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Category: High School Action Required

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Lee, HR Administrator-Evaluations

Please review and mark educator evaluation due dates on your calendar. Reach out to Rebecca Lee for any questions or concerns.

Published on

DATE:
August 26, 2025

TO:
All Principals
All Special Education Staff
School Psychologists
Elementary School Counselors

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

SUBJECT:
ASPEN Training for Special Education Personnel 2025-2026

ASPEN training will continue to be required during the 2025-2026 school year for all licensed special education teachers, SLPs, school psychologists, elementary school counselors, as well as all Education Support Professionals (ESPs) in SEB and Autism self-contained support classrooms who do not have a current Mandt certification. Staff members working in any other special education setting may choose to attend ASPEN at the discretion of their building administrator and at the cost of their school.

Please see the attached memo for dates and registration information as well as other pertinent information. For questions, please contact: stephanie.johnson@jordandistrict.org or cassidy.hansen@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:     
August 28, 2025

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:   
September Drill Preparation (Fire)

*DRILL MUST BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF SCHOOL*

Our monthly drill preparation will be held on September 3rd at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month we will be covering FIRE. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety. All other administrations are welcomed to attend as well. The meeting is also opened to any staff who may be interested. Most of you will have likely already completed this drill prior to the training so it will be more of a debrief and clarification as needed. (see original JAM on July 30, 2025)

After each monthly training all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.

Information regarding the FIRE response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 32-33. We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

We will be holding this meeting over Zoom so please join using this link.

 

Published on

DATE: 
August 21, 2025

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
2025-26 Employee Wellness Representatives

Each school or department is invited to select an employee wellness representative! The Employee Wellness Representatives will support faculty/staff wellness efforts within your schools.

Action Items for administrators: Please nominate your Employee Wellness Representative for the 25-26 school year!

Employee Wellness Representatives Duties include:

  • Attending virtual trainings, which will be offered at 3:15 and 4:15PM for each of the following dates. Employee Wellness Reps can choose one of the two listed sessions at either time on: 9/16 or 9/18; 10/14 or 10/16; 11/18 or 11/20; 1/13 or 1/15; 4/14 or 4/16.
  • Learning emotional regulation and stress management strategies for educators
  • Enhancing connection with colleagues and District wellness specialists
  • Promoting wellness initiatives within your school or department
  • Modeling holistic wellness for your school community

Steps to having an Employee Wellness Rep for your school or department:

  1. Consider the following:
    1. School Employee Wellness Reps must be licensed, non-administrative staff members who are eligible for the $500 stipend. We recommend using a non-mental health team staff member who is also on a leadership team or social committee at your school.
    2. Department Employee Wellness Reps can be any individual who represents wellness for the employee group. Though department employee wellness reps may not be stipend-eligible, we hope that directors will allow reps to fulfill their duties as part of their work schedule.
  2. Principal and directors nominate ONE employee wellness representative for each school or department using this form.
  3. Support your Wellness Rep throughout the year as the work to enhance your school or department!

Published on

DATE:
August 21, 2025

TO: 
All administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Back to School SafeUT Reminders

Administrators,

Please review these SafeUT reminders to start off the 2025-2026 school year.

It is critical that ALL SafeUT tips are “closed” promptly and your school's SafeUT Dashboard is up to date. When tips are not closed, it appears that the school did not address or respond to the concern. It can also disrupt feedback and data used by SafeUT to improve the platform or allocate State funds. Email reminders from SafeUT will be sent to the assigned user of any open tip if it is not marked as resolved after two weeks. This email will act as a reminder to close the tip. Every week after that, a reminder will be sent to the District Dashboard Admins (McKinley and Angie) that the tip is still open and should be closed.

To assist with this, school administrators will receive notifications about the number of open tips for your school with the discipline log each week.

Here are some additional tools to support your use of SafeUT:

  • If you are having trouble logging in or forgot your password, use this link to review the login FAQS. If you are concerned about not receiving tips for your school, contact Angie Rasmussen about a “test tip.”
  • Review this document for a refresher on the different tabs on your dashboard. Be mindful that the “Return Tip” button is only used if the tip was assigned to the wrong school (and must be accompanied by a note as to why the tip needs to be re-evaluated and re-assigned). The “Return Tip” button is not used for false tips or resolved tips.
  • Instructions on how to assign, document, and close a SafeUT tip.
  • A complete training for new dashboard users.

We have made any personnel updates to your school dashboards that we are aware of, but if you have additional updates, changes, or would like to add or remove anyone, you are encouraged to reach out with any requests. Please email Mckinley Withers or Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org). In your email, include the individual’s name, email address, and title in your email. For any individual who would like text message notifications in addition to email notifications, please include a cell phone number.

Published on

TO:
Middle & High School Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Nathan Foster, Specialist, Health & PE

Principals,

Please share the information in the attached memo about sex education updates with your Health, CTE, and Psychology Teachers.

Published on

DATE:   
August 21, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Administrative Assistants
Attendance Secretaries
Registrars

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

SUBJECT:  
Reporting Completion of 10-Day Accounting

Students who are registered to a District school and have not attended (or been marked absent with a valid excuse) for ten consecutive school days at any point in the school year must be withdrawn from membership. This is particularly important during the first ten days of the school year so that our enrollment calculations and reporting is accurate.

Accurate enrollment counts are used to generate future projections. Projection totals are needed very soon after ten-day adjustments are completed. To assist in preparing projections, we are asking all schools to report the completion of their 10-day drops on a Google Sheet as soon as these drops are processed. Only the staff member responsible for processing the drops should indicate completion status. The Google Sheet is available at this link and will be emailed to attendance staff again close to the 10th day of school.

10 day drops for high schools may be processed at the end of the day on September 3, 2025. Elementary (Grades K-6) and middle school may process drops at the end of the day on September 4, 2025.

Welcome to 2025-26! Send these words "JSD is Great" to Nadine Page nadine.page@jordandistrict.org to win a prize.

Guidelines for how to process these drops are available at the links below:

Published on

DATE: 
August 21, 2025

TO:    
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
PBIS Stipend & Supply Funds

Administrators,

For the 2025-26 school year, funding for each school’s positive behavior plan has been renewed through the State’s E-cigarette and Nicotine Prevention Fund. As a reminder, these funds can only be used for the following purposes:

  • $1,000 of supply funds to administer your positive behavior plan. Accounting has set up your school’s account, and instructions are in the form linked below. PLEASE, DO NOT EXCEED $1,000 IN EXPENSES.
  • Stipends for individuals implementing your school’s PBIS plan in amounts below. Stipends will be paid out in November or March. Please submit the form to Janie Hyde by October 3, 2025, to have the stipends paid on the November paycheck, or please submit it by February 6, 2026, to have the stipends paid on the March paycheck:
    • You may choose one person to receive - $2,250.00
    • You may choose two people to receive - $1,125.00 each
    • You may choose three people to receive - $750.00 each

To access supply and stipend funds, please fill out the following form and follow its instructions:

Published on

DATE: 
August 7, 2025

TO:  
All Assistant Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
Safe School Hearing Committee Assignments

Please see the 25-26 Safe School Hearing Assignment Calendar for your assignment to serve on the Safe School Hearing Committee.

This Committee is chaired by Sharon Jensen, Consultant at Student Support Services. With a few exceptions, Safe School Hearings are held on Wednesdays.

Please plan on being at the District Office on your assigned day from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. You will be notified the day before the hearings of how many hearings are scheduled.

If you have a conflict on your assigned date, please contact Janie Hyde at janie.hyde@jordandistrict.org or call 801-567-8326 as soon as possible so she can secure a replacement for you.

Thank you for your commitment to our students and the Safe School Hearing process.

 

Published on

DATE:  
July 31, 2025

TO: 
District employees who qualify for mileage reimbursement

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting

SUBJECT:  
Defensive Driving Course Requirement for Mileage Reimbursement

Our insurance carrier, State Risk Management, has asked that every person who receives mileage reimbursement take the Utah Defensive Driving Course. We ask that you complete this free course as soon as possible using the instructions attached to this memo.

A new District Mileage Reimbursement form can be found at this link https://jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/083_MileageReport.xlsx. This new form has a box under the title for the individual to enter the completion date of the course. Please note that beginning in January 2026, Accounting will only reimburse mileage that includes the completion date of the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course. The course must be completed every two years. Supervisors approving mileage reimbursement – please remind your employees to complete this course and enter the date at the top of their mileage reimbursement form to avoid delays in reimbursement in January 2026.

The link below provides access to the course in the Utah Learning Portal. Your username is your district email. Click “Sign Up” and fill out the required information. Note that the security key word is Jordan and you may create your own password.

https://utah-riskpool.sabacloud.com/Saba/Web_wdk/NA1PRD0101/index/prelogin.rdf#/login

Once you have passed the course, record the completion date on your mileage reimbursement form and print the certificate. You may use the print option at the top of the final page of the online assessment or print your certificate from the attachment that will be emailed to you. Retain the certificate at your location for audit purposes.

If you have questions regarding the mileage reimbursement form, please contact Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits at 801.567.8389. If you have questions about the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course, please contact Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator at 801.567.8876.

Published on

DATE:     
July 30, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:  
Fire Drill Required Within the First 10 School Days

All schools are required to conduct a fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year. This provides a great opportunity to review plans, emergency response/Incident Command assignments, evacuation maps, outside rally locations, communications, and related supplies.

Please call the Jordan School District 24-hr. Alarm Response 801-567-8865 at least 30 minutes in advance of the drill, so the fire department is not dispatched.

Use the JSD Incident Command System Manual - Fire Action Plan as your drill guideline. Jordan School District Safety Manual

Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matt Alvernaz the District Safety Coordinator at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator Human Resources
Jane Olsen, HR Specialist

Greetings!

Continuing in the tradition of collaboration, building relationships and cultivating systems of support we will be having a Meet & Greet for departments, systems of support, sponsors and our partners on August 8 during the New Teacher Induction. This is an opportunity to interact with our anticipated 250 new teachers, connect them with resources, and develop relationships.

We would like to invite you to have a table or table(s) for the Meet & Greet during our lunch break. Arrival/setup can begin as early as 11:00 A.M. and take down time would begin at 12:50 P.M.

To notify us of your reservation and to assist us in planning, please see the invitation below and click the ‘CLICK HERE to Reserve a Table’ link. Please complete your reservation request by 8/4/2025 so we can source the appropriate number of table and chairs.

New this year, you will have the option to notify us if you need power for your table. Please indicate your need for power during your reservation process.

Tablecloths will not be available, please plan to decorate your table and have takeaways to provide to our new educators such as information, swag, manipulatives, or a link to resources connected to your department.

Help us show them that Jordan School District is the District of choice for the best and brightest educators.

Questions?
Please contact Jane Olsen, HR Specialist at jane.olsen@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8217.

Published on

DATE:
July 1, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Preschool and School-Age) Speech-Language Pathologists

FROM:  
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:  
Extended Year Special Educator Stipends 2025-26

Please read the following information and instructions carefully. Submitting these days requires an online survey to be filled out and submitted.

This year the state has allocated 4 additional days available to work during the two weeks before or after your contract days. Please read the attached memo for instructions on when the days can be worked and how to submit them correctly. The link for submitting the days is included in the attached memo.

If you have questions please contact Amanda Hamblin at the Special Education office.

Published on

DATE:    
June 25, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
Registrars
School Counselors

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Counselor Consultant
Steven Harwood, Application Dev. & Support Manager-Information Systems
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager-Information Systems

SUBJECT: 
H.B. 191 High School Credit Amendments

Overview:
Utah’s new legislation, HB191, introduces additional requirements for tracking and reporting high school packet credits. This memo outlines the new processes and responsibilities—especially for registrars—to ensure compliance and accurate data collection.

Key Points of HB191:

  • Definition of a “Packet”:
    • A packet is a collection of instructional materials and assessments that students complete independently, with little or no direct instruction. Credit is typically earned based on completion of assignments within the packet.
  • Types of Packet Credit:
    • Credit Recovery: Pass/Fail for courses not initially passed or completed; does not impact GPA; used to meet graduation requirements.
  • New Core Codes:
    • New curriculum codes will be created and found in the Course Catalog.

Action Items:

  • Registrars:
    • With the exception of Home & Hospital, Jordan School District does not use packets for original credit.
    • Begin using the new core codes established by Information Systems for all packet credits issued.
      • The new core codes will be found in the Jordan School District Course Catalog.
    • Credit recovery completed via outside vendors (e.g., Northridge, BYU Independent Study, etc.) need to be entered using the 999 entity and the new curriculum codes, not using the transfer curriculum codes.
    • If completing a credit recovery packet through your LEA, credit must be entered with your school entity and the new curriculum course codes.

If you have questions about the implementation or need clarification, please reach out to Stacee Worthen, Counselor Consultant, at (801)567-8309. Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we implement these legislative changes.

Published on

DATE:    
July 31, 2025

TO:     
All School Administrators and District Department Directors/Consultants

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

SUBJECT: 
2025-26 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Education Support Professionals

For the 2025-26 school year, administrators will need to conduct a training on the state’s testing ethics policy for all licensed educators as well as any education support professionals (ESPs) who will assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing. 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 “2025-26 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for ESPs” form, which is due to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 19, 2025.

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 “2025-26 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.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

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, 2025.

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 and the Human Resources dashboard 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).

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning

The district-wide professional development day is on August 12th, 2025.

All licensed personnel are required to select and attend a keynote speaker in the morning and are required to attend a session on Portrait of a Graduate at their respective school in the afternoon.

Please sign up for a keynote ASAP if you haven’t already. Please remind teachers in back-to-school communications to sign up for a keynote.

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:

Please choose a speaker and then register for a keynote speaker using this LINK

Keynote speakers are NOT content specific. The topics and location information for each keynote speaker are included in the registration information.

Afternoon Portrait of a Graduate Presentation:

Attached is the link to the folder with the presentation and facilitator script along with other POG resources. Please review the documents in anticipation of the principal presentation on the afternoon of August 12, 2025. You can adjust your own copy of the slides to fit the needs of your faculty, but please keep the most important messages regarding POG in tact. Please contact Carolyn Gough ext: 88122 for questions about the presentation or resources.

Folder link

Published on

DATE:  
June 26, 2025

TO:    
Principals
Assistant Principals

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

SUBJECT:   
School Safety Specialist List Update/Confirmation

Please review the spreadsheet linked below to confirm and/or update the School Safety Specialist information for your school. Update the information directly on the form. The information needs to be accurate in order for them to receive communications from the district and the state, as well as their stipend payments.

Beginning the 2026-27 school year, the School Safety Specialist role will be filled by an assistant principal. Schools may choose to make that change now or wait until next year. Schools choosing to implement that change for the 2025-26 school year will simply update the form linked below.

All updates or changes need to be entered on or before Tuesday, August 12th 2025. The list will be submitted to the state on August 13, 2025.

2025-2026 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

DATE:  
June 26, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT: 
SRP Training – New Administrators and School Safety Specialists

All new administrators or newly appointed school safety specialists are required to attend an SRP/ICS training for the 2025-2026 school year. This training will be offered over ZOOM. Please see the following dates and times available:

  • August 13th, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
  • August 14th, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
  • August 15th, 2025 from 10:00 PM to 12:00 PM

SIGN UP HERE

ZOOM LINK HERE

Please make every effort to attend one of these trainings.

Published on

DATE:   
June 26, 2025

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT: 
AED/SRP/Incident Command Training – Administrators/School Safety Specialists

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training for every school administrator is being offered for the 2025-2026 school year. This will include annual district Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and Incident Command System (ICS) refresher training. School Safety Specialists are encouraged to attend as well. Please follow the link below to sign up for one of the following four training sessions.

  • September 26th, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM at JATC South
  • September 26th, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at JATC South
  • October 3rd, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM at JATC South
  • October 3rd, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at JATC South

SIGN-UP HERE

Please make every effort to attend one of these trainings. For questions or concerns contact the School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz, at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801)567-8623.