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Category: High Schools

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JSD Administrators:

McKinley Withers, our District’s Health and Wellness Specialist, is conducting a research study through the University of Utah on teacher wellness. (See approval form in this week's JAM)

If you would like your school to be considered as a study site for this research please contact McKinley Withers at mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org, or 801-567-8245. Also, if you have any questions about the purpose, commitment, or privacy related to this study prior to participation, please contact McKinley with your questions or concerns after reading the study summary below.

Study Summary

The purpose of this study is to uncover what school leaders have been doing well as well as what school leaders could do to improve teacher’s workplace wellness, which is defined by their overall subjective wellbeing (teachers’ self-perceptions of healthy and successful functioning at work), teaching efficacy (appraising one’s teaching behaviors as effectively meeting environmental demands), and school connectedness (feeling supported by and relating well to others at school). With an understanding of teacher’s perceptions of what has had a positive impact on their workplace wellness, school leaders will be better equipped to provide meaningful interventions and creative approaches to improve a teacher’s sense of efficacy, connectedness, and overall well-being. The questions guiding this research are:

  • What are teacher’s perceptions of ways that school leaders have fostered a sense of wellbeing, efficacy, and connectedness for them in the workplace?
  • What strategies have been used, and could be used, by school leaders to support teacher wellness through improved teaching efficacy and school connectedness?

Your participation in any part of this study is voluntary. There are three types of participation for those who choose to participate at each school. Individual or identifiable information will not be published or publicly available.

  • All teachers in selected schools will be invited to take the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (TSWQ), a copy of this survey and additional information on its questions and development can be found at tyrenshaw.org. Data from schoolwide survey data will be aggregated for each school. This data will not be individualized or published with your school’s name. Data will be used for research purposes only, will be stored on secure Jordan District servers, and your school’s results will not be published.
  • An invitation to individual teachers at your school, who have 7 years of experience or more, will be sent following the invitation to take the TSWQ. Those that agree to participate will volunteer between two and four hours for focus group participation. The purpose of these focus groups are to understand teacher’s perceptions of what has contributed to their feelings of workplace wellness (as defined above). Names of focus group participants will be changed and will not be published or publicly available.
  • School principals will be invited to participate in individual interviews to discuss strategies and leadership perspectives on what promotes improved teacher wellness. This interview could take up to one hour. Individual principal’s names will be changed and will not be published or publicly available.

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DATE:    
Thursday, November 21, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM:   
Dr. Shelley Nordick, 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:     Happy Schools: Uncovering Positive Conditions for Improved Teacher Wellness

Applicant:     McKinley Withers, University of Utah

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 project will involve the administration of a questionnaire to teachers, focus groups, and an interview with the participating school principal.

Thank you for your assistance.

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If a school is sending a device home with students, it is important to remember that state law (53G-7-216) and federal law (CIPA) prohibit schools from allowing a device to go home with a student that does not have a Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant filter installed on it. This includes, but is not limited to, hotspots and chrome books. I-Pads and laptop computers are not allowed to go home at this time as the District continues looking for a filtering solution for those devices. If you are looking at sending a hotspot home with a student, KAJEET is one option which has satisfied District tests. If your school has allowed students to take home devices, please ensure that every one of them, including hotspots, has an installed CIPA compliant filter.

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Good news! The STEM Endorsement Incentive Program (STEM EIP) application is now open for ALL remaining applications for the 2019-2020 school year. This includes applications for teachers who plan to take STEM EIP courses during the Spring Semester as well as those who have completed courses between July 1, 2019 and December 30, 2019 who did not already submit an application. This application cycle is OPEN NOW and will close on DEC 4, 2019.


Link to Teacher Application

Please see document below for more information.

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We have recently undergone some significant job shifting at the ASB that will affect the entire district and all should be aware of these changes.

Sandi Abplanalp has recently retired from the Card Access/Door Scheduling position.

We are pleased to announce that Matt Mears formerly of the facility rental office, was appointed to replace Sandi. He has assumed her old office number and may be reached at 801-567-8616. He will be handling all employee badges, card access and door schedules. We have a new procedure for employees requesting replacement badges. (See attached memo).

Lu Holt, formerly the administrative assistant in the facility rental office has been appointed to replace Matt as the facility rental/scheduler. Her office number is 801-567-8603.

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The Jordan School District Master Calendar is now accessible for your reference. Please bookmark the link below. If you have any items you wish to add to this calendar or if you would like to make a revision, please contact Lisa LeStarge (lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org or ext. 88164).

https://mastercal.jordandistrict.org/

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We're Here For you!!  What do you need? 

  • Team professional development on culturally appropriate teaching?
  • School-wide Professional Development on strategies for effective instruction of your Language Learners?
  • Prepared PD for YOU to provide professional development to your faculty?
  • Compliance information? Office staff info for entering refugee, immigrant, or El students on Skyward?

We also have dozens of 30-minute PD modules on a variety of subjects, SIOP, WIDA, instructional strategies, student engagement, etc. The attached flyer explains how to access these modules. Please call your teacher specialist or Nancy Ward (801-567-8235) to get started. We really want to help!

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Dear Schools and Departments:

We have a situation where 40 brand new chairs have been delivered to Bingham High School, and the school is unable to use them for their area.

School Specialty is offering to sell these chairs at a discount if any other school in the district would be interested in taking them.

They are the National Public Seating Cafetorium Stack Chairs, with a thin upholstered black vinyl seat, black plastic back on Chrome Frame with sled base legs on glides.  These are a regular table height chair, not cafe/bar height.   Here is a picture:

https://store.schoolspecialty.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=3545118

Bingham's price to purchase was $69.93/each.  School Specialty is offering these at $50.00/each ($2,000 for all 40 chairs).   One box has been opened, but most are still boxed and all are in new condition.

Please contact Tonya Hodges in the Purchasing Department by Wednesday, November 20th by end of day if you are interested in purchasing these chairs.

Purchasing Department

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Jordan District's First Social and Emotional Learning ACCELERATOR will take place on January 8th from 1-3pm. This event is designed for educators to come together to gather and share ideas for SEL implementation.

The following survey will be used to create the agenda for the day. You can take the survey by clicking the link or by visiting wellness.jordandistrict.org and clicking the Social and Emotional Learning tab.

Link: https://forms.gle/5TET9Ud5MtMBj4pF6

Please fill out the survey, by December 9th, if you would like to present or attend the event. Please forward this survey to any individuals at your school who you believe could share effective strategies for SEL implementation or who would benefit from attending.

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Please note:  After students attend ONE First Offenders Class, they are eligible to return to school. Therefore, if a student violates AS90 on Tuesday, goes to class that evening, that student is eligible to return back to school the very next day. Please determine the length of suspension for the student, then assign the student the first class of First Offenders that s/he needs to attend so that the student returns back to school on the appropriate date.

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Administrator/Director: Please post the attached flyer so all employees can see it.

Reminder: Don't Forget! Opt out of your District printed W-2 by going to Skyward's Employee Access by midnight on December 15th.

Opt out and win one of many prizes! A drawing for the prizes will be held on December 16th. Winning employees will be contacted.

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Principals:  Please post in your school and send the attached flyer to each School Community Council member, all parents are invited to attend.

Jordan Parent University
Who Do You Call When...Issues Arise?
Thursday, November 21, 2019
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Mountain Creek Middle | 5325 W. Bingham Rim Road | South Jordan

Free and open to the public!