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Category: High Schools

Published on

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Schools
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools

A beverage service will be provided at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium hallway. Lunch will be provided.

LOCATION - PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL START WITH LEVEL MEETINGS AT 8:00 AM
Elementary/Sped - Auditorium
Middle/High - Presentation Room

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

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

The following professional development days have been added to this year's calendar.

2024-25 School Year Calendar

Professional Development Day (No Students Attend)
Friday, November 8, 2024
Friday, March 14, 2025

All employees should work in the building on these days. As you are planning Professional Development in your schools and departments please plan as follows: Principal-Directed School Level Professional Development will be held in the morning hours and optional District-Level Professional Development may begin at 1:00 pm.

Please provide these dates to your employees.
If you have any questions please contact your Administrator of Schools.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

At the district level the setting will be switched from the default setting of “Maximum Value” to “Most Recent view”. Teachers will maintain the ability to switch their view to Maximum Value and set the proficiency calculation to what fits their needs.

This move provides immediate insights into students' current understanding and progress and allows teachers to adjust instruction based on the latest data. The previous setting of “Maximum” gave a limited story of the students' mastery.

What do you need to do as an administrator:
The setting for “Most Recent” will be set at the district level. If you would like your staff to see additional proficiency settings contact Larisa Nageli, Digital Learning Specialist, to make that adjustment for you.

Published on

DATE: 
October 3, 2024

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Parent Mental Health Series Offering

Administrators,

Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to offer ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This partnership includes FREE access to frequent live, virtual educational sessions on rotating topics. It also includes access to a library of recorded sessions and resources for each topic that is covered. Sessions are offered in both Spanish and English at 5pm and 7pm.

Parents and caregivers can register to attend ANY of the 30+ mental health topic live sessions or access the content asynchronously.

We invite you to share the attached October Session Calendar with your school community and to review the session descriptions.

We hope that this can be a helpful resource for your schools and communities!

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants

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 see the attached newsletter.

Published on

DATE:   
October 1, 2024

TO:    
Principals
Special Education Providers

FROM:      
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:   
Transcription Services for the Visually Impaired

We have three amazing transcriptionists that support teachers that have students who are visually impaired. Their main role is to transcribe assignments into braille and enlarge text for general education and special education teachers that have visually impaired students in their classrooms.

To be able to support transcription services we ask that assignments be given to the transcriptionists 2 weeks in advance. This is the minimum time needed to transcribe work. Some assignments may take longer depending on the amount of graphics, which require a lot of reproducing and labeling. As an example, a language arts assignment with no graphics may only take 1 to 2 hours to transcribe, where a science or history assignment may take up to 10 hours to transcribe if there are maps or graphics.

The process of transcribing an assignment includes typing the assignment into a braille program, proofreading it, formatting it according to braille rules, embossing it, and then adding tactile graphics and labels if needed. Please note that a due date is also required for the transcriptionists to begin working on the assignment. To provide FAPE, students with visual impairments are guaranteed to have their assignments the same time as the rest of the class, which requires careful planning on both the part of the teacher and the transcriber.

Please contact Suzanne Miller for all braille transcription at Suzanne.miller@jordandistrict or 801-567-8662.

Published on

DATE:     
October 1, 2024

TO:  
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance

SUBJECT:  
October School Psychologist Guidance Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Brad Lundahl, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Social Work, will provide us with a presentation on Motivational Interviewing.

Part-time Staff:  I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.

cc:
Principals

Published on

The following are new administrative assignments:

Assignments effective October 7, 2024:

  • Kimberly Andersen, assistant principal at Westland Elementary appointed principal at Butterfield Canyon Elementary.
  • Lauren Nalder, teacher specialist in Teaching & Learning appointed assistant principal at Westland Elementary.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Office Staff

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager

We are excited to announce our annual Utah Skyward User Conference! The conference is scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th at Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building. Please see the attached agenda for additional details.

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

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