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Category: Elementary Schools

Published on

DATE:   
February 1, 2024

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:   
Monthly Safety Drill Preparation (HOLD)

Our monthly drill preparation will be held on February 7th at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month we will be covering HOLD. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrations assigned to oversee school safety. All other administrations are welcomed to attend as well. The meeting is also opened to any staff who may be interested.

Information regarding the HOLD response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 5-7. We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

We will be holding this meeting over Zoom so please join using this link.

 

Published on

DATE:  
February 1, 2024

TO:      
Principals
Assistant Principals

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

SUBJECT:  
Safety Training Opportunity

Webinar: The Role of Principals in School Safety Efforts

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools and its Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center will host a webinar on Thursday, February 8, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  This webinar will focus on the role that principals play in preventing, protecting the school community from, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from threats and hazards.

The objectives of this 60-minute webinar are to

  • Highlight the importance of establishing a collaborative planning team for school emergency operations plan (EOP) development, as outlined in Step 1 of the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans.
  • Reinforce how principals can contribute to EOP development and ensure school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness.
  • Share relevant resources to be used by principals and core planning teams.

Register on Zoom to participate in the Webinar.

Guest Panelists

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

  • Ty Thompson, former Principal

Ocali Charter High School in Ocala, Florida

  • Elizabeth Brown, Principal

Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio

  • Michael Sedlak, Unit Principal

Sandy Hook Elementary School

  • Kathy Gombos, Principal

Panel Moderator
Janelle Hughes, Project Director, REMS TA Center

Published on

First, the "Discipline Notes" released in previous memos have been consolidated into a single document, available at this link: Discipline Notes

Second, there are four new "Discipline Notes" entries based on items identified in recent discipline review committee meetings. The new entries are:

• "Targeted" Offenses
• Fighting / Mutual Altercation
• Commentary in Log Entries
• Actions in Offense Comments

Published on

DATE:     
Thursday, February 1, 2024

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
2023-24 Stakeholder Input Survey Results

48,306 students, parents and educators participated in the 2023-24 Stakeholder Input Survey, which was administered in November 2023.

The Stakeholder Input Survey results have been released on Tableau. Those with Tableau accounts will be able to see aggregated responses to each of the questions items that were administered to K-3, 4-6 and 7-12th grade students as well as parent and faculty responses.

Those with Tableau accounts may access school and district survey results by clicking here or through the Explore menu: Explore > Surveys > Stakeholder Input Survey.

As a reminder, the Stakeholder Input Survey fulfills state statute (53G-11-507) requiring that LEAs seek for student and parent input (and employee input for school administrators) as part of an educator evaluation program. Printed reports containing school, principal, assistant principal, and individual educator effectiveness ratings will also be distributed to principals in the coming days. Those reports will need to be distributed to educators who may choose to use those results as part of their educator evaluation. It may also be beneficial for principals to meet with individual educators to discuss their results.

Educator effectiveness ratings were calculated for employees that had 10 or more complete responses to the survey. Most of the ratings were calculated solely off student responses as there were generally insufficient parent responses for individual educators. Educator effectiveness ratings used the following scale:

  • 3 = Highly Effective
  • 2 = Effective
  • 1 = Minimally Effective
  • 0 = Not Effective

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

Published on

Final Report Expenditures are displayed at the top of the Final Report. You can see where you did or didn't spend your allocation. As the principal you need to account for these expenditures.

If you have expenditures listed on the right side under "Actual Expenditures" and there is a $0.00 listed on the left side under "Planned Expenditures" you need to explain why you incurred those expenses and how they tie into your plan. There is a box at the bottom of the report "Final Report Comments". You can explain these expenditures in that box.

If you have expenditures listed on the left side under "Planned Expenditures" but you have $0.00 on the right side under "Actual Expenditures" you need to mark a "No" on the question "Were the Action Steps (including any approved Funding Changes described below) implemented and associated expenditures spent as described? A box will then open up and you can explain why you didn't spend that money.

Please make sure these explanations are taken care of so your Final Report can be approved as quickly as possible. Reports are due by February 26, 2024.

This is what is looked for when approving Final Reports:

● The report clearly states how School LAND Trust funds were spent to support the academic goals and student achievement
● The expenditures match the LEA’s financial records for SLT OR an explanation of any discrepancies is outlined in each applicable goal
● There is no negative carry-over in the report
● There is no student or personal data listed in the report
● There are no unanswered questions

The 2024-25 Upcoming Plan cannot be submitted until the final report is completed, submitted, and finalized by the District Office. We will finalize reports as quickly as possible as you submit them.

Published on

Please take note of the following timeline items:

Jan. 15 - Final Reports & Upcoming Plans open up on the State
website for principals to start working on.

Feb. 26 - ALL COMPLETED! Thank you! Final Reports completed and submitted on the State website. (2024 Upcoming LAND Trust plans cannot be submitted until the Final Report is completed and submitted)

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.

  • 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. 

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

School Land Trust Program

TSSA Program

Published on

DATE:     
January 24, 2024

TO:   
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
Wellness Day 2024 Updates

Our District’s third annual Wellness Day is right around the corner! Here are some reminders and updates for school and District leaders:

  • Parents and students have received a Skylert from the District with information about how to access instructional content along with a reminder about the day.
  • A direct email will go out to all employees with information about opportunities available and will include instructions about how and when to sign up for wellness day opportunities.
  • As much as possible, please allow for flexibility for employees to make the most of their wellness day.

Looking to promote wellness day and engage your school community? Use this link for some ideas, posters, and posts you can use: wellness.jordandistrict.org/wellnessiseasy

Published on

DATE:    
January 24, 2024

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:  
Safe Routes to Schools Update and Clarification

The only part of your schools Safe Routes plan that is due by Friday January 26th is the 24-25 Safe Routes Form. Please save your own copy and rename it with your school. Once you have the form, share it back to Matt Alvernaz via the Google Drive. This will enable you to continue to make changes and add signatures as needed. You will have more time to complete the remaining steps needed on the new website.

The Safe Routes form will also be shared with the corresponding city engineer pertaining to your school so be sure to add your notes for review. The city engineer will be able to respond and add to the shared form directly as well. Having this information included and already exchanged will help our meetings with each city be more efficient.

The new website has presented some difficulties we are working through together. When accessing your maps on the new website, found at Safe Routes Utah, please ensure the routes are accurate and complete. Most maps did not copy over correctly from the old website. The most common issue is sudden gaps in the route lines. Some have corrected the issues and resubmitted the map only to have it not reflect the updates. According to the state, this issue should self-correct for the maps that were re-submitted with your corrections.

The description portion can only be accessed on the website once the map is approved. Maps cannot be approved until the corrections are either made or a confirmation of the corrections have been made. Please email Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org to confirm your maps were checked and/or corrected so they may be approved. Please have this done as soon as you are able.

If you have any trouble gaining access to it or your school is not found on the website, please reach out directly to Kristen Hoschouer at khoschouer@utah.gov.

For any additional assistance or clarification please contact Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.

 

 

Published on

The Department of Language and Culture Services and the Office of EDI are excited to offer a PD series on 'Understanding your Diverse Students'. Our second PD of the year is on February 8th, 2024 at the JATC South from 4-6 PM, focusing on our Refugee students. All licensed employees will receive 2 hours of in-service pay. The administrators are encouraged to attend.

Link to Register (also on the flyer below)

Published on

DATE:  
January 22, 2024

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT: 
United States Secret Service Live Virtual Training Event Opportunities

The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) offers live recurring virtual training events on violence prevention to community safety stakeholders throughout the year. In these trainings, experts and researchers will present findings from NTAC’s research on targeted violence and discuss strategies for preventing acts of violence in our communities. More information about these events and how to register are below.

Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment

Description: In this virtual training event, NTAC researchers highlight the key findings and implications from our research on school violence prevention. In this training, you will learn about the background, thinking, and behavior of school attackers and how some schools discovered and stopped plots before violence occurred. This training will provide guidance on how schools may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.

Intended Audience: School teachers, administrators, counsellors, mental health professionals, school resource officers (SROs), law enforcement officers, and other school safety stakeholders.

Register Here

Preventing Mass Attacks in Our Communities

Description: In this virtual training event, NTAC researchers discuss important findings from our research on mass attacks perpetrated in public and semi-public spaces, including businesses, restaurants, bars, retail outlets, houses of worship, schools, open spaces, and more. This training will provide guidance on how communities may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.

Intended Audience: Law enforcement, corporate security, mental health professionals, faith-based community leaders, university faculty, threat assessment team members, and other community safety stakeholders.

Register Here

Published on

DATE:    
January 22, 2024

TO:  
School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT:  
February School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, February 2, 2024, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Julien Smith, Ph.D., Wasatch Pediatric Neuropsychology, Inc., will provide us with a presentation on psychological assessment with neurodiverse populations.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

Take note of the change in location for the Feb 13th Principal Meeting. It will be held at JATC-S and will be a half-day.

A beverage service will be provided at 7:30 a.m. No lunch will be served.

LOCATION - PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL START WITH LEVEL MEETINGS AT 8:00 AM
All levels will gather together in the auditorium.

Published on

Training in the Science of Reading, or LETRS training, is an ongoing expectation of all teachers, administrators, and psychologists in K-3. Teachers, administrators, and psychologists who began LETRS training in 2021-2022 should be complete with all unit classes and bookwork. Those who began training in 2022 should have completed unit classes and bookwork by the end of 2023.

Any teacher or psychologist who has been working through LETRS training this year (including those with license extensions) and is interested in receiving a stipend will need to have completed the required classwork and bookwork and submitted this Google Form by May 24, 2024.

After May 24, 2024, only teachers and psychologists who began LETRS training in 2023-2024 will be eligible for a stipend upon completion of the next set of units and bookwork during the 2024-2025 school year.

Published on

DATE:  
January 17, 2024

TO:  
Principals

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

SUBJECT:  
Panorama Student Success

Panorama’s Student Success now qualifies as an evidence-based tool for early-warning multi-tiered system of support which means schools may use Title funds to pay for it. Recently Panorama hired a 3rd party research firm to do an impact study of Student Success. The study found that using Panorama Student Success was associated with learning gains on math and reading assessments during the 2022-23 school year. Schools with more actively engaged Panorama users had significantly higher end-of-year math and reading performance. The study met evidence requirements for ESSA Level II, which means title funds may be used to support Panorama. See this link for the full study.

Panorama’s Student Success is evidence-based prevention and should be included in each school’s prevention plan.

As you plan your TSSA/Land Trust, Title funds, or prevention efforts for the 24’-25’ school year - money should be allocated to pay for Panorama’s Student Success. The cost for Panorama’s Student Success is $2,000 for each Elementary, Middle, and High school.

Efforts are currently underway to pay for Panorama as a District. However, until funding becomes available schools will need to pay for it using their own funds.

Published on

The Winter 2023-24 Student Survey is ready for launch on 01/22/2024! Panorama will send an email on launch day as well as reminders throughout the survey.

As a reminder, the student surveys are always optional for parents and students. Please see the JAM sent on December 14th for more guidance and resources - including the Spring survey window dates. The questions used in the survey are below.

Elementary Schools Survey

Secondary Schools Survey