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Category: Middle School Info

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Language & Culture Services is inviting parents who are newcomers (refugee, immigrant, or asylee) to attend a parent orientation to receive information on how they can best help their child in school. Interpreters will be provided. To best be prepared for families attending, please fill out this RSVP form. If a parent would like to attend virtually, that is also an option.

  • Location: 7905 S Redwood Rd West Jordan, UT 84088 ASB- Auditorium- Building A
  • Upcoming Dates: Jan. 10, Feb. 14, March 14, April 11, May 9
  • Time: 10 a.m. -12 p.m.
  • RSVP: Parent Orientation Signup Form

For more info, call 801-567-8124 or visit lcs.jordandistrict.org.

Please distribute the attached flyers to your community.

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This training from Language & Culture Services is where you can learn to use ELLevation as an efficient program for managing your ESL Program. All Schools will begin using ELLevation to monitor ELs/MLs. School staff will have easy access to data and strategies for ELs/MLs.

This training will provide efficient program management, high quality instruction, effective collaboration with colleagues and great student outcomes.

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Black History Month is a time of reflection, recognition, and rejoicing on the achievements that African Americans have made in history. Rejoicing and celebrating in the hope for a better tomorrow for all generations and recognizing the life lessons and legacy of our ancestors and be thankful for their sacrifice.

The Black Student Union and Multicultural Clubs of Jordan District invite you to a fun celebration to kick off Black History Month on Friday, Jan. 27 from 6 - 8 p.m. at Elk Ridge Middle. Dr. Tamara Stevenson, President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & C.D.O. at Westminster College is the Keynote speaker.

 

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We hope you all had time to relax and recuperate during your winter break. Whether that means time with family, or time alone--all of us deserve the break. The December student sillies are over, and now we move into testing season. The WIDA Window is open--which means you will see your ML students being pulled out of class to participate in the yearly WIDA test. Encourage them to do their best, especially in secondary.

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

  • ELLevation Tips and Tricks - After pulling up an activity that you would like to try in your classroom, scroll down on the activity information page to find the "Student Support" section. This section will have a list of all your ML students and their levels. It will then show you what modifications or accommodations you should make for a student at this level and tell you which students need these modifications/accomodations.
  • Culture Corner - "Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is an educator's ability to recognize students' cultural displays of learning and meaning-making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in a relationship and having a social-emotional connection with the student in order to create a safe space for learning."
  • WIDA Window January 5 - March 3 - The WIDA Window is the time period in which schools administer the WIDA language test to all ML students who are a level 1-4.9. Your students will periodically be pulled from class to take this test, so be understanding if they miss some class time. The test can take a while and be tiring, so be positive and understanding if they are feeling a little burned out or tired. If they test a 5 or above they never have to take it again, which can be motivating to many students--so encourage them to do their best!
  • ELD Lead Celebration - Mountain Shadows Elementary ELD Lead, Susan Allen, has put together a "Dream Team" of students excelling at learning English. They help other students around the school. Every 15 days, their ML students are tested and placed in new Walk to Read groups. For the next cycle, they are having their ML's in a group that focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening and they will be speaking into a computer and doing the WIDA practice test.

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You all learned what students really wished we knew, now let’s continue to transform our learning environments for students to thrive. There will be amazing keynotes to challenge all Jordan District employees to lead and create positive relationships with our students.

Please attend JEAC, LCS, and EDIs 2nd annual conference on Jan. 17, 2023, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at West Jordan High. Attendees not on contract time will be paid their hourly rate. For those wishing to attend during contract time, please communicate with your supervisor regarding job coverage.

To sign up for the Know More Conference click HERE.

We also want parents to be a part of our team to KNOW More and be a part of listening to one of our powerful keynotes from our educator conference on Jan. 17, 2023, from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at West Jordan High. Spanish interpreters will be present. There is no need for parents to sign up, just show up.

Please view the Know More Conference Flyers.

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DATE:
Thursday, January 5, 2023

TO:
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Consultant

SUBJECT:
Tableau Viewer Accounts for Secondary Lead Counselors

As Evaluation, Research & Accountability and Student Services continue to make data more accessible to educators, we are excited to announce that Tableau Viewer accounts will be given to all secondary lead counselors in middle and high schools.

Secondary lead counselors will have access to the same data that school administrators see.  The only exception will be teacher level data for the Stakeholder Input Survey that only school principals can see.

Lead counselors should have already received an email from Tableau Online letting them know that their account is now active.  They can access the login page using the link below.  As with all Tableau logins, they will need to enter their district email address.  Then it should redirect them to a Google sign-in page where they will re-enter their district email address and then their password.

Click here for the Tableau login page

A Tableau training has been offered to all lead counselors as part of their monthly meeting with district Counseling staff in January.  The training covered the following topics:

  • How to navigate Tableau
  • How to filter data to see demographic performance
  • How to leverage Tableau to complete data projects, track supports and programs, and identify trends and patterns relevant to their roles as counselors

In addition, lead counselors will continue to provide input on what other types of dashboards would be most helpful to them in their role as lead counselors.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about Tableau accounts.

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DATE:
January 5, 2023

TO:
Principals

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

SUBJECT:
District Enrollment as of January 3, 2023

Please see the attached memo.

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DP318A Resignations – Administrators and DP318 – Resignations – Licensed both state:

“Employees resigning during the contract year will be assessed the cost of a long-term substitute for any leave days used during the last [sixty (60) days for Administrators and thirty (30) days for Licensed employees] of their employment except in the case of an immediate, verified medical reason or emergency.”

Below are some clarifications on this policy:

  • If the employee is resigning at the end of their contract year (June 30th for Administrators and June 5th for 2022-2023 school year for Licensed employees), or leaving due to retirement, a leave of absence, long-term disability, or military service the charge for the cost of a long-term substitute is not applied.
  • “Leave days” as used in this policy includes sick, personal, and annual leave days.
  • If there is an immediate, verified medical reason or emergency, the applicable days are not charged the cost of a long-term substitute.
  • Bereavement, FMLA, sick bank, jury duty, excused professional days, workers’ compensation, maternity/paternity, and military days are not included when this policy is applied.
  • Administrator vacation days are accrued days and are not included when this policy is applied. However, if the Administrator has taken more vacation days than earned when the Administrator leaves, they will need to repay their full daily rate for those days. Please see DP375 – Vacation Schedule for Administrative Personnel for questions on this policy.
  • The cost of a long-term substitute is $144 for the 2022-23 school year and is applied regardless of whether a substitute is needed or not.

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DATE:
January 3, 2023

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Panorama SEL Survey Coordinators

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

SUBJECT:
Mid-Year Panorama SEL Surveys

Beginning January 9, 2023 (next Monday), the mid-year SEL survey window will open. The survey window will be open until Friday, February 3, 2023. In addition to the information provided in a previous JAM (dated Dec. 8, 2022) the following information is being provided to assist you in your preparations and administration of the survey.

Accessing Surveys:

 Student Surveys: 

  • Students will use their Student ID numbers as their Access Codes.
  • Students will use their codes to access surveys at surveys.panoramaed.com/utahjordan The surveys connected to this link will go live at 6:00am EST on January 9, 2023.
  • If a student has trouble accessing their survey, have the survey administrator/proctor contact the Support team with the name of the student, their school, their grade level and their ID number at support+utahjordan@panoramaed.com

Administering Surveys:

 Student Surveys:

Tracking Response Rates:

  • You may view your school’s response rates in real-time. You can also download the completion lists to see who has and hasn't completed the surveys. Here's a walkthrough video to teach you how: Completion List Video.

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DATE:
January 5, 2023

TO:
All administrators

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

SUBJECT: Clinical Support Specialist (Social Worker) FAQ

Secondary Administrators, Please review the document of “Frequently Asked Questions” to understand more about the scope and expectations of the “Clinical Support Specialist” (a.k.a. Social Worker) in your building. Please contact McKinley Withers with questions or concerns regarding your assigned Clinical Support Specialist. It is anticipated that each secondary school will have a full-time clinical support specialist for the 2023-24 school year and hiring is ongoing.

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At-home Covid-19 test kits are now available for order in the central warehouse. Using Skyward inventory, use the catalog code #5800863 or search "Test Kit" and they should come up. We will do our best to keep enough on hand while supplies last. Remember to add one year to the expiration date indicated on the box.

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DATE:
December 21, 2022

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 6, 2023, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Deb Bilder, M.D. will provide us with a presentation on medications used with children and adolescents. We will also have a representative from the Stabilization and Mobile Response Team provide us with a presentation regarding their program.

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

cc: Principals

 

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Due to the District Office closing for Winter Recess at the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 23 and not returning until Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Payroll Department is making the following recommendations:

  1. If you need to close your bank account, please call Payroll immediately.
  2. Paychecks are available for viewing in Employee Access on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Please review your paycheck and call Payroll immediately with any questions or concerns at (801) 567-8154.  Instructions are attached on how to view your paycheck.
    If you need help logging into your Employee Access, call the help desk at 801-567-8737.
  3. If you are a True Time employee, instructions are attached to view your True Time to make certain it has been processed through to Payroll.
  4. Payday is on Dec. 23.

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DATE: 
December 14, 2022

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: 
December Attendance Newsletter 2022

Happy Holidays! Can you believe the school year is almost half way through? How is your school doing with attendance? Sometimes parents know their student has missed “a day or two here or there,” but they don’t realize how quickly their student’s absences add up. The 5-, 10- and 15-day attendance letters can help enlighten parents on how much school their child is truly missing. We hope you are utilizing these to your school’s benefit. In the December attendance newsletter, we encourage families to strive for 5 or less absences during the year. This puts their student on track for 95% or greater attendance for the year, helping them stay on track with their academic goals.

We are on the brink of our Winter break. Attendance lags before and after a holiday break from school. This month’s newsletter educates on the importance of attending school up until the winter break and coming back when school resumes in January. There is a bold box indicating the exact dates for the winter break to help families understand when their student should be at school. We also thank parents for their efforts to get their students to school.

Included is the December attendance newsletter that is being sent out to parents in Peach Jar in English and Spanish. Please use these to help spread the word in your school about the winter holiday.

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You all learned what students really wished we knew, now let’s continue to transform our learning environments for students to thrive. There will be amazing keynotes to challenge all Jordan District employees to lead and create positive relationships with our students.

Please attend JEAC, LCS, and EDIs 2nd annual conference on Jan. 17, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 12 pm. at West Jordan High. Attendees not on contract time will be paid their hourly rate. For those wishing to attend during contract time, please communicate with your supervisor regarding job coverage.

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All teachers new to the district that will be administering the alternative assessment (Dynamic Learning Maps) DLM are required to attend one of the in-person training sessions that are being provided Friday, January 6, 2023 at South Valley School in classroom 9. There are two sessions.

Session 1: 7:30a.m.-10:30a.m. (Secondary)

Session 2: 12:30 p.m- 3:30p.m. (Elementary)

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell at 801-567-8905 or Mikaylee Krebs 801-567-8356.  jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org, mikaylee.krebs@jordandistrict.org

 

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Jordan School District is excited to share our new partnership with YuJa, a video and screen recording software. The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform is an all-in-one video experience to securely create, manage, discover, collaborate, and live stream video content across any device.

Educators and students can create videos with unlimited storage and share their projects across a variety of district tools including Google and Canvas. You'll find YuJa in your Google Waffle, where you can access your account and begin making videos today!

For more information and some basic tutorial videos click HERE.

Any questions can be directed to Jared Covili jared.covili@jordandistrict.org 801-567-8191.

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The central warehouse now has a limited quantity of free at-home SARS-CoV-2 test kits. They are the Access Bio On/Go Covid-19 tests using nasal swabs and reagent vials. There are 2 tests per box and they expire May 2023 (the box says May 2022, but they have been given a one-year extension.)

If any school or department is interested in having some tests on hand for employee use, then please let the Purchasing department know and we will make sure to order enough. Test kits are available immediately, so first come first serve until we receive more within 2-3 business days. Right now, there are limited quantities, so a limit of 5 boxes will be allowed for any one location. There will be opportunity for more as demand is identified.

Please email kurt.prusse@jordandistrict.org to request quantities. If this is something that is in high demand, then they will be made available through the Skyward inventory system at $0 cost.

 

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DATE:  
Thursday, December 8, 2022

TO: 
All School Administrators

FROM: 
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, 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: Cell Phones in the Classroom for Education Rather than Distraction

Applicant: Brandy Westwood, Western Governors University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The project will involve a recruitment email sent to classroom teachers inviting them to a professional development on the use of cell phones as part of instruction. Participation in the study is at teachers’ discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Thank you for your assistance.