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Category: Elementary Schools

Published on

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Instructional Coaches
Kindergarten Teachers

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Michelle Lovell, Literacy Consultant
Mandy Thurman, Literacy Consultant

The following letter, as well as the attached Planet Kindergarten Newsletter, will be sent to all kindergarten teachers this week. Please celebrate them with us.

Dear (Kindergarten Teacher),

As a literacy team, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your incredible work this year. We recognize that it was a year filled with new challenges: quarterly goals, new curriculum, learning Mastery Connect, and new voluntary professional development opportunities. You not only stepped up to the plate, but you truly hit it out of the park!

Hundreds of teachers and coaches attended each session of the Planet Kindergarten PDs. We know this required sacrifice of your time and energy, but your extra effort in Tier 1 instruction, small groups, and data tracking has made a real difference. Thanks to your dedication, we have more proficient kindergartners in literacy skills moving on to first grade than ever before!

Please know how grateful we are for everything you’ve done. As you begin planning for next year, don’t hesitate to reach out for any support you need.

If you'd like a refresher of Letter Launch or dive deeper with the Letter Launch Workshop, we'd love to see you there.

Wishing you a wonderful summer filled with well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Thank you for changing the lives of students in Jordan District!

Published on

DATE:
June 8, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:
2026-27 Monthly Drill Schedule

This schedule is designed so that our district will remain in compliance with state regulations.  The design is set up so the district can help prepare and support each of your schools throughout the year to better implement these drills.  This schedule is to be followed throughout the district.

Secondary schools are required FOUR (4) evacuations a year.  You may do more if desired.

Elementary schools are required to conduct an evacuation EVERY OTHER MONTH.  These evacuations can follow any drill and DO NOT have to be in conjunction with a fire drill.  Due to this regulation and the mandated fire drill after winter break, an evacuation drill will need to be conducted in both December and January in order to remain in compliance.  This only applies to elementary schools.

Three virtual drill preparation trainings will be held back-to-back on the first Wednesday of each month at 2:40, 3:10 PM, and again at 3:30 PM.  The ZOOM LINK will remain the same for each session throughout the year.  School Safety Specialists are expected to attend.  Other administrators or interested employees are always welcome as well.

MONTH DRILL TYPE NOTES
August Fire First 10 days of school
September Secure
October Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
November Shelter
December Hold Evacuation required for elementary schools
January Fire First 10 days of school after winter break
February Secure
March Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
April Earthquake Great Shakeout. Evacuation is optional
May Drill of Choice Choose whichever drill is appropriate for your school

If there are any questions, concerns, or conflicts, please contact the District Safety Coordinator Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623.

Published on

DATE:
June 8, 2026

TO:
Principals

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

SUBJECT:
School Safety Specialist List Update/Confirmation

Beginning the 2026-2027 school year, the School Safety Specialist must be an administrator. The School Safety Specialist also attends, completes, and participates in the following:

  • All trainings required by USBE for School Safety Specialists (dates and times will be shared by USBE later this summer)
  • Monthly safety/SRP trainings (held on the first Wednesday of each month) provided by the District’s School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz (specific dates and times will be shared in an upcoming JAM).
  • SRO trainings are held annually and each quarter (a future JAM will provide dates, times, and locations).
  • Standard Response Protocols, Incident Command, and other duties as outlined here.

Please complete the spreadsheet linked below for the 2026-2027 school year on or before Friday, August 14, 2026. The information entered needs to be accurate for them to receive communications from the District and the USBE, as well as getting enrolled in the USBE Canvas course.

2026-2027 School-Based Safety Specialists

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to:

Matt Alvernaz
School Safety Coordinator
Matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org
(801)567-8623

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith Doleac, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

The Board of Education has approved an allocation of 16 days of substitute support (per school, per year) to provide classroom coverage when part-time assistants, who are designated as rotation assistants, are absent.

Human Resources will provide additional information and instructions regarding the process for requesting these substitutes at a later date.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators and All Financial Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services

For fiscal year 2027 the insurance composite rate will be increasing to $17,652 annually or $1,471 per month. This rate represents the District’s portion of medical and life insurance premiums for an individual employee. Please ensure you are using this amount when forecasting personnel budget costs for next year.

Additionally, for fiscal year 2027 the industrial insurance rate will be increasing to 0.2%.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Dan Ellis at (801) 567-8389.

Thank you.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
David Bowman Assistant Director of Systems and Security

The district-wide student YouTube block will be put in place, discontinuing direct student access to YouTube from their Chromebooks beginning August 18, 2026. This change applies only to student accounts.

As announced in the November Principal Meeting, principals continue to have the option to block students from accessing YouTube sooner. If you would like to have YouTube disabled before August 18th, please contact David Bowman in Information Systems.

Teachers will continue to have access to YouTube and may use instructional video content with students through MyVideoSpot. MyVideoSpot allows teachers to import videos from YouTube and other sources, create custom video links, remove advertisements, and select specific start and end points for classroom use. These videos can then be easily shared with students through Canvas, Nearpod, Google Slides, and other instructional tools.

Training and support resources are available through Digital Teaching and Learning.

To access additional training information, please see the JAM below:

https://jam.jordandistrict.org/2025/11/20/myvideospot-for-student-youtube-access/

Published on

DATE:
June 5, 2026

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Administrator of Digital Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:
Fall 2026 Access Your Mentor List & Mentor Training Registration by Admin Invite

FALL Mentor List Updates and Mentor Contract
As the year wraps up, we know you may want to begin preparing your school’s mentor assignments for next year. To access your school’s mentor spreadsheet, please go to the Mentor Hub. If you have issues opening your list, please reach out to Amy Wood at amy.wood@jordandistrict.org

The mentor contract is available for you to print for your educators to sign. Administrators need to keep these contracts on file for up to three years for evidence of mentoring during an educators provisional time. Access the mentor contract attached in the memo.

FALL Mentor Training: Enrollment Now Open
FALL Mentor Training will be available online via Canvas from August 3 to September 7 at midnight. This training is specifically for new mentors recommended by their administrators.

Stipend: Teachers will receive a $150 stipend upon successful completion of the Canvas course.

Important Requirements
Before submitting the Google Form for a potential mentor, please confirm:
• The mentor has not previously completed this training.
• The mentor has agreed to participate and complete the requirements.

Registration Details
Please complete the Google Form in the attached memo for each mentor you wish to enroll.
• Availability: Seats are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Deadline: This form will close on August 7 at 3:00 PM.

Published on

DATE:
June 4, 2026 

TO:
All Principals and Administrative Assistants 

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources  

SUBJECT:
Summer Hours for School Personnel

The District Administration appreciates and values the relationships you have established  with the patrons in your communities and we believe it is critical that school personnel remain  accessible to the public throughout the year. We also understand that elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools may be without or with fewer students during the months of  June, July, and August. 

Please review the schedule of Summer Hours for School Personnel below, with all  designated summer school personnel at your location. Extended school office/business hours are acceptable; however, other adjusted schedules are NOT acceptable because they limit public access to school personnel. 

If the principal is the only staff member in the building, please place a sign on the door with a telephone number to reach someone inside the building who can unlock the door. If no one is in the building on a particular day, please inform your Administrator of Schools and post a sign on the door indicating the next time the office will be open. 

Elementary Schools
Administrative Assistant 10-month Contract
Principal/Asst. Principal 12-month Contract
Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., weekdays (except holidays),  June and August 

Middle Schools
Administrative Assistant 12-month Contract (Funding for vacation/office coverage is allotted)
Principal/Asst. Principal 12-month Contract
Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., weekdays, except holidays,  June, July, and August 

High Schools
Administrative Assistant, Registrar – 12 month Contracts  (Funding for vacation/office coverage is allotted)
Attendance, Clerk & Counseling Assistants – 10 month Contracts
Principal/Asst. Principal 12-month Contract
Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., weekdays, except holidays,  June, July, and August 

Thank you for your assistance with this important matter.

Published on

DATE:
June 4, 2026

TO:
School Principals
Directors

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
April Gaydosh, Administrator, Human Resources
Brent Burge, Associate Director, Human Resources

SUBJECT:
Shift Differential Update

As part of JESPA negotiations for the 2026-2027 contract year, the shift differential was increased effective July 1, 2026 as follows:

Swing Shift – The employee’s shift must begin between 12:00 p.m. (noon) and 10:00 p.m.  The employee must work a full eight hours. The additional rate of pay is $0.65 per hour.

Graveyard Shift – The employee’s shift must begin between 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.  The employee must work a full eight hours.  The additional rate of pay is $1.30 per hour. 

Only ESP, benefit-eligible employees are eligible for shift differential.  Please follow the current process to submit for shift differential pay. 

 

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Jordan School District Cabinet Members

Administrators,

As we continue our work around the Portrait of a Graduate, we want to celebrate and build upon the momentum happening across our schools.

To help us collaborate and share best practices, please bring your computer along with links to pictures, artifacts, documents, presentations, or other details about activities and ideas—both currently in motion or planned for the future—to the mandatory administrator meeting on June 10th or June 17th. You will be given time in our meeting to enter your artifacts into this template.

Thank you for your continued leadership, creativity, and dedication to bringing the Portrait of a Graduate to life for our students. Your efforts are making a meaningful impact, and we look forward to learning from one another.

Published on

DATE: 
June 4, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators 

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

SUBJECT:
FREE Mental Health Education for Parents and Caregivers

Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to provide ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This collaboration offers FREE access to live, virtual educational sessions covering various topics. Included are the resources for ALL summer months. Please share the following resources with your school community: 

  • Mental Health Series
    • June Mental Health Series: Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. 
    • July Mental Health Series: Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. 
    • August Mental Health Series: Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. 
    • Previously recorded seminars can be accessed through a comprehensive library of sessions and resources for each topic. You can access the library of recorded sessions at any time by visiting this site: https://parentguidance.org/mhsindex. 
  • Included in the mental health series is a "Watch Together Series" for families. While the Mental Health Series is designed for parents, these “Watch Together” events are for the whole family, especially teens and young adults.
    • June Event: Conversations About Consent - Are You Listening?
      • Wednesday, June 17th at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm MST  REGISTER NOW
    • No July Event
    • August Event: Body Positivity - Kaia & Vince
      • Wednesday, August 12th at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm MST  REGISTER NOW

Please share the attached flyers/resources with your school communities. Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:
June 4, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators 

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

SUBJECT:
Bark Summer Content Monitoring

During the summer months, from June 5th until August 10th, Bark content monitoring and notifications will have some temporary changes.

  • Notifications to schools will only include administration and not counseling or mental health professionals. This allows for 12-month employees to still receive notifications and not those who are off contract. In case there are administrators that are out of the office, the notifications will go to the entire team of administrators at each school. 
  • Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 2pm to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
  • Content monitoring will be checked twice per week, in June, while school is not in session, and once per week, in July.  Notifications will be sent to administrators on those days before 2pm. 
  • We will continue to receive imminent alerts and will continue to work with administrators when immediate intervention is required.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

TO:  
All Administrators

FROM:
Jordan School District Cabinet Members

The Administrative Leadership Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, and Thursday, August 6, 2026.

  • Time: Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Conference begins at 8:00 AM
  • Location: West Hills Middle School, 8270 S Grizzly Way (5400 W), West Jordan

Administrative Leadership Conference Workshops

See the Workshop Program Information document for descriptions of the workshops before registering for the sessions you'd like to attend. Please register for Workshop Sessions by June 30th.

  • Workshop sessions will be limited to 25 participants, unless otherwise noted. Please register early.
  • Many sessions will require you to bring your own device - a laptop, Chromebook, or iPad
  • All Administrators are expected to attend the workshop sessions 3-6 on Thursday.
  • Principals’ level meeting will be held on August 6th from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM.
  • Principals will attend 3 workshops after the principal meeting (Sessions 4, 5, 6).

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools
Odette Desmarais, Administrator of Schools
Meredith Doleac, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

This is a mandatory 2-day in-person training for all administrators.

DATES:  The trainings will run June 10 & 11 or June 17 & 18, 2026

LOCATION:  JATC-S Building

TIME:  8:00-3:30 pm each day

Lunch will be on your own. Please see the attached agenda for more details.

Click HERE to see which training date you signed up for.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Special Education Administrator

Jordan School District Special Education Summer Conference 2026

The Special Education Summer Conference for the 2026-27 school year will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at West Jordan Middle School. Check-in begins at 7:30 am and the conference begins at 8:00 am. Attendees will receive a $200 stipend, and lunch will be provided. Administrators are also welcome to attend. There will be sessions specifically for Administrators throughout the day.

All Certified/Licensed Special Education staff and school administrators are invited to attend. Please register through PD Catalog by July 31st.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your teacher specialist.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning

We have secured one-time funding to purchase K–3 literacy software licenses for summer 2026 and the 2026–27 school year.

Please note an update to the announcement made at the May principals meeting: these licenses may be used in the classroom during the 2026–27 school year, rather than being restricted to home use. Classroom implementation will align with the STEM Action Center grants for math software licenses for the 2026-2027 school year.

License Distribution & Next Steps

  • Existing Requests: If you submitted a Google request form, you will receive the number of licenses you indicated.
  • New Requests: If you did not originally request licenses but would now like them for classroom use, we will provide them based on availability.

To request remaining licenses, please contact Brittney Eldredge at 801-567-8161.

Published on

DATE:
May 28, 2026

TO:
All Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Changes to Acadience Testing for the 2026-27 School Year

As the 2025-26 school year draws to an end, elementary school administrators should be aware of some changes to Acadience testing. Principals are encouraged to forward this information to relevant personnel.

Acadience Math:
USBE's contract with Acadience Learning for Acadience Math ends on June 30, 2026. During the 2026 legislative session, the legislature did not appropriate funding for the continuation of Acadience Math testing. Thus, Jordan School District will not be administering Acadience Math in grades K-3 for the 2026-27 school year.

Acadience Reading:
Acadience Reading will be administered to students in grades K-3 by district assessment assistants as in years past. Schools will continue to be responsible for administering Acadience Reading for grades 4-6. All Acadience Reading testing results may still be found in ALO.

Data analysis from prior years has indicated that a kindergarten student's scale score and pathways of progress score is impacted by when that student tests during the BOY and EOY windows. To a lesser degree, first grade students are also impacted by when they test.

This year, 23 schools participated in a kindergarten testing pilot that separated kindergarten benchmark testing from grades 1-3 testing with the goal of lengthening the instructional days between BOY and EOY assessments to better capture the full breadth of literacy learning and growth:

  • For schools scheduled at the end of the BOY window: Kindergarten students were tested at the beginning of the BOY window while grades 1-3 were tested during their regularly scheduled testing time.
  • For schools scheduled at the beginning of the EOY window: Kindergarten students were tested at the end of the EOY window while grades 1-3 were tested during their regularly scheduled time.

Preliminary analysis of the 2025-26 Acadience Reading data indicates that lengthening the instructional days between BOY and EOY benchmark testing provided more reliable benchmark scores at BOY as well as pathways of progress scores at EOY.

Thus, Assessment, Research & Accountability will be administering the Acadience Reading benchmark to all kindergarten students, as well as first grade students, at the beginning of the BOY window and end of the EOY window for the 2026-27 school year. This means that for the BOY and EOY windows, district assessment assistants will come to your schools once to complete K-1 testing and again to complete grades 2-3 testing at different times of each window. During the MOY window, we will complete testing for K-3 together.

In the next day or two, you will start receiving your testing schedule for the 2026-27 school year. Please take note of the two separate testing dates for the BOY and EOY windows.

More information about these changes will be released at a later date. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.