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Category: Elementary Info

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, October 1, 2020

TO:
All Principals

FROM:   
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., 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 Hope During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Applicant:     Dr. Suzanne Jones, USU

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.

The researcher will send a recruitment email to teachers.  The project will involve a 25-minute survey administered to teachers who wish to participate.

Thank you for your assistance.

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Please use the following links to access the State COVID-19 Manual in a multitude of languages, along with other flyers and information sheets produced the the State Health Department.

ENGLISH: https://jam.jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/COVID-19-School-Manual-FINAL.pdf

SPANISH: https://coronavirus-download.utah.gov/International-Language-Resources/Spanish/Es_COVID-19_School_Manual_FIN.pdf

OTHER LANGUAGE RESOURCES for COVID-19 are available here. The COVID-19 Manual is translated into Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Thai, and Vietnamese. Portuguese is coming soon. This site also has many of the other COVID flyers and information sheets produced by the State Health Department: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/multilingual-resources/

 

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A revised agenda for the optional training sessions for office and administrative staff of schools and District departments is attached.  The October 1st and 15th sessions will be held in the morning and the October 5th session in the afternoon (same information presented at each session).  If you would like to participate in one of the sessions, please send an email to Jeri Clayton at jeri.clayton@jordandistrict.org and let her know which date you would like to sign-up to attend.  Attendees of each session will receive an email the day prior to the training with instructions for connecting to the Zoom meeting.

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The District ordered and has now received 1,000 Chromebooks for the purpose loaning these Chromebooks out to schools for short-term needs. Primarily the purpose of the short-term loan of the Chromebooks is for students in quarantine to use when the school does not have sufficient numbers for quarantined student use.

If your school has such a need for a temporary short-term use of additional Chromebooks, please call Mark Sowa at 801.567.8392 (x88392) to make arrangements. With only 1,000 Chromebooks to loan out, it is imperative that every school return the loaned Chromebooks as soon as possible with the intent of not being out longer than one month so we can assist other schools experiencing temporary increases in demand due to quarantines. Any device not returned will need to be reimbursed to the loaner program.

Published on

DATE: 
September 21, 2020

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 2020-2021

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

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, September 28, 2020 through Friday, October 2, 2020.

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 drill will take place at the 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 front door this year. 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.

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For those who will be having a "Say Book to the Flu" event this year, please see the attached flyer. Note that the flyer provides an active link allowing the recipient to view current Say Boo schedules by District. Thank you for your patience as we have adapted our process from individual District flyers in an attempt to respond to changing needs within your buildings.

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Administrators:

We’ve received several calls asking if One-Time Riding Passes (see attachment) are available for student use this year. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and efforts to comply with physical distancing and contact tracing, we highly discourage the use of One-Time Bus Riding Passes for student use. Please have your office staff refrain from issuing these passes until further notice. In the case of a truly exceptional circumstance, please contact our dispatch center at 801-567-8840 prior to issuing the pass so that we can discuss your specific situation and make the necessary arrangements.

Thank you,

Jordan School District Transportation

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As students return to the classroom, the focus of instruction must be on grade-level standards, along with appropriate scaffolds that make the standards accessible to all students. Instead of sending students backwards to fill in all the potential gaps in their learning, teachers are encouraged to focus on filling in the most critical gaps at the moment they’re needed (just-in-time) rather than halting progress on grade-level instruction to address deficiencies in previous grade-level standards (just-in-case). Providing “just-in-time” scaffolds addresses the content knowledge and skills students need to engage in the most immediate work of the grade at the moment it is needed.

In a context of uncertainty, it can be challenging to monitor how well students have retained skills and are learning new skills, while keeping mindful of students' social-emotional wellness.

The JSD Assessment and Intervention Flowchart is provided to guide the process of assessing and intervening during this unique time. Schools are encouraged to use the attached assessment flow chart, summarized below:

  • SCREENER (All Students) Screeners are typically quick to administer and provide predictive information about academic successes. Screeners are not designed to map out completely what students’ specific knowledge and skill deficits might be. Screeners are used to determine which students are performing below grade level or proficiency level.

o   K-3 Screener: Acadience

o   4-6 Screener: SRI

  • DIAGNOSTIC (Specific Students) Diagnostic testing is provided to students identified through the screener in order to better understand the specific knowledge and skills needing reinforcement and provide appropriately targeted interventions.

o   K-3 Diagnostic given to students scoring well below benchmark (See chart for options)

o   4-6 Diagnostic given to students scoring below grade level (See chart for options)

  • BENCHMARKS (ALL Students) Benchmarks are given to all students periodically through the year. Benchmarks are used to measure progress towards the core standards. They can serve as a reference of rigor in formative assessments. Benchmarks, used in conjunction with formative assessments, help drive instruction.

 

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Getting a flu shot is an easy way to help protect you and your family.
No cost to you with your insurance card.
Two district clinics have been scheduled for flu shots this year (see attached schedule).
Clinics have also been scheduled at most schools.  See your individual school for dates and times.
You can also go to your physician, or any pharmacy that accepts PEHP insurance.

Published on

DATE:    
September 4, 2020

TO: 
Elementary School Principals

FROM:    
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Michelle Lovell, Elementary Language Arts Consultant

SUBJECT: 
Acadience for grades 4-6

This year we have a couple of options for Acadience testing for students in grades 4-6. Although testing for grades 4-6 is not required by the state of Utah, we offer testing options for schools who would like to use the system to do progress monitoring for students.

The first option is to use the Acadience.net system. This is offered to all students and it is paid for through the district. The use of this system is fairly inexpensive at around $1.00 per student. The benchmarks and prompts are the same as students would receive in Amplify but the student and school reports are not available. Acadience.net will be loaded for all schools who are not purchasing Amplify for their upper grade students and schools have the option of testing students as needed. The district is only charged for the students who are tested.

The other Acadience option for grades 4-6 is Amplify. The cost for Amplify is around $7.00 per student and includes all of the reports and options that are included in Amplify for the lower grades. It is the school’s responsibility to purchase Amplify if they choose to use this program. Schools will need to contact Amplify and pay for the program. Once the invoice is paid, the IT department can load the program. If you choose to use Amplify this year for grades 4-6, please let Michelle Lovell know as soon as possible.

Thank you!

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Mark your calendar for September 17 for the first JELL session of 2020-2021. Todd Theobald will continue the work from the August Professional Development Day and address Proficiency Scales. The meeting will be virtual from 8:30 – 3:00. Watch for a checklist in next week’s JAM that will help you prepare for the meeting. For now, please do the following:

  • Identify a location for the September 17 Virtual Meeting.
  • Send Shelley Nordick a list of the members of your leadership team.
    • Because all schools will be participating, please keep participation on the 17th to a minimum. (Recommended attendees: Principal, Coach, Upper Grade Teacher, Lower Grade teacher, and one other determined by school.)
    • Arrange for substitutes. (T&L will cover the costs of three substitutes.)
  • Watch for a checklist in next week’s JAM.

Published on

DATE:
August 26, 2020

TO: 
Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Michelle Lovell, Elementary Language Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:     
Really Great Reading Phonics Program

As you are aware, a phonics supplement from Really Great Reading is being offered to teachers this year in grades K-2. We understand the circumstances surrounding this year and want to make sure teachers understand that this is being offered, but not required at this time. Any teacher, group of teachers, or school has the option to receive the program this year. There will be other opportunities to adopt the program in the future.

The teachers who have requested the program this year should have received a training link through email. All of the training for the program is done online. The kindergarten program is called Countdown, the first-grade program is called Blast, and the second-grade program is called HD Word. Teachers will only need to do the training for their grade level. The coaches will have links to all three levels of training. The teacher and student materials are in the ordering process and we are hopeful that they will arrive within the next couple of weeks. The materials will be delivered directly to the schools. Once the teachers receive their materials they can begin implementation. Coaches will receive additional information about the program in their district coaching meeting so they will be prepared to support teachers. If you have additional questions, please contact Michelle Lovell.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, August 27, 2020

TO: 
All Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
2020 WIDA Screeners

Whenever parents indicate that another language besides English is spoken in the household and the student(s) is new to the district, Evaluation, Research & Accountability is required by the federal government to administer a WIDA screener to see if the student qualifies for second language services. The WIDA screener is administered to students learning in-person and online.

Schools are asked to set aside a testing location in which district testers may administer the screener. Typically, a space the size of a conference room will suffice.

The district testers will be contacting schools individually to set up a date, time and testing location within the school building so that they can administer the WIDA screener. Depending on when students register and we receive the documentation, district testers may come to your school multiple times throughout the school year.

Evaluation, Research & Accountability will also contact parents of online students to set an appointment at the school so that they student may be screened.

Please see the document entitled WIDA Screener Testing Protocols and Procedures for COVID-19 that accompanies this memo for information regarding the cleaning and disinfecting routines district testers will be using.

Please contact JoLynn Snelgrove at 801-567-8419 or jolynn.snelgrove@jordandistrict.org with any questions.

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We are getting requests from schools and teachers to approve or deny the use of individual cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing products. As a reminder, the district cannot police every product and cannot be held responsible for any product that is not specifically provided by the district. We recognize that teachers and staff are purchasing and bringing to schools many different products. Please consider these products often contain alcohol or bleach, may cause skin irritation or injury, intoxication, illness, and may be flammable.

Please do the following when using these products:

  • Obtain non-toxic products if possible.
  • Keep hand sanitizer and cleaning products secured and away from unsupervised students.
  • Keep the SDS on file and readily available for proper handling, protective equipment advisory, first aid and other safety information.
  • Use these products only with staff supervision.
  • Be aware of allergies and sensitivities.

The building administration is responsible for any outside products introduced into the school environment. When approached by a staff member please ask them to seek out and find the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) online and submit that to the building custodian and administration for approval.