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Category: Elementary Schools

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Ami Shaw, Officer of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Jordan School District invites all faculty, students, and families to Heroes Among Us to hear the inspiring stories of remarkable individuals who have shown unwavering dedication to our community. Join us at West Jordan Middle from 5-7 pm on April 3rd to hear our speakers share their struggles, successes, and life lessons. Bring your questions about mentoring, career paths, and internship opportunities for your students.

Pizza dinner will be served! RSVP by clicking HERE or scanning the QR code on the flyer to secure your spot! Please see the attached flyer for more information!

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

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

The Health and Wellness Department, in Student Services is hosting a parent event scheduled for April 10th, 2024 at Riverton High School. This conference- style event aims to bring together professionals and education experts in the field of mental health and well-being to share their knowledge, insights, and research with parents in our JSD communities. This event aims to help parents to be best equipped to support their children with well-being.

We will offer resource booths near the entrance of the school from 5:30-6pm, and throughout transition time for parents to gain insight and information on helpful resources.

We will offer three(3) 30-minutes sessions between 6pm-8pm to maximize learning for parent participants. Some sessions will repeat more than once.

Topics will include best practices, research insights, or information that would be useful to parents of school-aged children. Including mental health issues in the schools and associated issues (bullying, stress, perfectionism, social pressures, etc.), risk, prevention, resilience and ways in which parents can help support their students.

Please share the attached flyer and encourage parents in your communities to attend!

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning

We are writing to inform you of an important update to our professional learning registration system, JPLS. Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, we will be transitioning from JPLS to Canvas Catalog for all in-district professional development class registration and transcript records for those classes.

Action Required: To ensure a smooth transition, we ask each teacher to take the following steps by June 20, 2024:
Log into JPLS and download an archive of your transcript Save these records in a secure location for your reference.

Why This Change? This decision was made after careful consideration to enhance our professional learning experience. Canvas Catalog offers a more user-friendly interface for end users and provides additional features that we believe will significantly benefit our teachers. We understand that change can be challenging, and we are here to support you every step of the way. Detailed instructions on downloading your transcript from JPLS is available below.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to Chris Westra in Teaching and Learning, christine.westra@jordandistrict.org or Jared Covili, Admin - Digital Teaching and Learning, jared.covili@jordandistrict.org.

Link for the Instructions

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Ann Pessetto, JAESP Committee Member

2024 JAESP Awards:

Jennifer Ludlow: Distinguished Principal of the Year
Veronica Holyoke: Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year
Tiffany Smith: Community Leader Principal of the Year
Candie Checketts: Student Advocate Principal of the Year
Jerilyn Schaffer: Rookie Principal of the Year
Jessica Stowe: Instructional Leader Principal of the Year
Ken Westwood: Mentor Principal of the Year
Suzie Williams: Innovator Principal of the Year

We congratulate these principals for their excellence in school leadership.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning

Check out the link to the flyer for the latest updates from Teaching & Learning for March. Learn tips and tricks, sign up for upcoming PD, and learn about important updates from the T & L team.

March 2024 T & L Newsletter

Published on

DATE: 
March 14, 2024

TO: 
District Administrators
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Melissa Flores, General Counsel
Sandra Riesgraf, Director, Communications
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Record Request: FERPA or GRAMA

This is a revision and reissue of a memo previously distributed in September 2023 and replaces that version of this document. 

Please distribute the information below to anyone in your school or department who may field questions regarding a record request.

Two laws govern processes that parents/patrons must follow to access information the District maintains: FERPA and GRAMA.

FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that governs access to a student’s educational record. The educational record typically consists of the contents of the student’s cumulative folder, the Special Education record (if applicable), and information for the student in Skyward. District Policy DP367 – District Records Management designates each school's principal as the school's record officer. As such, parents may obtain copies of information in the student's educational record by making a written request to the principal. The parent does not need to be referred to Planning & Enrollment or Communications; however, both departments can assist schools in identifying records that may be responsive to the parent's request. If a parent requests the student’s entire education record (a record that may contain information from multiple schools), this information can still be provided by the school where the student is currently enrolled; the building principal is the record officer for all records at that location, no matter where they may have originated.

Any clips of District surveillance video that were used in student discipline are considered part of the educational file for both the subject student and any victims. Under FERPA, parents have a right to “access” this portion of their child’s record, but do not have a right to obtain a copy of video footage. The process of providing access to footage will include a review by Planning & Enrollment, Communications, and General Counsel but is overseen by the school principal. An updated overview of the process schools should follow in providing access to retained footage is available at this link:

GRAMA is Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act. It outlines the process for the general public to access records created and maintained by government entities. Practically every other type of record generated and maintained by the district (except those designated as “private,” “controlled’, or “protected” in DP367) may be accessed by an individual through the GRAMA process. Emails, including emails sent to and from students that are not maintained as part of the student’s educational file, are included in the records subject to GRAMA. DP367 outlines that the District will only respond to GRAMA requests that are submitted through the Utah Open Records Portal. Individuals may submit their request directly to the portal via the website and do not need to contact Planning & Enrollment or Communications first. Patrons may be required to pay the cost of employee time (in excess of 15 minutes) for preparing records.

 

Published on

TO:
All District Administrators
All District Administrative Assistants

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

A proposed USBE rule change would have required the District to count the Health & Wellness Day as a teacher professional development day. The 2024-25 calendar was created and approved with this rule change in mind. The rule change was ultimately not passed, which allows the District to continue to count the Health & Wellness Day as a virtual instruction day AND frees up an allowed teacher professional development day to be used elsewhere in the year.

To reduce the impact on students and employees, the following change was approved by the Jordan Board of Education:

  • Friday, September 27, 2024 had been previously scheduled as a parent conference compensatory day for secondary schools and a regular school day for elementary schools. This day will now be a teacher professional development day for elementary schools. No students will attend school on this day.
  • Friday, October 4, 2024 had been previously scheduled as a regular school day for secondary schools and as a parent conference compensatory day for elementary schools. This day will now be a teacher professional development day for secondary schools. No students will attend school on this day.

This change allows for an additional teacher professional day for teachers while also creating more consistent days off for students and families.

Updated calendars can be accessed at this link: Calendars - Jordan Planning & Enrollment 

Published on

DATE:   
March 14, 2024

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Finance Secretaries
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Digital Cumulative Folder Training

In April 2024, the District will begin the process of transitioning from paper-based student cumulative folders to digital cumulative folders housed in Skyward. From July 1, 2024 onward, all new students must be enrolled with a digital cumulative folder and blank copies of paper cumulative folders will no longer be available.

Digital folders provide multiple benefits to schools and staff, including:

  • Immediate transfer of folders between schools as students move or advance
  • Easier accessibility of records to staff
  • Elimination of expense of mailing records between schools

Staff at each school will be responsible for “weeding” unnecessary documents from current student cumulative folders and will scan and upload documents to Skyward. As part of the transition, parents will gain the ability to scan and upload some of the required documents to Skyward during New Student Online Enrollment (NSOE), which will provide additional time savings to staff.

Participation in the training is mandatory for elementary administrative assistants, secondary attendance secretaries, and secondary registrars. Others who assist with gathering documents at registration (including during summer hour coverage) or maintaining cumulative folders should also attend. Staff at each school location must be trained before the school begins using digital cumulative folders. Training will be offered six times during the first week of April in the ASB Auditorium (see individual tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet) . School teams may attend any number of sessions to ensure office coverage.

Each individual attending must register for the training at the following link:  April Digital Folder Training Link

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, March 14, 2024

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
URGENT: New Acadience Testing Platform and Touchscreen Testing Devices

As announced in the February principal meeting, the state’s contract with Amplify came to end and, through an RFP process, the state has procured a new testing vendor for the Acadience Reading assessment. The new vendor is Acadience Learning and their platform is called Acadience Learning Online or ALO. The Acadience Reading assessment will remain the same, but how it is recorded in the new testing system is different. More information about the new testing platform and a host of training options will be released in the future.

URGENT: The state recently communicated important information regarding the devices used for benchmark and progress monitoring testing. With mClass, several schools have been using click-only testing devices, meaning that the tester uses a track pad or mouse to input student responses. ALO does not allow for click-only devices when administering the benchmark and progress monitoring probes. To administer benchmark and progress monitoring probes in ALO, the testing device must be touchscreen enabled. Additionally, smart phones are not compatible with ALO.

Thus, classroom aides and teachers who are currently administering the Acadience Reading benchmarks and/or progress monitoring probes in grades K-6 using a click-only device will need access to a touchscreen device beginning with the fall of the 2024-25 school year.

A document containing the ALO device and system recommendations is attached with this memo.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about this issue.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Ann Pessetto, JAESP Committee Member

Please submit concerns to be discussed by JAESP committee and cabinet by March 20, 2024. Send items to be discussed to Nick Hansen at Golden Fields, Ann Pessetto at Silver Crest, or Kaleb Yates at the new Flex School. All items are discussed anonymously as we work to provide clarification and solutions to concerns of elementary administrators.

Notes of the discussions will be published following the meeting on the Google Doc titled "JAESP committee notes 2023-24" shared previously with Elementary Administrators.

Published on

DATE: 
March 7, 2024

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Mandatory Prevention Plan Updates, Workshops and Support Available!

Throughout March school teams have an opportunity to efficiently update, enhance, and complete their mandatory prevention plans related to suicide, bullying, and violence prevention. Stop by a Prevention Planning Workshop in March to take advantage of this support available!

Prevention Planning Workshop Dates: March 11, 14 (pm only), 15, & 18
All sessions will take place at ASB Presentation Room (entrance C)
Two sessions Each Day (pm session only on the 14th): 8:30-11:00, 12:30-3:00
Choose a workshop time to update and enhance your school’s prevention plan. There will also be targeted support for accessing grant funds that are available for your school’s unique prevention efforts. Substitute costs can be covered so a full team can attend! RSVP for a session here! Stop by even if you don’t RSVP!

*As a reminder, each school is required to maintain and update prevention plans annually. These funds and upcoming workshops are meant to support each school’s prevention plan.

Prevention Plans must be updated and this form completed by April 5th to take advantage of grant funds available!

If you are interested in updating your plan without attending a workshop, visit Jordan Health & Wellness for detailed instructions.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services

Administrators:

It is the time of year to schedule many of our school-based activities. There are always many questions about which activities are permitted in schools. In an effort to assist you in determining whether an activity is approved or not approved, an Approved-Not Approved Activity & Procedural Guidelines folder has been shared with each Administrator on Google Drive. The folder contains a Quick Reference Guide, as well as, supporting guidelines for all approved activities mentioned on the list. All considered activities should continue to be approved through your respective AOS.

Please keep in mind, the list and guidelines may be updated on a regular basis to address other Utah State Risk concerns or considerations.

The Approved-Not Approved Activity & Procedural Guidelines folder can be accessed by the following steps:

Google Drive > Shared with me > Approved-Not Approved Activity & Procedural Guidelines

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, March 7, 2024

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: Finding Bright Spots: Elementary Teachers Who Learn Science SMK Through Teaching Experience

Applicant: Ryan Nixon, Brigham Young University-Provo

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant will send a recruitment email to elementary teachers inviting them to participate in a survey. Some participants may also be asked to participate in an interview and up to two science lesson observations by a member of the research team. Teacher participation is at principal discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, March 7, 2024

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Calculator and Visual Representations Accommodations for RISE Math

Principals are encouraged to follow up with their special education caseworkers about the following RISE accommodation clarifications.

Calculation Devices
When it comes to the use of calculation devices or computation tables as an accommodation on the RISE Math assessment in grades 3-6, school administrators, testing coordinators and special education caseworkers should take note of the following stipulations from the Utah Participation and Accommodations Policy:

“All students are allowed to use the online calculation device when it is embedded during the allowed segments of a math assessment… For students in grade 6, the use of a handheld calculation device or printable computation table is considered an accommodation and may be provided (based on need documented in the IEP) during the allowed segment of the assessment. For students in grades 3-5, the use of a handheld calculation device or printable computation table is not allowed during any segment of the math assessment. If provided, the test must be reported as modified, and the student will receive a score of non-proficient and be considered a non-participant for accountability” (see page 40).

While Embrace allows caseworkers to input a calculator accommodation for students on the Summative RISE Math assessment (with a footnote calling attention to the Utah Participation and Accommodations Policy), it is still not an allowable accommodation on the RISE Math assessment.

The policy also states, “During instruction, it is important to determine whether the use of a calculation device or computation table is a matter of convenience or a necessary accommodation. It is also important to know the goal of instruction and assessment before making decisions about the use of calculation devices or computation tables. In some cases, calculators may be adapted with large keys or voice output (talking calculators). Examples of calculation devices are calculators, slide rules, and abacuses. Examples of computation tables are number lines and multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction charts” (see pages 40-41).

For more information on calculation devices, please see USBE’s guidance document.

Visual Representations
Please note that computation tables are not visual representations as defined in the Utah Participation and Accommodations Policy. Visual representations “are manipulatives such as cubes, tiles, rods, blocks, models, etc. They may be used on all sections of the mathematics assessment if they are included in the student’s IEP or 504 Plan” (see page 55).

Please contact Kassidy Towery in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about RISE accommodations.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

The dates for the Jordan School District High School Graduation exercises for Copper Hills High School, West Jordan High School, and Valley High School are scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, 2024.  Graduation exercises for Bingham High School, Herriman High School, Kings Peak High School, and Mountain Ridge High School are on Thursday, May 30, 2024. 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 the Sub Office at 801-567-8219.

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Nadine Page, Administrative Assistant

Please take note of the following items:

March 22 – 2024-25 Upcoming LAND Trust Plan and 2024-25 TSSA Plans are due to be completed and submitted. This date is necessary in order to get all of the approvals done and the Plans approved by the Board in order to receive funding for the 2024-25 school year.

Click on this LINK to access the files and information shared in principal meeting and both assistant principal meetings in January. Take a look at the sample plans provided by the State LAND Trust office! Principals using them are finding them very helpful!

  • Hints and Tips:
    • Plans need to be student-centered
    • Be specific in action steps and expenditures
    • Have your SCC sign the signature form at your final meeting when you approve your plan (see the link above for the signature forms we've provided). Send a copy to Nadine Page when your plan is completed and submitted, no later than March 22, 2024. Keep the original in your school for three (3) years.
    • I can't stress this enough------please use the correct categories for the expenditures as you add them to your goals. They need to be distributed correctly. Don't put everything under salaries/benefits. Call Nadine Page (x88182) if you have questions of what category it should go under. 
    • TSSA Plans - click the box at the end to show your plan has been completed.

Please see the links below for everything you need to know about “Land Trust” and "TSSA".

School Land Trust Program

TSSA Program

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Nadine Page, Administrative Assistant

Take note of the following monthly newsletters with important communication about the School LAND Trust (SLT) Program.

Please share the February newsletter with your school community council members.

The newsletters are also accessible online on the USBE Website with different language options.