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TO:
Elementary Administrators
2nd Grade Elementary Teachers

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Michelle Lovell, Elementary Language Arts Consultant


There have been some updates in Module 3 of Wit & Wisdom for second-grade. Please see below for details.

2nd Grade Wit & Wisdom Module 3 Options
Wit & Wisdom offers an optional version of 2nd grade Module 3 with revised narrative writing craft instruction.

  • Changes were made to Focusing Question arcs 3, 4, 5, and the End-of-Module task. The content for the modules is the same. It's only the craft (writing) instruction that has changed.
  • Great Minds has provided a Revised Narrative Instruction One-Pager and Crosswalk.
  • The optional module teacher manual is only available digitally.
  • Jordan District will provide resources for both versions on the W&W Toolkit, and Great Minds has digital resources for both.
  • Second grade teachers are encouraged to choose which option works best for their students. To enable collaboration, school teams should choose the same option.

Here is a brief comparison of the two versions:

Original Version Optional Version
  • Digital or print Teacher Edition
  • All student handouts are in paper student books and on district W&W Toolkit.
  • Print assessments (district W&W Toolkit)
  • FQ Tasks 3, 4, 5 and EOM:  narrative writing from first-person perspective of Ruby Bridges or Sylvia Mendez
  • Digital Teacher Edition
  • Will need to print some student handouts (available on the district W&W Toolkit)
  • Print assessments (district W&W Toolkit)
  • FQ Tasks 3, 4, 5 and EOM: autobiographical narrative writing about students' own educational experience.

Screenshots of the affected writing assessments are included in the document below.

TO:
Administrators
Directors

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning


The Education Tribute Award is a prestigious honor presented annually by the state-wide program ResilientYOU. Each year education organizations and individuals are selected based upon their exemplary efforts in building student resilience in their schools, homes and communities. The Education Tribute Award nominations need to be completed online no later than Friday, March 14, 2025.

Find the nomination form HERE

Nomination categories include:
High School
Middle School
Elementary School
Administrator
Secondary School Teacher
Elementary School Teacher
Wellness Professional
Parenting Organization

*School nominations are for school-wide programs and efforts. Please don't feature individuals if you are nominating their school.

TO:
Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent


The March Assistant Principal meetings will be held on March 6 (8:00-11:00am) and March 11 (8:00-11:00am). All meetings will be held in-person at the JATC-S. All assistant principals and intern assistant principals are invited. A beverage service will be provided, beginning at 7:30 am at each of the meetings. As a reminder you only need to attend one of the sessions offered. Both sessions will provide the same information. Please CLICK HERE and it will take you to the Google Doc to sign up for which day you would like to attend. If you have any questions please call Nadine Page at 801-567-8182 (x88182).

TO:
Administrators

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


Spring Mentor Training will be available online through Canvas from March 31 to May 12. Training is provided to new mentors based on administrator recommendation. Complete the Google form for each mentor you wish to enroll. We have limited seats, first come first served. Teachers will be paid a $150 stipend for completing the mentor Canvas training.

Please confirm the following before completing this form:

  • Potential mentor has not already completed training
  • Potential mentor is willing to complete the training

The Google Form to submit names for mentor training is now open! Please submit your names by March 31st.

DATE:
February 19, 2025 

TO:
All Principals 

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

SUBJECT:
Professional Development Opportunities for March, April, and May


See the attached memo for a listing of all the professional development opportunities for Special Education Licensed Staff for March, April, and May.  A link to sign up for each training will be sent to all Special Education Licensed Staff Members.

TO:
All Licensed Educators

FROM:
Ami Shah, Jordan Native American Program


Jordan Native Program invites you to attend a PD on 'Exploring Native American History: Lessons Beyond Textbooks' by Darren Parry, on March 27th, from 4-5:30 PM, at JATC South.

Darren Parry is the former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Darren serves on the Board of Directors for Utah Humanities and the PBS Utah. He attended the University of Utah and Weber State University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Education. In 2024, he received an Honorary PhD in Education from Utah State University. Darren is the author of “The Bear River Massacre, A Shoshone History” and teaches in the Environmental Humanities department at the University of Utah. He lectures around the country on Native American issues surrounding history and Indigenous views related to sustainability.

Link to register

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning


Administrators, please share this information with your teachers.

Many of your teachers are pursuing a STEM endorsement (see our EIP website for a full list of endorsements). USBE WILL REIMBURSE THEM FOR THEIR COLLEGE CLASSES! This is called the STEM Endorsement Incentive Program (EIP) and it has been funded again for the 2024-25 school year. See the attached flyer and link to our EIP website for more information.

Applications for reimbursement are now being accepted for teachers who completed STEM courses after June 1, 2024. The next round of reimbursement applications is due February 27, 2025, for teachers who completed STEM courses in Fall/Winter 2024.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the content consultant. We would love to talk to you!

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Jason Skidmore, Director of CTE


The CTE Work Based Learning team has been tasked with helping students discover and explore careers at an earlier age. In response, we have created nine 30-minute Career Exploration lessons that coincide with the CTE Career Spotlight posters located near each elementary school's lunch room.

Each lesson plan includes a slide deck with videos for class discussion and an activity that can be presented by school counselors, teachers, or aides during rotations. Lessons can be accessed at cte.jordandistrict.org under the Educators tab and will be updated each year with additional careers. Please reach out to jennifer.price2@jordandistirct.org if you need help with implementing these lessons or with career readiness activities at the elementary level, we are happy to help.

DATE:
February 20, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
McKinney Vento Aides

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Consultant, Student Support Services

SUBJECT:
McKinney Vento Aides- Spring Training


McKinney Vento Spring Training will be held on Monday, March 3, from 10:00 am-11:30 am in the ASB Presentation Room, Entrance C.

Please remind your McKinney Vento aides about this required training. Assistant Principals, interns, & administrators are welcome but not required to attend. Please coordinate with your team on meeting attendance.

TO:
Building Principals

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


See the 2025-26 FTE Authorization and Enrollment Forecast by grade for all schools using the link.

 

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

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


Reminder! This deadline is approaching.

The LOG/TIMESHEET must be turned in to the school no later than April 11, 2025 so that amounts may be paid in the May 2025 paycheck. Hours must be completed before turning in the log/timesheet. Payroll will take the information for payment from the Google Sheet.

Please make sure to total the hours listed on the Log/Timesheet and put this number on the Google Sheet. Double check to make sure ALL employees to be paid are listed and that their hours worked are correct. If you have questions please reach out to Nadine Page at x88182 or nadine.page@jordandistrict.org.

Below you will find the original documents sent out at the beginning of the school year with all the guidelines. Here is the LINK to the original JAM that was sent with all instructions.

 

 

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources


If you are a contracted employee (Benefit eligible) and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before or after Spring Recess 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.

Licensed employees submit their request to licensedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

Education Support Professionals submit their request to classifiedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

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
 Spring Recess
Licensed
April 1-4, 2025 March 28 and April 7, 2025 Feb. 16 – Feb. 26, 2025
Spring Recess

ESP

April 3-4, 2025 March 28 and April 7, 2025 Feb. 18 – Feb. 28, 2025

Licensed Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 2024-2025

ESP Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 2024-2025

TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services


We are assisting schools with interpreters. For schools not listed on the form, please reach out to lisa.stonedejimenez@jordandistrict.org to request an interpreter for parent/teacher conferences. We encourage you to reach out to the Latinos in Action students for assistance. Please use this LINK to view your school's services:

If you have an ESP that can help out, we can timesheet them and pay them from our office. Please contact Nicole Woodburn by Feb. 14th, prior to the conferences. We just need to know their names and be pre approved. If we do not have their name, they cannot be paid.

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Todd Theobald,  Special Projects, Teaching and Learning


Elementary Principals,

Due to the scheduling conflict with the BYU CITES Instructional Leadership Conference, the March 21st Elementary Principal PLC has been rescheduled to March 28th. Please notify your instructional coach(es) that this meeting has been rescheduled and mark your calendars to reflect this change:

Elementary Principal PLC - UPDATE SCHEDULE
DATE: March 28th
TIME: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
PLACE: ASB Auditorium

DATE: 
Thursday, February 13, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
MOY Acadience Reading and 6th Grade CogAT Tableau Dashboards Updated with Latest Results


MOY Acadience Reading and the 2024-25 6th grade CogAT results are now available in Tableau viewer accounts. Elementary school administrators may access the MOY Acadience Reading dashboard here and the CogAT dashboards here. Results are available at both the district and school level. School administrators may also filter the data by student groups (economically disadvantaged, ML, race/ethnicity, and students with a disability). Both dashboards also contain results for individual students.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with questions about these dashboards.

DATE:
February 10, 2025

TO:
School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT:
February School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns Meeting


A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, February 28, 2025, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium (7905 South Redwood Road). Kristina Feldman, Ph.D., Neurodiverse Psychological Services, will provide us with a presentation on ideas and resources to consider with neurodiverse populations. In addition, Kayleigh Brennan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah, will provide us with training on the WAIS-5.

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

cc:
Principals

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning


Check out the links below for the latest updates from Teaching & Learning for February. Learn Tips and Tricks, Sign Up for Upcoming PD, and Learn about Important Updates from the T & L team.

TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants

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


Attached is the Special Ed Newsletter for February 2025.