Jordan School District
First, the "Discipline Notes" released in previous memos have been consolidated into a single document, available at this link: Discipline Notes
Second, there are four new "Discipline Notes" entries based on items identified in recent discipline review committee meetings. The new entries are:
• "Targeted" Offenses
• Fighting / Mutual Altercation
• Commentary in Log Entries
• Actions in Offense Comments
DATE:
Thursday, February 1, 2024
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
2023-24 Stakeholder Input Survey Results
48,306 students, parents and educators participated in the 2023-24 Stakeholder Input Survey, which was administered in November 2023.
The Stakeholder Input Survey results have been released on Tableau. Those with Tableau accounts will be able to see aggregated responses to each of the questions items that were administered to K-3, 4-6 and 7-12th grade students as well as parent and faculty responses.
Those with Tableau accounts may access school and district survey results by clicking here or through the Explore menu: Explore > Surveys > Stakeholder Input Survey.
As a reminder, the Stakeholder Input Survey fulfills state statute (53G-11-507) requiring that LEAs seek for student and parent input (and employee input for school administrators) as part of an educator evaluation program. Printed reports containing school, principal, assistant principal, and individual educator effectiveness ratings will also be distributed to principals in the coming days. Those reports will need to be distributed to educators who may choose to use those results as part of their educator evaluation. It may also be beneficial for principals to meet with individual educators to discuss their results.
Educator effectiveness ratings were calculated for employees that had 10 or more complete responses to the survey. Most of the ratings were calculated solely off student responses as there were generally insufficient parent responses for individual educators. Educator effectiveness ratings used the following scale:
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions.
Final Report Expenditures are displayed at the top of the Final Report. You can see where you did or didn't spend your allocation. As the principal you need to account for these expenditures.
If you have expenditures listed on the right side under "Actual Expenditures" and there is a $0.00 listed on the left side under "Planned Expenditures" you need to explain why you incurred those expenses and how they tie into your plan. There is a box at the bottom of the report "Final Report Comments". You can explain these expenditures in that box.
If you have expenditures listed on the left side under "Planned Expenditures" but you have $0.00 on the right side under "Actual Expenditures" you need to mark a "No" on the question "Were the Action Steps (including any approved Funding Changes described below) implemented and associated expenditures spent as described? A box will then open up and you can explain why you didn't spend that money.
Please make sure these explanations are taken care of so your Final Report can be approved as quickly as possible. Reports are due by February 26, 2024.
This is what is looked for when approving Final Reports:
● The report clearly states how School LAND Trust funds were spent to support the academic goals and student achievement
● The expenditures match the LEA’s financial records for SLT OR an explanation of any discrepancies is outlined in each applicable goal
● There is no negative carry-over in the report
● There is no student or personal data listed in the report
● There are no unanswered questions
The 2024-25 Upcoming Plan cannot be submitted until the final report is completed, submitted, and finalized by the District Office. We will finalize reports as quickly as possible as you submit them.
Please take note of this revised document.
Jan. 15 - Final Reports & Upcoming Plans open up on the State
website for principals to start working on.
Feb. 26 - ALL COMPLETED! Thank you! Final Reports completed and submitted on the State website. (2024 Upcoming LAND Trust plans cannot be submitted until the Final Report is completed and submitted)
March 22 – 2024-25 Upcoming LAND Trust Plan and 2024-25
TSSA Plans are due to be completed and submitted. This date is
necessary in order to get all of the approvals done and the Plans
approved by the Board in order to receive funding for the
2024-25 school year.
Click on this LINK to access the files and information shared in principal meeting and both assistant principal meetings in January.
Please see the links below for everything you need to know about “Land Trust” and "TSSA".
DATE:
January 24, 2024
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
Wellness Day 2024 Updates
Our District’s third annual Wellness Day is right around the corner! Here are some reminders and updates for school and District leaders:
Looking to promote wellness day and engage your school community? Use this link for some ideas, posters, and posts you can use: wellness.jordandistrict.org/wellnessiseasy
All campus monitors are required to attend one session.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
ASB Presentation Room
Session 1: 7:30-9:30 am
Session 2: 1:30-3:00 pm
See flyer below.
The Department of Language and Culture Services and the Office of EDI are excited to offer a PD series on 'Understanding your Diverse Students'. Our second PD of the year is on February 8th, 2024 at the JATC South from 4-6 PM, focusing on our Refugee students. All licensed employees will receive 2 hours of in-service pay. The administrators are encouraged to attend.
Link to Register (also on the flyer below)
DATE:
January 22, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
SUBJECT:
United States Secret Service Live Virtual Training Event Opportunities
The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) offers live recurring virtual training events on violence prevention to community safety stakeholders throughout the year. In these trainings, experts and researchers will present findings from NTAC’s research on targeted violence and discuss strategies for preventing acts of violence in our communities. More information about these events and how to register are below.
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment
Description: In this virtual training event, NTAC researchers highlight the key findings and implications from our research on school violence prevention. In this training, you will learn about the background, thinking, and behavior of school attackers and how some schools discovered and stopped plots before violence occurred. This training will provide guidance on how schools may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.
Intended Audience: School teachers, administrators, counsellors, mental health professionals, school resource officers (SROs), law enforcement officers, and other school safety stakeholders.
Preventing Mass Attacks in Our Communities
Description: In this virtual training event, NTAC researchers discuss important findings from our research on mass attacks perpetrated in public and semi-public spaces, including businesses, restaurants, bars, retail outlets, houses of worship, schools, open spaces, and more. This training will provide guidance on how communities may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.
Intended Audience: Law enforcement, corporate security, mental health professionals, faith-based community leaders, university faculty, threat assessment team members, and other community safety stakeholders.
DATE:
January 22, 2024
TO:
School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance
SUBJECT:
February School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns Meeting
A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, February 2, 2024, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Julien Smith, Ph.D., Wasatch Pediatric Neuropsychology, Inc., will provide us with a presentation on psychological assessment with neurodiverse populations.
Part-time Staff: I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.
cc:
Principals
Take note of the change in location for the Feb 13th Principal Meeting. It will be held at JATC-S and will be a half-day.
A beverage service will be provided at 7:30 a.m. No lunch will be served.
LOCATION - PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL START WITH LEVEL MEETINGS AT 8:00 AM
All levels will gather together in the auditorium.
DATE:
January 17, 2024
TO:
Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
SUBJECT:
Panorama Student Success
Panorama’s Student Success now qualifies as an evidence-based tool for early-warning multi-tiered system of support which means schools may use Title funds to pay for it. Recently Panorama hired a 3rd party research firm to do an impact study of Student Success. The study found that using Panorama Student Success was associated with learning gains on math and reading assessments during the 2022-23 school year. Schools with more actively engaged Panorama users had significantly higher end-of-year math and reading performance. The study met evidence requirements for ESSA Level II, which means title funds may be used to support Panorama. See this link for the full study.
Panorama’s Student Success is evidence-based prevention and should be included in each school’s prevention plan.
As you plan your TSSA/Land Trust, Title funds, or prevention efforts for the 24’-25’ school year - money should be allocated to pay for Panorama’s Student Success. The cost for Panorama’s Student Success is $2,000 for each Elementary, Middle, and High school.
Efforts are currently underway to pay for Panorama as a District. However, until funding becomes available schools will need to pay for it using their own funds.
See the newsletter below.
The Winter 2023-24 Student Survey is ready for launch on 01/22/2024! Panorama will send an email on launch day as well as reminders throughout the survey.
As a reminder, the student surveys are always optional for parents and students. Please see the JAM sent on December 14th for more guidance and resources - including the Spring survey window dates. The questions used in the survey are below.
The 2023-24 Assistant Principal Directory may be accessed at the links below. You must be logged into your Jordandistrict.org account to access the file.
If updates or changes are needed, please send them directly to Caleb Olson via email. The updates will be made in the files at the links above, so the link will always take you to the most recent copy.
DATE:
January 16, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
School Safety Specialist Responsibilities
As a reminder, here are the details describing the roles and responsibilities for School Safety Specialists. By now each School Safety Specialist should have received the Standard Response Protocols training so they are familiar with it. This training is mandatory for all School Safety Specialists and will need to be attended in order to be in compliance with state law.
School Safety Specialists need to be trained and certified in level 1 Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG). The School Safety Specialist acts as a member of the school’s interdisciplinary threat assessment (CSTAG) team. Please contact Angie Rasmussen (angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org) to request CSTAG Level I training for your School Safety Specialist. The cost of the Level I training is $85.
School Safety Specialists should inventory and visually inspect of all the safety equipment within the school and keep of record of the inventory. School Safety Specialists work with the administrator over safety to report, maintain, or order missing or damaged safety items. Items to inspect include (but are not limited to) the tactical emergency casualty care (TECC) kits in the classrooms and common areas, the reunification crate, fire extinguishers, and AEDs. Other items to consider include wheelchairs and staircase evacuation chairs or commonly known as “rickshaws.”
Using the Report Emergency - Drills, Actual Events, or Meetings report form, School Safety Specialists report emergency drills, events, and/or meetings conducted at the school.
Use this link to review the School Safety Specialist roles and responsibilities in detail. If a School Safety Specialist or school administrator is still in need of training please contact the district School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz, at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at 801-567-8623.
DATE:
January 11, 2024
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
CSTAG Updates January 2024
Please be aware of the following updates regarding Comprehensive School Threat Assessment (CSTAG) in Jordan District. See the memo below.
Principals and Department Directors should arrange for lunch or breakfast for all your employees one day from February 5th–8th . Please do not schedule meals on February 9th so all employees feel free to participate in the Health and Wellness Day activities occurring that day.
Traditional schools (i.e. the 41 elementary schools, 13 middle schools and 7 high schools) will receive an additional $13 per employee in the school’s supply budgets. Traditional schools may then charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 0050 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.
All other schools (i.e. Kauri Sue Hamilton (including the Child Development Center), River’s Edge (including the Jordan Family Education Center), South Valley, JATC North, JATC South, Valley High School, and Southpointe Adult High) will also have $13 per employee available. However, these schools will need to charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.
District departments will also have $13 per employee available. Departments should charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 yy90 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process. The “yy” listed in the account above will differ for each department as follows:
Superintendent – 24
Associate Superintendent – 24
Administrators of Schools – 24
Accounting, Budgets, and Audits – 25
Auxiliary Services – 26
Business Administrator – 25
Career & Technical Education – 22
Central Warehouse – 26
Communications – 28
Custodial and Energy – 26
Equity & Compliance – 21
Evaluation, Research & Accountability – 10
Facilities – 26
Human Resources – 28
Information Systems – 28
Instructional Support Services – 22
Insurance Services – 25
Jordan Education Foundation – 22
Language and Cultural Services – 21
Nurses – 21
Nutrition Services – 26
Payroll – 25
Purchasing – 26
Transportation – 27
Special Education – 22
Student Services – 21
Teaching and Learning – 22
Transportation – 27
The following are new administrative assignments:
Take note of the following monthly newsletters with important communication about the School LAND Trust (SLT) Program.
District Administration- a newsletter for school administrators
District School Community Councils- a newsletter for school community council members
Please share the January newsletter with your school community council members.
The newsletters are also accessible online on the USBE website with different language options.
