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Category: Middle School Info

Published on

DATE:  
December 13, 2023

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
Wellness Rep Training - January 19, 2024

The wellness team is excited to announce the in-person Employee Wellness Rep Training for your school or department’s designated Employee Wellness Representative on January 19, 2024 at JATC-S. There will be two sessions for this training:

  • Elementary Reps will meet from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
  • Secondary Reps will meet from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Wellness Rep Training will be full of great information that your school’s rep won’t want to miss! Wellness Reps should come ready to share data, plan the rest of the year, discuss Wellness Day, get information on a new grant opportunity, and collaborate with your fellow reps! Lunch will be provided.

Review the attached flyers and share it with your school or department’s representative:

Published on

Hello Principals & Schools,

We are delighted to present your school with the latest Get Away Today vacation magazines. These magazines will be delivered to our schools immediately following the winter holiday break. These have been approved for distribution by Jordan Education Foundation and Jordan School District.

Inside you’ll find the best vacation deals and what’s new at the Disneyland® Resort.

Here are a couple of ways your partnership with Get Away Today benefits your school:

  • Vacations = Donations! A portion of each vacation purchased by your students’ families is donated to benefit the children of your district. Get Away Today is so committed to helping children that they’ve donated over $4.5 million to help kids!
  • Get Away Today provides cash and in-kind donations for fundraisers held by your school foundation — again, benefitting the students of your district.
  • Additionally, Get Away Today would like to offer each employee of our district an additional discount as a thank you for our partnership. Please let your employees know to use promocode: SCHOOLS25 for an additional $25 off any 2-night or longer Southern California vacation (must include hotel and at least two tickets) for travel now through December 31, 2024.

Please help in our fundraising efforts by distributing these magazines as soon as possible to your teachers and encourage them to pass them on to the students in their classrooms.

Thanks so much,
Jordan Education Foundation

 

Published on

DATE: 
December 18, 2023

TO: 
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT: 
January School Psychologist Guidance Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, January 5, 2024, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Melisa Genaux, M.Ed. will provide us with a presentation that addresses prevention and intervention for severe behavioral issues, such as physical aggression, elopement, noncompliance, and behavior escalation.eloping.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

The Jordan Ethnic Advisory Committee, Language and Culture Services, and Equity Diversity and Inclusion cannot wait to see you at the annual "What I Wish You Knew Conference." This year the conferences will be acknowledging and highlighting our amazing administrative assistants.

  • Where: Bingham High
  • Time: 8 a.m. -12 p.m.
  • Date: Jan.16, 2024
  • What: To gain an understanding of what our EL/ML and students of color need from us as educators.

Published on

DATE:  
December 14, 2023

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
All Panorama Users

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

SUBJECT:  
New Features in Panorama and SEL Surveys

When using Panorama’s Student Success you are using an evidence-based tool for early-warning multi-tiered system of support. Recently Panorama hired a 3rd party research firm to do an impact study of Student Success. The study found that using Panorama Student Success was associated with learning gains on math and reading assessments during the 2022-23 school year. Schools with more actively engaged Panorama users had significantly higher end-of-year math and reading performance. The study met evidence requirements for ESSA Level II, which means title funds may be used to support Panorama. See this link for the full study.

Panorama has added a couple of exciting new features powered by AI.

  • Panorama Focus: a power search functionality to find students who meet specific criteria (think: “Students who scored well on the latest math assessment but have a low grade”)
  • Panorama Insights: an insights tool that summarizes students’ strengths and challenges to inform an intervention plan (think: Shawna has Math as an area for growth but is successful in all other courses)
  • Panorama is offering free trainings on Panorama Focus and Insights if you'd like to tune in and learn more! You can register here.

Lastly, a reminder about the mid-year SEL Survey administration and window. The mid-year SEL Survey window will open on January 22, 2024 and close on February 16, 2024. Please follow the guidance provided on the August 10, 2023 JAM (found here) regarding SEL Survey windows and administration. Please share the SEL survey information with your survey coordinators.

Published on

The BYU - Public School Partnership, which Jordan School District is a part, will celebrate its 40th Anniversary during 2024. As part of the anniversary celebration, there will be an Associates Reunion Conference. It will take place on Feb 6, 2024 at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

We encourage past participants of Associates to attend and reignite your passion for the commitments. Please help your teachers who have participated in Associates to register and encourage them to sign up for a substitute ASAP.

The past participants of Associates will be emailed an invitation directly with the registration. Principals, please help teachers to attend by covering the cost of the registration and substitutes.

Published on

DATE:  
December 14, 2023

TO:  
Building Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Rule Change: Withdrawing Non-Attending Special Education Students

In December's Principal and Assistant Principal meetings, the Special Education Department presented the following (see attached memo) updated rule from the June 2023 update of the USBE Special Education Rules:

Published on

In anticipation of next year's enrollment planning and scheduling, Information Systems turned on pre-transfers the afternoon of December 7th. You are able to start running reports and see your next year's students.

Below are a few reminders about pre-transfers:

  • A pre-transfer is an active student who is currently attending Jordan School District and will be attending next year at a different school within Jordan School District. The student's record will pre-transfer to the student's next year boundary school based on their current address.
  • Once pre-transfers are turned on, the School Path tab shows the current year permits under Previous Reason Code and next year permits under Reason Code.
  • Current permits for 6th and 9th grade students have been removed for next year as of December 7th. This will allow these students to pre-transfer to their new entity for next year.
  • In addition to turning on pre-transfers, the course master has been rolled over for next year's scheduling preparation.

Please contact the help desk (ext. 88737) with any questions or concerns regarding the pre-transfer process.

Published on

The Jordan Ethnic Advisory Committee, Language and Culture Services, and Equity Diversity and Inclusion cannot wait to see you at the annual "What I Wish You Knew Conference"!

Save the date for Tuesday, Jan. 16 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Bingham High school. More information to come.

Published on

Welcome back to another exciting school year! A lot is happening this quarter. Winter is closely approaching us, along with all the holidays. Daylight savings has made our days seem shorter.We will soon start to see colder weather, and hopefully some rain and snow.

We at LCS hope you and your loved ones can enjoy this holiday season that is quickly approaching us.

The full newsletter can be found at the link below. Stories include:

  • ELLevation Tips and Tricks - Did you know??? If you have an activity that you like, you can choose the Example tab, and select a grade level and content area. It will then give you ideas for incorporating that activity into your lesson!
  • Culture Corner - Teaching about different cultural holidays helps promote awareness, acceptance and diversity in our classrooms. How can you incorporate more culture in your classroom? November: Native American Heritage Month December: Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hannukah
  • Teaching Strategies - Have you ever used the Magic Switch setting on Canva? This allows you to translate a document that was made within Canva by a click of a button. You can choose from 130 different languages. Also, it allows you to translate certain part of your document, while other parts can be in a different language. This really allows educators to translate documents for our ML students easily.
  • Reflective Questions - How much do I really listen to my learners? Do I engage in active observation in my classroom, paying attention to subtle nuances and dynamics among my learners? In my interactions with my learners? Can I describe my own cultural conditioning? For example, what cultural values affect how I behave and communicate with others? What are some of my core beliefs and how have they been culturally influenced?
  • ELD Lead Celebration - Heidi Rivera is a kindergarten teacher & ELD Lead at Riverton Elementary. She works closely with the ML students and helps them develop language proficiency and prepares them for WIDA. She has done a great job of creating a sense of belonging among the ML students and has contributed to a great sense of community and culture among Riverton Elementary.

Published on

DATE:  
December 7, 2023

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Consultant Student Support Services
Michelle Reyes, Prevention Specialist, Student Support Services

SUBJECT:   
Attendance Holiday Messaging Strategies

As we approach winter recess and near the end of the second quarter, we would like to offer some messaging strategies to help maintain regular attendance. Absences tend to increase prior to and following a holiday break from school. By this point in the year some students are struggling to get to school on time or at all. Panorama is a great resource for delving into attendance data. It provides easy access to data showing which students are struggling with attendance. You can locate the attendance report in Panorama under Student Success for your school.

As a school you can be proactive by communicating early and often with families about dates and expectations surrounding the upcoming winter recess. Attendance Works provides the following ideas to help with communication:

  • Send a letter out weeks before the longer winter break urging students and families to avoid unnecessary absences. (Sample letter included that you can modify for your needs.)
  • Let students and families know the date when the break will start and when school will resume. (Resources provided for your use to post on Facebook or Instagram.)
  • Include the name and contact information for the school, and organizations that can provide support to families if needed.
  • Consider sharing health guidance flyers (Health guidance flyers from Attendance Works included)
  • Plan a special event for the first day after the holiday break to welcome the students back to school. Send out text messages, phone calls, emails, social media notifications, etc. right before school resumes to remind them of special plans.

For more information on holiday messaging activities, review the holiday messaging guidance from Attendance Works here.

Should you have questions or would like editable copies of the social media resources please contact Michelle Reyes at michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org or 801.567.8205.

Published on

Language and Culture Services is excited to open our second Family Engagement Center for Jordan District.

Please join us as we celebrate the opening of our West Jordan location on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. in the Joel P. Jensen media center.

Published on

DATE:   
November 29, 2023

TO: 
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
FREE! Well-Being Course with Practical Strategies

Jordan District educators are invited to participate in our 2024 FREE Educator Well-Being Continuing Ed Courses for administrators, teachers, counselors, and specialists. This course is an opportunity for all JSD employees to address their own well-being by exploring practical strategies associated with connection, happiness, self-care, conflict resolution, growth mindset, problem-solving, and more! Participants will collaborate, learn from, and connect with other educators throughout the District as they work towards meeting their own wellness goals.

This course is FREE for JSD employees and Winter, and Summer sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited for this great opportunity!

The class will meet on Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 over Zoom:

January 11, 18, 25
February 1, 8, 15, 20
March 7, 14, 21

Participants can earn continuing education, lane-change, and re-licensure hours from SUU (up to 3 college credits).

Sign up using the attached flier and share this information with professionals in your schools who may be interested in this opportunity.

 

Published on

Update to policy DP380 Maternity/Parent Leave

Last night, after careful consideration, the Board has reduced the length of the contract requirement following the use of maternity/paternity days.

Retroactive applied to 07/01/2023, an employee using maternity/paternity leave days shall agree in writing to repay compensation at his/her daily rate of pay for maternity/parent leave used or granted if he/she terminates employment with the District for other than medical reasons before completion of the current contract year. All other provisions listed in the Maternity/Parent Leave Policy still apply.

If you have further questions, please see the updated policy DP380-Maternity/Parent Leave or contact the HR Generalist at rebecca.eastman@jordandistrict.org.

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Holiday decorations add a joyous and festive mood to the holiday season, but when holiday decorations are not used properly they can turn from festive to fiery in a split second.

Jordan School District would like everyone to follow a few safety tips when decorating to avoid a tragic holiday and keep everyone safe.

See the flyer below for more information.