Ice & Snow ... Take it slow
Please see the safety tips below.
Ice & Snow ... Take it slow
Please see the safety tips below.
DATE:
December 17, 2020
TO:
School Psychologists, Elementary Counselors, and School Social Workers
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance
SUBJECT:
January School Psychologist, Elementary Counselor, and School Social Workers Meeting
A virtual meeting for school psychologists, elementary counselors, and school social workers has been scheduled for Friday, January 8, 2021, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The link for this meeting will be sent to you before the meeting. Julia Connelly, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist and owner of The Autism Clinic, will provide us with a presentation titled “The Different Presentations of Autism and Autism-Associated Mental Health Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents.” Caleb Olsen, Student Services Consultant, will provide us with significant changes to the FERPA consent for counseling process, and Taryn Nicksic-Springer, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA, will provide us with further training on observations of students.
Part-time Staff: I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.
cc:
Principals
Employees resigning/retiring at the end of the current contract year, that give official early notification of resignations/retirement, will be eligible for a tiered incentive. To qualify, notifications must be submitted online on or before the follow dates:
December 15, 2020 - $500.00
January 15, 2021 - $300.00
February 15, 2021 - $200.00
The incentive will be paid on the last regular paycheck. Notifications of resignation or retirement received after the dates listed above will not qualify for an incentive. The official District resignation/retirement notification form is found in Skyward under "My Access." Please see District policy DP318 for more detailed information regarding resignations. If you do not know your Skyward username or password, please contact the Help Desk at 801-567-8737.
The purpose of the Educational Support Professionals Improvement Committee is to encourage, guide, and reward the professional development of education support professionals staff (https://policy.jordandistrict.org/aa421b/). We encourage ESPs to improve their skills and knowledge. As such, ESPs may find development opportunities on the following website:
If there is a course that ESPs would like to take that is within the realm of their position in the Jordan School District, they may submit a request to have the committee pay for the course (up to $300 per year). The committee meets once a month to review and approve requests.
If you would like to take a course, please fill out the following form and submit it to Chris Westra in the Teaching and Learning department:
https://tl.jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020-21-Classified-Prof-Dev-Form-fillable.pdf
For further questions, please contact Chris Westra in Teaching and Learning at 801-567-8657 or christine.westra@jordandistrict.org.
DATE:
December 17, 2020
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Registrars
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
SUBJECT:
School Choice Permit Allocations and Tiers
In 2018, as part of the transition to the PowerSchool permit process and in preparation for the “MOAB” boundary changes, the Board authorized lottery priorities and a three-level permit tier system. The permit tiers control a school’s ability to grant permit seats when projected enrollment is above 90% of building’s capacity.
As a reminder, all schools are required by Utah law (53G-6-402) to accept permit seats when projected enrollment is under 90% of the building’s capacity. Seats from 90% of capacity to 100% of capacity may be offered, following the approvals below, at the principal’s discretion. Schools will not typically offer permit seats when projected enrollment exceeds 100% of capacity. Building capacity is determined by Planning & Enrollment and includes all spaces (including portables, regardless of current use) at a location that are being used or could be used for student instruction. The number of portables at a location, regardless of usage, determines the permit tier for that building.
Tier | Number of Portables | Approval Required to Accept Permits Above 90% of Building Capacity |
1 | 0 | - Approval from Administrator of Schools |
2 | 1-6 | - Approval from Administrator of Schools
- Notification to Board of school’s intent to offer permit seats above 90% of capacity |
3 | More than 6 | - Approval from Cabinet
- Discussion/approval by Board of school’s intent to offer permit seats above 90% of capacity |
Schools can access their current permit tier, number of seats required to be accepted, and potential number of seats available beyond 90% of building capacity on their Enrollment Dashboard (in the “Permits” section).
For questions related to permits please contact Student Services (801.567.8259) or Caleb Olsen (801.567.8251).
A few housekeeping items for Land Trust:
At the February 2, 2021 Principal Meeting we are going to have Natalie Gordon, from the State Office, come and do training with all of you on how to make a concise Land Trust Plan. The plans need to be Student Centered, Measurable, and Academic. She's going to explain what needs to go into the different parts of the plan; Goal, Measurements, and Action Plan Steps. She will also be available to answer questions at the end.
The website is still under construction. When it comes back up the 2019-20 Final Reports will need to be completed.
Our Board of Education has asked that we verify that training with your School Community Councils has been completed prior to the 2021-22 plan being submitted. Completion of the training will be confirmed with your AOS. To help you with the training we are including some links and a Power Point as resources to provide this training.
This video gives a brief introduction of how Utah received trust lands at statehood, how the land creates revenue for schools, how that revenue is invested, and how earnings are distributed through the School LAND Trust program.
Utah School & Institutional Trust System can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/qlr0wFacsyk.
School Community Council Training videos and more information can be found on the School Trust System on the website.
https://schools.utah.gov/schoollandtrust/training
A Jordan School District training video was recorded previously with Mike Anderson and Tracy Miller. That link can be found here:
https://jordandistrict.org/resources/communitycouncil/
Here is the PowerPoint that Mike Anderson has used in previous trainings.
We want to remind you that the current Friday schedule will continue through the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Thanks for your hard work and enjoy the well-deserved winter break.
The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all Jordan School District employees beginning in mid-January at locations throughout the district. After the winter break employees will receive a link to sign up for a vaccination time slot and location. COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to all employees, but are not required. More information will be forthcoming.
The following are new administrative assignments:
Jordan School District will provide free COVID-19 testing to all asymptomatic Jordan District employees beginning this Friday, December 11. Testing is not required and is being provided as a service to Jordan School District employees. Testing will be conducted using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test. This test involves a minimally invasive swab test taken from inside the edges of the nostrils.
High school employees interested in getting tested should do so at their high school by contacting a member of their administration.
Testing will be offered each Friday from 2-4 pm at the Jordan District Auxiliary Services Building, located at 7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, UT 84088. Employees should use the north entrance marked “Entrance A”. Use this link for parking information: ASB COVID-19 Testing Location Map
Employees will be informed of their test results through email. Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be directed to isolate per the instructions they receive from health authorities.
If you have any questions please email nadine.page@jordandistrict.org
In addition to the Friday testing at ASB, there are two free testing options at the Maverik Center for school employees:
For asymptomatic school employees
If you are a student or staff member of a school and you meet the requirements below, you may be tested via rapid test for same-day results.
For symptomatic employees
Any employee experiencing symptoms is advised to get tested through their primary care provider or register for PCR testing at the Maverik Center.
Testing occurs in the Maverik Center Overflow Parking Lot
2051 West 3100 South, West Valley City, UT 84119 Enter off of 3100 South
A new record, Method of Instruction, has been created in the Skyward student profile to track a student’s learning method, whether full-time In-Person, full-time Online, or Hybrid (both in-person and online). The Method of Instruction can be used in many reports, including attendance reports, scheduling reports and data mining. In addition, an indicator will appear in the upper, right-hand corner of the student’s profile screen for Virtual and Hybrid students. The indicator is a blue-green . This will help to quickly identify the student’s instruction method.
Below are some key dates in regards to Method of Instruction:
A tutorial on how to add/update the Method of Instruction record can be found in the Information Systems Documentation Folder. If you have any questions regarding Method of Instruction, please reference this tutorial or contact the help desk.
DATE:
December 10, 2020
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Attendance Secretaries
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
SUBJECT:
Changes to Marking Attendance for COVID-19
This information supersedes the information given in the August 13, 2020 memo “Marking Attendance for Quarantining or Isolating Students 2020-21”
In most schools this year, there are as many as three instructional models in use:
A student, particularly at the secondary level, may have a combination of in-person or virtual classes throughout the day. The way attendance should be marked will change based on the instructional model of the class the student is participating in at any given moment.
Attendance is a legal requirement to indicate a student’s compliance with compulsory education laws, and it may not be used to determine a student’s academic grade (attendance may impact participation in a course, which can in turn impact a grade, but the attendance marking by itself may not directly influence a grade).
Four attendance codes (E, G, H, and P) come into play when considering the impact of COVID-19 isolation and quarantines on the three instructional models. Other attendance codes continue to be used as warranted based on a student’s attendance and activity. Their usage and meaning is unchanged.
In general, remember the following when marking attendance for COVID-19 related absences:
DATE:
December 10, 2020
TO:
Elementary Principals
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Planning and Enrollment Consultant
SUBJECT:
Guidelines to Establish Kindergarten Enrollment
It is the responsibility of each school to obtain a kindergarten roster for the upcoming school year. This roster helps facilitate kindergarten staffing and establish budgets for supplies and materials. Typically, efforts to establish kindergarten rosters begin in December. A timely start to kindergarten registration will be especially important this year as we attempt to adjust FTE projections to account for the impacts of the pandemic.
The following steps should be used to establish a kindergarten roster:
Please schedule your kindergarten orientation AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Optional Ideas:
Please be diligent in recruiting all the kindergarten students within your school boundary.
All Principals:
When there is an unforeseen situation that requires an emergency substitute, we recommend the following steps:
NOTE: Using hourly assistants who are not set up as a substitute in Absence Management, should be used in this way on a limited basis. Time worked is documented using TrueTime and will be paid at their hourly rate. These employees cannot exceed 25 hours/week. They will be paid out of the budget assigned in Skyward.
For assistance with any of the options described above, feel free to contact an HR administrator.
Thank you,
HR Administrators
October 13 - JSD Communications Email to Teachers
Thank you all for your patience and understanding this year with your technology orders. We have experienced unprecedented delays on the most popular models of Chromebooks, laptops, and even Apple laptops and iPads.
Here are a few updates and recommendations regarding these devices:
Please contact Tonya Hodges in the Purchasing Department at tonya.hodges@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8706 for assistance with your Technology orders.
In anticipation of next year's planning and scheduling, we will be turning pre-transfers on earlier than we have in the past. We have scheduled this task for the afternoon of December 11th. You should then be able to start running reports and see your next year's students beginning December 14th.
A few reminders about pre-transfers:
In addition to turning on pre-transfers, the course master will be rolled over on December 10th for next year scheduling preparation.
Please contact the help desk with any questions or concerns regarding the timing of the pre-transfer process.
Volunteer reports need to be submitted to Insurance Services.
Workers' Compensation insurance costs are based on numbers submitted by schools. It is important that this information be accurate and complete.
PTA figures must be separate from other volunteer hours.
Attached is a copy of the Volunteer Report for the period from August 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020.
Please complete this form and return it to Cheryl Matson, Director of Insurance Services, by December 22, 2020.
DATE:
December 1, 2020
TO:
All Elementary, Middle, and Traditional High School Principals
FROM:
Derek Anderson, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits
SUBJECT:
December 2020 Budget Transfer Request
If you would like to transfer budget between your postage, supply, textbook, technology supply and equipment budgets, please complete the form below, sign and return to Derek by January 4, 2021. If Derek does not receive this back from you by January 4, 2021, Derek will assume no transfer is requested. The next opportunity to make such a transfer is June 2021.