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Category: High School Action Required

Published on

DATE:
June 19, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT:
Panorama Users by Role

Panorama, the District’s Early Warning System, will not have usable data from July 1-August 11, 2025, during the annual rollover. Nightly data downloads for the 2025-26 school year will resume on or around August 11, 2025. 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:

  1. Administrative Roles:
    1. Have access to all students throughout the school
    2. See all discipline information (number, type, and action of each consequence)
    3. Receive reports about their school and district
    4. Typically, the principal, assistant principal(s), school counselors, school psychologists, and clinical support staff have this access. The administrator may choose others that receive this access (special education team leaders, student trackers, athletic directors, etc)
  2. Survey Coordinator Roles:
    1. Receive reports about the school
    2. Have access to all students throughout the school
    3. Should NOT be the school principal
    4. Coordinate survey administration and messaging

Using the Panorama Administrators and Survey Coordinators, please update (if needed) the names of the users (first and last name), select the role, and enter the user's district email address. Schools should enter this information prior to August 1, 2025, 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).

Published on

DATE:
May 21, 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:
Monthly Drill Schedule

This schedule is designed so that our district will remain in compliance with state regulations.  The design is set up so the district can help prepare and support each of your schools throughout the year to better implement these drills.  This schedule is to be followed throughout the district.

Secondary schools are required to have FOUR (4) evacuations a year.  You may do more if desired.

Elementary schools are required to conduct an evacuation EVERY OTHER MONTH.  These evacuations can follow any drill and DO NOT have to be in conjunction with a fire drill.  Due to this regulation and the mandated fire drill after winter break, an evacuation drill will need to be conducted in both December and January in order to remain in compliance.  This only applies to elementary schools.

Two virtual Drill Preparation trainings will be held back-to-back on the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM and again at 3:30 PM.  The ZOOM LINK will remain the same for each session throughout the year.  School Safety Specialists and Administrators over safety are expected to attend.  Other administrators or interested employees are always welcome to attend as well.

If there are any questions, concerns, or conflicts, please contact the District Safety Coordinator Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623.

Published on

TO:
High School Administrators
Middle School Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools

The Human Resource Department would like to announce the newly established process for administering extra period stipends to educators within the Jordan School District for the 2025-2026 school year. It is imperative that all administrators adhere to this procedure and documentation to ensure compliance and efficient processing.

Process Details:

  1. Pre-Approval Requirement:
    • Before offering any extra period stipends, administrators must obtain pre-approval from their Administrator of Schools. This step is crucial to ensure alignment with district policies and resource allocation.
  2. Completion of Required Documentation:
    • Once pre-approval is obtained, both the educator and the school administrator must complete the attached "Extra Period Stipend Agreement" form.
    • A copy of the signed agreement must be retained at the school location for the entire academic year.
  3. Enrollment Dashboard Update:
    • The approved stipend must be recorded in the Enrollment Dashboard. This ensures transparency and accurate tracking of stipends across the district.
  4. Submission for HR Processing:
    • After the agreement is signed, the school is responsible for submitting the Extra Period Stipend form to Human Resources.
    • This submission will be processed in the Skyward system, ensuring the stipend's inclusion in the educator's monthly payroll.
  5. Monthly Dashboard Reflection:
    • Once the form is processed through HR, the FTE will be reflected on both the Enrollment Dashboard and HR Dashboard each month that the educator receives the additional stipend. 

Important Reminders:

  • The stipend is contingent upon factors such as student enrollment, budget constraints, and scheduling needs, and may be revoked if necessary.
  • All requests for extra-period stipends must be documented and processed according to the guidelines outlined herein.

Please ensure that all relevant personnel are informed of these changes and that the procedures are implemented immediately. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, do not hesitate to contact the HR department.

Attachments:

Thank you for your attention to these important updates and for your continued commitment to supporting our educators.

Published on

DATE:
June 4, 2025

TO:
All administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Summer SafeUT Expectations & CLOSE ALL TIPS

Administrators,

Throughout the summer, SafeUT tips will continue to be sent through the Dashboard to all individuals assigned. Issues and tips received through SafeUT should continue to be addressed throughout the summer (notifications are not urgent unless otherwise specified and can be addressed within normal working hours). After-hours and urgent notifications will follow regular protocol.

As staff members change at each of your schools, it is important to keep our SafeUT Dashboard up to date. We will automatically add any changes for your school’s administrators, counselors, school psychologists, and school-based clinicians to your school’s dashboard starting July 1st. If you have additional updates, changes, or would like to add or remove individuals, you are encouraged to reach out with any requests.

Please email McKinley Withers or Angie Rasmussen for any SafeUT changes or updates outside of the known updates mentioned above. In your email, include the staff member’s name, email address, and title in your email. For any individual who would like text message notifications, please include a cell phone number. Non-administrative individuals may also request to remove text message alerts.

Please keep in mind that it is critical that ALL SafeUT tips are “closed” in a timely manner and your school's SafeUT Dashboard is up to date because:

  • When tips are not closed, it appears that the school did not address or respond to the concern.
  • The data is used for funding decisions.
  • SafeUT uses the feedback to improve how tips are distributed, which impacts our work.

Here are some helpful tools for this process:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org) or McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

DATE:
May 29, 2025

TO:
School Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Administrators of Schools

SUBJECT:
Principal Year-end Checkout Materials for 2024-25

Attached is the list of items to be completed for principal checkout.

  • Items highlighted in yellow will be reviewed at checkout with your Administrator of Schools.
  • Items highlighted in green require you to bring the requested items to your checkout.

If you have any questions, please contact your Administrator of Schools’ administrative assistant.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

FALL Mentor Training will be available online through Canvas from August 1 to September 7. Training is provided to new mentors based on an administrator's 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.

The Google form to submit names for mentor training is now open! Please submit your names by Friday, August 22.

Please confirm the following before completing this form:
1) Potential mentor has not already completed training
2) Potential mentor is willing to complete the training

You can access a list of currently trained mentors on your school’s mentor list, shared with you via Google Sheets and your school coaching plan. If you need help accessing your mentor list, please contact your district coaching specialist.

Google Form Link: https://forms.gle/NaUpsFW2SJomBomQ8

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning
Amy Kinder, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

Administrators, please share this information with your teachers.

Many of your teachers are pursuing a science, technology, engineering, or math 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 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 reimbursements applications is due May 28, 2025 for teachers who completed STEM courses in Winter/Spring 2025.

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

Published on

DATE:    
May 22, 2025

TO:  
All Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

SUBJECT: 
Summer Hours for School Personnel

Please review the schedule of "Summer Hours for School Personnel", with all designated summer school personnel at your location.

Published on

TO:  
All Administrators

FROM:
Jordan School District Cabinet Members

Please review the important information below regarding the upcoming Administrative Leadership Conference.

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

  • Event: Jordan District Administrative Leadership Conference
  • Time: Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Conference begins at 8:00 AM
  • Location: Fort Herriman Middle School, 14058 S. Mirabella Dr (6200 W), Herriman

Keynote Book Order Information

The keynote address will feature a speaker from the Arbinger Institute, focusing on the book Leadership and Self-Deception. If you would like a copy of this book in your preferred format, please use the attached Google Form to place your order by June 20, 2025.

Published on

DATE:   
May 22, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary School Registrars

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

SUBJECT:  
Permanent Records – Transfer Processes and Procedures

See attached memo. Principals, please ensure registrars and record staff receive a copy of this memo.

Published on

DATE:   
May 22, 2025

TO: 
Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries

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

SUBJECT:  
Entering Attendance in Skyward for the Last Six (6) Days of the School Year

See attached memo. Principals, please ensure a copy is provided to your attendance staff.

Published on

DATE:
May 14, 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 for Special Educator Stipend Days 2024-25

The legislation allows a specific group of special educators to work up to 5 additional days for a $200/day stipend (plus applicable benefits). The Bill applies to Special Education Teachers (Preschool and School- Age) and Speech-Language Pathologists only (Speech-Language Technicians are not included). The number of days and stipend amount are based upon the educators assigned FTE equivalent. Teachers who have been hired with an Associate Educator License will count as licensed teachers and will be eligible for the stipend. Days can be worked 2 weeks before or after your contract.

Eligible staff that have days left to work, and did not work all of their allotted days in the fall, are required to complete an online survey to be paid for these days. After you have completed working the days, simply click on the link below to start the survey. Days worked must be full or half days and not a combination of assorted hours and must be worked in your assigned building(s).

The days available for you to work are: June 10-13th, 17-20th, and 23-24th. Please remember that June 9th is the last contract day and June 16th is a holiday. These days do not count toward Extended Year Days.

It is important to remember:
Below is the link to submit the days after you have worked. When asked for the approver for your submission do not put your principal or LEA. Please put amanda.hamblin@jordandistrict.org so that the submission can be approved through the Special Education office and be sent to the State Office for payment. If you list your building supervisor as the approver, your request will not be submitted for payment.

Link to USBE 2024-25 End of Year(EOY) Spring Extended Year for Special Educators (EYSE) Stipend Report

Please read the survey carefully, making sure you answer all of the questions listed, as you will be paid according to what the survey generates. Only those that complete the survey will be paid. Any timesheets submitted directly to the Special Ed. or Payroll departments will not be paid. Please note that the window for completing the survey closes June 26, 2025.

Please remember you cannot count the days you already worked and were paid for in the fall. You can only count the days you work after your last contract date at the end of the 2024-25 school year. The State Board of Education has discontinued any leniency on dates that you work. You may ONLY work and report the two weeks after your last contract day. Therefore, you will only be paid for dates that are between June 10 to June 24, 2025 (excluding weekends and holidays) and only the number of days you have remaining from fall 2024-25.

As you plan for the coming year, keep in mind the legislature will presumably award days for the 2025-26 school year, which you can begin working two weeks prior to your first contract day, which is August 11, 2025. More information about next year’s days will be forthcoming. If you have questions, or need help with the survey, please contact Amanda Hamblin at amanda.hamblin@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8177.

 

 

Published on

DATE:  
May 7, 2025

TO:  
School Administrators

FROM:   
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kitt Soumpholphakdy, Field/Activity Trips Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
Field/Activity Trips Planning for the 2025-26 School Year

The Department of Transportation’s Field/Activity Trips Office is preparing to launch a new software solution for managing field/activity trip requests, approvals and resource allocations.

Schools will continue to use BusHive for all field/activity trip requests for the duration of the 2024-25 school year until June 30, 2025. The new software solution will become activated beginning July 1, 2025.

Therefore, please refrain from scheduling any field/activity trips for the 2025-26 school year after July 1, 2025, until the new software solution has become activated. Requests received by the Field/Activity Trips Office will be denied.

More information will be forthcoming as we prepare to launch the new software solution for field/activity trips.

Contact Mike Westover at michael.westover@jordandistrict.org or ext. 88809 or Michele Yuill at michele.yuill@jordandistrict.org or ext. 88804 with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

 

Published on

TO:
All Principals
All Assistant Principals

FROM:
Administrators of Schools

Please share the attached flyer with the future school leaders in your building.

The BYU School Leadership Program invites educators to learn from current school, district, state, and university leaders about becoming a principal. The Academy is a great way to get a taste of school leadership and learn best practices for applying to principal preparation programs and future leadership positions. The district will cover the cost of your substitute teacher, and BYU will award a $1,000 scholarship to any participants who are accepted to and attend BYU’s Masters of School Leadership Program.

APPLY BY AUGUST 29, 2024 - APPLICATION LINK

Published on

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
Principals
All Certified Special Education Staff

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

SUBJECT:
Year-End Checkout for Special Education

The items listed in the attached memo need attention as you prepare to close out the 2024-25 school year. Any questions or concerns that arise should be directed to your school’s Teacher Specialist for clarification.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, April 24, 2025

TO:  
All High School Administrators
High School Testing Coordinators

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

SUBJECT: 
11th Grade ACT Retests, Vouchers and UTC Sites

Over 7,000 vouchers were requested by LEAs across the state for students who want to retake the ACT because of the testing platform’s outages on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. As a result, all of the listed national testing sites that were available in June and July are full, which leaves the vast majority of students without a way to retake the ACT and use their vouchers to waive the registration fee.

Since the national testing centers are full, ACT will allow schools to set themselves up as an Unlisted Testing Center (UTC). Here is what it means to be a UTC according to USBE:

  • “In some circumstances, ACT permits an institution (hereafter the ‘Unlisted Test Center’ or ‘UTC’) to administer the ACT®exam only to its own students on a National Test Day (i.e. one of the seven Saturdays per year that ACT® administers the ACT exam).
    • “UTCs are unlisted because usually a school wants just their students to test with them on their campus; however, unlisted just means it’s off the books on the national registration, so not just anyone can see it’s open. The school has the choice to share the code with any students or schools they wish to. The code will allow students to register and test at their UTC site.
  • “In such cases, students register for the exam through ACT’s National registration system using a test center code unique to the UTC and pay ACT the registration fee. The UTC is responsible for all costs associated with administering the ACT to its students, including without limitation compensation to local testing staff. This agreement is a contract between ACT and the UTC.
    • “Also, the schools can pool their resources for staffing, only rules are, athletic coaches cannot be the testing coordinator or work with a student 1:1. Testing coordinators cannot have relatives testing at any schools across the United States, but they can be a room supervisor or proctor, as long as no relatives are in the same room.
  • “An unlisted center is also an unpaid center so testing staff would not receive pay from ACT. Applications are accepted up until the registration deadlines for each test date which is May 9 for the June national test date and June 6 for the July national test date.”

If your school is interested in becoming a UTC, please email the following information to Scott Roskelly (scott.roskelly@schools.utah.gov) at USBE by April 30, 2025:

  • ACT high school code
  • School name
  • City
  • State
  • District name
  • Point of contact person (first and last name)
  • Point of contact person’s email address

For questions about this information, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability or Scott Roskelly at USBE.

Published on

DATE:    
April 17, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
Panorama Survey Coordinators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Spring Panorama Student Feedback Surveys

The spring Panorama Student Feedback Survey window is Friday April 18, 2025 through Friday May 16, 2025.

Panorama (Early Warning System) and social-emotional surveys may only be administered to students whose parents have opted-in. Parents are asked to opt-in to the student feedback survey during the registration process. When the online registration process closes schools should manually enter the opt-in information into Skyward. Student opt-in lists are provided to Panorama prior to survey administration along with a mid-window upload will also occur.

The following information is provided to inform and assist you as you administer student feedback surveys:

  • The list of students who may take the survey (opted-in) will be provided to Panorama prior to the administration of the survey by Student Services. Only opted-in students will be able to log in and take the survey.
  • Schools should print out the list of students who have opted-in and provide teachers with the list of students in their classes that have opted-in. The registration opt-in information can be accessed through Skyward using this data mining report.
  • Using the list provided to them by the main office, teachers will be able to manage the administration of the survey. Using the opt-in list, teachers will be able to identify why students may not be able to log in and take the survey.
  • If there are students wishing to take the survey and they are on the opted-in list, but are having log-in issues – the school survey coordinator should contact Panorama directly for assistance at support+utahjordan@panoramaed.com. Student Services does not have the ability to manage access to surveys.
  • Students may choose to not take the survey even though their parents have opted them into the survey. Student feedback surveys administered through Panorama are never required and are always optional.
  • Parents/Guardians should always be informed/notified regarding the administration of any survey.

Survey coordinators and administrators should view the Administering Panorama Survey presentation for information, instructions, and guidance regarding the student feedback surveys. Other Panorama information may be found on the Student Serves website here.

Other survey information including the Spring survey window may be found here.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org) or Michelle Reyes (michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

DATE: 
April 10, 2025

 TO: 
Jordan District Administrators, Directors

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools

SUBJECT:
Time Schedule for the Last Day of School

Please review this memo carefully for your school dismissal time, and convey this information to your students and parents.

Published on

DATE:   
April 9, 2025

TO:    
School Administrators
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:   
April Safety Drill – Great Utah ShakeOut 2025

On Thursday, April 17th 2025, at 10:15 A.M. a million Utahns will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the annual Great Utah ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.

All schools are encouraged to participate in this drill during the designated time, or to conduct an earthquake drill sometime in the month of April. This is an opportunity to incorporate emergency preparedness in classroom lessons and to include proper ways to protect oneself during an earthquake.

The Jordan School District has registered as a whole to participate in the Great Utah ShakeOut. You can find more information at: www.ShakeOut.org/Utah.

Please review the Jordan School District Safety Manual - Earthquake Action Plan and Standard Operating Guidelines on pages 28-31 for planning, drilling and responding to an earthquake.

For additional information or guidance please contact the District School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.