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Category: Middle School Action Required

Published on

DATE:     
February 13, 2018

TO:  
Middle School Principals
High School Principals
Special Educators
Speech Language Pathologists
School Psychologists

FROM:  
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curric./ Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
Julie Brown, Program Specialist

SUBJECT: 
Post-High Transition Training

Post-High Transition Training will be provided for all secondary special educators, Speech Language Pathologists, and School Psychologists. The training will focus on ways to make the process more student- centered as well as highlight the changes to the Utah State Special Education Rules, and provides as much clarification as possible on the diploma options. This half-day training will be conducted by combining high school feeders. In order to give school teams the opportunity to participate in a group while still providing for student learning, the training has been set up so that each school will send half of their staff in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Please plan for the full day substitute teachers to switch between morning and afternoon groups. We recognize that Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) may work in multiple buildings and may not be available to attend the training on the assigned day of the secondary feeder. If the SLP works in 2 secondary schools, the SLP should attend with their home base school. If the SLP splits between elementary and secondary, and is scheduled at an elementary the day of the secondary training, the SLP can attend with another feeder. Staff that are not available for trainings with their feeders on March 6th or 7th should attend the March 8th training, as this is a single feeder system. School Team Leaders, please send a list of morning and afternoon participants to the Teacher Specialist assigned to your school by March 1st. Special Education will cover the substitute costs for training (Budget code: 1292). For more information, please contact Julie Brown at julie.brown@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8200.

BHS and WJHS Feeder: March 6th at WJHS in the Tech Atrium
Morning session:         7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session:      11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.

HHS and RHS Feeder:  March 7th at RHS in the Tech Atrium
Morning session:         7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session:      11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.

CHHS Feeder and Make-Up:  March 8th at WHMS in the Media Center
Morning session:         7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session:      11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.

WJHS:      8136 S. 2700 W. West Jordan
RHS:       12476 S. Silverwolf Way (2700 W.) Riverton
WHMS:    8270 S Grizzly Way (5400 W.) West Jordan

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, February 22, 2018

TO:    
Elementary and Middle School Principals

FROM:    
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
SAGE Grades 6-8 Science SEEd Testing Updates

Now that USBE has completed field testing for the new grades 6-8 SAGE Science test that incorporates the new SEEd standards, we have been given some updated information regarding the expected time it will take for students to complete the test with its cluster questions.  During previous SAGE science administrations, students have been expected to complete the test in a 60-90 minute window.  We are asked to plan at least 100 minutes for students to take the SAGE science test in grades 6-8.  USBE is also recommending that we break the SAGE science test for grades 6-8 into more than one testing session to avoid testing fatigue.

There will be two clusters for every strand within the new SEEd core.  Students will need to finish all of the questions within a cluster before logging off.  If they log off before answering all of the questions, they will not be able to answer those questions when they log back on.  The platform will automatically move them to the next cluster.

Because the science standards for grades 6-8 have changed, the end-of-year SAGE Science test has also changed to match the new SEEd science standards.  When the SAGE test assesses new standards, the first year of implementation will require a rubric validation, standard setting and data review process to ensure the validity and reliability of the new test.  Once this process has been completed, the State Board of Education will need to ratify the results.  This process will impact several things worth noting:

  • Grades 6-8 SAGE science scores will not be available for students or educators until the fall of 2018.
  • Because SAGE science score reporting will be delayed for grades 6-8, this will likely delay the release of school accountability report cards for all levels – elementary, middle and high school. Currently, USBE is anticipating that school report cards, under the newly developed school accountability system, will be released in October 2018.
  • With the new SAGE science test in grades 6-8, it would be inappropriate to compare the 2018 results with previous years’ data. In essence, the 2018 administration of the SACE science test in grades 6-8 will be a baseline year as the same test will be administered under another name and with a new platform beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

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

 

Published on

Principals:  Please send the attached flyer to each School Community Council member, all parents are invited to attend.

Jordan Parent University
Legislative Forum
Thursday, February 8, 2018
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Elk Ridge Middle - 3659 W 9800 S, South Jordan

 

Published on

DATE:       
January 10, 2018

TO:  
Principals
Resource Team Leaders

FROM: 
Laura Finlinson, Admin. of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:  
Projected Caseload Process for 2018-19 Resource Allocations

Based on Administrative recommendations, the hiring window has been moved up to meet the increasing demands caused by teacher shortages, particularly in specific job categories. The Staffing 2.0 allocations are scheduled to be released by mid-February. To address this advanced timeline, the Special Education Department will be making resource staffing allocations differently than in the past. This method should make the workload on special education teachers and team leaders much easier. Please read through this information carefully because it is a new process. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned teacher specialist.

Caseload Information

  • No mid-year SCRAM report will be required. Please continue to send in SCRAM changes as they occur throughout the year. You will still be completing an End-of-Year SCRAM report.
  • Your December 1 SCRAM report will be used as the baseline for next year’s caseload estimate.
  • A 3-year average of incoming students to your school has been calculated to provide an estimate of incoming students in the youngest grade at your school. This number was added to your December 1 SCRAM numbers.
  • The number of students leaving your school in the exiting grade has been calculated. This number was subtracted from your December 1 SCRAM numbers.
  • Finally, we’ve maintained a trend line (for some schools since the 2002-03 SY) that shows estimated caseload versus actual caseloads on Oct. 1 and Dec. 1 SCRAM. We will use this trend line to make adjustments to estimates as needed.
  • All allocations will be conservative and may be re-evaluated at the end of this school year or after the Oct. 1 2018 count has been finalized.

Timeline

  • Initial allocations of certified special education FTE will be provided to the Human Resources Department in time for your 2.0 FTE Allocation.
  • Each Principal will receive a letter outlining their estimated caseload numbers for 2018-19 and the projected resource FTE allocation for 2018-19.
  • We will only be sending the allocation letter to each school’s principal.

Requests for Resource Instructional Assistants

In April, we will send a packet of information to each Resource and Support Class team to request instructional assistants for 2018-19. This will include a regular resource assistant allocation and the information needed to request Critical Needs Instructional Assistants. This timeline should allow your teams to have a better idea of which students with additional staffing needs will be attending your school for 2018-19.

Published on

DATE:
January 18, 2018

TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM: 
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
Julie Brown, Program Specialist-Special Education
Courtney Titus, Program Specialist-Special Education

SUBJECT: 
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines

Please see attached memo for guidelines.

Published on

School nurses work hard behind the scenes to ensure the health and safety of the students in our schools. Do you love your school nurse? If you recognize the critical role your school nurse plays in your school, please complete the attached application (to the extent that you are able). Send it and at least two of the required letters to Nancy Ward in Educational Support. The other requirements will be completed for you. Many thanks!

Published on

Beginning January 2018, the “District/School Related Activity or Request for Third Party Reimbursement Form” will be significantly modified as follows.

  • Requests for District/School Related Activities will no longer be required or submitted. Absences entered into AESOP and Skyward must include notes to indicate details of the District/School Related Activity.  These reports will be reviewed monthly by both the HR Substitute Office and Payroll Department.  The administrative assistant or person responsible for substitutes at your location will be contacted if insufficient information is submitted or discrepancies exist.
  • A NEW “Request for Third Party Reimbursement Form” was created and is required when any outside agency will be reimbursing the District for the cost of a substitute. (See attached)

 

NEW HR Websites:                      

http://workatjordan.org/

(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org)

http://workatjordan.org/adminonly/

(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org/AdminOnly)

http://workatjordan.org/hrconnections/     

(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org/secretaryconnections)

 

For your convenience, please bookmark these new websites.

Published on

HR has been busy working on a fresh, new website which will go live on Monday, January 8th. The url is workatjordan.org for all of your HR needs. The AdminOnly and SecretaryConnections (now called HRConnections) websites will be accessed through workatjordan.org/adminonly and workatjordan.org/hrconnections. Please update any bookmarks you may have.

HR will be holding the 2nd administrator training of the year on Thursday, January 11th at both 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for your convenience. Hiring Best Practices along with procedures related to Non-Renewals, RIS, Transfer Fairs, and Hiring processes will be discussed. As the hiring season is upon us, it is highly recommended that all administrators attend in order to review these processes and procedures. We hope to see you at one of the trainings. (see attachment)

Some reminders from the “Critical Dates” timeline: (see attachment)

  • You may post hard to fill positions in January to replace licensed employees who have submitted resignations.
  • The due date for submitting Non-Renewals and Provisional Status Extensions is February 5th.
  • Teacher Transfer Fair is on February 20 for both Elementary @ Columbia Elementary and Secondary @ Elk Ridge Middle. (see attachment)

Published on

Date:
December 18, 2017

To:
Secondary School Principals
Secondary School Financial Secretaries

From:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits

Subject:
School Bank Account Balances for December 31, 2017

Please send the following information for each bank account balance as of December 31, 2017 to Accounting by January 26, 2018.  If you have multiple bank accounts, please list each account separately.


School Name

Name of Bank         

Type of Account (checking, savings, money market)

Account Balance

 

The balance requested is the balance from your December bank statements, not Skyward.  This information is required annually and will be used to complete reporting requirements for Utah Money Management Council.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Dan Ellis at (801)567-8389.

Thank you.

 

Cc:
Michael Anderson, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools
Anthony Godfrey, Administrator of Schools
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Teri Timpson, Administrator of Schools

Published on

Contract number 14DC 13-3 for printer/copier/fax toner and ink has expired.  The Purchasing Department is working on new contracts, so until then, all schools and departments will need to call the vendors to get the current pricing and shipping charges or use the Office Depot and Staples supply contracts found under the state cooperative contracts. Please close all open purchase orders associated with the old contract(s).

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Please post the W-2 Opt-Out flyer for all employees at your location to see.  Employees can opt out of a District printed W-2 through their Employee Access on Skyward.  By opting out of a District printed W-2, your name will go into a random drawing for prizes.

Published on

Several years ago, some of our schools had the opportunity to attend coaching professional development with Lisa Lawrence. Lisa is willing to provide coaching training for more of our schools if there is interest. Participation involves an administrator from the school and three teachers attending two sessions with Lisa. The dates are to be determined and training will take place dependent on interest. If you would like to participate in coaching training, please contact Noreen Samowitz at 801-567-8367.

Published on

The Jordan Education Foundation was given tickets to the Deseret News Home Show for this weekend. Each ticket gets one adult in for free. Tickets will be available at the District Office reception desk tomorrow, October 13th, from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The tickets will be handed out on a first come, first serve basis.

Please share this information with your staff.

Published on

College & University Information Fair

Thursday, November 2, 2017
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Auxiliary Services Building - Auditorium (north end)
7905 S Redwood Road, West Jordan

Principals:  Please share this information and flyer with your teachers.

Published on

The Office of Governor Gary R. Herbert and the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice invite
students to participate in Utah’s Eighteenth Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge.

The challenge is for 7th and 8th grade students. The deadline for entries this year is December 8, 2017.

Principals, please pass this information on to the appropriate teachers.

The Governor's letter along with the packet of instructions can be found below.