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Category: High Schools

Published on

TO: 
Principals

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Teaching and Learning Administrator
Chris Richards-Khong, Teaching and Learning Staff Assistant Administrator

The Jordan School District is excited to announce the School-Based Associates (SBA) program for the 24-25 school year. For many years, past Associate participants have asked about bringing the powerful learning experiences within Associates back to their colleagues in the classroom. School-Based Associates will now make that desire a possibility!

The district approved mini-grant application is a streamlined Google form. Administrators or teachers can initiate this grant. Use the application guide to help you keep things simple. Call Chris Richards-Khong with questions 801-567-8158.

Zoom Link Q & A Drop-in Sessions Available 

Oct 1, 2024
10:40 - 11:40 AM
2:30 - 3:50 PM
Oct 3, 2024
12:15 - 12:50 PM
2:30 -3:50 PM
Oct 4, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 PM

 

Published on

TO:  
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
June LeMaster, Administrator, Human Resources
Brent Burge, Human Resource Administrator, ESP

Department Administrators:

The FTE Audit process is critical in ensuring employees are paid accurately and from the appropriate budgets. Like last year, the FTE Audit will be electronic. Below is the process we will follow for the audits:

Electronic FTE Audit Process:

  • October 1, 2024 – HR will share with directors and administrative assistants the FTE Audit Report via Google Sheets. Please review the report with your administrative assistant. The report will include verification of faculty/staff, FTE, title and budget code(s). Please refer to the “Instructions” sheet in the document for assistance in completing the audit.
  • October 14, 2024 – DUE DATE for the FTE Audit Report to be completed for HR to process. Check the “yellow” box on the front page to indicate audit completion.
  • THE BEST NEWS OF ALL – All corrections made on the FTE Audit Report will be made by HR upon return. Change forms will not be required; however, new hires not listed on the report will require the submission of a hire sheet to HR in Frontline.
  • If you are interested in meeting with HR to review/assist with your audit, please contact Brent Burge (88224) to schedule an appointment. We ask that you review the audit and come prepared to the meeting with needed changes to your audit.

Reminder to all School Administrators:
FTE Audits will transition to the HR Dashboard districtwide following the FTE audits and by October 15th.

Published on

DATE:
September 23, 2024

TO:
Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Michelle Reyes, Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Fall Break Resources to Aid Communication, Engagement & Attendance

Family Engagement, Communication, & Attendance
Family engagement has been found to have a big impact on improved student attendance. One of the ways we can promote family engagement is through communication. “Strong relationships (and trust) are built on successful communication.… Positive communication is perhaps the most powerful tool that you can use with families. Effective communication helps to inform, reassure, and engage families, which all helps establish and build a strong partnership between staff and families.” Communicating with families about upcoming school events and holidays can help prevent unwanted absences from school.

Begin communicating with families early about our upcoming fall break, clearly stating when students will not come to school and when school resumes following the holiday. Utilize a variety of methods to get the word out including email, social media, school and teacher newsletters, and Parent Square. Parent Square lends us the opportunity to communicate with families in their preferred language. Consider using personalized messages with families who are struggling with attendance to help strengthen relationships.

Premade Resources to Communicate with Families about Fall Break

English-
Fall Break Reminder
Facebook Post
Instagram Post

Spanish-
Fall Break Reminder
Facebook Post
Instagram Post

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

Published on

DATE:
September 25, 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:
Monthly Drill Preparation (LOCKDOWN)

Our monthly drill preparation will be held on October 2nd at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month we will be covering LOCKDOWN.  Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety.  All other administrators are welcome to attend as well. The meeting is also open to any staff who may be interested.

After each monthly training all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.

Information regarding the LOCKDOWN response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 12-14.  We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill.  This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

We will be holding this meeting over ZOOM so please join using this link.

Published on

DATE:
September 19, 2024

TO:
All Administrators & Threat Assessment Teams

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

SUBJECT:
Reminder: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Workshop Dates

CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels and both levels must be completed by all administrators and threat assessment team members. The CSTAG Level 2 workshop is for all who have completed the Level 1 training (the six (6) hour web-based training from Navigate360). This workshop will build upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.

The Level 2 workshop will:

  1. Review CSTAG level 1
  2. Focus on implementation and use of the threat assessment process
  3. Focus on sustainable ways to use CSTAG in your school
  4. Review and training on the decision tree
  5. Review the CSTAG forms and best practices for documentation
  6. Practice using real-world scenarios

If you have already completed level two (2), we are offering a new training opportunity, CSTAG level three (3)!

Here is a reminder of the remaining training offered for this school year:

**CSTAG Level 2**
Friday, December 6th, Virtual session (Zoom) only, (1-3pm)
Friday, February 28th, DO Room 129, (8am-10am)
Friday, May 2nd, DO Room 129, (1pm-3pm)

**CSTAG Level 3: Practical Use**
For those CSTAG team members who have completed levels 1 and 2 and would like a refresher and deeper dive into using threat assessment in your schools. Bring your questions so we can solve all your CSTAG problems!
Friday, October 18th, In-Person, DO Room 129 (8am-10am) (RESCHEDULED FROM Friday, September 20th)
Friday, December 6th, Virtual Session (Zoom) only, (8am-10am)
Friday, February 28th, DO Room 129, (1pm-3pm)
Friday, May 2nd, DO Room 129, (8am-10am)

Register for all sessions on Canvas (https://pd.jordandistrict.org/).

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager

The Skyward finance system will be unavailable for yearly maintenance on Wednesday, October 2, at 4:00 pm. This process will log you out of Web Finance and you will not be able to log in while we are running these year-end processes. If you have access to PaC, please logout before 4:00 pm. This process is expected to take one hour, at which time the system will be restored.

Published on

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignment effective Sept. 17, 2024:
Megan Daly, administrative intern at Mountain Ridge High, transferred as administrative intern at Copper Canyon Elementary.

New Assignment effective Oct. 28, 2024:
Jacob Rollins, teacher at Copper Hills High, appointed assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High, replacing Megan Daly

Published on

TO:
All School and District Administrators

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator Human Resources

Current JSD administrators are eligible for principal assignment consideration at any time, however Cabinet will conduct an optional interest interview every four years for current administrators in the district.

DATE:  December 3rd
TIME:  To Be Determined
LOCATION:  Executive Conference Room, District Office

Application Window Closes November 15th

See the flyer below for all the details on how to apply.

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

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 10 session will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. This meeting is a refresher course that will go over any changes in district departments this year, and 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:
Administrators

FROM:    
John Larsen, Business Administrator

Training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on October 8, 2024 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

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services
Toni Brown, Community Outreach Specialist

High School Multicultural Club Advisors
October 15, 2024 Time: 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Utah Cultural Celebration Center
1355 W 3100S
West Valley City

Buses are to be reserved by your school but will be paid for by Language and Culture Services. There are limited seats. Permission slips will be issued to your school. Please check the advisor mailbox.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

Yearly Exit Interviews should be completed each fall. They are only conducted for students who tested proficient on WIDA the previous Spring (overall composite of at least 4.2 and a speaking score of at least 3.5). Exit Interviews are only completed once for a student and are done to move students into monitoring after testing proficient on WIDA. Please see this form for steps on how to print the forms on ELLevation.

Published on

DATE:
September 17, 2024

TO:
Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Michelle Reyes, Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Making the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences & Attendance

Tailoring Conversations to Students’ Attendance Status

Parent-teacher conferences, or student-led conferences, can be an ideal time for teachers to talk about the importance and benefits of regular school attendance. Teachers can use this one-on-one time with families or caregivers to update them on their student’s attendance and emphasize the benefits of daily attendance such as opportunities for students to connect with their peers and caring adults, participate in hands on learning, and remain on track academically. Holding parent teacher conferences twice a year provides an opportunity to establish and maintain two-way communication with families and integrate attendance into planned meetings without adding a new activity.

A Step-By-Step Guide for Teachers to Make the Most of Parent Teacher Conferences

Attendance Works, a national non-profit attendance initiative, has produced a step-by-step guide for teachers to use at parent teacher conferences to build trusting relationships with families/caregivers and learn how to partner together to help support their student.

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

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 19, 2024

TO:
All School Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

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

SUBJECT:
2024-25 Stakeholder Input Survey – Preparation and Administration Details

The 2024-25 Stakeholder Input Survey will be administered to parents, school employees, and students in grades K-12 beginning Friday, November 1, 2024, and ending Tuesday, November 26, 2024. All parents, licensed educators, education support professionals, and students should be invited and encouraged to participate in the survey.

Survey respondents have the opportunity to take part in the survey for individual principals, assistant principals, classroom teachers, and licensed support staff (i.e., instructional coaches, counselors, school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, library media specialists, cluster leaders, etc.). Thus, we need to ensure that the survey contains an accurate list of each school’s licensed educators for whom respondents can take the survey.

Please see the attached memo for the table containing a unique link for each school that will direct viewers to a list of licensed staff that has been downloaded from Skyward. Administrative assistants are asked to verify the accuracy of that list, adding or deleting licensed educators as necessary. Staff verification lists need to be verified by Friday, October 4, 2024. This will allow enough time for Assessment, Research & Accountability to upload the staff lists into the survey. Once the survey begins, we will be unable to add or delete any staff, so it is essential that administrative assistants carefully verify the accuracy of these lists.

Published on

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Natalie Grange, Accountant/CPA

As was discussed in principals meeting, all classroom, school, and district grants must have a Cabinet sponsor. Please use the grant pre-approval process in Skyward before anyone applies for a grant. Only Admin Assistants can start the Skyward pre-approval process. Instructions are attached. The only current exception to the grant pre-approval process are applications for classroom grants through JEF and Donors Choose.

Published on

DATE:
September 12, 2024

TO:
All Principals

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

SUBJECT:
10th Day Enrollment vs. the Estimate for All Schools

The 2024-25 enrollment for all schools on the tenth day is 57,136. See the attached memo for more details.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

Administrators, please share this information with your teachers.

Many of your teachers are pursuing a STEM 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 again 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 September 27, 2024 for teachers who completed STEM courses in Summer 2024.

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

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 19, 2024

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
2024-25 Parental Exclusion Forms

2024-25 Parental Exclusion from State Assessments forms have been released by the state. Elementary and secondary versions may be found attached with this memo (including Spanish versions for each level). In addition, the forms may be found on the Assessment, Research & Accountability website.

Parents must notify schools of their desire to opt their student out of a state-mandated assessment on an annual basis. Parental exclusions should be recorded on your school’s opt out log so that both school and district personnel have one source of truth for all parental exclusions. Schools are discouraged from keeping parental exclusion lists that are separate or different from the opt out log received from Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Please direct questions about parental exclusions to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.