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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

DATE:   
October 11, 2025

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

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

SUBJECT:  
Permit Trainings for the 2026-27 Season

Planning & Enrollment will be hosting training opportunities for staff to prepare for the 2026-27 permit season, which opens on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Sessions will not be targeted at any specific audience, so individuals are welcome to attend any session.

Please register for all sessions using this LINK.

Session dates, times, and locations are listed below. Additional training sessions will be added if needed.

Date Time Location
Monday, October 27 1:00-3:00 PM ASB Auditorium (Entrance A)
Tuesday, October 28 9:30-11:30 AM ASB Presentation Room (Entrance C)

Permit questions should be addressed to Scott Festin, Planning Consultant, scott.festin@jordandistrict.org, x88370

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Lee, HR Administrator, Evaluations

The Beginning of the Year Interim is due by October 31, 2025. Remember that this includes a self-evaluation, three required goals, and administrator approval.

Please see the attached flyer.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, HR Generalist

If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave before or after Thanksgiving on a “Critical Day” 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 Critical Days* Window
Thanksgiving Recess

(Licensed)          

 Nov. 26-28, 2025 Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, 2025 Oct. 12 – Oct. 22, 2025
Thanksgiving Recess

(ESP) 

 Nov. 27-28, 2025 Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, 2025 Oct. 13 – Oct. 23, 2025

*Critical Days are the first student attendance days before or after a school holiday. If a non-student attendance day falls before or after a school holiday, the Critical Day is the day before or after that non-student attendance day when students are in attendance.

Licensed Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 2025-2026

ESP Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 2025-2026

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Teachers and Staff

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

Language & Culture Services wants to celebrate our 2025 WIDA graduates. Our students work hard and we want to celebrate their linguistic greatness in reaching level 4.2 overall and level 3.5 on the speaking section in WIDA.

Come and watch our students receive awards and see them perform. Find out about parent resources, information about WIDA and get a free dinner.

Please come out and celebrate with your students and their families.

  • When: Oct. 16 | 6 - 8 p.m.
  • Where: West Jordan Middle

Published on

DATE:   
September 29, 2025

TO:  
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT:   
October School Psychologist Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, October 10, 2025 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Trevor Olsen, Associate Director of the University of Utah School-Based Mental Health program, will provide us with a presentation on Four-Directional Peacemaking, an integrative framework for building peace.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

DATE:     
October 2, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Suicide Prevention Funds and Conference Registration

Suicide Prevention Grant funds are available for allowable expenses up to $1,000 per school. Schools may use these funds to pay for HopeSquad or Sources of Strength program renewal fees or to conduct suicide prevention training. These funds cannot be used to purchase supplies or food related to suicide prevention programming (NO T-shirts, incentives, fidgets, etc.). For questions, contact McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org) in Student Services.

As part of this allocation, schools may choose to register relevant staff members (school psychologists, school counselors, clinical support/social workers) for the Rocky Mountain Suicide Prevention Conference and code (see below) the P-Card registration fee to the grant.

Here is the registration link for the Rocky Mountain Suicide Prevention Conference. It is held on December 2nd & 3rd at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, UT. Please note that the early bird registration deadline for this event is October 31st.

Schools may register one individual for elementary, three individuals for middle school, and up to five individuals for high school, using the grant. Administrators can code the expense to program 5674 on the P-Card Reconciliation. There will not be District personnel registering school staff this year.

If school staff have already been registered and your school would like to be reimbursed, contact Carmen Covarrubias (carmen.covarrubias@jordandistrict.org).

Published on

TO:
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

Attached is the Special Ed Newsletter for October 2025.

Published on

DATE:   
October 1, 2025

TO:  
Administrators
Licensed Personnel

FROM:  
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brittany Bauer, HR Specialist

SUBJECT:  
Transition from CACTUS to USIMS

Dear Educators,

Starting November 30th, 2025, educators will no longer be able to access the CACTUS (Educator Licensing) platform. Instead, all licensing information will be available in the new USIMS platform.

To ensure a smooth transition, it is essential that you take the following steps:

  1. Set Up USIMS Profile:
    Begin by setting up your USIMS profile as soon as possible. This will allow you to access and manage your licensing information seamlessly once the transition is complete.
  2. Save Information from my.UEN CACTUS:
    Before November 30th, 2025, please save any important information you may need from the my.UEN CACTUS website. This step is crucial to avoid any disruption in accessing your licensing records.

For detailed instructions and support on setting up your USIMS profile and managing the transition, please visit the following link: USIMS Support and Instructions.

We understand that changes in systems can be challenging, and we are committed to supporting you throughout this process. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Brittany Bauer
HR Specialist, Licensing
801-567-8214
brittany.bauer@jordandistrict.org

Published on

TO:
Directors
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, HR Generalist, Leave Benefits

Please see the attached overviews for Administrative, Licensed and Educational Support Professionals leave policies.

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, October 2, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
DLI STAMP Assessment and Training

School administrators are encouraged to send the following information to their DLI teachers.

USBE has a new DLI assessment contract with Avant’s STAMP assessment.  LTI’s AAPPL test will no longer be used for the fall DLI testing.

The DLI STAMP assessment window opens on Monday, October 20th and closes on Friday, December 12th.  Of course, students won’t start testing until after fall break.

Assessment, Research & Accountability does not currently have access to Avant’s testing system and we do not know when we will have access or when we will be able to give teachers access.  That said, here is what we know:

Test Preparation: DLI Teachers

  • The Utah STAMP website contains several guides under the heading ‘For Schools and Teachers.’
  • Check out the STAMP accommodations page for information about the types of accommodations available on the STAMP.
  • The FAQ for grades 3-5 may be found here and the FAQ for grades 6-9 may be found here.

Because this is a new assessment and because the state’s testing ethics policy requires an annual training for all statewide mandated assessments, the following virtual training dates will be available.  All DLI teachers or other school personnel who will be administering the STAMP will need to attend one of the virtual trainings listed below:

Friday, 10/10 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 10/17 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 10/31 - 8:30am or 1:30pm
Friday, 11/7 - 8:30am or 1:30pm

Trainings will last approximately 45 minutes. All participants can join the virtual training using this Zoom link: https://jordandistrict-org.zoom.us/j/5266134800

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Curtis Jenson, Administrator at South Jordan Middle
BYU CITIES School Partnership

Centering Student Joy: Stop Surviving, Start Thriving

Don't miss the Learning Edge Annual Administrator Conference, themed "Centering Student Joy: Helping Them Thrive, Not Just Survive". This essential professional development opportunity for Elementary, Secondary, District Administrators, Teachers, Teacher Leaders, and Student Support Providers is designed to provide actionable strategies for educators.

The conference is scheduled for November 11, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

You'll hear from keynote speakers including:

  • Lauren Porosoff, founder of EMPOWER Forwards, who will discuss making school a source of meaning, vitality, and community.
  • Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and former US Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology leader, known for his book Digital for Good.
  • Antonio Sacre, a bilingual Cuban and Irish-American writer whose work focuses on multicultural family dynamics.

Registration is only $99 per person, and includes both breakfast and lunch. Register today, and bring a few teachers with you! The conference is a collaborative event held by the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling (CITES) at Brigham Young University, and features some of our own JSD all-stars like Jared Covili, Marianne Johansen, and Melanie Dawson.

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator

What are some facts you should know about extension cord use and limitations? Check out the document below for all the details!

Published on

DATE:     
September 25, 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:   
Fall Attendance Resources and Panorama Data

Please see the document below for all the attendance resources.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Jared Covili, Digital Teaching and Learning

As previously mentioned, in order to make the most of the available features in our district-wide Canva deployment, we are migrating to a new Canva structure on Friday 9/26. No content has been lost; as part of this migration you have been added to one or more new Canva teams, corresponding to the school(s) with which you’re associated (or a “Staff & Admin” team, for staff not based at a school).

Here’s what you need to know:

We have re-labeled our existing district team to “Archive: Jordan School District”. You’ll always be able to access this content by toggling between teams. You’ll also be able to access your new school-based team by toggling in the same way. See attached guide for information on switching between teams.

We recommend you copy your content from this Archive team over to your new school-based team. You’ll get the best Canva features in these new teams, and will best able to collaborate in your school team with the students and staff associated with that school. View attached guide for instructions on how to copy Canva content to your new team.

District-wide staff: you may not have been automatically added to your new Staff & Admin team. Please log out and log back in to Canva in order to be added to this team.

If you encounter any other issues with Canva, please contact our Digital Teaching and Learning Team or the Canva Support team.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Director Teaching & Learning
Kaye Rizzuto, Social Studies Consultant

As we approach America 250, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we have a unique opportunity to engage students in meaningful learning and memorable celebrations throughout the 2025-2026 school year.

Activities and Engagement
We encourage each school to incorporate America 250 into the curriculum and school culture, making this milestone year unforgettable for all students.

Student Award Opportunity
Students also have the option to participate in a special America 250 Award program, designed to recognize student engagement, research, and creativity related to the anniversary. Details and how to participate can be found HERE.

Let’s work together to make America 250 a vibrant and inclusive celebration in every school. Thank you for your leadership and support in creating memorable learning experiences for our students.

If you have questions or want to share your school’s plans, please reach out.

Kaye Rizzuto
Social Studies Consultant
Carolyn Gough
Director Teaching & Learning

Published on

DATE:
September 25, 2025

TO:
Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences for Secondary Schools

The dates for Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences for secondary schools are Wednesday, September 24, 2025 and Thursday, September 25, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Here is the schedule that the schools will follow:

    • Middle Schools:
      • Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - In person
      • Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Virtual
    • High Schools:
      • Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - Virtual
      • Thursday, September 25, 2025 - In person

 

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, September 25, 2025

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:    
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: General and Special Education Teachers’ Literacy Survey: Opinions, Practice, Training, and Confidence

Applicant: Kristie Calvin, East Tennessee State University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Teachers who choose to participate will take a survey that asks about their training, knowledge, and practices in the areas of reading and literacy.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, September 25, 2025

TO:   
Middle and High School Principals

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

SUBJECT:  
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Secondary Administration of Dual Language Immersion Programs in Utah: Program Implementation, Fidelity, and Leadership

Applicant: Beth McGarry, Utah State University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Principals of secondary DLI schools will be asked to participate in an interview regarding their experience implementing the DLI program.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, September 25, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Caregiver – School Collaboration Throughout the IEP Process

Applicant: Kayleigh Brennan, University of Utah

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Special education service providers, such as teachers, school psychologists, and speech language pathologists may be asked to complete a survey on the IEP process and the factors that contribute to stronger collaboration and partnerships with families.

Thank you for your assistance.