Last year we introduced Kindergarten Night Out and it was a huge success! This is a night for teachers to come together to collaborate, learn, and enjoy some time together. This year, we are pleased to announce that we are expanding to include a First-Grade Night Out and a Second-Grade Night Out. Please see the attached fliers and share them with your teachers!
Category: Elementary Schools
JSD-Arts Representatives for 2022-23
DATE:
August 31, 2022
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, PhD, Administrator, Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
JSD-Arts Representatives for 2022-23
This year we will continue to have two District Arts Representatives (DARTS) represent your school throughout the 2022-23 school year. We have appreciated the work of past DARTS representatives and how they have helped strengthen arts instruction in your schools. Meaningful progress toward a greater level of arts integration has been made, and we wish this to continue.
DARTS meetings will be held on the following dates: September 21, October 19, November 16, January 18, February 15, March 15, and April 19. The meetings will be held at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Please assign up to two classroom teachers to serve as your school’s DARTS representatives by either selecting a grade-level team, or two teachers from different grade levels. The DARTS representatives will meet once a month for two hours to learn and collaborate. Teachers will be paid at the inservice rate and will earn relicensure points (Note: In addition to the two regular classroom teachers, your school's BTS arts educator will also be attending the DARTS sessions).
Please email the names of your choices for the JSD DARTS Team for the 2022-23 school year to linda.gold@jordandistrict.org as soon as possible.
Research Project – The Challenge of Peer Leadership
DATE:
Thursday, September 8, 2022
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, 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: The Challenge of Peer Leadership
Applicant: Doug Stump, Southern Utah University
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 obtain your permission to conduct the study at your school. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.
The researcher is looking for first-year administrators who have been assigned to schools where they were also a teacher.
Thank you for your assistance.
Interpreting Services for Parent-Teacher Conferences – Fall 2022
Parent Teacher Conferences are fast approaching, and many of you will find your school in need of one or more interpreters in order to serve the needs of your parents. Mirsa Joosten is happy to find an interpreter in each language you need, but this can be extremely difficult when there is not sufficient time for her to make arrangements. The virtual format, should we need to use it, can make finding interpreters even more difficult. For these reasons, we ask you to please request your interpreter no later than the dates given below by completing the Interpreting and Translation Services Request Form available on the Equity and Compliance webpage, if you have not already done so.
Level | Conference Date(s) | Date Interpreter Request Due |
High Schools | September 28-29, 2022 | September 21, 2022 |
Middle Schools | September 28-29, 2022 | September 21, 2022 |
Elementary Schools | October 5-6, 2022 | September 23, 2022 |
Save-the-Date: Due Dates for 2023-24 LAND Trust & TSSA Plans
Principals:
As you are planning your SCC meeting dates, please keep in mind that your 2023-24 LAND Trust & TSSA plans will be due on March 24, 2023. The plans must be approved in your last SCC meeting of their year. Please plan your dates accordingly!
Portable Classroom Ramps
Portable classroom ramps are very expensive and the District does not keep an inventory of extra ramps.
When there is a ramp request for a legitimate ADA accommodation, administrators should contact their AOS first, to discuss the specific circumstances. If the AOS deems the ramp necessary, they will then contact Facility Services to determine the best school to move a ramp from along with an appropriate timeline for the installation.
2022-23 Student Electronic Account Content Monitoring by BARK
DATE:
September 1, 2022
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
BARK Content Monitoring
Now that school is back in session, here is a review of our districtwide content monitoring system which runs through a software system called BARK. BARK was awarded a contract extension over the summer and we will continue to screen alerts and send them to schools for review. NO other content monitoring software should be purchased by schools. BARK monitors all student accounts across all JSD schools and levels. Here is a summary of the notification protocols and procedures.
- BARK uses an AI to scan student Gmail messages, Google chats, Google documents, and Google slides, regardless of the device that is used. As long as the student is logged in to and using their Jordan District Google account, the content can be monitored.
- Notifications and alerts are categorized as non-severe, severe, and imminent.
- The alerts are monitored primarily by Angie Rasmussen, JSD Student Safety and Wellness Specialist. Some will require additional investigation at that level to determine the context and to weed out false positives.
- Notifications to schools will include administration, counseling, and other mental health teams. This allows for several adults to receive notifications in case they are somewhat time sensitive.
- Notifications will come in an email from Angie unless it is urgent, then a phone call or text message will be communicated.
- Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 3pm on a school day to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
- Content alerts are not monitored over the weekend or on days that students don’t attend, but emergency alerts will still be sent when immediate intervention is needed.
- We will continue to receive after hours 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
2022-23 Content-Specific Opt-Out Requests
DATE:
September 1, 2022
TO:
District Administrators
School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
SUBJECT:
Content-Specific Opt-Out Requests
Please see the attached memo.
2022-23 COVID-19 Guidance Flyers
Please see the attached flyer. It has been updated for the 2022-23 school year. If you have any questions please call Mike Anderson or Nadine Page (x88182). Thank you!
2022-23 FTE Audits Coming Soon
School Administrators:
Please review next week’s JAM (September 8, 2022) for a summary of the FTE Audit process and required due dates. The FTE Audit is critical to ensure employees are paid correctly and from the correct budgets. The audit will be electronic again. However, if you would like assistance, you will have the option to schedule an appointment with HR to review your audit.
We appreciate your time in completing this essential task.
2022-23 Crucial Policy Review
As outlined in the August 10, 2022 JAM, all employees, with the exception of minor students, are required to complete the Crucial Policy Review by November 1, 2022. We ask for your continued assistance in notifying employees who have yet to complete the required training.
Please review August 17, 2022, JEM for instructions on how to complete the training.
Please review the August 10, 2022 JAM for assistance in running employee completion reports in Skyward. If you or any staff members need technical help, please call the help desk at 801-567-USER (8737).
2022-23 Utah Symphony Performances for 5th Graders at Abravanel Hall
DATE:
August 24, 2022
TO:
All Elementary Principals
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
Utah Symphony Performance at Abravanel Hall for 5th Grade Students
Once again, we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 5th grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are February 6 and 7, 2023 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. Schools will be seated upon arrival.
Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.
Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on 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 any other transportation requests for these dates.
2022-23 Suicide Prevention Grant Funds
DATE:
August 24, 2022
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
Suicide Prevention Grant Funds
Each year our District is awarded grant funds for suicide prevention programs and training. Schools are able to use this grant fund for training or conferences related to suicide prevention or for programs such as Hope Squad or Sources of Strength. There are other relevant training and programs that may qualify for this grant. This grant will not cover “consumable” supplies such as treats, T-shirts, fidgets, or other incentives or prizes. Funds must be spent on training and programs.
This year, using carryover from unspent funds from prior years, Student Services will be offering for any member of your school’s mental health team (school counselors, school psychologists, or clinical support/social workers) to attend ONE of two suicide prevention conferences with your permission. This invitation will be sent to them directly.
Please reach out to McKinley Withers or Angie Rasmussen if you have suicide prevention training or programs that you would like to have funded using this grant. Please have a plan and cost in mind for consideration.
2022-23 Grade Transmittal and Professional Development Days
Please take note of the following clarification on the difference between "Grade Transmittal Days" and "Professional Development Days." This information is also being distributed to employees via JEM.
Grade Transmittal Days are scheduled three times per year (October 21, January 17, March 27) as required in District Policy D207 - Calendar Development. These days occur each year in the Jordan School District. Payment for these days is built into the base teacher salary. Students do not attend. In-person work by teachers is not required; however, schools are open and teachers may use time on this day for finalizing and submitting grades.
Professional Development Days are three days throughout the year (September 16, November 4, April 21) where the Board of Education and District Administration have converted a student instructional day to a professional development day, as allowed by Utah Code 53F-2-102(d). These days are authorized on a year-to-year basis. These days are included in the 187 days of the standard teacher contract. Students do not attend. Principals may use up to three hours of each day for required professional development activities. The remainder of the contract day is to be used by teachers for planning and preparation.
The level and teacher calendars have been updated to clarify this change:
- Elementary Calendar Packet
- Elementary Teacher Calendar
- Middle Calendar Packet
- Middle Teacher Calendar
- High Calendar Packet
- High Teacher Calendar
2022-23 Utah Symphony Performances for 4th Graders at Abravanel Hall
DATE:
August 24, 2022
TO:
All Elementary Principals
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
Utah Symphony Performance at Abravanel Hall for 4th Grade Students
Once again, we are pleased to announce Utah Symphony concerts for your 4th grade students at Abravanel Hall. The performance dates are November 14 and 15, 2022 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Your school’s date and time are provided on the attached spreadsheet. Schools will be seated upon arrival.
Study materials for use in preparing your students will be provided by the Utah Symphony in the weeks prior to the performance.
Your secretary will need to complete a transportation request on Skyward (your school's date and time shown on 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 any other transportation requests for these dates.
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2022-2023
DATE:
September 1, 2022
TO:
All Jordan School District Principals (with bus route students)
FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kathy Jones, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator
SUBJECT:
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2022-2023
State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this spring. This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.
The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:
Monday, September 12, 2022 through Friday, September 16, 2022
Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation one day during the week as they drop your students off in the morning. This procedure takes place at your school and is located in your normal bus drop off/pick up zone. All professional school bus drivers that transport students are required to perform evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. Bus evacuation will be through the front door this year. Students will then, under the direction and supervision of the bus driver, evacuate and meet in a safe place approximately 100 feet away from the bus.
Your assistance is welcome but not mandatory to complete this required evacuation drill quickly, safely and effectively.
We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.
2022-23 School Community Council Trainings
All new principals and new SCC Chairs need to attend one of the SCC Trainings for this year. Two trainings will be held in a Zoom format. If you have any questions contact Nadine Page, nadine.page@jordandistrict.org or 801.567.8182 (x88182).
September 28, 2022 - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting LINK
September 29, 2022 - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting LINK
Meet the New HR Team 2022!
With the restructure of the Human Resource Department, which includes Brittany Bauer and Jane Olsen in their new assignments as HR Specialists, the HR Department has a new look. While Brittany and Jane will focus on NEW EMPLOYEES, Brent and June will focus on CURRENT EMPLOYEES for all employee groups. For additional details, please see the attached graphic. We look forward to continuing to serve you.
REQUIRED 1-Year Temporary Agreement – 2022-23
1-year temporary agreements are not required for part-time employees.
1-year temporary agreements are required for all full-time/contracted employees who are paid from the following programs and program codes. Please submit these completed forms to the HR Department by or during the FTE audits in September 2022. Click this link for the 1-Year Temporary Agreement form found on the employment.jordandistrict.org/AdminOnly website.
Program Code: 5679
Program Name: School Based Mental Health
Department: Student Services
Employee Type: Licensed
Program Code: 5886
Program Name: Beverly Taylor Arts Learning Program
Department: Teaching & Learning
Employee Type: Licensed
Program Code: 7685
Program Name: SAMHSA AWARE Grant
Department: Student Services
Employee Type: Licensed
Program Code: 7220
Program Name: GEERS
Department: Special Education
Employee Type: ESP
ARTS, Inc. Performance Schedule – 2022-23
DATE:
August 15, 2022
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Teaching and Learning Administrator
Norman R. Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant
SUBJECT:
Assemblies by Artistic Resources for Teachers and Students, Inc. (ARTS, Inc.)
ARTS, Inc., now in its sixty-third year of operation, was founded in 1959 and has provided performances in all forty-one school districts in Utah, reaching more than 250 schools each year with professional arts and education programming. We welcome their artists in our schools again for the 2021-22 school year.
Click this link to find:
- The assembly schedule with the date and time the artists will be at your school.
- The contact information for the performing group coming to your school.
The artists have been instructed to contact you at least two weeks prior to their assembly to verify starting times and specific needs for their performance. If the date selected for the music group to perform at your school does not work with your schedule, please contact the music group as soon as possible to reschedule. The name and phone number of the contact person for each group have been provided.
If you have any questions, please contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364.