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Category: Elementary Info

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, November 21, 2019

TO:  
All Elementary Principals

FROM:     
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Preparing for Middle-of-the-Year Acadience Reading Benchmark Testing

The middle-of-the-year Acadience Reading Benchmark window opens December 2, 2019 and closes January 31, 2020. We are once again looking forward to working with you, your faculty, and your students to have a smooth benchmark administration window. We want our students to have the best opportunity possible to demonstrate their learning so that you and your teachers have the most accurate and reliable data with which to make important instructional decisions.

The Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department will once again be sending out three teams of testers to each school to complete benchmark testing. There are a few reminders and recommendations that schools should be aware of when it comes to Acadience Reading benchmark testing:

  • Schools should already have their Acadience Reading MOY testing date. Principals or their designees are encouraged to schedule individual classes carefully, keeping in mind recess and lunch schedules as well as rotation schedules for each teacher and classroom. Schools should fill out the school schedule template on Google Drive that Shannon Johnson has shared with you.
  • Schools should schedule an open space with room for 10 testers to spread out. School library media centers are preferred. Smaller rooms or classrooms get noisy and it is often difficult for testers to hear soft-spoken students’ responses, which can affect their assessment performance because testers can score only what they hear. We realize that using the library media center cuts into teachers’ rotations as well and we apologize for this inconvenience. Some schools have been creative in compensating for this inconvenience by creating a mobile library with popular book selections and bringing it to individual classrooms on the day of testing.
  • School faculty and staff should avoid using or walking through the library media center during testing. Students are easily distracted by people they know, noises or adult talking. With each testlet in Acadience Reading being only a minute long, a distraction can affect a student’s ability to respond in a timely manner, which could bring down his/her score.
  • If at all possible, we would ask schools to refrain from using the intercom during testing.
  • Each school should provide a runner, often the literacy assistant, who brings classes into the testing area and who sends students to individual testers as they transition from one student to another. The runner is crucial to helping the testing team stay on schedule. Without a runner, a member of the team must fill that role, which means that there is one less tester and we run the risk of falling behind.

Each elementary school has been a wonderful host to our testers and we appreciate your time and preparation that go into each Acadience Reading benchmark administration. It is our goal to make benchmark testing go as smoothly and be the least intrusive as possible so that you and your teachers have accurate and consistent assessment data with which to help and support your students.

If you have any questions or concerns about these reminders, please contact Ben Jameson (801-567-8243) or Shannon Johnson (801-567-8873).

Published on

We have recently undergone some significant job shifting at the ASB that will affect the entire district and all should be aware of these changes.

Sandi Abplanalp has recently retired from the Card Access/Door Scheduling position.

We are pleased to announce that Matt Mears formerly of the facility rental office, was appointed to replace Sandi. He has assumed her old office number and may be reached at 801-567-8616. He will be handling all employee badges, card access and door schedules. We have a new procedure for employees requesting replacement badges. (See attached memo).

Lu Holt, formerly the administrative assistant in the facility rental office has been appointed to replace Matt as the facility rental/scheduler. Her office number is 801-567-8603.

Published on

The Jordan School District Master Calendar is now accessible for your reference. Please bookmark the link below. If you have any items you wish to add to this calendar or if you would like to make a revision, please contact Lisa LeStarge (lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org or ext. 88164).

https://mastercal.jordandistrict.org/

Published on

We're Here For you!!  What do you need? 

  • Team professional development on culturally appropriate teaching?
  • School-wide Professional Development on strategies for effective instruction of your Language Learners?
  • Prepared PD for YOU to provide professional development to your faculty?
  • Compliance information? Office staff info for entering refugee, immigrant, or El students on Skyward?

We also have dozens of 30-minute PD modules on a variety of subjects, SIOP, WIDA, instructional strategies, student engagement, etc. The attached flyer explains how to access these modules. Please call your teacher specialist or Nancy Ward (801-567-8235) to get started. We really want to help!

Published on

Please note:  After students attend ONE First Offenders Class, they are eligible to return to school. Therefore, if a student violates AS90 on Tuesday, goes to class that evening, that student is eligible to return back to school the very next day. Please determine the length of suspension for the student, then assign the student the first class of First Offenders that s/he needs to attend so that the student returns back to school on the appropriate date.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, November 7, 2019

TO:  
All Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Shelley Nordick, 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:     “Teacher Mentoring Survey”

Applicant:     Brooke Anderson, Utah Teacher Fellows – Hope Street Group - Utah Education Policy Center

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee.  If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

UEPC will send a recruitment email and survey link directly to educators who may take the survey voluntarily.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

Join the conversation and learn best practices from thought leaders and resilience experts. Experience cutting-edge professional development and walk away with practical tools and knowledge to share.

December 5-6, 2019
Orem, Utah

See flyer below for details.

Published on

DATE:   
November 4, 2019

TO:     
Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:   
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting

SUBJECT:  
Independent Contractors and URS

Retirees receiving a monthly benefit from Utah Retirement Services have restrictions when returning to work. Re-employment includes work or service performed on a contract for a participating employer if the retiree is listed as the contractor; or an owner, partner, or principal of the contractor.

If it is discovered that a URS retiree failed to report reemployment in violation of Title 49, "…the retiree and employer who is found to be responsible for the failure to report, are liable to the office for the amount of any overpayment resulting from the violation." Utah Code Ann. § 49-11-1207(2).

The attached URS Post-Retired Verification form must be completed by the Independent Contractor along with their W-9, and then will need to be sent into the Payroll Department each month along with your payroll. Please do not send the W-9 forms to Payroll.

If you have any questions, please email sarah.palmer@jordandistrict.org, or call the Payroll Department at (801) 567-8154.

Thank you.

Published on

Reminder:  We will be providing a course designed for school administrators and their administrative assistants to more fully understand the budget planning process. Participants will be expected to bring information needed to complete at least one of their budgets that includes employee costs (i.e. TSSA, Trustlands, Title I, In Lieu, etc.)

You will need to bring a current Skyward detail report for the target budget that includes all salary and benefit expenses. The course will focus on looking up salary information in Skyward, determining loaded salary expenses, and how to review and revise budgets based on ongoing Skyward budget reports. This is an introductory course but each participant will leave with at least one budget plan completed. If possible, it would be best to have the administrator and administrative assistant attend and learn together. Class sizes will be limited. You only need to register for one of the sections.

Please register in JPLS. All courses will be offered at the District Office, Room 129.

Please bring your laptop (most tablets cannot run Excel).

Course ID# 101498

Section ID
#115998, December 5, 2019, 1:00 - 3:00 PM - Session is filled
#115999, December 17, 2019, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
#116000, December 19, 2019, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
#116001, January 14, 2020, 9:00 - 11:00 AM

Published on

The following are new administrative assignments:


Assignment Effective 11/4/2019:

  • Karl McKenzie, teacher specialist in the Special Education Department, be appointed assistant principal at Kauri Sue Hamilton School.

Assignments Effective As Soon As Possible:

  • Scott Festin, senior planner/demographics at Wasatch Front Regional Council, be appointed Planning & Enrollment consultant in the Student Services Department.
  • Garrett York, intern assistant principal at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Granite School District, be appointed elementary assistant principal - assignment to be determined.

Assignment Effective January 17, 2019 or As Soon As Possible:

  • Caleb Olson, assistant principal at Sunset Ridge Middle School, be appointed Planning & Enrollment consultant in the Student Services Department.

Published on

DATE: 
October 31, 2019

TO:   
All Principals, Directors and Supervisors
School/Department Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
John Larsen, Business Administrator
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources
Brent Burge, HR Administrator Classified
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

SUBJECT:   
Classified Part-Time Employee Work Hour Maximums UPDATE

This memo replaces earlier memos with the same subject.

 

Published on

DATE:
October 23, 2019

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Steven Harwood, Support Services/Programming Manager

SUBJECT:
Fall Enrollment as of October 1, 2019 - Revised

Please see memo and totals below.

Published on

Administrators and teacher leaders are invited to the 2019 Learning Edge Conference. “Arts for Life: Deep Learning, Deep Connections” is scheduled for November 12, 2019 at the Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. See attached flyer for more information.