Skip to content

Category: Middle School Action Required

Published on

DATE:
November 12, 2025

TO:
Administrators of Locations with Employees Paid with Federal Dollars

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

SUBJECT:
Federal Program Work Certification

Federal Regulations require the district to certify the payroll of any employee being paid with federal funds. Accounting identifies employees that meet this federal criteria and prepares certification forms by location. Principals and department heads please review the attached instruction memo and look for your payroll certification email the week of November 10, 2025. Certifications are due Friday, December 12, 2025.

Please review your certification ASAP and contact Natalie Grange if you have any questions or concerns. natalie.grange@jordandistrict.org, ext. 88312

Published on

DATE:  
November 10, 2025

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

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

SUBJECT:  
School Choice Permit Allocations and Procedures

The open enrollment permit window opens on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Permit seat totals can be found on each school’s Enrollment Dashboard in Google Drive. Open the “2026-27” tab and scroll down to the permit section.

ACTION REQUIRED: Principals should review the individuals listed on their school’s dashboard in the “Permit” section and ensure that permissions are marked appropriately. Planning & Enrollment will defer to the permissions marked for various staff members when requests for additional seats are made. Please ensure that staff information is updated by December 5, 2025.

Schools should verify all outstanding applications prior to leaving for Winter Recess and verify any applications received during Winter Recess as soon as possible in the morning on Monday, January 5, 2026, so that the lottery can be run that afternoon. Once the lottery has been run, schools may immediately begin offering seats (if available). Seats not accepted within two weeks should be revoked (after attempting communication with the parent) and reoffered to the next student in line on the waitlist. At least weekly, schools should verify applications in the 2026-27 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist. Schools should regularly continue to verify applications in the 2025-26 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist.

During the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026), the availability of permit seats is governed by BUILDING CAPACITY. Schools that are the most full will have the least available seats. Adding seats is governed by rules of the tier system established by the Board of Education and, in all instances, requires conversation with your Administrator of Schools. In the late enrollment window (after February 6 and 2026-27 FTE allocations are released), schools may request additional seats from their Administrator of Schools. Available seats in this window are determined by the availability of space and by grade in the teacher allocation based on current enrollment figures.

One final reminder: the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026) requires schools to seat students if permit seats are available. Schools MUST follow the waitlist order when offering seats. It is inappropriate for a school to modify the waitlist order so that students who listed the school as a “first choice” are placed before others, regardless of their lottery priority. Schools who follow this practice may lose the ability to seat permit applications themselves. School administrators with concerns over this guideline may contact their Administrator of Schools.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 5, 2025

TO:    
K-12 Principals

FROM:    
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Nathan Foster, Health/PE Specialist, Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:   
Required Firearm Safety Instruction – Implementation for 2025-26

During the 2025 legislative session, Utah passed HB104, which requires firearm safety instruction to be provided three times in K-6, once in middle school, and once in high school. Jordan School District will meet this requirement by providing firearm safety instruction in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades, Health I, and Health II, aligned with Health Education standards.

Instruction may be delivered through live lessons, videos, online materials, or as part of health or physical education curricula. Before instruction, schools must notify parents or guardians and offer an opt-out option, with alternative educational activities provided as needed.

For details, resources, and curriculum materials to support this requirement, please review the attached HB 104 Implementation Document and visit the linked resources.

Please reach out to our JSD Health and PE Teacher Specialist, Nathan Foster, with any questions: nate.foster@jordandistrict.org.

HB104 - Parent Information Sheet - Opt Out Form

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Principals, please personally invite your School Community Council chair to attend this important meeting with the Jordan District Board Members.

Dear School Community Council Chair,

On behalf of the Jordan School District Board of Education, we invite you to the upcoming Jordan Parent Advisory Committee (JPAC) meeting. Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Location: Jordan Learning Center, 3706 W. 9800 S., South Jordan. (The Learning Center is located directly across the street from Elk Ridge Middle School.)

This important meeting will focus on two topics:

School Safety Update: Our School Safety Specialist, Matt Alvernaz, will present the latest updates on current safety protocols and be available to answer any questions.

ParentSquare Feedback: As time permits, we will gather your feedback on how it is working for parents.

Your insights and participation are very important to us. If you are unable to attend, please ensure another parent representative from your School Community Council attends in your place.

We look forward to a productive meeting and to seeing you there!

 

Published on

TO:
All Licensed Administrators

FROM:
Cabinet

All licensed administrators are invited to complete this form by November 14, 2025. This formal process of gaining your input will serve as a conversation starter with your Administrator of Schools about work assignments for the coming school year (2026-27) in Jordan District. Personal preference is one of many factors considered when determining administrative assignments. This does not take the place of the need to sign up for a formal Principal interview.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Admin Assistants

FROM:
Jordan District Cabinet Members

We are excited to announce and provide a method for employees to pay their school meal balances remotely without going to the front office. Please see the attached instructions on how to set this up. Employees can also set up recurring payments and low balance notifications similar to parents.

Additionally, we want to remind employees that they should avoid having a negative balance on their meal account. Employees may not have a negative balance greater than $10.00.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, October 16, 2025

TO:   
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
2025-26 Stakeholder Input Survey Preview and Administration Materials

Jordan School District will be administering its own student, parent, and faculty/staff stakeholder input survey this year. The student survey will be administered to all students in grades K-12. The survey window opens Monday, November 3, 2025, and closes Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Administrative assistants were asked to verify a list of licensed educators at their school location, which was due on Friday, September 10th. Those verified and updated lists have now been added to the Stakeholder Input Survey. If schools have hired licensed faculty since October 10, 2025, please contact Assessment, Research & Accountability as soon as possible so that we can update your school’s surveys before the survey window opens. We will not be able to update the surveys once they go live.

See the memo below for all the details.

 

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

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

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

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

TO:
Office and Administrative staff of schools and District departments

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 9 session will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. This meeting is a refresher course that will go over any changes in district departments this year, 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:
New Administrators and anyone who wants a complete overview of Business and Auxiliary Services department information

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

Training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on October 7, 2025 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

DATE:
September 17, 2025

TO:   
All Secondary 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

SUBJECT:  
Professional Development Opportunities for Back to Basics: The Essentials of EBD, OHI, and Anxiety in Special Education

The Special Education Department will be offering a training session for Secondary Special Education teachers on October 3rd.

This training will address: Does every student with an anxiety diagnosis qualify for IDEA educational classification? How can school teams communicate with parents about the difference between ADA (accommodations) and IDEA (SDI) when discussing eligibility based on an anxiety diagnosis?

Secondary Teachers will use this registration link to sign up.

Training Details:

  • Date: October 3, 2025
  • Time: 1:00-3:00
  • Location: Zoom - Link will be included in the Canvas course

Participation is optional.

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Earbud Orders for State Testing

Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing systems once again this year. Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds. Please place your order by Friday, October 17th.

To place an order, please click here.

Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to create a system by which the same student uses the same earbuds throughout the year as there is no additional funding to purchase more than one pair of earbuds per student in grades 3-10.

If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability at 801-567-8185 who can share the purchasing information and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.

Published on

DATE:
September 4, 2025

TO:   
All Administrators
All Registrars

FROM: 
Steffany Ellsworth, Manager - Information Systems
Steven Harwood, Manager - Information Systems

SUBJECT:
Dropout Cohort Cleanup Report

In an effort to improve our graduation and dropout statistics at the State Board of Education, it is important that we correctly account for each student’s enrollment. Each school’s current dropout cohort cleanup report will be provided to registrars by Monday, September 8th. The report will come from JSD Information Systems through MoveIT. This is a report of students who are currently counted as dropouts for your school for the 2024-25 Cohort. Registrars review each record on this report to determine whether or not an existing dropout exit code can be changed (thus lowering your dropout rate).

Please connect with your registrars to ensure they are working to enter the corrected information and return the report in the same electronic format as was sent via MoveIT to Carrie Norris (carrie.norris@jordandistrict.org) in Information Systems by September 26, 2025. They should also send a cc copy to Stacee Worthen (stacee.worthen@jordandistrict.org) in Student Services and Brooke Anderson (brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org) in Assessment, Research and Accountability.

Information Systems will be providing training for registrars on September 12th at 1:30 p.m. at the District Office, Room 129. This training will provide registrars with the information and tools needed to review the dropout cohort report and make changes as necessary. If your registrar is new to this report, or just needs a refresher, please ask them to attend this training.

Feel free to contact the Information Systems Help Desk at (801) 567-8737 with any questions as you work through this process. The UTREx system is a great help in locating students. If your registrar doesn’t have access to UTREx, principals may request access for them by emailing a request to ishelpdesk@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:  
September 4, 2025

TO:
All School Principals
All School Head Administrative Assistants

FROM:    
Cabinet Members

SUBJECT: 
Required Finance & Accounting Rules Training

Cabinet members would like every school principal and the head administrative assistant to receive training on District finance and accounting rules. This is a required training and both the principal and administrative assistant should attend together, side-by-side.

Please use the following form to sign both of you up for a training session:

LINK to Sign Up

Available Dates:

DATE TIME LOCATION
Friday, October 3, 2025 12:00 – 3:00 pm District Office, room 129
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 12:00 – 3:00 pm ASB Auditorium
Tuesday, January 20, 2026  1:00 – 4:00 pm ASB Auditorium
Friday, February 13, 2026  1:00 – 4:00 pm ASB Presentation room
Friday, March 6, 2026  1:00 – 4:00 pm District Office, room 129
Friday, April 17, 2026  1:00 – 4:00 pm JATC South

 

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, September 4, 2025

TO:   
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
TSI/ATSI Workshops and Funding

School improvement planning workshops for schools designated for targeted support and improvement (TSI) or additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI) will once again be offered during the 2025-26 school year.

See the memo below for all of the details.

 

Published on

DATE: 
September 4, 2025

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
FREE Mental Health Education for Parents and Caregivers

Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to provide ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This collaboration offers FREE access to live, virtual educational sessions covering various topics. Please share the following resources with your school community:

  • A calendar for September’s Mental Health Series sessions is attached. Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. Previously recorded seminars can be accessed through a comprehensive library of sessions and resources for each topic. You can access the library of recorded sessions at any time by visiting this site: https://parentguidance.org/mhsindex.
  • Ask a Therapist live virtual event. This is an anonymous opportunity to ask questions from a licensed family therapist about your child’s mental health. It is a live event on 23rd at 6 pm with access to the recording afterwards. Registration Link: https://cookcenter.info/ATLSept23
  • Included in the mental health series this September is a "Watch Together Series" to highlight for families. While the Mental Health Series is designed for parents, these “Watch Together” events are for the whole family, especially teens and young adults. In this series, each month, you'll meet a new animated character facing real challenges that teens and young adults experience. Together, you and your family can watch their story and learn how to start meaningful conversations at home.
    • First Event: Meet Amie from My Life is Worth Living. Amie is a bright, ambitious student who worked hard in school. But beneath the surface, she struggled with feelings of guilt and shame that led to a suicide attempt. Her journey shows how hope, support, and honest conversations can help teens find their way forward.
    • Wednesday, September 10 | 6pm MT REGISTER NOW

Please share the attached flyers/resources with your school communities. Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:   
September 4, 2025

TO:    
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Suicide Prevention Training Video and Staff and Parent Resources

September is suicide prevention month.  

Schools play a critical role in suicide prevention for current and future students. It is important that we expand our knowledge about the warning signs of suicide and how to facilitate opportunities to strengthen connections. Remember: These suicide prevention activities can all be included as part of your schoolwide prevention plan.

In accordance with the Utah State Legislature's Administrative Code (53G-9-704), Student Services has created this short training video for ALL District employees. Here are some ideas on how to show the video to school staff: Send the link in an email and instruct your staff to watch it, show it at a faculty meeting, or allow time during early release/late start

We have also created new guidelines for Secondary Suicide Prevention Classroom Lessons, which can be reviewed at this link: Suicide Prevention Classroom Lesson Guidelines

Here are additional, important Suicide Prevention Resources that can be used as part of your prevention plan: