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Category: High Schools

Published on

DATE:  
March 17, 2022

TO: 
All Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
John Larsen, Business Administrator

SUBJECT:  
Employee Overnight Travel

As a reminder, when employees travel to conferences or other events and it is not related to:

  1. a) student group travel arrangements, or
  2. b) an administrative travel stipend arrangement,

the following policies are to be followed (see the Financial Manual for more details):

  1. The travel request is to be submitted at least 45 days in advance using the Skyward task process called “Travel Request” so the Travel Buyer has sufficient time to make all arrangements in a cost-effective manner and so the traveler can verify information before the travel occurs. The Travel Buyer makes the airline, hotel, and shuttle arrangements. The Travel Buyer may pay for the conference registration as requested. However, suggestions may be made in the notes of the travel request.
  2. All costs associated with the travel are to be listed and preapproved.
  3. Any documentation regarding the reason for the travel is to be attached to the travel request (e.g. conference advertisement, schedule, itinerary, etc.).
  4. Regardless of how the travel is paid for, the travel must follow the same rules (e.g. grant / non-grant; department / school, etc.).
  5. First class, business class, or upgradeable fares should not be requested to be booked or paid for by the District.
  6. Lodging will be at the conference site or in a reasonably priced hotel within walking distance of the conference. A reasonably priced hotel is considered the average cost of hotels within the vicinity of the conference.
  7. Employees do not earn overtime or trade time for attending or traveling to a conference.
  8. Travel less than 50 miles from the employee’s normal work assignment should not include hotel costs or per diem costs.
  9. If an employee chooses to drive rather than fly to the conference, the employee will receive a mileage reimbursement equivalent to the lowest airfare available 21 days in advance or the regular mileage reimbursement, whichever is lower.
  10. Rental cars are to be used only when other forms of transportation are either not available or those forms of transportation are more costly than a standard rental car with the hotel parking fees. Rental cars cannot be prepaid by the Travel Buyer. The traveler will need to pay for car rentals and be reimbursed if not on a P-Card.
  11. Original receipts for airport parking fees, luggage fees, ground transportation (Uber, Lyft, cabs), or other costs must accompany the reimbursement request after the travel occurs. Any applicable per diem will be paid at the same time as these reimbursements. Costs not pre-approved for the travel are not reimbursed.
  12. P-Card use is acceptable only for the following items when pre-approved:
    1. Baggage fees
    2. WIFI if not offered with the hotel
    3. Transportation to/from the hotel/airport
    4. Airport parking
    5. Rental cars
    6. Conference registration
  13. For many personal reasons employees may want to pay for some additional travel costs that the District cannot pay for. For example, if the employee wishes to rent a car so they can tour the city, visit some sites, go out to eat at a distant establishment, etc. or if the employee wishes to extend the trip so they can see some sites, the employee should pay for these additional costs and report leave time as applicable.
  14. The State Auditor has prohibited government entities from booking or paying for non-employees’ travel even when there is a plan to reimburse the government entity.

Published on

Are you ready to be certified as an ESL teacher? Any JSD teacher can sign up while space is available. Please use this link to place your information by April 11th. ​​This endorsement program is open to K-12 contracted licensed personnel in Jordan School District. This does not include substitute teachers or paraprofessionals who are licensed. Principals, please do not sign up for your teachers.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, March 17, 2022

TO:   
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
2021-22 USBE Educator Engagement Survey Results

The 2021-22 USBE Educator Engagement Survey window closed on Friday, March 11th. An analysis of the survey has been completed and is available in your Tableau accounts here.

Tableau users may also navigate to the dashboard through the Explore menu: Explore > Surveys > USBE Educator Engagement Survey > 2021-22 > 2021-22 Educator Engagement Survey Analysis

The survey presented question items and solicited comments from classroom teachers regarding mentoring, school leadership, collaboration, professional learning, career growth, and job satisfaction. While no school-level data are available, the survey does present a perspective of educator engagement and job satisfaction that could provide guidance to school leaders in terms of morale, teacher preparation, the efficacy of mentoring programs, and school leadership.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions.

Published on

DATE:    
March 17, 2022

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Thriving Schools: A Summit for Student Success

These past few years have both challenged us and taught us the importance of prioritizing empathy, relationships, and social-emotional learning to support students. Above all we know that a thriving school community starts with ongoing learning and reflection.

Thriving Schools: A Panorama Summit for Student Success originally aired on February 15th – but they have made it available to access until May 16th for FREE. The topics include:

  • What does it mean for schools to thrive?
  • MTSS and data-based decision-making.
  • School Counselors as leaders within a multi-tiered, multi-domain system of support.
  • Creating a shared understanding & partnering with families to supporting the social-emotional growth.

You may access the summit at the following link:

THRIVING SCHOOLS: A Panorama Summit of Student Success

Please feel free to share this resource with your counselors, psychologists, social workers, leadership teams and/or teachers as you see fit.

Published on

Principals:

We have scheduled two separate training sessions on the operation of the school's security camera and software. The training will include the use of the software, saving of camera footage and the transferring of that footage to the appropriate device. We receive many requests for help in this area.

The training will be held on March 23, 2022.

Session 1: 9:00-10:00 am

Session 2: 1:00-2:00 pm

Both sessions will be held at the Auxiliary Service Building in the Presentation Room, enter at Entrance C. It is recommended that at least one administrator per building attend one of the sessions and if possible send one hall monitor to each session. No registration is needed for this training.

Published on

Beginning Tuesday, March 22 the Utah Department of Health will be offering COVID Mobile Testing on Tuesdays & Thursdays, from 4 - 7p.m. at Elk Ridge Middle.  Please use the link or QR Code (see posted document) below to register.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, March 10, 2022

TO:  
All High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
School LAND Trust/TSSA Planning – Helpful Assessment Data

With the School LAND Trust and TSSA Plans due on March 25th, principals have been encouraged to create data-informed goals and supports. The following Tableau dashboards may be useful as principals set those goals:

High Schools:

  • Utah Aspire Plus English, Reading, Math and Science – Overall proficiency and predicted ACT scores are included as well as reporting category data for each subtest.
    • School Growth – Median Growth Percentiles (MGPs) for schools were calculated by the state and recently released. MGPs represent growth calculations for both RISE and Utah Aspire Plus combined.
  • WIDA Access 2.0 – Overall proficiency is included as well as reporting categories and individual domains.
  • 11th Grade ACT – ACT composite as well as subtest scores are included as well as reporting category data.
  • AP Exams – Overall, AP discipline and AP course pass rates are included as well as a distribution of scores.

Other Helpful Data:

  • Graduation – This is a good source to track graduation and dropout rates for your school across student groups.
  • 2021-22 Stakeholder Input Survey – This is a good source for perception data on academic resources and supports from the perspective of faculty, students and parents.
  • 2020-21 USBE School Climate Survey – This is a good source of perception data on school climate and culture.
  • Longitudinal Demographic Data – Based on the Oct. 1 enrollment count, this dashboard will provide assistance with demographic population trends and patterns.

Published on

Please note that the following positions will be available for schools for the 2022-2023 school year only using ESSER III funds. 

  • High Schools 1.0 FTE for a tracker
  • Middle Schools 0.25 FTE for a tracker
  • Elementary Schools 25-hour assistant to support intervention

Any additional trackers or aides that have previously been paid for using CARES / ESSER funds will be the responsibility of the school for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Schools will need to update budget codes for personnel who will be covered through ESSER III funds in 2022-2023. Please complete a New Hire/Change Form and code ESSER III Budget #7225 starting July 1, 2022.

The following Budget Codes will be discontinued after July 1, 2022:

10 E xxx 7211 1084 165 and 10 E xxx 7215 1084 165 

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Please take note of the following MANDATORY deadline:

2022-23 School LAND Trust Upcoming School Plan
Completion Deadline: March 25, 2022
Your school's 2022-23 LAND Trust Allocation can be found on the State Website. When you click on the "Upcoming Plan" your "Estimated Distribution for 2022-2023" can be found in the box "Funding Estimates" on the 6th line down. This is your actual distribution.

  • Do not end up with a negative estimated carry-over to 2023-2024.
  • Under "Action Plan Steps and Expenditures", please click on the provided button to input the budget allocations for that goal.
  • Add in what you will do if you have "Funding Changes". Remember that if it's listed here you won't need to do an amendment if you have extra money that you need to spend. (See tips and hints below for some suggested wording.)
  • REMEMBER THE LAST STEP, go into Council Membership & Signature Form and click to send the emails to your SCC members.

I can't stress this enough------please use the correct categories for the expenditures as you add them to your goals. They need to be distributed correctly. Don't put everything under salaries/benefits. Call Nadine Page (x88182) if you have questions of what category it should go under. 

Last Reminder: The 2022-23 TSSA Plan will also be due on March 25, 2022. Your TSSA Plan Link can be found HERE.

Published on

Reminder:

A great opportunity to listen to two scholars address the intersection of public education, law and democracy. The event is scheduled for March 4, 2022 at 11:00 am. Two prominent legal
actors, Judge William E. Smith (District of Rhode Island) and Professor Michael Rebell (Columbia), will be the presenters.

See flyer below for the details.

Published on

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the Challenge Run will now be held, Saturday, May 14, 2022  All other information is the same.

Saturday, May 14, 2022
Start Time: 9:00 AM
Veteran's Memorial Park
(8030 South 1825 West in West Jordan)

Cost per person is $20
Team Captains who wish to create a team of runners can register for free!

THE CHALLENGE OBSTACLE RUN is a family-friendly fundraising obstacle course run open to all ages and created to make a difference in Jordan District Classrooms. Sponsored by local businesses and Jordan Education Foundation, 100% of proceeds go directly toward Classroom Grants benefiting students & teachers in Jordan District. The Challenge begins at 9 am, Saturday, May 14th and ends with a fun family festival with lots of free giveaways. You can participate in any one of the events (Obstacle Run, Festival, Fundraising) or in all three!

For more details and to register online, visit:

www.jefchallenge.org
OR
https://runsignup.com/Race/UT/WestJordan/TheChallengeObstacleRace.

Please see attachment for more information.

 

Published on

DATE:         
February 28, 2022

TO:   
School Psychologists, School Psychology Interns, Elementary Counselor

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

SUBJECT:  
March School Psychologist, School Psychology Interns, Elementary Counselor Meeting

An in-person meeting has been scheduled for Friday, March 11, 2022, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jordan School District’s Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services, will provide us with an overview of Panorama, so please bring your laptops to this meeting. In addition, we want you to participate in a focus group with us so that we can get your input re: meeting your needs and future directions.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

The date for the Jordan School District High School Graduation exercises is Thursday, June 2, 2022. Valley High School graduation exercises are scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, 2022. School graduation plans and times will vary from school to school.

Principals and Directors are encouraged to provide flexibility to parents or grandparents requesting the opportunity to attend the graduation ceremonies of family members.

Licensed employees are responsible for requesting a substitute through the Frontline Absence Management System, if applicable. In the blue “Notes to Administrator” box, the employee should add “graduation” along with his/her relationship to the graduate.

For additional assistance, please contact Juli Martin by email at: juli.martin@jordandistrict.org. or by phone at 801-567-8219.

Published on

Last week to register for the “What I wish you knew” mini conference. We are so excited to bring you a vibrant keynote and stories from parents and students that will continue to help us be curious, be united, and intentional. Last day to register is March 9th.

Published on

Here we go again!

For MARCH 2022, substitute teachers with NO CANCELLATIONS and who qualify as outlined below, will be paid on April 10, 2022. The March tiered substitute teacher bonus incentives are as follows:

18 days worked = $300

15 days worked = $180

12 days worked = $120

9 days worked = $60

Benefit eligible substitute teachers working full time at various schools throughout the Jordan School District, DO NOT QUALIFY for the monthly substitute teacher bonus incentives, since they are required to work every school (contract) day.

Thank you again for your service to Jordan School District.

Published on

If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave before or after Spring Break for any reason not listed in policy DP335NEG or DP335B, you must submit a request as follows:

How to Request
During the window, the employee must send the request through email. Please include your name, school, position, and the date you are requesting the leave. Requests left on voicemail or over the phone will NOT be accepted.

Licensed employees submit their request to licensedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

Education Support Professionals submit their request to classifiedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

The employee will receive an email confirmation within two working days after submitting the request. If the employee does not receive a confirmation email, then Human Resources has NOT received your request and your leave will not be approved.

School Holiday Date of Holiday Window
Spring Recess                     (All 242, 245 Contracts) April 15 and 18, 2022 Mar. 1 – Mar. 11, 2022
Spring Recess                      (180, 184, 187, 207, 206 Contracts) April 15 - 22, 2022 Mar. 1 – Mar. 11, 2022

https://employment.jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/PersonalLeaveBeforeAfterHoliday-21-22-updated-1.pdf

Published on

DATE:  
February 24, 2022

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Assistants

FROM: 
Administrator of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Planning and Enrollment Consultant

SUBJECT: 
Early & Late Enrollment Permits

The window for early enrollment permits closed on Friday, February 18, 2022. The law requires that parent(s)/guardian(s) receive written notice from the school by April 1, 2022. The results e-mails sent to parents(s)/guardian(s) after records have been placed on the waitlist or seated list serves as that written notice. Schools will need to ensure that communication with parent(s)/guardian(s) has occurred for each permit request.

All unfilled permit seats were zeroed out at the conclusion of the Early Enrollment window. If a school had open seats and waiting permit applications on February 18, those permit applicants MUST be offered the seats. Contact Planning & Enrollment for assistance in adding these seats back to PowerSchool.

The Late Enrollment permit window began on February 19, 2022. The late enrollment period is for applications submitted after the third (3rd) Friday in February for the following year, or a permit request for the current school year. (See “Open Enrollment / School Choice Permits” in the online Planning and Enrollment Manual.)

Any permit submitted during the late enrollment period must be processed and prepared for import by the school; however, Board priorities do not need to be verified. These permits will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist currently in PowerSchool when processed. The permit waitlist in PowerSchool must be used throughout the school year to grant permit requests and seat students at the school. Permits may be re-ordered on the waitlist according to the late enrollment requirements (see “Open Enrollment / School Choice Permits”).

Remember that the late enrollment window is based on staffing, not building capacity. Schools may only accept permits after receiving approval from their Administrator of Schools and only in grades that are at risk of not reaching the 2.0 projection.

Permits for the current (2021-22) school year can still be submitted in Skyward by parent(s)/ guardian(s), and schools must make decisions and provide notification within two weeks of the permit submission. These permits should still be processed and waitlisted or seated as appropriate. However, after the December pre-transfer, approved permits are no longer automatically sent to Skyward. Schools will need to manually enter these 2021-22 permits into Skyward. Because the pre-enroll has already occurred, these permits should be entered using the “History” screen of the “Previous Reason Code” section of the “School Path”.

Please contact Planning & Enrollment at 801-567-8183 with questions.