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Category: Elementary Info

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increases the risk of crashing. While all distractions can endanger drivers’ safety, texting is the most alarming because it involves all three types of distraction.

See the flyer below for more information.

Published on

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

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

SUBJECT:
Home School Updates – May 2025

Please note the following updates on home school processes and procedures.

Home School Affidavit Requirement Eliminated
HB209 from the 2025 legislative session takes effect on May 7, 2025. This law eliminates the requirement that parents submit a written affidavit prior to starting home school with their children, replacing the affidavit with a “one-time initial notification, that may include a letter of intent, to the local school board.”

The following changes will take effect on May 7, 2025, and should be communicated to parents with questions about home schooling:

  • Parents no longer need to complete a written affidavit or visit Student Services to submit an affidavit; however, parents are still required to notify the District when they intend to home school.
  • Parents should be directed to send an email to homeschool@jordandistrict.org. In the email, we would request the parent provide the following:
    • Parent name
    • Address (for verification of district residency)
    • Student(s) name
    • Student date of birth or current grade
  • The parent will receive an automatic reply confirming their notification. The reply will also provide links to state curriculum and notify the parent that the District is no longer responsible for providing instruction or other services.
  • This information is also available for parents at http://planning.jordandistrict.org/homeschool/
  • When Student Services receives a notification from the parent of a current student and we ARE ABLE to verify the identity of the parent, the school of enrollment will be notified so that the student can be withdrawn.
  • When Student Services receives a notification from the parent of a current student and IS NOT ABLE to verify the identity of the parent, the school of enrollment will be notified so that the notification can be confirmed with the parent by the school and the student can be withdrawn.

The parent may also provide the notification to Student Services (801-567-8183) via phone call or in-person at the District Office.

Students who began home school prior to May 7, 2025 using an affidavit do not need to resubmit notification to the district.

Withdrawing Home School Students
When a school withdraws a student to home school, the student should be inactivated for the current and following school years and a withdrawal code of “TH” should be entered.

Utah Fits All Scholarship Students
Students who participate in the “Utah Fits All” (UFA) Scholarship are ineligible to enroll in Jordan School District for classes, including classes offered through the JATC. UFA scholarship funds for enrollment may only be spent with approved providers. At this time, the District has chosen not to become an approved provider, so any UFA student who chooses to enroll in District courses must return all scholarship funds.

Published on

DATE:   
May 1, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM:   
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Michelle Reyes, Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:  
April Attendance Newsletter & Resources

Please see the attached newsletter for Panorama attendance resources, training opportunities & truancy mediation.

Published on

TO:
School Principals
Administrators

FROM:
Katie Bastian, Director of Nutrition Services

When we say school nutrition professionals are heroes, we mean it! That's why we celebrate them every spring with the National School Lunch Hero Day. Join schools across the country that are recognizing the difference these team members make for every child who comes through their cafeteria.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director, Language and Culture Services

WIDA Scores will be available in early May. As you are reviewing data and preparing to send home letters to families, consider the following resources:

If you have any questions, please reach out to your school’s Language Teacher Specialist - lcs.jordandistrict.org/language.

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Teachers
Counselors

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director, Language and Culture Services

Language & Culture Services is providing a series of Professional Development throughout the summer, beginning in May!

May 19 & 20 - Addressing Discriminatory Language in Schools
For Administrators & Counselors only. Click on a date below to enroll.
Location: ASB Auditorium

June 17 & 20 - Family Engagement & Newcomer Support
For administrators/school leaders, teachers. Click on a date below to enroll.
Location: Juniper Elementary School

July 29 & 31 - Instructing Multilingual Learners - 0.5 USBE Credit Available
For educators and licensed staff working with & instructing MLs. Click on a date below to enroll.
Location: Juniper Elementary School

August 7 - Interpreter Certification Course
For JSD Employees providing interpretation in schools
Enroll here
  • Time: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Location: District Office, Room 129 - 7387 S Campus View Drive, West Jordan, Utah, 84084

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

School-Based Associates Opportunity
The Jordan School District is excited to announce the School-Based Associates (SBA) program for the 25-26 school year. For many years, past CITES/ BYU Public School Partnership Associates participants have asked about bringing the powerful learning experiences within CITES/ BYU Public School Partnership Associates back to their colleagues in the classroom. JSD School-Based Associates will now make that desire a possibility!

The JSD School Based Associates mini grant awards will help schools nurture classroom teacher leaders (who are prior Associates alumni) as they facilitate cohort sessions for their school. The grant funds include a compensation stipend for teacher leaders. School cohorts explore ideas toward gaining a deeper understanding of education and the Partnership Commitments. Associates fosters collegial connections, exchange of viewpoints with one another, and builds lasting relationships.

The mini grant application process has been streamlined into a brief google form. Administrators or teachers can initiate this grant for a school. Use the application guide to help you keep things simple. Call Chris Richards-Khong with questions 801-567-8158.

Zoom Link Q & A Drop-in Sessions Available
April 29, 2025
11:00 - 12:50 PM
2:30 - 3:50 PM

April 30, 2025
8:00 - 8:30 AM
https://uetn-org.zoom.us/j/89348952593?pwd=1EfcVNujjKwKwWgzJbM2Djuy7Vikw0.1#success

ATTACHMENTS:
School Based Associates Flyer

School Based Associates Application GUIDE

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, April 24, 2025

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Kinder, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:
Elementary Math Expression Surplus

Principals,

Please see the attached memo for directions on how to surplus Math Expressions materials at the end of the year.

Published on

DATE:   
April 22, 2025

TO:   
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance

SUBJECT:   
May School Psychologist & School Psychology Interns Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2025, from 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jordan Applied Technology Center—South (JATC-South). The address is 12723 South Park Avenue (2080 West) in Riverton. We will start at 12:00 p.m. with a pot luck luncheon. Kristin Francis, M.D., Child and Adolescent psychiatrist at Huntsman Mental Health Institute, will provide us with a presentation on recognizing eating disorders in young people.

Part-time Staff: I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.

cc:
Principals

Published on

DATE: 
April 24, 2025

TO:   
All Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Consultant, Student Support Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Save the Date: Summer 2025 Discipline Trainings

See information in the attached memo on discipline training opportunities in the summer.

 

Published on

DATE:  
April 22, 2025

TO:  
All Jordan School District Principals (with bus route students)

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kathy Jones, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator

SUBJECT:
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2024-2025

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this spring. This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, April 28 through Friday, May 2, 2025

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. This procedure will take place at your school and within the students’ regular bus drop off/pick up zone. All professional school bus drivers that transport students are required to perform evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. Bus evacuation will be through the rear door, side door, front door or any combination of the three. Students will then, under the direction and supervision of the bus driver, evacuate and meet in a safe place approximately 100 feet away from the bus.

Your assistance is welcome but not mandatory to complete this required evacuation drill quickly, safely and effectively.

We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Garett York, JAESP Committee
Kaleb Yates, JAESP Committee
Ann Pessetto, JAESP Committee
Megan Cox, JAESP Committee

Get ready to celebrate the superheroes of our schools! Mark your calendars and prepare for a midday fiesta on June 9, 2025, at 12:00 PM!

We're throwing a special lunch bash to shower our incredible Elementary Administrative Assistants with appreciation. You are the backbone, the magic-makers who keep everything running smoothly, and frankly, we'd be lost without you!

Principals, Assistant Principals, and Administrative Assistants, consider this your official save-the-date to join the fun and raise a fork (or two!) in honor of these amazing individuals. Let's make this a celebration they truly deserve! Circle June 9th in bright red and get ready to party!

Published on

DATE:
April 24, 2025

TO:
Elementary Principals
Head Administrative Assistants

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

SUBJECT:
Elementary Administrative Assistants Trade Days and Summer Hours

Elementary administrative assistants are calendared to work 206 days in a school year, including 5 days in which students and teachers are not in the building. These days generally occur the Friday after parent-teacher conferences (2) and on grade transmittal days (3). The PTC days can already be traded for the Friday compensation day if the administrative assistant works both evenings of the PTC. They are also allowed to be paid for up to 10 additional optional days during the summer months, which are not included in their 206-day contract. These days are intended to provide additional pay for them to keep up with work, such as student enrollments, over the summer.

Beginning immediately, greater flexibility may be provided to Elementary administrative assistants by:

  • Trading up to 5 non-student/teacher work days during the school year to work in the summer months, and/or
  • Converting up to 5 optional summer days into pool hours for office assistants to work additional hours from July 2025 to June 2026.

Option 1
Elementary administrative assistants may choose to trade up to 5 contracted days (three grade transmittal and two PTC compensation days) to use as additional work days the following summer. This could provide up to 15 additional work days in the summer.

Option 2
Elementary administrative assistants may choose to convert up to (5) five of their optional summer days into additional pool hours for their office assistants to work July 2025 - June 2026. For every full day that is not used as an additional day by the administrative assistant, 10 hours will be added to the pool hours to be used by the office assistants to work from July 2025 to June 2026.

Option 3
Elementary administrative assistants may choose to do a combination of options 1 and 2, not to exceed 5 trade days in the school year and not to exceed 5 converted pool hour days to use for office assistants.

Tracking
For Option 1 - Administrative assistants will have an option in the Skyward Time Off System to log the grade transmittal day as a “Trade Time - Days” with the reason code “Trade Time Day Taken Off” for building principals to approve. When they work the day in the summer, they will need to log it in the Skyward Time Off System as a “Trade Time - Days” with the reason code “Trade Time Day Worked”. This information will also need to be documented on the Pool Hours spreadsheet.

For Option 2 - A Google form will be available in the checkout materials to declare the number of optional days that will be converted to pool hours for the upcoming school year. These hours will then be documented and tracked in the Pool Hours spreadsheet by the district AOS administrative assistants.

A Google form will be distributed as part of Principal Checkout. Building principals will need to approve these converted days on the Google form and submit it as part of the checkout process.

Published on

DATE:  
April 17, 2025

TO:      
Elementary Principals

FROM: 
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services Consultant

SUBJECT:
Elementary Media Assistants Guidelines

As part of our ongoing effort to enhance library services and support the District’s goals, guidelines for the work of elementary library assistants are provided below. They are designed to ensure a consistent and effective library experience for all students and staff across our district.

The primary responsibility of elementary school media assistants is administering the school library. The entire 17-hour weekly allocation is typically needed for this. As a result, additional duties outside the library should generally not be assigned.

Please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Please consult with the library media assistants as you plan the master schedule and assign class library times for the school year.
  • The schedule should include adequate time for assistants to prepare for classes of varying grade levels and complete tasks such as shelving books.
  • An open checkout time for students to independently come into the library to exchange books should be provided.
  • To ensure adequate supervision, please avoid combining classes for assigned library times.
  • Library assistants should be provided three overlapping hours each week to collaboratively plan and work on book promotions, displays, curriculum scheduling, lessons, and district projects.
  • Assistants should be given at least one week at the beginning of the school year to prepare the library for class visits. Two weeks are needed for shelving, cleaning, inventories, and record maintenance to prepare the library for closure at the end of the school year.

If assistants work beyond 17 hours per week, the additional time must be pre-approved by the principal and funded using school-based budgets.

Assistants scheduled to work over five hours in a single day are entitled to a 30-minute duty-free lunch break, which is not counted as part of the 17-hour paid schedule.

Four training meetings are held each year. Please work with your school’s assistants to make arrangements so both can attend each two-hour meeting.

Please contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364 if you have any questions about these guidelines.

Published on

DATE:     
April 17, 2025

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Important MHAP Updates

Due to changes in funding, the following updates to the Mental Health Access Program (MHAP) will take place in the spring and summer of 2025.

  • As of April 21st all MHAP referrals will be done by Kevin Mossel (even in secondary schools with a school-based clinician). This is because families referred for services to MHAP providers will NOT be authorized for $900 of services and we will be using new “end of year” forms and process to reflect this change.
  • The District will no longer be paying for MHAP services over the summer. MHAP services authorized will be covered through the end of the school year. After June 6, students and families will be transitioning to insurance or other forms of payment for services. Please do not set an expectation with students and their families that funds are available for services throughout the summer.
  • No new MHAP referrals will be accepted after Friday, May 16th, 2025. Kevin will follow up with families referred up until May 16th.

If you have any questions, please reach out to McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org, 88245) or Kevin Mossel (kevin.mossel@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

DATE:
April 17, 2025

TO:
Elementary Principals with Self-Contained Support Classrooms

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

SUBJECT:
2025 Elementary Unified Sports Day

Unified Sports Day will be held over two days this school year (May 28 & May 29). 

Location: Riverton High School

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

May 28, 2025 - Daybreak, Eastlake, Mountain Shadows, River’s Edge, Rocky Peak Virtual, Rose Creek, South Jordan, Terra Linda

May 29, 2025 - Antelope Canyon, Golden Fields, Heartland, Kauri Sue Hamilton School, Monte Vista, Mountain Point, Riverton, Riverside

This memo is for your information. Your self-contained support classroom teachers will handle the organization of the event for your school (as has been done in years past). The following documents will be sent to your self contained support classroom teachers in preparation for the events. 

Sports Day Information 

Permission slips: May 28th

Permission Slips: May 29th

Sample letter for the general education peer

For questions about Unified Sports Day, please contact Ashley Calhoun at (801) 567-8208 or ashley.calhoun@jordandistrict.org

 

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, April 17, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Norm Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant

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

SUBJECT:  
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Best Practices for Elementary Fine Arts Specialists

Applicant: Rachel L. Wadham, Brigham Young University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project and to solicit your participation in a survey. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

A survey will be distributed to elementary arts specialists and art teachers to discover best practices for instruction and classroom management in the fine arts classroom.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, April 17, 2025

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Exploration of the Male Student Achievement Gap

Applicant: Korie Bellamy, Weber State University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project and to solicit your participation in a survey. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

The research will involve 20-minute one-on-one interviews with language arts, math, science and social studies teachers.

Thank you for your assistance.