Jordan School District
TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager in Information Systems
Missed our ParentSquare training for office staff? No worries! We've got you covered with additional opportunities to jump on board, including online sessions! Check out this sign up sheet for a list of dates offered and join us!
For those of you that have already attended a training session, here is the link to access the slides from that training: ParentSquare Training
TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll
Please see the document below.
DATE:
Thursday, July 25, 2024
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2024 Testing Bulletin
Check out your level specific testing bulletin.
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
The district-wide professional development day is on August 13th, 2024.
All licensed personnel are required to select and attend a keynote speaker in the morning and are required to attend a corresponding session to their assignment in the afternoon.
Please remind your teachers to sign up for a keynote ASAP if they haven’t already.
Please contact your AOS if questions arise about teachers with unique assignments. Administrators who are NOT hosting at a particular location should be in attendance with teachers. Divide your administrative team accordingly.
To register for a morning keynote:
Review Your Assigned Afternoon Grade Level/Content Area Schedule
DATE:
July 25, 2024
TO:
All Elementary Principals
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
Utah Symphony Performance at Abravanel Hall for 5th-Grade Students
We are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for the 5th-grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are February 4 and 5, 2024 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Your school’s date and time are provided on the attached spreadsheet. Please note that there are no assigned seats. School groups will be seated upon arrival.
The Utah Symphony will provide study materials to prepare your students before the performance.
Please have your administrative assistant complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time are shown on the spreadsheet). The number of teachers (which may also include a parent and two chaperones for each class) should be included in your school’s final count. When entering your busing request, please include the correct group name (e.g. Daybreak, 115 Curr). This will ensure that the Teaching and Learning Department will cover the busing fee.
Transportation requests should be completed as soon as possible. Due to the number of buses needed for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on other transportation requests for these dates.
DATE:
July 25, 2024
TO:
All Elementary Principals
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
Utah Symphony Performance at Mountain Ridge High School for 4th Grade Students
We are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 4th-grade students at Mt. Ridge High School. The performance dates are November 4 and 5, 2024 at 10:15 and 11:35 a.m. Your school’s date and time for attending the performance are provided on the attached spreadsheet. School groups will be seated upon arrival.
The Utah Symphony will provide study materials to prepare your students before the performance.
Please have your administrative assistant complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time are shown on the spreadsheet). The number of teachers (which may also include a parent and two chaperones for each class) should be included in your school’s final count. When entering your busing request, please include the correct group name (e.g. Daybreak, 115 Curr). This will ensure that the Teaching and Learning Department will cover the busing fee.
Transportation requests should be completed as soon as possible. Due to the number of buses that need to be used for the Symphony concerts, there will be a moratorium on other transportation requests for these dates.
TO:
Administrators
FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator Human Resources
Jane Olsen, Recruiting, Licensing & Hiring in Human Resources
Administrators, Save the Date! See all of the important information on the two documents below.
DATE:
July 26, 2024
TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Media Assistants
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services Consultant
SUBJECT:
Quarterly Training Meetings for Elementary Media Assistants
To prepare and train elementary library media assistants to effectively provide services to elementary schools and to build consistency across elementary library programs, training meetings have been scheduled for the 2024-25 school year. The participation of both of your library assistants in these meetings is appreciated and expected. The meetings are to be included in the assistants' weekly allotment of 17 hours. Except for August 21, 2024, they have been scheduled on Fridays.
The meetings will be held as follows:
Please share this information with your school’s elementary media assistants.
Please contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364 if further information is needed. Thank you for your continued support of the library media program in the Jordan School District.
DATE:
July 25, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Resource Officers
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
District SRO Training
The annual District School Resource Officer training will be held as shown below and is required for each SRO and at least one administrator. Additional administrators are welcome if desired.
Date: Friday, September 6th
Time: 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Location: ASB Presentation Room
Please contact District School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623 if you have any questions.
DATE:
July 25, 2024
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
BTSALP Funding for 2024-25 School Year
During the 2024 legislative session, the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program funding formula was changed. Instead of allocating up to 80% of BTS Arts educators’ loaded salaries to LEAs, a uniform amount is being provided to districts per teacher. This will negatively impact some schools since they would need to come up with an amount that perhaps would exceed 20% of the loaded salary under the new funding formula.
To prevent most schools from paying unexpected increases for the new school year, the district will subsidize the school’s portion for the 2024-2025 school year and keep the current funding structure of 20% in place as in the past. Moving forward the district will work to equalize funding to offset increasing costs, but an increase in overall BTS expenses is anticipated.
Your school’s financial dashboard has been updated to reflect the BTS FTE allotment you will receive and the percentage your school will be expected to pay this year. Further information will be provided at the principal’s meeting in August.
DATE:
July 18, 2024
TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator, Human Resources
Brent Burge, Human Resource Administrator, ESP
SUBJECT:
Labor Day Annual-Personal Leave before-after Critical Day
If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before/after Labor Day for any reason not listed in policy DP335NEG or DP335B, you must submit a request as follows:
How to Request
During the window, the employee must send the request through email. Please include your name, school, position, and the date you are requesting the leave. Requests left on voicemail or over the phone will NOT be accepted.
The employee will receive an email confirmation within two working days after submitting the request. If the employee does not receive a confirmation email, then Human Resources has NOT received your request and your leave will not be approved.
| School Holiday | Date of Holiday | Critical Days* | Window |
| Labor Day | Sept. 2, 2024 | Aug. 30 and Sept. 3, 2024 | July 20 – July 30, 2024 |
*Critical Days are the first student attendance days before or after a school holiday. If a non-student attendance day falls before or after a school holiday, the Critical Day is the day before or after that non-student attendance day when students are in attendance.
TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, HR Generalist
A friendly reminder for the Employee-Funded Sick Bank Policy,
Employees are automatically enrolled in the sick bank each year through the annual donation of one (1) annual leave day to the sick bank. More information regarding the Employee-Funded Sick Bank can be found in policies, DP326NEG -Sick Leave-Educational Support Professionals and DP 324NEG -Sick Leave-Licensed.
For those who wish to opt out of participation in the Employee-Funded Sick Bank, keep an eye out for instructions starting in the July issues of JEM and JAM.
*First-year Educational Support Professionals and hourly employees are not eligible for sick bank, therefore, a sick bank day will not be deducted (if applicable).
DATE:
July 18, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
SUBJECT:
Early Warning System – Panorama Users by Role
Panorama, the District’s Early Warning System (HB84), will begin nightly data downloads for the 2024-25 school year during the first week of August 2024. To ensure that all the appropriate permissions are activated users by role must be validated by each school.
There are two (2) roles that must be identified:
Using the 2024-25 Panorama Administrators and Survey Coordinators sheet select your school, list the names of the users (first and last name), select the role, and enter the users district email address. Schools should enter this information prior to August 1, 2024 to ensure seamless use at the beginning of the school year.
Schools who wish to have their faculty activated should email Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org).
Jordan School District Employees are responsible for knowing and adhering to all District policies and procedures. The Crucial Concerns and Policy Review is now available to District employees in Skyward through “Online Forms.” As a condition of continued employment, all employees (i.e. Licensed, ESP, Substitutes, Coaches, Miscellaneous adults, etc.), with the exception of minor students, will be required to complete this training. We ask your assistance in notifying your employees of this required training and ask that this training be completed by November 1, 2024.
A message will appear upon login of Skyward Employee Access for the employee to complete an “Online Form.” Employees can complete the steps at that time or can return to the review at another time by selecting “Online Forms” under “Employee Information.” Attached is a tutorial to assist in completing the review.
Reports of completion will be available through Skyward so you can verify that your staff members have completed this process. A tutorial is attached for your reference. If you or any staff members need technical help, please call the help desk at 801-567-USER (8737).
Note: The Crucial Concerns and Policies review was significantly reduced for the 2024-25 contract year. See the table below.
| 2024-2025 Estimated Time Required |
| Administrator Lic. Time Required 2 HR 41 Min 16 Sec |
| Licensed Time Required 2 HR 37 Min 16 Sec |
| ESP Time Required 2 HR 4 Min 14 sec |
| Sub/Misc Time Required 1 HR 42 Min 48 sec |
DATE:
Thursday, July 18, 2024
TO:
All School Administrators
District Department Directors/Consultants
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
2024-25 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Education Support Professionals
For the 2024-25 school year, administrators will need to conduct a training for all licensed educators as well as any education support professionals (ESPs) who will assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing on the state’s testing ethics policy. All licensed educators will need to be trained on the policy. Administrators will want to consider including computer lab assistants who function as the school’s test coordinator, any classroom aides that assist with testing, literacy aides who assist with Acadience Reading or Math testing or progress monitoring, or any office staff that assist test coordinators with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.
The three required procedures for completing this testing ethics professional development are listed on the “2024-25 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for ESPs” form, which is due to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 20, 2024.
As has been done in the past, administrators may provide the testing ethics training themselves using the Google slide deck linked in this memo. Alternatively, administrators may show the YouTube video linked below to school personnel. The video provides the same information as the slide deck. Once school personnel have been trained, either by a school administrator or using the video, they are required to sign the “2024-25 Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy Training Signature Form.” Administrators are asked to keep these signed forms on file at the school.
There are several materials attached with this memo for your use:
Please contact Ben Jameson or Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions.
DATE:
July 18, 2024
TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
Guidance on “Proof of Residency” Requirements
Inconsistencies districtwide in how parents/guardians have been asked to supply “proof of residency” documentation has led to difficulties in enrolling students and an unpredictable enrollment experience at different schools and levels.
Effective immediately, all schools in Jordan School District will require TWO (2) proof of residency documents at the time of enrollment: One or two documents from Column A of the table below and no more than one document from Column B (the model document listing from the Utah State Board of Education has been used as a basis for this table):
| Column A (1 or 2 documents) |
Column B (No more than 1 document) |
|
|
If there are concerns with the provided documentation, a third document may be requested at the direction of school administration; however, requiring three documents should NOT be standard practice. Updated documentation can and should be requested when a parent/guardian submits a change of address request or when school administrators believe the family’s residency status has changed.
If the parent/guardian declares during enrollment that the family is homeless and qualifies for services under McKinney-Vento, the declaration covers BOTH residency document requirements. No further documentation can or should be requested from the parent or guardian and the student should be enrolled immediately. After enrollment, if there are concerns about eligibility for McKinney-Vento services, the school may coordinate with the district McKinney-Vento liaison for further assistance.
An “explainer document” (in English and Spanish) to show to parents is attached to this memo. Additional information can be found in the Planning & Enrollment Manual at https://planning.jordandistrict.org/manual/enrollment/#ResProof
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
C. Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
The Annual Jordan School District Administrative Leadership Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at West Jordan Middle School, 7550 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan Utah. Full-time Administrative Interns (paid) assigned to your building are also expected to attend. The agenda and flyer are attached. Our first Principal meeting is also scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2024, at West Jordan Middle from 8:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
All administrators are assigned a one-hour "escape room" slot (see link) on Thursday, August 8th which will be held at "A Great Escape-Gardner Village" located at 1100 W. 7800 S. #3, West Jordan Utah.
Additionally, the Jordan Education Foundation will need our help with a service project set up in the West Jordan Middle School gymnasium on Thursday, August 8, 2024. We ask each administrator to spend one hour before or after your assigned “escape room” slot to stop by and help with the service project. Random prizes will be drawn at a later time for those who show up to help with the JEF service project.
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
FROM:
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Please see the following document on School Mental Health Supports to promote the individual growth and well-being of students, families, and staff.
TO:
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Mike Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Jeri Gamble, Customer Support in Information Systems
21 Fund Summary Budgetary Data Mining Report: If you run the 21 Fund Summary report during July, the balances will not be correct until after Accounting has rolled June balances over to 2023-24 later this month.
Cash Receipts and Journal Entries: Make sure you are selecting 2024-25 when you add cash receipts and journal entries. You will continue to see the option for 2023-24 until October, which is when we will close out the 2023-24 year. Please review your cash receipts and journal entries that are in batch or WIP status. If any cash receipts are in 2023-24, then please edit them and change the year to 2024-25. The fiscal year cannot be changed on journal entries, so you’ll need to delete the 2023-24 journal entries that are in batch, submitted or WIP status and re-enter them.
TO:
All Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Mike Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Jeri Gamble, Customer Support in Information Systems
SKYWARD STUDENT
Rollover and Pre-transfers
Rollover has been completed which means the new 2024-25 school year is now our “current” school year. Pre-transfers have been turned off, so marking a student inactive on the Entity tab or making changes to the School Path tab will not remove a student’s entry record at your school. See the 2024-25 No Show Guidelines to follow when you are notified a student will not be attending your school for the 2024-25 school year.
Please remember, when entering new students for the 2024-25 school year, use the entry date of 08/20/2024.
Family Access Tutorial in Spanish
Breaking News! There is now a Spanish tutorial available on jordandistrict.org for lunch and student fee web payments. It can be found by navigating to Parents & Students, Family Access (Skyward), Lunch and Fee Payments.
SKYWARD FINANCE
21 Fund Summary Budgetary Data Mining Report: If you run the 21 Fund Summary report during July, the balances will not be correct until after Accounting has rolled June balances over to 2023-24 later this month.
Cash Receipts and Journal Entries: Make sure you are selecting 2024-25 when you add cash receipts and journal entries. You will continue to see the option for 2023-24 until October, which is when we will close out the 2023-24 year. Please review your cash receipts and journal entries that are in batch or WIP status. If any cash receipts are in 2023-24, then please edit them and change the year to 2024-25. The fiscal year cannot be changed on journal entries, so you’ll need to delete the 2023-24 journal entries that are in batch, submitted or WIP status and re-enter them.
