Skip to content

Category: Elementary Schools

Published on

DATE:  
January 23, 2025

TO:  
Elementary Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants

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

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 now. Enrollments for kindergarten should be promptly entered into Skyward so that projections accurately reflect enrollments. Schools must not keep external lists or delay entering kindergarten enrollments.

The following steps should be used to establish a kindergarten roster:

  1. Send a flyer home with every student.
  2. Publicize in the school newsletter – communicate (several times) the importance of getting accurate kindergarten counts.
  3. Use all other resources available to you (ParentSquare, social media, etc.).
  4. NOTE: New Student Online Enrollment (NSOE) for the upcoming school year enrollment will not be available until after the Skyward pre-enroll. If applications were entered prior to pre-enrollment, they need to be inactive for the current year and active for next year. This can be done during the approval process in NSOE.
  5. Schedule kindergarten orientation as soon as possible. After pre-transfers begin in December, check your New Student Online Enrollment to see if there are any pending applications that need follow up.
  6. Hang banners announcing Kindergarten Registration being accepted for the following school year.
  7. Remember that the guardian of a kindergarten student has 30 days to provide a birth certificate and that these 30 days begin on the first day of school. Kindergarten applications received now can be activated for next year provided the guardian is notified of the birth certificate timetable and the school follows up in the fall.

Please schedule your kindergarten orientation AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Optional Ideas:

  1. Make a block contact with every home using PTA support.
  2. Contact preschools in the attendance area of your school.
  3. Use a telephone tree operated by parent volunteers with a list of questions for consistency.
  4. Contact neighbors who can identify new move-ins.
  5. Contact community members who do not have children enrolled in school.
  6. Avoid forwarding kindergarten orientation letters to new addresses if a family has moved from your boundary area. Delete that name from your list.

Please be diligent in recruiting all the kindergarten students within your school boundary.

Published on

DATE:    
January 23, 2025

TO:  
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) and Bullying Action Plan (BAP)Training Dates

Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) and Bullying Action Plan (BAP) Training are required by State Law. Additional training dates have been made available and are described below.

CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels and both levels must be completed by all administrators and threat assessment team members. The CSTAG Level 2 workshop is for all who have completed the Level 1 training (the six (6) hour web-based training from Navigate360). This workshop will build upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school. CSTAG Level 3 is optional and offers practical applications of CSTAG.

**CSTAG Level 2**
Wednesday, February 26th, DO Room 129, (8am-10am) Register Here
Friday, May 2nd, DO Room 129, (1pm-3pm) Register Here

**CSTAG Level 3: Practical Use**
Wednesday, February 26th, DO Room 129, (1pm-3pm) Register Here
Friday, May 2nd, DO Room 129, (8am-10am) Register Here

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As per State requirements outlined in H.B. 84, Jordan District has created a “Bullying Action Plan” to support a caring, proactive response to bullying incidents. Training on the Bullying Action Plan will occur through in-person, 2-hour sessions of each school-based administrator’s choosing. All school-based administrators are required to attend one training session. For those that were unable to attend we have created two additional dates.

Wednesday, February 12th, DO Room 129, (1:00pm-3:00pm) Register Here
Tuesday, February 25th, DO Room 129, (8:30am-10:30am) Register Here

Register for all sessions on Canvas (https://pd.jordandistrict.org/)

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

Published on

TO:
All District Office Departments and Special Programs

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning

The purpose of the Curriculum Advisory Committee is to provide transparency and understanding in reviewing current primary instructional materials and to provide feedback to the Board in anticipation of adopting new primary instructional materials. See DE501

The membership of this committee is determined by policy and includes parents, teachers, and administrators. The current committee is planning to meet in February 2025. 

This is a reminder to all departments that any curricular materials that may be considered for use districtwide as primary instructional materials (except as listed below) should be presented to the committee for initial review before an RFP or an adoption by the Jordan Board of Education. This includes software programs for assessment and instruction used districtwide by students, e.g. Star Reading; Reading Horizons, Canvas; Mastery Connect.  

Primary Instructional Materials are defined in policy as: learning materials that a local school board adopts and approves for use districtwide for student instruction and assessment. Primary instructional materials do not include learning materials used to teach specific electives, concurrent enrollment, advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Dual Language Immersion (DLI), and technical education (CTE) courses.

Please contact Carolyn Gough if you have questions about curriculum adoption or if your department is contemplating an adoption within the 2025-2026 school year. 

 

Published on

DATE:   
January 21, 2025

TO:   
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT:
January School Psychologist Guidance Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Liz Miller, Special Education Teacher Specialist, will provide us with a presentation that addresses Embrace procedures for case managers, especially since many school psychologists have students with Guidance Only services. We will also address 504 and have time for collaboration groups. Please come prepared to share ideas within your groups.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, January 23, 2025

TO: 
All School Administrators

FROM:    
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, 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: Vocal Awareness in Occupational Voice Users: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Samples

Applicant: Pamela Hallam, Brigham Young University-Provo

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project and to solicit your participation in a survey. Participation in the study is at your discretion.

The project will involve voluntary participation in a survey that solicits information about their vocal health.

If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Kaye Rizzuto, Consultant in Teaching and Learning

All schools are getting more ML students registering. If the school is a DLI school and the students speak the language at the school here are some things we can do:

  • If there is available space in upper grades, heritage speakers of the program language may be added to the DLI program.
  • If unsure about a student's language ability, teachers can assess informally or use the AAPPL test. Students from countries speaking the program language can join the DLI program if there's space, regardless of reading and writing skills.

Published on

DATE: 
January 13, 2025

TO: 
Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Michelle Reyes, Attendance/Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:  
January Attendance Newsletter & Martin Luther King, Jr. School Recess Resources

January 2025 Attendance Newsletter

Welcome back to school and to the start of a fresh new year! As we head into the second half of the school year it is important to keep momentum with attendance going. New year often equals new goals. We can encourage students and families to make goals surrounding attendance. Included you will find helpful information for your school to use and information to distribute to families in an effort to boost attendance during the winter months.

Check out the memo below for all the information.

Published on

DATE:    
January 16, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM:  
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kristin Norris, Teacher Specialist-SLP/A, ESY Coordinator

SUBJECT:  
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines
Attached: ESY Eligibility Facts, Tips and Documentation

IDEA directs us to consider all students for Extended School Year (ESY) services. However, ESY services should only be provided if the IEP team determines that it is necessary for the provision of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

Please see the attached memo and information.

 

Published on

DATE:
January 16, 2025

TO:
All Principals
All Licensed Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior

SUBJECT:
ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills

Effective Teacher Training (ETT) is available for a winter cohort! Seats are limited and fill quickly, so learners need to register on Canvas Catalog as soon as possible.

Please see the attached memo for details.

This course is beneficial for: All general education and special education teachers. Also welcome: Specialists, interventionists, and mental health providers.

Published on

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
JSD Cabinet Members

USBE is now accepting applications for recognition as Purple Star Schools. A school is eligible to be recognized if the school has a designated staff point of contact, has a webpage for military families, has a student-led transition program to help welcome new students, provides training to staff on military student needs, and conducts an annual military recognition event.

Applications are due April 1, 2025 and can be found on the USBE Purple Star School webpage. Additionally, rather than require renewal forms every three years, each purple star school must now file an annual report by April 1st. The link to fill out the report can also be found on the USBE Purple Star School webpage.

For questions, please contact ben.rasmussen@schools.utah.gov.

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
JSD Cabinet Members

Based on feedback from administrators and in an effort to include more staff members, schools and departments may now offer their Health and Wellness breakfast or lunch beginning on Friday, January 31st.

See below for more details.

Principals and Department Directors should arrange for lunch or breakfast for all your employees one day from January 31st–February 6th. Please do not schedule meals on February 7th so all employees feel free to participate in the Health and Wellness Day activities occurring that day.

Traditional schools (i.e. the 42 elementary schools, 13 middle schools and 7 high schools) will receive an additional $13 per employee in the school’s supply budgets. Traditional schools may then charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 0050 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.

All other schools (i.e. Kauri Sue Hamilton (including the Child Development Center), River’s Edge (including the Jordan Family Education Center), South Valley, JATC North, JATC South, Valley High School, and Southpointe Adult High) will also have $13 per employee available. However, these schools will need to charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.

District departments will also have $13 per employee available. Departments should charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 yy90 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process. The “yy” listed in the account above will differ for each department as follows:

Superintendent – 24
Associate Superintendent – 24
Administrators of Schools – 24
Accounting, Budgets, and Audits – 25
Auxiliary Services – 26
Business Administrator – 25
Career & Technical Education – 22
Central Warehouse – 26
Communications – 28
Custodial and Energy – 26
Equity & Compliance – 21
Evaluation, Research & Accountability – 10
Facilities – 26
Human Resources – 28
Information Systems – 28
Instructional Support Services – 22
Insurance Services – 25
Jordan Education Foundation – 22
Language and Cultural Services – 21
Nurses – 21
Nutrition Services – 26
Payroll – 25
Purchasing – 26
Transportation – 27
Special Education – 22
Student Services – 21
Teaching and Learning – 22
Transportation – 27

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager

Timekeeping made easier: Information Systems is excited to introduce two easy and effortless ways to log in to TrueTime!

See the documents below for all of the details.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, January 9, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT: 
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access

The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners. This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students. This Supreme Court case essentially preserves a student’s civil right to an equitable education and the federal government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for providing an equitable education to English learners.

The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test. Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access. Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.

So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? USBE has provided the following guidance:

“Parents/guardians can elect to exclude students out of language services, but they cannot exclude students from WIDA ACCESS. LEAs must provide the student with the opportunity to test. LEAs should document everything if parents/guardians refuse to allow their student to test. Parents/guardians always have the ultimate right, but LEAs cannot provide parents/guardians a testing exclusion form to sign in order to opt the student out of testing. The only way a student can be deemed proficient and be reclassified as a former EL is by taking ACCESS.”

The following are the recommended procedures to follow when a parent/guardian wants to opt their student out of the WIDA Access:

  • The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent.
  • If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal using their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators to note the parental exclusion.
  • Schools may accept a parental exclusion in writing, but they cannot provide an opt out form to exclude students from the WIDA Access.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.

Published on

DATE:   
January 16, 2025

TO:
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
District Enrollment as of January 6, 2025

On a previous version of this memo, enrollment totals for Oak Leaf ES were not included. The error has been fixed.

Published on

TO:
Principals

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

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.

Watch the videos below to prepare for reviewing these program requirements.

Feb. 14 - Final Reports completed and submitted on the State website. (2025-26 Upcoming LAND Trust plans cannot be submitted until the Final Report is completed and submitted)

Mar. 21 – 2025-26 Upcoming LAND Trust Plan and 2025-26 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 2025-26 school year.

Click on this LINK to access the file with the timeline, examples of level specific goals, and the council signature form.

  • 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 21, 2025. 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

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator in Teaching and Learning
Todd Theobald,  Special Projects, Teaching and Learning

The end of the semester is just around the corner, and we know that there are still a lot of questions about the new standards based gradebook in Skyward and how to enter scores for the report card. To help answer some of the most commonly asked questions, we have just added a series of short videos in the FAQ section of the Proficieny Based Learning Canvas course. To find these short 1-5 minute videos, click on the FAQ link in the course navigation on the left hand side of the page, and then scroll down toward the bottom of the FAQ page. The videos are linked under the Skyward section of the FAQ page.

If you’re already enrolled in the course use the link below to go directly to the FAQ page!

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Directors

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator Human Resources
Jane Olsen, Recruiting, Licensing & Hiring in Human Resources

Please see the documents below for all of the information!

Published on

DATE:  
January 6, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:  
School Counselor Training and Professional Development

The training and professional development for the month of January 2025 for school counselors is below. Your efforts to ensure your counselors participate is greatly appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to contact Stacee Worthen with any questions or concerns.

January 8

  • BRISC Monthly Call
    • All Counselors (optional)
    • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Zoom)

January 10

  • Secondary Counselor PLC
    • All Secondary Level Counselors
    • 7:30 am – 9:00 am (Valley High School, Auditorium)
  • Elementary Counselor PLC
    • All Elementary Level Counselors
    • 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (Valley High School, Auditorium)

January 24

  • Elementary Small Group PLC
    • All Elementary School Counselors
    • 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (various Elementary School locations)

January 28

  • West Jordan Feeder Meeting
    • All West Jordan Feeder Counselors K-12
    • 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (Terra Linda Elementary School)

January 29

  • New Counselor Training
    • All New Counselors K-12
    • 8:00 am – 11:00 am (JATC-South, Auditorium)

January 30

  • School Counselor Collaborative Committee Meeting
    • Appointed School Counselors
    • 8:00 am – 11:00 am (Jordan School District Office