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Category: High Schools

Published on

DATE:    
September 25, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Mike Anderson, Assistant Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior
Amanda Bollinger, T&L Associate Administrator
Brian King, Assistant Director of Special Education
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Administrator
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language and Culture Services

SUBJECT:
MTSS/PBIS Teacher Specialists

We are excited to announce a new team of MTSS/PBIS teacher specialists dedicated to supporting school-wide implementation of positive behavior supports. Please see the attached flyer to see which of the following specialists is assigned to your school.

  • Cammie Chang
  • Taryn Cox
  • Christina Jacobs
  • Stephanie Johnson
  • Amy Slack

The primary role of these specialists is to support school-wide implementation of positive behavior supports. Some of their key roles and responsibilities include:

  • Collaborating with leadership teams to ensure research-based behavior practices are consistently in place at the universal (Tier 1) level across all areas of the school.
  • Guiding and supporting school teams as they identify and implement targeted (Tier 2) behavior supports.
  • Assisting school teams in monitoring schoolwide data to drive ongoing improvement of behavior support systems.
  • Identifying behavior training needs and collaborating with school teams in providing relevant professional development.

For classroom-specific concerns, please collaborate with your instructional coach. For individual student concerns for those on an IEP, reach out to the Jordan Behavior Assistance Team (JBAT).

We look forward to a successful year of SWPBIS implementation in your schools! Should you have any questions please reach out to Melanie Dawson at melanie.dawson@jordandistrict.org.

 

Published on

TO:
Office and Administrative staff of schools and District departments

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

The agenda for the optional Zoom training session for office and administrative staff of schools and District departments is attached. The October 9 session will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. This meeting is a refresher course that will go over any changes in district departments this year, offer clarification on broad-based issues, and general reminders.

If you would like to participate, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org. Attendees of each session will receive an email the day prior to the training with instructions for connecting to the Zoom meeting.

Published on

TO:
New Administrators and anyone who wants a complete overview of Business and Auxiliary Services department information

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

Training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on October 7, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Auxiliary Services Building Presentation Room. This training opportunity is for school or department personnel including principals, assistant principals, administrative assistants, clerks, aides or others with responsibilities correlating with the Business or Auxiliary Services Departments. The draft agenda is attached.

If you would like to participate in this session, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge, at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org. The total number of participants in this session will be capped at 60 (plus presenters). Attendees will be provided with a link to hand-outs provided by the presenters so they can be viewed during the training or downloaded for future use.

We hope you will take advantage of this training opportunity.

Published on

DATE:  
September 25, 2025

TO:   
All Secondary Principals

FROM:    
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:  
Utah Symphony Performance for Secondary Students

We are thrilled to announce a new, optional opportunity for secondary students in the Jordan District. The Utah Symphony will be performing specifically for our secondary students for the first time on March 4, 2026.

Concert Details:

  • Location: West Jordan High School
  • Date: March 4, 2026
  • Time: 9:45 a.m.
  • Performance Duration: 45 minutes

Logistics:

  • Student Participation: Each school is allowed to send up to 60 students.
  • Supervision: Each school must ensure sufficient adult supervision, with a minimum of one adult chaperone per 30 students.
  • Funding: School-based budgets will cover the cost of substitute teachers (if needed), while the Teaching and Learning Department will handle busing fees.

Action Required:

  1. Google Form Submission: To participate, complete the attached Google Form by October 15, 2025.
  2. Transportation Request: Your school’s administrative assistant should submit a transportation request via Skyward. Include the number of teachers and chaperones in your school's final count. Ensure your bus request includes the correct group name (e.g., South Hills, 115 Curr) to facilitate coverage of the bus fee by the Teaching and Learning Department.

Preparation: Utah Symphony will provide study materials to help prepare students and enhance their experience. We strongly encourage utilizing these resources to maximize the educational value of the performance.

For any further information or assistance, please feel free to reach out. We look forward to your school’s participation in this enriching musical experience.

Published on

DATE:
September 25, 2025

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems

SUBJECT:
Introducing the iBoss Parent Portal App for Parents/Guardians

As we settle into the 2025-26 school year, Information Systems is excited to announce a new tool for our families: the iBoss Parent Portal App. This application is designed to give parents and guardians more control and visibility over their student’s internet use on their school-issued Chromebook. The application can be downloaded from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, simply search for “iBoss Parent Portal” to find it.

The iBoss Parent Portal App will allow parents to guide their student’s internet use in two primary ways:

  1. View Browsing History: Parents will be able to review their student’s browsing history on the school Chromebook.
  2. Scheduling Internet Access Outside of School Hours: The app allows parents to set specific schedules to restrict internet access on the device during designated times. This feature is particularly useful for establishing “no-screen” time overnight.

Attached to this memo, you will find a copy of the iBoss Parent Portal Quick Start Guide. This guide will be sent to parents from the office of Communications in the coming weeks. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with this guide.

Should parents have questions, they should be instructed to contact the school directly. For any questions you are unable to answer, please contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737 or extension 88737. You can also reach out to your school’s assigned tech for assistance with the app. We are here to support you in helping our families with this new tool.

 

Published on

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant, Digital Learning, Teaching & Learning

Digital Teaching and Learning wants to help your teachers become Big Six certified this year. Nominate ONE teacher (preferably someone where technology is an area of growth) to participate this year. Our program includes stipends as teachers complete various steps in working with Big Six tools in their classrooms. As they complete each step in order, your teacher will receive that stipend.

Click on the PDF for more information

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Counselors

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language and Culture Services

Language and Culture Services will be hosting two additional sessions of Addressing Discriminatory Language in Schools, a two-hour training for administrators and counselors. If you were unable to attend one of our May sessions, we encourage you to join us on one of these dates:

September 29th from 9:00 to 11:00, ASB in PDC 101
(https://pd.jordandistrict.org/browse/lcs/courses/addressing-discriminatory-language-in-schools---92925)

October 2nd from 1:00 to 3:00, ASB in PDC 101
(https://pd.jordandistrict.org/browse/lcs/courses/addressing-discriminatory-language-in-schools--10225)

Please review the attached flier for additional details and pre-survey link.

Published on

DATE:  
September 18, 2025

TO:     
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
September 2025: Data Privacy and LearnPlatform Chrome Extension

See the attached memo for how this extension will be rolled out to staff at individual schools.

 

Published on

DATE:  
September 18, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM:     
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:  
October 2025 School Counselor Training and Professional Development

October school counselor training and professional development opportunities. Please direct any questions to Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant, at 801-567-8309.

Wednesday Oct. 1 - CSCP Steering Meeting, District Office, Room 129
All Secondary Lead Counselors
8:00 am - 12:30 pm

Thursday Oct. 2 - BRISC Monthly Call, Zoom
All School Counselors (optional)
10:00 am - 11:00 am

Thursday Oct. 2 - Herriman Feeder Meeting, Herriman HS
Herriman Feeder Counselors K-12
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Thursday Oct. 9 - Bingham Feeder Meeting
Bingham Feeder Counselors K-12
8:30 am - 10:00 am

Friday October 10 - CSCP OCT SEC PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Secondary School Counselors
7:30 am - 9:00 am

Friday October 10 - CSCP OCT ELEM PLC, JATC-South, Auditorium
Elementary School Counselors
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

 Wednesday Oct. 15 - CSCP New Counselor Training, JATC North & South (Tours)
All New Counselors and Interns
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Published on

DATE:  
September 18, 2025

TO: 
All Administrators & Threat Assessment Teams

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:   
Upcoming Threat Assessment (CSTAG) Training

Threat Assessment (CSTAG) training consists of two (2) training levels, and both levels must be completed by all administrators and threat assessment team members. Level 2 training is for all who have completed Level 1 training (the web-based training from Navigate360) and builds upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.

Administrators and threat assessment team members are invited to repeat Level 2 for a practical refresher of CSTAG protocols. Select one of the two (2) session links below to register:

If you would like additional staff or threat assessment team member to receive CSTAG level 1, please email the request with the person’s name, title, and email address to Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org). CSTAG Level 1 is web-based through Navigate 360 and the training costs $100 per person. A request for reimbursement will be sent to the school after the staff member has been added.

For a school-wide training you can share the following brief message and video with your staff:

Violence prevention for all staff (7 minutes)
The importance of reporting: See, Hear, Care, Share
Promote a culture at your school that is safe to report any concern. This will help prevent an incident before it happens. We cannot predict violence in schools, but we can prevent it. Once an incident is reported, a threat assessment can take place. Without open, safe reporting among students and staff, school teams will be less equipped to assess threats preventatively. Students should be encouraged to see, hear, care, and share; and should never be punished for reporting a concern even if it seems strange or unreasonable.

We would love to hear about the violence prevention efforts and threat assessment practices at your school, or support your school with any specific training needs. Reach out to Angie to schedule a time to meet at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org!

Published on

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

Please use the attached document when hiring paraeducators at your school and share it with those at your school who are involved in the hiring process including admin assistants who are entering hire sheets in Frontline and Skyward.

Published on

DATE:
September 17, 2025

TO:   
All Secondary 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 Back to Basics: The Essentials of EBD, OHI, and Anxiety in Special Education

The Special Education Department will be offering a training session for Secondary Special Education teachers on October 3rd.

This training will address: Does every student with an anxiety diagnosis qualify for IDEA educational classification? How can school teams communicate with parents about the difference between ADA (accommodations) and IDEA (SDI) when discussing eligibility based on an anxiety diagnosis?

Secondary Teachers will use this registration link to sign up.

Training Details:

  • Date: October 3, 2025
  • Time: 1:00-3:00
  • Location: Zoom - Link will be included in the Canvas course

Participation is optional.

Published on

TO:
Secondary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

Principals,

We are excited to offer three upcoming professional development opportunities designed to strengthen Tier 1 instruction for secondary math teachers. These sessions will provide practical strategies and collaborative learning experiences to support high quality math instruction for all students.

We shared this information with your teachers as well, but would love your support in reminding teachers of these valuable learning opportunities. Detailed information about each session, along with registration instructions, can be found in the attached flyers.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering instructional excellence!

 

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 18, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Math and Science Growth Scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus Now Available

2024-25 growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus math and science are now available in Tableau. You can access these scores at the following links:

In addition, proficiency and growth scores for 2024-25 are also available on the state’s Data Gateway. Both the Student Proficiency and Student Growth reports now have scores for both math and science.

As a reminder, growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus are calculated by USBE in partnership with the Center for Assessment. For more information to help you understand how growth is calculated, please see this helpful video.

With the core change that prompted a change in the RISE assessment, RISE ELA recently underwent a standard setting to determine new cut scores. The state board of education is scheduled to review the new cut scores in their September board meeting. Thus, proficiency and growth scores will not be released until October. School accountability report cards and TSI/ATSI/CSI exits and designations will be released in January 2026.

For questions about the information provided in this memo, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

All items can be found in the 2025-26 Beginning of Year Documents

October 20, 2025 - Deadline

  • Review the current School LAND Trust Plan, implementation of the Prior Year's Plan, and the Teacher and Student Success Act Plan (TSSA).
  • Submit council members and principal assurance on the School LAND Trust website.
  • Verify that SCC members are listed the same on both the school website and the state website.
  • Update required school website postings.

Upcoming Audit Information

  • An audit of School LAND Trust Rules of Order and Procedure:
    • Will take place in November 2025.
    • The State will randomly select schools to verify that their Rules of Order and Procedure:
      • Are easily accessible on the school website with other required postings.
      • The Rules of Order and Procedure needs to be reviewed each year at the first SCC meeting.
        • Put a new date on the document, and add it to the school website.
      • Use the attached template (new for this year), update anything in red, and change the font color back to black to post on your website.
      • You are welcome to add anything to this template that your SCC council would like to include.

Published on

DATE:      
September 10, 2025

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 2025-2026

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this fall. 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 22 through Thursday, September 25, 2025

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation procedure as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. The procedure will take place at your school and within the students’ regular 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 rear door, side door, front door or any combination of the three. 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 procedure quickly, safely and effectively.

We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.

Published on

DATE:  
September 9, 2025

TO:  
Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
Michelle Reyes, Attendance/Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Proactive Tools for Addressing Attendance Throughout 2025-26

Districtwide data indicates that chronic absenteeism is a growing problem. Throughout the school year, Student Services will be providing resources, tools, and reminders to help our District address this critical issue. Research consistently shows that regular school attendance is directly linked to higher academic achievement, improved social-emotional development, and a greater likelihood of on-time graduation. When students are present, they are more engaged in learning, build stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, and don’t fall behind on foundational skills.

In short, attendance is important! Together, we can make an impact on students’ futures by addressing attendance. As part of this collective effort, using the State’s Every Day Counts Attendance Initiative, we’ve developed the following attendance theme:

Attendance Campaign Theme: “We’re Better When You’re Here”
(Use this link for PDFs to print or email Michelle for prints)

September 2025 Attendance Resources and Reminders

  1. Proactive Communication on the importance of attendance is essential and impactful at the beginning of the year, use one of these links to communicate with your school community.
    1. Attendance Essentials (Spanish)-Parent handout with essential attendance information
    2. Stay At Home Checklist (Spanish)
    3. Beginning of the Year Attendance Nudge/Social Media Message (Spanish)
  2. Review current data.
    1. Start by reviewing the previous school year's attendance records. Look at metrics like average daily attendance (ADA), chronic absenteeism rates (students missing 10% or more of the school year), and attendance rates by grade level, demographic group, and teacher. This data will serve as your baseline and help you identify specific problem areas. For example, you might find that chronic absenteeism is higher in a particular grade or among a certain student population.
    2. Employing Panorama to acquire and review attendance data is the most efficient way to access chronic absence rates and drill down into attendance issues with certain demographics. Find a Panorama attendance how-to guide here.
  3. Review additional resources relevant to your school’s needs!

Questions? Contact Michelle Reyes at michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8205.

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Earbud Orders for State Testing

Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing systems once again this year. Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds. Please place your order by Friday, October 17th.

To place an order, please click here.

Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to create a system by which the same student uses the same earbuds throughout the year as there is no additional funding to purchase more than one pair of earbuds per student in grades 3-10.

If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability at 801-567-8185 who can share the purchasing information and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO: 
High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Shmoop Access for the 2025-26 School Year

School administrators are encouraged to forward this information to their ACT prep teachers.

USBE has once again made available a free ACT prep online program for all high school students from 9th grade and up. Students may access this free program at this link: schools.shmoop.com

The Magic Word for the 2025-26 school year for students to complete the login process is: FRYSAUCE.

Teachers may access Shmoop by creating an account using their single-sign-on via Canvas. Check out this YouTube video for how to do this.

For more information about Shmoop, including instructions for students to set up their own Shmoop account, please see this information page.

For administrators interested in an online or in-person training on how to use or implement Shmoop in your school, please fill out Shmoop’s training request form.

Here are some other resources for making the most of this great ACT prep resource:

For questions about the ACT or Shmoop, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.