Skip to content

Category: High School Info

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Office Staff

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems

Just a reminder that our annual Utah Skyward User Conference is scheduled for next Wednesday, November 6th. The conference will be held at Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building. Please see the attached agenda for additional details. We hope to see you there!

This conference is an opportunity to learn about Skyward directly from the source as most sessions are presented by Skyward staff. There are some fantastic sessions being offered this year, including Data Mining for Beginners, Data Mining for Advanced Users, Admin Bootcamp, Skyward Tips & Tricks, Grade Analysis, and Qmlativ Business sessions.

During these sessions, you’re welcome to ask questions. However, if you have an issue that may take more time to resolve, we suggest you call our help desk for additional support.

We hope you make the most out of this year's conference by discovering fresh insights, learning valuable tips and tricks, getting your questions answered, and exploring new possibilities within Skyward. If you have any questions about attending the conference, please feel free to call the help desk at ext. 88737.

Published on

DATE: 
October 31, 2024

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Suicide Prevention Funds & Conference Registration

Administrators,

This memo is an update to a previous JAM regarding PBIS and Suicide Prevention Funds.

Suicide Prevention Grant funds are now available for allowable expenses up to $1,000 per school. Schools may use these funds to pay for HopeSquad or Sources of Strength program renewal fees or to conduct suicide prevention training. These funds cannot be used to purchase supplies or food related to suicide prevention programming (NO T-shirts, incentives, fidgets, etc.). For questions, contact McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org) or Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org) in Student Services.

As part of this allocation, schools may choose to register relevant staff members (school psychologists, school counselors, clinical support/social workers) for the Rocky Mountain Suicide Prevention Conference and code the P-Card registration fee to the grant.

Schools may register one individual for Elementary, three individuals for middle school, and up to five individuals for high school using the grant. Administrators can code the expense to program 5674 on the P-Card Reconciliation. There will not be District personnel registering school staff this year.  

If school staff have already been registered and your school would like to be reimbursed, contact Carmen Covarrubias (carmen.covarrubias@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

DATE:   
October 31, 2024

TO:
Building Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Kim Lloyd, Director, Special Education
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Clarification on Enrollment Releases for Students with IEPs

The District has seen an increase this year in requests from parents of students with IEPs to release the student from enrollment for a portion of the day. These requests can be for reasons directly connected to the disability documented on the IEP (such as therapy) or may be for traditional “non-academic” reasons.

When a student on an IEP is released from enrollment, the service minutes specified in the IEP do not decrease. As a result, the District is responsible for providing the same amount of service in a reduced amount of time (and with reduced funding due to the release).

When a release is requested for reasons connected to the disability identified in the IEP, the building principal and the IEP team should determine how those services can be provided during the school day. If the parent continues to desire outside providers to provide the service during the school day, the parent will need to check the student out each time the service occurs.

When a release is requested for “non-academic” reasons, the release should not be approved until after consultation with the IEP team on potential impacts to the services specified in the IEP.

Additional questions on this topic may be directed to the Special Education Department or Planning & Enrollment.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator, Human Resources
Rebecca Lee, Administrator, Evaluations

NOVEMBER SUB INCENTIVE BONUS INFORMATION

Below is the information regarding the November 2024 Substitute Teacher Incentive Bonus. Remember, to qualify for this monthly bonus there are two eligibility requirements:

1) ZERO cancellations
2) Work the number of days to receive the associated bonus (see details for days and amounts below).

These bonuses are paid on the paycheck issued near the 10th of the month.

NOVEMBER 2024
15 days worked- $250
12 days worked- $150
10 days worked- $100
7 days worked- $50

If you have any questions regarding the substitute teacher incentive bonus please email the Sub Office at suboffice@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, October 24, 2024

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
Schools At Risk for Being Designated for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI)

When a school has one or more low-performing student groups for two consecutive years, the state designates that school for Targeted Support and Improvement or TSI. The state identifies a low-performing student group by calculating a school accountability report card score for each student group. Low-performing is defined as a student group that accrues a percentage of school accountability report card points that is less than the state’s bottom 5% threshold of Title I schools. In other words, that student group is performing below the bottom 5% of Title I schools from across the state.

The student groups that can be designated for TSI are as follows:

  • Asian
  • American Indian
  • Black
  • Hispanic
  • Multiple Races
  • Pacific Islander
  • White
  • Economically Disadvantaged
  • Multi-lingual Learner (ML)
  • Student with a Disability

Recently, USBE released TSI calculations for the 2023-24 school year for each student group in every school in the state. A Tableau dashboard contains two views that will help you determine if any of your student groups are at risk for being designated as TSI:

  • A list of schools at risk for a TSI designation in one or more student groups (there are 25 schools)
  • A breakdown of school report card indicator scores for each student group for one school at a time

While individual report card scores for student groups at each school are not published on the state’s school report card website, the school accountability report card for an entire school population may be found here.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with questions about Utah’s school accountability system or TSI.

Published on

DATE:
October 17, 2024

TO:
District Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Fall Enrollment as of October 1, 2024 - REVISED

Attached to this memo is District enrollment as of October 1, 2024. These totals are revised and approved by the State Board of Education.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
Garett York, JAESP, UEASP

Join UAESP's Assistant/Aspiring Principal Conference coming up on December 5th from 8:30-3:00 at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan featuring Andrew Marotta and Hank Smith. You do not have to be a member of UAESP to attend. Register for the event at uaesp.org!

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems

Dear Employees,

This is a friendly reminder about the upcoming requirement to use your JSD Google account to log in to Skyward Student. As previously announced in JEM, this change will enhance security and streamline your login process.

Key Dates:

  • Friday, October 11, 2024 - Google login is required for all staff with a JSD Google account in the Skyward Finance system
  • Friday, November 1, 2024 - Google login will be required for all staff with a JSD Google account in the Skyward Student system

Two Easy Methods to Login to Skyward Using Google

  • Navigate to the Skyward login screen and select the “Staff Login with Google” button. If you are already logged in to your JSD Google account, you will be immediately logged in to Skyward. If you are not already logged in to your JSD Google account, you will be taken to a Google login screen where you will need to login to your JSD Google account.
  • After logging in to your JSD Google account, click the waffle menu in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll down and select “Skyward Finance” or “Skyward Student”.

Need Assistance?

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Published on

TO:
Directors
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, HR Generalist, Leave Benefits

Please review the 2024-25 Leave policy overview by employee type for information regarding leave options.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

Exciting Scholarship Opportunity for Future Teachers

All Administrators,

WGU has deepened its partnership with Jordan School District to now include the Pathway to Become a Teacher Scholarship. This scholarship offers new students or returning graduates the opportunity to further their education at WGU. The scholarship, worth up to $5,000, will help cover some of the costs of tuition to become teachers.

WGU will provide these scholarships to be used exclusively by students who want to continue on their path to becoming teachers in any of WGU's Teachers College degree programs leading to teacher licensure.

We are truly excited about this opportunity and wanted to make sure all employees were aware of it. Please feel free to share this information with any of your employees who may be interested in pursuing a teaching career or continuing their education.

For more information, you can visit: https://www.wgu.edu/financial-aid-tuition/scholarships/partner/pathway-become-teacher.html

Best regards,
Human Resources

Published on

DATE:  
October 7, 2024

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 November and December

Attached is a listing of all the professional development opportunities for Special Education Licensed Staff for November and December. A link to sign up for each training will be sent to all Special Education Licensed Staff Members.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

The Jordan Teacher Leader Fellows is searching for sixteen educators from a variety of teaching experiences and expertise. During their 2-year fellowship cohort, Teacher Leader Fellows will earn an annual $1500 stipend while engaging in a variety of professional learning experiences focused on developing skills related to the Utah Teacher Leader Roles and Utah's Portrait of a Teacher Leader. Encourage your teachers to apply today for this exciting new opportunity!

Link to Application

Published on

TO:
Directors
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

The Utah State Board of Education Teacher Salary Supplement Program (TSSP) qualifications and application deadlines are available for 2024-2025. The application deadlines are printed below.  Information regarding the TSSP program and qualifications is found at the following Utah State Board of Education (USBE) link:

Application Term Dates

An application term indicates a preference of when and how often the educator would like to receive any bonus. Applicants may select one of the following terms before the respective deadline:

Term # of Payments Application Available & Accepted Application Deadline
Trimester 3 Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 AM Friday, November 15, 2024 11:59 PM
Semester 2 Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 AM Friday, January 31, 2025 11:59 PM
Annual 1 Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 AM Wednesday, April 30, 2025 11:59 PM

Please note that the 2024-2025 school year will be the final funding opportunity under the current TSSP. The Utah Legislature has approved the new Salary Supplement for Highly Needed Educators (SHiNE) Program in the 2024 session that will go into effect July 1, 2025.

Published on

TO:
All Principals

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

Take note of the following quarterly newsletter with important communication about the School LAND Trust (SLT) Program.

If you missed the training resources shared by email in August, please navigate to the Compliance Newsletter section titled "Training Newsletters" and select the one that applies to you.

FY25 Q1 Compliance Newsletter

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

The Jordan School District Board of Education has approved a new Districtwide cellphone policy, AA453 Personal Use of Electronic and Communication Devices. A video will be shared with parents explaining how the new policy applies to our elementary and secondary schools.

We invite you to watch the video:

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

The annual Business and Auxiliary Services Training was recorded on October 10, 2024. To access the Zoom recording, click on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pOin2UbSlIHy_0xt21l4_1KLF00Fip6L/view?usp=drive_link

Published on

TO:
School Administrators
School Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Katie Bastian, Director of Nutrition Services

JSD Nutrition Services has purchased local apples from Pyne Farms in Santaquin, Utah to celebrate this day with our district. Check out the YouTube link below for a great 3-minute Pyne Farm tour video and to learn about apples.

This year, Apple Crunch Day falls during National School Lunch Week! The theme for this year is "School Lunch Pirates...Find Your Treasure". Attached are some fun handouts about apples that incorporate the pirate theme.

Touch base with your school's kitchen manager to brainstorm how you would like to serve the apples in your school. We hope you enjoy this celebration!

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

A new policy, AA453 Use of Personal Electronic and Communication Devices, commonly referred to as the "cell phone policy" will take effect on Tuesday, October 29. Please take time to review the policy with your administrative team. More information will be provided at principal meeting on October 15th. Please contact your AOS with any questions.

 AA453 Use of Personal Electronic and Communication Devices