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The new English Language Arts Standards for elementary grades have been approved and are now available on the UEN website. It is common protocol for instructional standards in the state of Utah to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. The new standards have gone through rigorous revisions and state board approval. They will be in effect for the 2023-24 school year and can be viewed on the UEN website. Please share the attachment with the links with teachers to help them in the planning process for the 2023-24 school year.

Use the following links to access the new English Language Arts standards for the 2023-24 school year:

Step by Step Guide to Finding the New 2023 ELA Standards

New 2023 ELA Standards

Dear Administrators,

Each year parents must reapply for a space available permit for their student(s). This process will no longer be done by filling out a paper form issued by the school.

All space available permit requests will now be submitted online. Please see the instructions/tutorial on how parents can access and complete this online form.

Space Available Guideline Reminders:

  • Students who live within 1.5 miles of an elementary school and 2.0 miles of a middle or high school are identified as ineligible for transportation.
  • If space is available, students who live too close to the school to qualify for state supported bus service may be allowed to ride from the nearest existing approved bus stop.
  • Space available passes may be withdrawn at any time if an increase in eligible riders reduces the number of seats available.
  • Parents are responsible for the safety of their student(s) traveling to and from the bus stop. Bus stops will not be added to accommodate space available riders.
  • Space Available Passes will be issued within 15 calendar days after the school year begins.

WHO? YOU!
Are you looking to improve your ability to address the "elephant in the room"? Want to be able to better handle difficult conversations? Join members of the Culture and Diversity Team to hone your skills in a relaxed, open environment.

WHAT?
We'll be reading and discussing "Don't Feed the Elephants" by Sarah Noll Wilson and using her techniques to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

WHEN?
Meeting Dates: June 15th, July 6th, July 27th, and August 10th

Time and Location TBA
Zoom Option Available

Email gwen.creelerickson@jordandistrict.org to reserve your spot.

DATE:
June 1, 2023

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Head Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:
Elementary Administrative Assistants Optional Summer Hours


Elementary school administrative assistants have up to eighty (80) hours of additional time to use during the summer months after the 206 contract ends June 13, 2023 and before the contract begins July 26, 2023. These hours remain optional and flexible and are to be used in coordination with the school principal. No other assistant (full or part time) may use these additional hours.

It is suggested the hours be spread out over the summer months when the administrative assistant is off contract and be used to keep registration current in Skyward and address other matters that typically build up over the summer months (voicemails, purchase verifications, time sheets, etc.). The hope is that these summer hours will aid the school in a successful opening for the students.

The hours should be reported through True Time under the heading “Summer Office Hours” and will be charged to account number: 10 E xxx 0050 2483 152.

DATE:
June 1, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators 

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

SUBJECT:
Summer Content Monitoring


During the summer months, from June 5th until August 22nd, content monitoring and notifications will have some temporary changes.

  • Notifications to schools will only include administration and not counseling or mental health professionals. This allows for 12-month employees to still receive notifications and not those who are off contract. The notifications will go to the entire team of admin at each school in case there are administrators that are out of the office.
  • Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 2pm to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
  • Content monitoring will be checked once per week while school is not in session. 
  • We will continue to receive imminent alerts and will continue to work with administrators when immediate intervention is required.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

District Cabinet has approved a change to the end-of-year schedule for Kindergarten testing beginning May 2024. Kindergarten teachers will still have six testing days; however, the testing window will be divided into a five-day block with a scheduled day for makeup testing on the last day of the school year. The second-to-last day of the school year will become the last day of school for Kindergarten. This change will impact both full-day and half-day students.

The calendars at http://planning.jordandistrict.org/calendars/ for 2023-24 and 2024-25 have been updated to reflect the change.

We have been approved to move over to a new IEP platform. We will be moving from Goalview/EdPlan to Embrace. Embrace is a program that has multiple programs under one. We will use the system as our IEP system, Medicaid system and 504 system.

Goalview will be decommissioned and no longer operate as of June 30, 2023. Embrace will be in place as our system for documenting and maintaining compliance for IEPs, Medicaid, and 504s. We will begin the migration of data over the summer and provide training during the Special Education Summer Conference.

Training for School Psychologists, Counselors, and Clinical Staff on the 504 components of Embrace will be conducted at another time.

You are strongly encouraged to attend the Embrace training in person on August 8th.

We will also have administrative sessions to highlight what administrators will want to know about Embrace on August 8th as well. We are excited about the new system and the opportunities moving forward.

If you have questions, please contact your Teacher Specialist.

 

Principals,
Please share the following information and attached flyer with any faculty that may be interested.

Dear Colleague:

Are you interested in shaping the future of Utah education?
Join us for the 2023-2024 BYU Education Policy Institute.

Engaging in education policy is crucial if you are interested in. . .

  • Contributing your perspective, experience, and expertise to better informed and inclusive policies
  • Improving educational outcomes
  • Addressing societal challenges, such as poverty, unemployment, social mobility
  • Promoting equity and inclusivity
  • Fostering innovation and adaptability
  • Ensuring accountability and transparency
  • Influencing resource allocation

Together we are empowered to make a difference!

See the attached flyer for details and registration information.

I hope to have you join us.

Bryan Bowles
Professor, Educational Leadership & Foundations
Brigham Young University

DATE:  
May 24, 2023

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT:
Panorama – Wrapping up the current year


What to expect over the summer: Shortly after the end of the current school year, Panorama will “freeze” the data in the platform to show the final data from the 2022-2023 school year. Our nightly downloads stop a few weeks after the last day of school to account for the data in your SIS being finalized. If you are running school or district professional development over the summer, you’ll be able to review data from 2022-2023 and revise support notes. Please note that the platform does not support summer school sessions and that data will not appear in Student Success.

Best practices to wrap up the current year: This article on Panorama Academy contains recommendations and guidance for how you and your users can effectively wrap up the 2022-2023 school year.

Back to School: This article on Panorama Academy will help you prepare for back-to-school in Panorama. On or about August 14th Panorama will begin downloading student data, after that date, rosters will be displayed. At the beginning of the year rosters will change frequently.

Have questions? Find answers to frequently asked questions related to our process to close out the school year and prepare for the new one here. And of course, you can always reach out to your Panorama team with any additional questions!

As a reminder: Panorama operates on FERPA. Therefore, students graduating, moving schools, or withdrawing will not be in Panorama in the fall. To ensure that you have all the data you feel like you need it is strongly suggested that you save/print your current years data on or before June 12, 2023.

Resources:

Please reach out to Travis Hamblin @ travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org for any training or program needs.

Throughout the summer, Spencer Campbell, Principal at Kelsey Peak Middle School, will provide weekly virtual workshops for administrators on using Google tools to increase productivity and efficiency. The schedule of topics is listed below, along with the Zoom link and agenda. He will answer questions in the live session; timestamped recordings will be available in a shared drive folder afterward.

What: Google Training for Administrators and Admin Assistants
When: Tuesday from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (Except the week of the fourth)

Schedule:
June 6th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Gmail/Chrome Add to Calendar
June 13th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Google Calendar Add to Calendar
June 27th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Drive/Docs Add to Calendar
July 6th, 10-1 (Thursday) Forms/Sheets Add to Calendar
July 11th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Chat/Sidebars/Contacts Add to Calendar
July 18th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Keep/Tasks/Reminders Add to Calendar
July 25th, 10-11 (Tuesday) Chrome Extensions and AI tools Add to Calendar

Who: All administrators looking for productivity tips and time-saving tools using Google Workspace.
Where: Zoom https://uetn-org.zoom.us/j/89395769701 Passcode 221862
Agenda: Click Here (Zoom link is included on the agenda)

Students enrolled in a district preschool must have the PEEP testing administered by their Preschool Teacher. The testing will happen during the KEEP testing period. Preschool Teachers have been instructed to send a copy of the PEEP protocol to the Principal of the incoming school no later than the end of the day on Tuesday, May 30th. Please do not schedule district preschool students to take the PEEP at your school. If you have any questions, please contact Kristy Whiteside or Jessica Hayes at 801-567-8510.

 

Thank you!

We are excited to announce our beginning-of-year reading challenges: Planet Kindergarten & First-Grade Flight School. The Elementary Literacy Specialists will be out visiting kindergarten and first grade teams to invite them to participate in these challenges. These challenges will help put students on the path to meet end-of-year literacy goals!

See the attached invitations for the goals and resources.

 

 

The Elementary Literacy Specialists are looking for kindergarten and first grade teams who are interested in being Reader Leaders. The goal is to create a Professional Learning Community in classrooms across the district. This is an opportunity to share ideas, collaborate, build capacity as a team, and ultimately increase student literacy success. Specialists will be visiting schools to meet with all kindergarten and first grade teams over the next two weeks and to invite teams to apply to this coaching opportunity. Space will be limited. If a team from your building is selected for this three-week Reader Leader cycle, the Literacy Specialists will reach out to administrators and coaches to get approval and establish a timeline for the coaching cycle.

See the attached invitation that will be shared with teams.

 

Google has limited the amount of cloud storage that is allocated to the district. As a result of this change, Google Photos for Jordan School District Google accounts will be discontinued this summer. This does not affect the use of Google Photos with a personal account.

To determine if this affects you, go to google.com or mail.google.com on a district device and log in with your Jordan School District credentials. Click on the “waffle” icon in the top, right corner of the screen, then select “Photos” from the available applications. If you find photos and want to keep them, you will need to move those photos to a different account or location.

If you have any questions, you can call the Information Systems Help Desk at 801-567-8737.

The following are new administrative assignments:

  • New Assignments and Transfers effective July 1, 2023:
    • Bryan Veazie, principal at Copper Hills High appointed the District Athletics and Activities Director (new) at the District Office.
    • Rae Garrison, principal at West Jordan Middle appointed principal at Copper Hills High, replacing Bryan Veazie.
    • Eric Price, principal at Fort Herriman Middle appointed principal at West Jordan Middle, replacing Rae Garrison.
    • Glen Richins, assistant principal at Herriman High appointed principal at Fort Herriman Middle, replacing Eric Price.
    • Sonja Burton Juarez, principal at JATC-South assigned principal at JATC-North & South Campuses.
    • Brady Bartholomew, assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High assigned assistant principal at Riverton High, replacing Matt Tranter.
    • Marni Davis, assistant principal at West Hills Middle assigned assistant principal at Riverton High, replacing Dave Tilby.
    • Russell Stephenson, administrative intern at Joel P. Jensen Middle and Oquirrh Hills Middle appointed assistant principal at West Hills Middle, replacing Marni Davis.
    • Brittany Andersen, administrative intern at Copper Hills High appointed assistant principal at Copper Hills High, replacing Rich Price.
    • Jentry Johnson, assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High assigned assistant principal at Herriman High, replacing Julie Scherzinger who was announced previously.
    • Jane Harward, consultant in the Teaching & Learning Department assigned assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High, replacing Jentry Johnson.
    • Raimee Jensen, assistant principal at Hidden Valley Middle assigned assistant principal at West Jordan Middle, replacing Georgia Wing.
    • Tyler Jones, assistant principal at Valley High assigned assistant principal at Hidden Valley Middle, replacing Raimee Jensen.
    • Jack Pay, administrative intern at Sunset Ridge Middle and West Hills Middle appointed assistant principal at Valley High, replacing Tyler Jones.
    • Chris Titus, principal at JATC-North assigned assistant principal at Herriman High, replacing Glen Richins.
    • Stewart Hudnall, assistant principal at Bingham High assigned assistant principal at JATC-North & South Campuses.
    • Vaega Toilolo, administrative intern at Bingham High appointed assistant principal at Bingham High, replacing Stewart Hudnall.
    • Michelle Love-Day, consultant in Language & Culture Services appointed Director of the Department of Language & Culture Services.
    • Ami Shah, consultant in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion appointed Officer in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
  • New Secondary Administrative Intern Assignments effective July 1, 2023:
    • Britnee Eng, teacher at West Jordan High assigned administrative intern at Herriman High.
    • Kirt Davis, teacher at Riverton High assigned administrative intern at West Jordan High.
    • Austin Howarth, teacher at Scott M. Matheson Junior High in Granite School District assigned administrative intern at Riverton High.
    • Katelyn Jenson, teacher at Riverton High assigned administrative intern at Copper Hills High.
    • Julianna Wing, CTE Coordinator at Herriman High assigned administrative intern at Bingham High.
    • Kyrstin Wingert, teacher specialist at South Hills Middle assigned administrative intern at Mountain Ridge High.
    • Karen Moore, instructional coach at West Jordan Middle assigned administrative intern at Joel P Jensen Middle.
    • Annie Orton, instructional coach at Olympus High in Granite School District assigned administrative intern at Copper Mountain Middle and Mountain Creek Middle.
    • Ethan Walsh, teacher at Mountain View High in Alpine School District assigned administrative intern at Sunset Ridge Middle and West Jordan Middle.
    • Samantha Robinson, instructional coach at Corner Canyon High in Canyons School District assigned administrative intern at West Hills Middle and Oquirrh Hills Middle.
  • New Elementary Administrative Intern Assignment effective July 1, 2023:
    • Kasey Dahl, teacher at Mountain Shadows Elementary assigned administrative intern at Ridge View Elementary, replacing Tim McConnell who is resigning.