docked 40% of their daily rate.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, August 20, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Record of August 11th Professional Learning Day Attendees

School administrators may access a Tableau dashboard that contains a record of all educators who signed in using the QR codes for the morning keynote sessions during the August 11th professional learning day.  The dashboard may be accessed here.  Administrators may also filter the list by conference location.

For questions about this dashboard, please refer to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026

TO:
All Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Jordan District Nurses

SUBJECT:
Medication Administration Training

Utah State Law and District Policy requires that all school personnel delegated to administer medication to students in schools must complete Medication Administration Training. 

New employees who will be giving medication are required to attend the live training on Friday, September 11, 2026. 

For the 2026-27 school year, all medication training and sign-ups will be done through Canvas. Everyone in the district has a Canvas account through your district email. You must sign up using the links in this email. If you need help, contact your nurse. ( If you are not able to add the class after logging in, you may already have it in your cart)

If you are a new staff member administering medications in our district, please register for the In-person Medication class. If you are a returning staff member who has completed in-person training in our district in the past, you may sign up for the Online Medication Training.

As a note, we have added a section to this training that includes reminders for the health room and treating common injuries/conditions seen in the health room. This addition must also be completed to receive your certificate. As a friendly reminder, be sure to view the video in its entirety before taking the quiz. Your certificate should be emailed to you from Canvas. The attached instructions also go over how to find your certificate if it is not emailed to you.
Please make sure to print your completion certificate for your school nurse to sign.

Please forward to any staff who need to complete the training. 

Medication Administration Training
Friday, September 11, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
District Office Room 129

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Jordan School District Nurses

SUBJECT:
Immunization Policy and Guidelines, Skyward and USIIS In-service

Jordan School District Nurses will be conducting this in-service on:

Friday, September 18, 2024
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
ASB, PDC Room 101

This in-service is open to all office staff and administrators. If you are involved with new student registration, this in-service will be of benefit to you. 

Class size is limited. Please contact your school nurse if you are planning to attend. See attached nurse assignment list for 2026-27.

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2025

TO:
All School-based Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
August 2026 Discipline Code Update

Two new discipline codes have been added for the 2026-27 school year. Please begin using these codes immediately:

IES: Indecent Exposure (Self) – Used when a student exposes their own private parts to others.
IEO: Indecent Exposure (Other) – Used when a student causes another student’s private parts to be exposed (through any means, including “pantsing” another student)

New discipline code cards should be arriving shortly via district mail for all administrators.

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026

TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Third Party Information Release Opt-Out

Parents (and students over the age of 18) have the right to opt-out of the release of their student’s directory information to third parties. This right is communicated to parents annually in the FERPA, PPRA, and Directory Information notices in the online “Registration for Schools” process.

To opt-out, parents must provide a written request to the school principal within the first ten school days of the year.
Parents (and students over the age of 18) should be encouraged to use the “Request to Withhold Information” form. The request (whether on the form or by other written means) must be uploaded to the student’s cumulative folder in Skyward. Once received and uploaded to the cumulative folder, the request is entered in Skyward on the Profile screen. The fields are located at the bottom of the screen (as shown below):

The field meanings are as follows:
• Military: Allow release of information to military recruiters
• Higher Ed: Allow release of information to post-secondary institutions
• Public: Allow release of information to local media or public source (schools must still obtain permission before posting student images or information on social media, websites, or before participation in media interviews and stories)
• District: This field is not used and can remain “YES”.
• Local: Allows use of information in items such as yearbooks, performance programs, and sports rosters.

Requests for opt-out must be processed promptly, as various agencies and entities are already submitting requests for
information. The written request can be filed in the student’s cumulative folder. When entered in Skyward, the opt-out
will remain from year-to-year until the parent submits a request reauthorizing the release of information.

Parents may opt-out after the first ten days of the school year but should be informed that information may already
have been released prior to their request.

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026

TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Annual Reminder of Memos from Planning & Enrollment

School staff are requested to review the following memos that contain reminders of time-sensitive information from Planning & Enrollment. The content of these memos has not changed and remains applicable to schools.

• Initial Enrollment Without Birth Certificate
• Assigning Discipline Officers and Counselors for New-to-School Secondary Students
• New Student Grade Level Placement
• Enrollment of Returning Charter School Students

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources Melissa
Flores, General Counsel
Buddy D. Alger, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
August 2026: Responding to Subpoenas and Other Orders

Subpoenas and other court orders received by schools require immediate attention and response. There are legal requirements for responding that must be met, meaning schools cannot respond on their own. When school staff wait to request assistance in responding, even if only by a day or two, the District’s ability to either challenge the subpoena or meet the compliance deadline is hampered.

Please note that a subpoena is different from a record request. Record requests from the parent/guardian or eligible student can be processed by the school. In the event of confusion as to what the request is, contact Caleb Olson.

For subpoenas or other court orders regarding student records:
• The receiving school staff member should immediately notify the site administrator. Under DP367 - District Records Management, the site administrator bears responsibility for records at each site or location.
• The site administrator (or receiving staff member, if directed) should send a copy of the subpoena or order to Caleb Olson via MoveIt the day it is received. Caleb Olson will coordinate the District’s response with the site administrator.

For subpoenas or other court orders regarding employees or employee records:
• The receiving school staff member should immediately notify the site administrator. Under DP367 - District Records Management, the site administrator bears responsibility for records at each site or location.
• The site administrator should send a copy of the subpoena or order to April Gaydosh (HR Administrator) and Melissa Flores (General Counsel) via MoveIt the day it is received. Further information will be provided to the site administrator.

For other court orders, including search warrants or orders where the staff is unclear as to the purpose, the site administrator should provide a copy of the order to General Counsel Melissa Flores via MoveIt AND should make contact via phone or text as soon as reasonably possible.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning

In June 2026, administrators across the district shared excellent ideas and strategies for incorporating Portrait of a Graduate characteristics in their schools and departments. Check out these links to individual schools to reflect on the good ideas that were shared and to inspire your team to think intentionally about how POG can become part of your Academic, Behavioral, or SEW systems in your school.

Published on

TO:
Principals & Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Katie Bastian, Director of Nutrition Services

Spread the word! Let your families know Free & Reduced Meal Eligibility Notification Letters are electronic going forward. Parents will receive their Free & Reduced Eligibility Letter by email and it is also available to view and print in Skyward Family Access. See the attached instructions for assistance. Contact Nutrition Services with any questions.

Published on

TO:
Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

Annual Leave During the Contract Days Before School Starts
All Licensed Employees

8/10/26-8/17/26

Licensed employees may not use annual/personal leave during the contract days before school starts. However, they may, through correlation with the principal, arrange to exchange one of these days for another non-contract day.

Annual or Personal Leave During the First Five Days of School
All Licensed and ESP Employees

8/19/26-8/25/26    Elementary Schools
8/18/26-8/24/26    Secondary Schools
8/18/26-8/24/26    District Offices & Auxiliary Services

DP335NEG-Annual Leave-Licensed
DP335B-Annual Leave-Education Support Professionals

Per District policy, annual or personal leave days may not be used during the first five days of school, unless the leave reason is listed in policy as an exception. If any of the exceptions do apply, you must provide both the leave reason and the policy exception in the time off description. If the leave reason does not meet the policy exceptions, Licensed employees will be docked $170 and ESP employees will be docked 40% of their daily rate.

Published on

TO:
Directors, Administrators, Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Mike Trimmell, HR Assistant Director

Vector reports allow you to see who has or has not started and who has completed crucial policies. Every principal and director has access to these reports. 

Please let us know who else you would like to have access to these reports at your site / in your department. Please fill out the form below to grant access to reports for your school / department. 

VECTOR REPORTS ACCESS FORM

Crucial Policies Due Date:
September 15, 2026

Questions:
If you have questions regarding Crucial Policies or Vector Reports, please contact Kyla Robertson or Mike Trimmell in Human Resources:

Phone: 801-567-8150

Email: kyla.robertson@jordandistrict.org / michael.trimmell@jordandistrict.org

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent 
Cherie Oliver, Jordan Education Foundation Coordinator

Fill your school pantry before students return. Here are the next Open Pantry days:

August 11th - 9am-11am
August 12th - 1pm-3pm
August 27th - 9am-11am
September 1st - After Principal’s Mtg

Published on

TO:
Principals and Administrators

FROM:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

We are pleased to announce that Jan Hoegh's principal training, originally scheduled for June 2026, will now be on October 6th during our scheduled principals’ meeting.

To keep our fall schedule balanced, we have updated our November dates:
Principal Meeting will now be held on November 3.
Assistant Principal Meetings will be held on November 10 and November 17.
All meetings will still take place at the JLC.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, August 6, 2026

TO:
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Fall 2026 Testing Bulletin

School administrators may view the most up-to-date testing bulletin, complete with test administration and survey administration windows, by clicking on ‘Elementary School’ under the heading Testing Bulletins on the front page of the website for Assessment, Research & Accountability:

ASSESSMENT SCREEN SHOT

You may also access the elementary school testing bulletin here or attached with this memo.

For questions about any of the federal, state or district assessments or surveys, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:
August 6, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Resource Officers

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy D. Alger, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Required Annual District SRO & Administrator Training

The annual District School Resource Officer training is scheduled for the date and time below. Attendance is mandatory for all SROs and at least one administrator per school. Additional administrators are highly encouraged and welcome to attend. No registration required.

● Date: August 28, 2026
● Time: 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
● Location: JATC South Auditorium

If you have any questions, please reach out to Matt Alvernaz, District School Safety Coordinator, at
matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or (801) 567-8623.