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DATE:    
March 17, 2022

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
Thriving Schools: A Summit for Student Success


These past few years have both challenged us and taught us the importance of prioritizing empathy, relationships, and social-emotional learning to support students. Above all we know that a thriving school community starts with ongoing learning and reflection.

Thriving Schools: A Panorama Summit for Student Success originally aired on February 15th – but they have made it available to access until May 16th for FREE. The topics include:

  • What does it mean for schools to thrive?
  • MTSS and data-based decision-making.
  • School Counselors as leaders within a multi-tiered, multi-domain system of support.
  • Creating a shared understanding & partnering with families to supporting the social-emotional growth.

You may access the summit at the following link:

THRIVING SCHOOLS: A Panorama Summit of Student Success

Please feel free to share this resource with your counselors, psychologists, social workers, leadership teams and/or teachers as you see fit.

For teachers in grades K-3:  

Below is the information about Unit 2.
The last virtual session for Unit 2 will be held on May 25th.

Many of these sections for the months of March, April and May are either extremely low or have no enrollment whatsoever.
Please sign up for a Unit 2 virtual session ASAP because some of these sessions may be canceled by the state. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Direct link for Unit 2, MIDAS course #60077

Month Dates
March 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31
April 1, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25
May 6, 12, 25

Administrator/Psychologist sessions

LETRS for Admin is a two-part training that can be completed anytime between now and September of 2023, your online work is not required to be completed prior to attending a training but is required to be completed before the project end date of September 2023. This all day training is from 8:30am to 3:30pm.  

LAST sessions for Unit 1 (60389) Dates: March 31, April 8, April 13, May 26th

Unit 2 (60446) Dates: June 6 & 15 July 8 & 20 August 5 & 16th. 

Check out this information on the T & L website: 

LETRS Administrator Information

LETRS for Admin Schedule

Questions? Contact  Bev Griffith at #88466 or beverly.griffith@jordandistrict.org

Principals:

We have scheduled two separate training sessions on the operation of the school's security camera and software. The training will include the use of the software, saving of camera footage and the transferring of that footage to the appropriate device. We receive many requests for help in this area.

The training will be held on March 23, 2022.

Session 1: 9:00-10:00 am

Session 2: 1:00-2:00 pm

Both sessions will be held at the Auxiliary Service Building in the Presentation Room, enter at Entrance C. It is recommended that at least one administrator per building attend one of the sessions and if possible send one hall monitor to each session. No registration is needed for this training.

Beginning Tuesday, March 22 the Utah Department of Health will be offering COVID Mobile Testing on Tuesdays & Thursdays, from 4 - 7p.m. at Elk Ridge Middle.  Please use the link or QR Code (see posted document) below to register.

DATE:    
Thursday, March 10, 2022

TO:   
All Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
School LAND Trust/TSSA Planning – Helpful Assessment Data


With the School LAND Trust and TSSA Plans due on March 25th, principals have been encouraged to create data-informed goals and supports. The following Tableau dashboards may be useful as principals set those goals:

Elementary Schools:

  • Acadience Reading K-6 – Overall proficiency and growth are included as well as individual measure data.
  • Acadience Math K-3 – Overall proficiency and growth are included as well as individual measure data.
  • RISE ELA, Math and Science – Overall proficiency is included as well as individual reporting category data for each content area.
    • Cohort Percent Proficient Over Time – This dashboard looks at proficiency by cohort (i.e., Class of 2025 or Class of 2027) across school years.
    • School Growth – Median Growth Percentiles (MGPs) for schools were calculated by the state and recently released.
  • WIDA Access 2.0 – Overall proficiency is included as well as reporting categories and individual domains.
  • 6th Grade CogAt Universal Screener – This dashboard contains three years of data on students’ verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning skills as they leave your K-6 educational program.

Other Helpful Data:

Please note that the following positions will be available for schools for the 2022-2023 school year only using ESSER III funds. 

  • High Schools 1.0 FTE for a tracker
  • Middle Schools 0.25 FTE for a tracker
  • Elementary Schools 25-hour assistant to support intervention

Any additional trackers or aides that have previously been paid for using CARES / ESSER funds will be the responsibility of the school for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Schools will need to update budget codes for personnel who will be covered through ESSER III funds in 2022-2023. Please complete a New Hire/Change Form and code ESSER III Budget #7225 starting July 1, 2022.

The following Budget Codes will be discontinued after July 1, 2022:

10 E xxx 7211 1084 165 and 10 E xxx 7215 1084 165 

Reminder:

A great opportunity to listen to two scholars address the intersection of public education, law and democracy. The event is scheduled for March 4, 2022 at 11:00 am. Two prominent legal
actors, Judge William E. Smith (District of Rhode Island) and Professor Michael Rebell (Columbia), will be the presenters.

See flyer below for the details.

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the Challenge Run will now be held, Saturday, May 14, 2022  All other information is the same.

Saturday, May 14, 2022
Start Time: 9:00 AM
Veteran's Memorial Park
(8030 South 1825 West in West Jordan)

Cost per person is $20
Team Captains who wish to create a team of runners can register for free!

THE CHALLENGE OBSTACLE RUN is a family-friendly fundraising obstacle course run open to all ages and created to make a difference in Jordan District Classrooms. Sponsored by local businesses and Jordan Education Foundation, 100% of proceeds go directly toward Classroom Grants benefiting students & teachers in Jordan District. The Challenge begins at 9 am, Saturday, May 14th and ends with a fun family festival with lots of free giveaways. You can participate in any one of the events (Obstacle Run, Festival, Fundraising) or in all three!

For more details and to register online, visit:

www.jefchallenge.org
OR
https://runsignup.com/Race/UT/WestJordan/TheChallengeObstacleRace.

Please see attachment for more information.

 

DATE:         
February 28, 2022

TO:   
School Psychologists, School Psychology Interns, Elementary Counselor

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

SUBJECT:  
March School Psychologist, School Psychology Interns, Elementary Counselor Meeting


An in-person meeting has been scheduled for Friday, March 11, 2022, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jordan School District’s Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services, will provide us with an overview of Panorama, so please bring your laptops to this meeting. In addition, we want you to participate in a focus group with us so that we can get your input re: meeting your needs and future directions.

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

cc:
Principals

The date for the Jordan School District High School Graduation exercises is Thursday, June 2, 2022. Valley High School graduation exercises are scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, 2022. School graduation plans and times will vary from school to school.

Principals and Directors are encouraged to provide flexibility to parents or grandparents requesting the opportunity to attend the graduation ceremonies of family members.

Licensed employees are responsible for requesting a substitute through the Frontline Absence Management System, if applicable. In the blue “Notes to Administrator” box, the employee should add “graduation” along with his/her relationship to the graduate.

For additional assistance, please contact Juli Martin by email at: juli.martin@jordandistrict.org. or by phone at 801-567-8219.

Here we go again!

For MARCH 2022, substitute teachers with NO CANCELLATIONS and who qualify as outlined below, will be paid on April 10, 2022. The March tiered substitute teacher bonus incentives are as follows:

18 days worked = $300

15 days worked = $180

12 days worked = $120

9 days worked = $60

Benefit eligible substitute teachers working full time at various schools throughout the Jordan School District, DO NOT QUALIFY for the monthly substitute teacher bonus incentives, since they are required to work every school (contract) day.

Thank you again for your service to Jordan School District.

DATE:  
February 24, 2022

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Assistants

FROM: 
Administrator of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Planning and Enrollment Consultant

SUBJECT: 
Early & Late Enrollment Permits


The window for early enrollment permits closed on Friday, February 18, 2022. The law requires that parent(s)/guardian(s) receive written notice from the school by April 1, 2022. The results e-mails sent to parents(s)/guardian(s) after records have been placed on the waitlist or seated list serves as that written notice. Schools will need to ensure that communication with parent(s)/guardian(s) has occurred for each permit request.

All unfilled permit seats were zeroed out at the conclusion of the Early Enrollment window. If a school had open seats and waiting permit applications on February 18, those permit applicants MUST be offered the seats. Contact Planning & Enrollment for assistance in adding these seats back to PowerSchool.

The Late Enrollment permit window began on February 19, 2022. The late enrollment period is for applications submitted after the third (3rd) Friday in February for the following year, or a permit request for the current school year. (See “Open Enrollment / School Choice Permits” in the online Planning and Enrollment Manual.)

Any permit submitted during the late enrollment period must be processed and prepared for import by the school; however, Board priorities do not need to be verified. These permits will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist currently in PowerSchool when processed. The permit waitlist in PowerSchool must be used throughout the school year to grant permit requests and seat students at the school. Permits may be re-ordered on the waitlist according to the late enrollment requirements (see “Open Enrollment / School Choice Permits”).

Remember that the late enrollment window is based on staffing, not building capacity. Schools may only accept permits after receiving approval from their Administrator of Schools and only in grades that are at risk of not reaching the 2.0 projection.

Permits for the current (2021-22) school year can still be submitted in Skyward by parent(s)/ guardian(s), and schools must make decisions and provide notification within two weeks of the permit submission. These permits should still be processed and waitlisted or seated as appropriate. However, after the December pre-transfer, approved permits are no longer automatically sent to Skyward. Schools will need to manually enter these 2021-22 permits into Skyward. Because the pre-enroll has already occurred, these permits should be entered using the “History” screen of the “Previous Reason Code” section of the “School Path”.

Please contact Planning & Enrollment at 801-567-8183 with questions.

The Board of Education approved the following adjustments to the 2022-23 calendar. Adjustments are reflected in the attachment and at http://planning.jordandistrict.org/calendar.

  • Elementary parent teacher conferences (both Fall and Spring) have been moved to the week following secondary parent teacher conferences.
  • A virtual Health & Wellness Day has been scheduled for Friday, February 10, 2023.
  • Three instructional days (Friday, September 16, 2022; Friday, November 4, 2022; Friday, April 21, 2023) have been converted to professional development days.
  • High school parent conference will return to an evening format with a Friday compensatory day.

DATE:   
Thursday, February 24, 2022

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: Spatial Reasoning with 3D Display Technologies in Elementary-aged Children

Applicant: Dylan Barton, BYU-Provo

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 obtain your permission to conduct the study at your school. 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.

 

DATE: 
Thursday, February 24, 2022

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: Teachers’ Values for the Reduction of Teacher Attrition in Utah Public Schools

Applicant: Ryan Nixon, BYU-Provo

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. 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 project will involve an optional anonymous survey sent to teachers. The survey link will be distributed directly to teachers by the researcher.

Thank you for your assistance.

DATE:   
Thursday, February 24, 2022

TO:
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
6th Grade CoGat Tableau Dashboard


A dashboard has been prepared in Tableau displaying district and school CoGat results from the 6th grade administration that took place in November and December 2021.

The dashboard may be found here or by navigating through your Explore menu:
Explore Menu > 6th Grade CoGat > 1-CoGat Universal Screening Analysis, 2019-Present.

As a reminder, the CoGat is broken up into three subtests that measure students’ verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning skills.  A student sge score (SAS), percentile rank, and age stanine (comparable to a proficiency scale with a range of 1-9) with explanations of each score type are included in the dashboard.

The dashboard will allow users to drill into the data to discover performance by student group (economically disadvantaged, EL learners, race/ethnicity, and students with a disability).  Users can also view individual student results.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions about the dashboard.

Jordan School District Teaching and Learning Department is excited to SHARE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND an AWESOME Mathematics Conference by offering FREE scholarships to attend. 

This conference is sponsored by the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics

If you have never been, it is great. Teachers are sharing ideas and there are more than ten choices every session and there are 5 awesome sessions. 

We are very excited to spend the evening of February 25th and the morning of February 26th with you at Davis High School. This year’s conference highlights include:

  • Keynote address by Francis Su.
  • Nearly 50 different breakout sessions
  • Catered dinner and brunch sponsored by Derivita and TeachFX
  • Morning yoga session on Saturday with other mathematicians

Please apply for one of this year’s scholarships HERE