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Category: Elementary Info

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The full newsletter can be found at the link below. Stories include:

Celebrate Black History Month!
Taking a month out of the year to celebrate and recognize Black History, does not mean it's not important the other 11 months of the year. February is given to us to truly reach out and learn something new that we hadn’t known before. American and World history is so vast that as Dr. John Henrik Clarke states, “What we call Black history truly is the missing pages of world history.” The fact that many countries celebrate Black History demonstrates the many perspectives that should be honored when sharing pieces of the story in the History books. I always find myself in the habit of reading a historical story and wondering, “I wonder what was happening with the rest of the country during this time? What were the families from other cultures doing during that time? People suddenly don’t disappear when the Great Depression happened, but the schoolbooks certainly omitted a lot of people.”

Black History Month isn’t just for Black People to learn and engage with information. It’s for everyone. Half of the things we interact daily with were and are created by Black People: gas masks, protective mailboxes, the stoplight, automatic elevator doors, blood banks, home security systems, refrigerated trucks, the super soaker, tissue holders, clothes dryer, folding chairs, golf tea…. I could go on, Google can help you finish this exhaustive list. Because of that fact, everyone should take the time to learn about the people and culture behind the inventions.

The one thing I do each year is find an area that I want to learn more about surrounding Black History. The information is so vast, and I always received the Civil Rights information in school that I wanted to learn more beyond the struggle of gaining our alienable rights that were already bestowed upon Americans. Each year, I find a focus: famous Black poets, Black entrepreneurs, eras like the Harlem Renaissance or Motown.. each time I learn something new. I challenge everyone to do this. What do you not know too much about? With the amount of information on Google and YouTube, the possibilities are endless. If it still overwhelms you, simply go through the National Museum of African American History and Cultures website. This national treasure that is seated in DC has a plethora of information. Learn, grow, and know Black History is American History.

Culture Corner Set up a culture consultation!
Contact our Culture, Diversity, and Parent Outreach specialists to set up a consultation for you, your PLC, or your school. The CDO team can support you in the following ways:

  • Support for critical conversations (You are planning on a lesson that you anticipate will include critical conversations)
  • Training on critical conversation facilitation
  • Have the culture and diversity team come teach a lesson
  • Small group pull-out (no more than 10)

ELLevation Tips & Tricks
Teachers can easily add Activities to their Favorites folder for future viewing and lesson planning. There are two ways to favorite an Activity:

  1. While browsing: click the Favorite button located at the bottom left of each Activity card.
  2. In an Activity: click the Favorite button found on the left of the top bar.

After an Activity has been favored, you can access it by clicking on the left navigation slide-out menu.

ELD Lead Celebration
This month we are highlighting Angie Larson with Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle school! She is in her first year as an ELD lead and has done an excellent job of creating online content accessible to all students. She makes sure every student at the virtual middle school is getting the support they need to find success through their online learning. Thank you, Angie for being such a great example to your students and to our district!

Reflective Questions

  • What helps my students feel cared for and appreciated?
  • What can I do to show them how they are cared about?
  • How are my students represented in my curriculum and classroom?
  • How do I celebrate my student's diverse backgrounds?

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We have a schedule for the elementary schools to have a Spanish interpreter available for parent teacher conferences. Please notice that many schools will have those conferences held via zoom. We will share the assigned zoom link with those schools. 

If you have additional languages, please use this form to request interpreters.

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The District has recently conducted a bid for HP & Canon OEM Ink, Toner and Supplies. Effective immediately, 5 vendors have been awarded for HP supplies, and 5 vendors for Canon Supplies. This bid will be good for 5 years.

The following vendors should be used for your HP & Canon ink, toner and supplies moving forward:

HP OEM Supplies
Associated Business Technologies
Fisher’s Technology
Les Olson Company
Pacific Office Automation
Innovative Print Consulting

Canon OEM Supplies
Associated Business Technologies
Canon Solutions America-Supplies
Fisher’s Technology
Innovative Print Consulting
Pacific Office Automation

Here is a link to contact information for each vendor:
Vendor Contact Information

Please note that this contract is for OEM supplies only. This does not cover compatible inks and toners. We highly recommend using OEM ink and toners in your machines, especially in the Canon copiers. Some compatibles have caused damage to both HP and Canon machines in the past. We are also starting to see situations where some new HP printers are rejecting any compatibles and will only allow OEM toner to be installed. This is also happening on occasion when older printer models receive an update. Buying OEM supplies is the safest and best way to ensure that your machine runs optimally and that warranties are not voided.

If you have old machines that you are still using that HP and Canon are no longer manufacturing ink and toner for, then you can request compatibles when making your purchase. Please be aware that this contract cannot be referenced for these orders. If your order exceeds the $5,000 small dollar purchase threshold, you would need to get 3 quotes for your purchase.

We are asking that any existing open purchase orders for ink, toner and supplies be closed, even if the vendor is listed above. New open purchase orders will need to be created with additional language and referencing the new contract, or P-Cards can be used for your orders. Please fill out a Purchase Order Change/Delete Form for each open PO that needs to be closed. Please note “Close PO- New Contract”.

Please return the forms to Tonya Hodges in Purchasing at tonya.hodges@jordandistrict.org , or contact her if you need assistance with your orders.

 

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DATE:  
Thursday, February 9, 2023

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
AAPPL for DLI and 6th Grade CogAt Tableau Dashboards Updated with 2022-23 Results

AAPPL for DLI and the 6th grade CogAt results have been updated in Tableau with the 2022-23 results. The dashboards contain district, school, and individual student data. In addition, the AAPPL dashboards will display results by teacher. Tableau users may filter data by various demographic and student groupings as well.

AAPPL for DLI results may be accessed here:

Explore Menu > AAPPL for DLI Analysis

6th grade CogAt results may be accessed here:

Explore Menu > 6th Grade CogAt

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about these dashboards.

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DATE:    
Thursday, February 9, 2023

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators

FROM: 
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, 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: Music Integration in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

Applicant: Jennifer Gee, San Diego State University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee 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.

Thank you for your assistance.

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The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignment effective January 3, 2023:

  • Katie Jarvis, administrative intern at River’s Edge appointed assistant principal at River’s Edge.

New Assignments effective as soon as possible:

  • Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Lead in Information Systems appointed Support Services Manager in Information Systems.

New Assignments effective February 21, 2023:

  • Derek Bennett, administrative intern at Mountain Ridge High appointed assistant principal at West Jordan High, replacing Howard Griffith who is retiring.
  • Curtis Hagen, Staff Assistant at Auxiliary Services appointed assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High, replacing Derek Bennett.
  • Tim McConnell, retired administrator in Park City School District appointed assistant principal at Ridge View Elementary.

New Assignments effective July 1, 2023:

  • Michael Hutchings, assistant principal at West Jordan High appointed principal at West Jordan High, replacing James Birch who is retiring.
  • Rachel Hill, administrative intern at West Jordan High appointed assistant principal at West Jordan High, replacing Michael Hutchings.
  • Tamara Rajczyk, consultant in Special Education appointed principal at South Valley, replacing Rita Bouillon who is retiring.
  • Jennifer Ludlow, principal at West Jordan Elementary appointed principal at Oquirrh Elementary, replacing Shauna Worthington who is approved for a Sabbatical leave.
  • Abram Yospe, principal at Columbia Elementary appointed principal at Foothills Elementary, replacing Cherie Wilson who is retiring.
  • Keith Klein, principal at Etna Elementary in Lincoln County School District in Afton, WY appointed principal at Columbia Elementary, replacing Abram Yospe.
  • Vaega Toilolo, administrative intern at Bingham High appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Russell Stephenson, administrative intern at Joel P. Jensen Middle and Oquirrh Hills Middle appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Jessica Wilson, administrative intern at South Hills Middle and South Valley appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Jessica Hayes, administrative intern at Child Development Center appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Thyme Meleisea-Vea, administrative intern at Oak Leaf Elementary appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Angela Solum, assistant principal at Riley Elementary in Salt Lake School District appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
  • Janae Young, administrative intern at Aspen Elementary appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.

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DATE:
Thursday, February 9, 2023

TO: 
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, 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: Retaining State-Qualified Teachers: An Exploratory Case Study

Applicant: Amanda Bollinger, University of Phoenix

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee participation in the study is at your discretion. Survey participants who meet study criteria will be invited to participate in interviews or focus groups. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Thank you for your assistance.

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DATE:  
Thursday, February 9, 2023

TO: 
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, 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: Cross-Cultural Development and Psychometric Validation of the Beliefs about Behavior Scale in the U.S. and Taiwan

Applicant: Howard Fan, Idaho State University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee 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.

Thank you for your assistance.

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ALPS testing will be conducted during the school day at local schools from February 6  - March 14.  The GT office and/or the proctor for your site will contact you with dates and times for your school.  Please contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.

Thank you for accommodating the testing at your sites.

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Due to a conflict with busing, the Elementary Math Tournament will now be held on Thursday, April 6, 2023.  All other details and times will remain the same.

Please see the attached document for complete information.  Registration is due on Friday, February 17. Please register here.

Please contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.

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How To Become “Highly Qualified” and Receive LANE CHANGE INCREASE.

PARAPRO Testing is optional for most school locations but required for all Title One School locations. Applicants/Employees interested in working at a Title I school may contact the Title One school principal for additional testing options.

Please see the attached document for more information.

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This year, the annual Teacher Transfer Fair is open to all CURRENT JSD teacher/educators AND student teachers, interns and those on a 1-year agreement.  This event is for current Jordan School District teachers/educators seeking a new teaching/assignment opportunity! The transfer fair will be combined for both elementary and secondary teachers/educators.

Please come prepared with:

  • Your JSD ID badge – required to gain entry, AND
  • Copies of your resume available to distribute.

Come explore your options in JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT!

See the flyer below for more information.

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THANK YOU to Principals/Assistant Principals, Directors, JESPA Volunteers, HR Assistants, and the Communications Department for promoting and participating in the first JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB FAIR!

It was a GREAT success, as it resulted in the hiring of numerous new applicants for open positions throughout the District. A total of 207 households were in attendance and a total of 59 applications were COMPLETED in Frontline during and after the Job Fair. We are certain there will be more applications completed in the near future as a result of the Job Fair.

A special THANKS to Oquirrh Hills Middle for hosting this event and also to those who served as interpreters. The success of this event was due to the efforts of many individuals and groups.

THANK YOU all again for your contributions.

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DATE:
February 2, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Grief Conference Opportunity

Student Services is continuing to offer training opportunities for administration and school mental health team members with the unspent suicide prevention funds from prior years. With these remaining funds, we will be sponsoring the registration fees for an upcoming grief conference. The Bradley Center is hosting a full day training titled Traumatic Death: How to Help Those Left Behind.

Here is a description of what to expect from this opportunity: Since COVID-19 disrupted life for children and families worldwide, traumatic deaths have impacted millions. Local professionals deal with the impact of those and other traumatic deaths every day. Learn additional strategies to help clients cope.

This will take place on Friday, February 24th at the Mountain America Center. It is a full day of learning from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

For more information about the conference, you can visit https://bradleycentergrief.org/

If you or any of your school’s mental health team (school counselors, school psychologists, or clinical support/social workers) would like to attend, please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org. Provide an email with the full name, email address, office phone number and meal preference (vegetarian or not) of those who would like to register.

Seating is limited for this event. Please send in your request for registration as soon as possible!

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DATE:
January 26, 2023

TO:
Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
USBE - Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Workshop

School Administrators and other School Safety Friends,

You are invited to join the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) School Safety Center for a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Workshop. This workshop will prepare you to use the CSTAG model with your school threat assessment multi-disciplinary team.

  • Date: February 13, 2023 (Monday)
    **Optional Train-the-Trainer (TTT) February 14-15 with limited spots
  • Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (check-in at 7:30 AM)
  • Location: Jordan School District - Auxiliary Services Building
    7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, UT 84088
  • Presenter: Dr. Farah Williams
  • Target Audience: School employees who serve on the school’s threat assessment multidisciplinary team, such as School Administrators (e.g., principal or assistant principal), School Resource Officers, and School-based Mental Health Providers (School Counselors, School Psychologists, or School Social Workers).
  • Structure: This training is offered as a 7-8 hour training for up to 80 individuals that consists of in-person instruction and peer-to-peer collaboration. A manual will be provided for registered participants.
  • Content: What is covered in the workshop?
  • Registration: Eventbrite

 In accordance with 53G-8-802, R277-400, R277-403, R277-736.

**There will be a limited, invitation-only CSTAG Train-the-Trainer (TTT) held February 14-15, 2023. If you are interested in having someone from your Local Education Agency (LEA) become a CSTAG trainer, please email me, Rhett Larsen.

Visit https://www.schoolta.com/ for more information about Dr. Cornell and CSTAG.

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All second-grade teachers, coaches, and administrators are invited to join the literacy team for Second-Grade Night Out on February 1st at 4:15 at South Jordan Middle School. This month we will be talking about vocabulary instruction and best practices for second-grade teachers. Please join us for this informative and fun evening! Please share the attached flier with anyone who may be interested in attending.

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DATE:
January 18, 2023

TO:
Principals

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

SUBJECT:
Panorama Student Success Implementation and Renewal

The Panorama Student Success platform is a tool to proactively identify student needs and focus on building students’ sense of belonging and relationships. This platform provides immediate and timely information to quickly identify students who may be in need of interventions. Student Success is, at its most basic function, a data-dashboard for school teams to diagnose school/student needs and areas in need of immediate attention. When used, this tool will empower your teams to identify, track, and intervene with students more effectively.

Panorama’s Student Success platform is an early warning system and the only such vendor approved by the State. Currently each elementary, middle, and high school in Jordan District is on the State approved list for the subsidized amount of $2,000. For 2022-23 school year only, Student Services covered the cost for every school to have full access to Student Success. The Student Success contract ends on June 30, 2023.

This information is being shared with you at this time so you may plan your budgets accordingly.

If you are in need of any training, whether it be a refresher or in-depth, please reach out to Travis Hamblin at travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8439. Trainings can be done in-person or virtually or time can be arranged with Panorama to conduct an ‘office hours’ drop-in style training.

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Some elementary schools have an old “Special Programs” banner hanging in their halls. These banners were distributed many years ago, and some of the programs they promoted are no longer active. Schools can feel free to remove the banner from their halls.

Of note: The Teaching and Learning department still sponsors enrichment programs such as debate, Monster Math, Story Weavers, and the math tournament. More information about the enrichment programs can be found on the Gifted and Talented website  or by contacting Rebecca Smith @ 88368.

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Since the number of Walk to Read extension groups has increased, schools may need extra copies of the resources the Gifted and Talented department provided when Walk to Read began.

If your school is using the resources for more than one classroom of students in Walk to Read extensions, you can order more copies on this Google form.

You can view the cover of the resource books on this link.

Before ordering on the form---  Please verify with your grade-level teams as to the resources they are using, the number of extension groups, and the additional copies that are needed.

Please make the requests by February 1, 2023.