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Category: Middle School Info

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, September 8, 2022

TO:    
Middle School Administrators
High 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: The Utah Collaborative for Equitable STEM Teaching (UCET)

Applicant: Lauren April Barth-Cohen

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 and to obtain your permission to conduct the study at your school. 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.

The study will involve utilizing secondary science teachers’ expertise in developing science teaching case studies for preservice teachers.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 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: The Challenge of Peer Leadership

Applicant: Doug Stump, Southern Utah 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 and to obtain your permission to conduct the study at your school. 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.

The researcher is looking for first-year administrators who have been assigned to schools where they were also a teacher.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

Portable classroom ramps are very expensive and the District does not keep an inventory of extra ramps.

When there is a ramp request for a legitimate ADA accommodation, administrators should contact their AOS first, to discuss the specific circumstances. If the AOS deems the ramp necessary, they will then contact Facility Services to determine the best school to move a ramp from along with an appropriate timeline for the installation.

Published on

DATE:   
September 1, 2022

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
BARK Content Monitoring

Now that school is back in session, here is a review of our districtwide content monitoring system which runs through a software system called BARK. BARK was awarded a contract extension over the summer and we will continue to screen alerts and send them to schools for review. NO other content monitoring software should be purchased by schools. BARK monitors all student accounts across all JSD schools and levels. Here is a summary of the notification protocols and procedures.

  • BARK uses an AI to scan student Gmail messages, Google chats, Google documents, and Google slides, regardless of the device that is used. As long as the student is logged in to and using their Jordan District Google account, the content can be monitored.
  • Notifications and alerts are categorized as non-severe, severe, and imminent.
  • The alerts are monitored primarily by Angie Rasmussen, JSD Student Safety and Wellness Specialist. Some will require additional investigation at that level to determine the context and to weed out false positives.
  • Notifications to schools will include administration, counseling, and other mental health teams. This allows for several adults to receive notifications in case they are somewhat time sensitive.
  • Notifications will come in an email from Angie unless it is urgent, then a phone call or text message will be communicated.
  • Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 3pm on a school day to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
  • Content alerts are not monitored over the weekend or on days that students don’t attend, but emergency alerts will still be sent when immediate intervention is needed.
  • We will continue to receive after hours imminent alerts and will continue to work with administrators when immediate intervention is required.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:   
September 1, 2022

TO:  
District Administrators
School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT: 
Content-Specific Opt-Out Requests

Please see the attached memo.

Published on

School Administrators:

Please review next week’s JAM (September 8, 2022) for a summary of the FTE Audit process and required due dates. The FTE Audit is critical to ensure employees are paid correctly and from the correct budgets. The audit will be electronic again. However, if you would like assistance, you will have the option to schedule an appointment with HR to review your audit.

We appreciate your time in completing this essential task.

Published on

DATE:
August 24, 2022

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Suicide Prevention Grant Funds

Each year our District is awarded grant funds for suicide prevention programs and training. Schools are able to use this grant fund for training or conferences related to suicide prevention or for programs such as Hope Squad or Sources of Strength. There are other relevant training and programs that may qualify for this grant. This grant will not cover “consumable” supplies such as treats, T-shirts, fidgets, or other incentives or prizes. Funds must be spent on training and programs.

This year, using carryover from unspent funds from prior years, Student Services will be offering for any member of your school’s mental health team (school counselors, school psychologists, or clinical support/social workers) to attend ONE of two suicide prevention conferences with your permission. This invitation will be sent to them directly.

Please reach out to McKinley Withers or Angie Rasmussen if you have suicide prevention training or programs that you would like to have funded using this grant. Please have a plan and cost in mind for consideration.

Published on

Please take note of the following clarification on the difference between "Grade Transmittal Days" and "Professional Development Days." This information is also being distributed to employees via JEM.

Grade Transmittal Days are scheduled three times per year (October 21, January 17, March 27) as required in District Policy D207 - Calendar Development. These days occur each year in the Jordan School District. Payment for these days is built into the base teacher salary. Students do not attend. In-person work by teachers is not required; however, schools are open and teachers may use time on this day for finalizing and submitting grades.

Professional Development Days are three days throughout the year (September 16, November 4, April 21) where the Board of Education and District Administration have converted a student instructional day to a professional development day, as allowed by Utah Code 53F-2-102(d). These days are authorized on a year-to-year basis. These days are included in the 187 days of the standard teacher contract. Students do not attend. Principals may use up to three hours of each day for required professional development activities. The remainder of the contract day is to be used by teachers for planning and preparation.

The level and teacher calendars have been updated to clarify this change:

Published on

DATE: 
September 1, 2022

TO: 
All Jordan School District Principals (with bus route students)

FROM:   
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kathy Jones, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2022-2023

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this spring. This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, September 12, 2022 through Friday, September 16, 2022

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation one day during the week as they drop your students off in the morning. This procedure takes place at your school and is located in your normal bus drop off/pick up zone. All professional school bus drivers that transport students are required to perform evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. Bus evacuation will be through the front door this year. Students will then, under the direction and supervision of the bus driver, evacuate and meet in a safe place approximately 100 feet away from the bus.

Your assistance is welcome but not mandatory to complete this required evacuation drill quickly, safely and effectively.

We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.

Published on

With the restructure of the Human Resource Department, which includes Brittany Bauer and Jane Olsen in their new assignments as HR Specialists, the HR Department has a new look. While Brittany and Jane will focus on NEW EMPLOYEES, Brent and June will focus on CURRENT EMPLOYEES for all employee groups. For additional details, please see the attached graphic. We look forward to continuing to serve you.

Published on

Please note the following changes to the Transportation Moratorium Field/Activity Trips Dates 2022-23. The 4th Grade Utah Symphony has been changed to November 14 and 15 at Abravanel Hall. November 16 is no longer a moratorium date. Please plan accordingly.

Published on

US Code 106 has declared September 17 as Constitution and Citizenship Day. All educational institutions are urged to “make plans for the proper observance of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and for the complete instruction of citizens in their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the State and locality in which they reside.”

This year September 17 is on a Saturday. Please find a way to celebrate this important document and citizenship with your students sometime during the week of September 12-16. UEN has provided some great resources for all grade levels which could be done in the social studies classrooms.  

Published on

Utah State Law and District Policy requires that all school personnel delegated to administer medication to students in schools must complete Medication Administration Training.

New employees who will be giving medication are required to attend the live training on Friday, September 16, 2022. Prior to this meeting, they need to view the online training, use this link and then select Medication Inservice (use a browser other than Firefox).

Employees who have attended this training and have a certificate of completion will not be required to attend this meeting. However, they will be required to recertify by viewing the online training video and completing the corresponding test available on the district website. (see above)

Please identify staff members that should receive medication administration training. This may include head administrative assistants, office assistants, cluster teachers or aides, counseling center personnel, and the principal if appropriate. Please inform all personnel that have the potential to administer medication to students at school of their responsibilities in this matter.

Medication Administration Training
Friday, September 16, 2022
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
ASB PDC 101 & 102

Class size is limited. Please contact your school nurse if you are planning to attend. See attached nurse assignment list. Thank you for your responsiveness and support.

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Jordan School District Nurses will be conducting this inservice on:

Friday, September 23, 2022
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
ASB COMPUTER LAB D-112

This inservice is open to all office staff and administrators. It is not required that you attend; however, if you are involved with student registration, this inservice will be of benefit to you since immunization status is an important part of the registration process.

Class size is limited. Please contact your school nurse if you are planning to attend. See attached nurse assignment list for 2022-23.

Published on

The 2022-23 School allocations have been provided for your review.  Budget adjustments can be submitted using the attached form to Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org.

School allocations will be updated in November after the October 1 headcounts are finalized by the State.

If you have questions please contact Natalie Grange at 88312 or at Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org.

 

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Steps for processing parent requests for opt-out of information release.

DATE: August 18, 2022

TO: School Administrators, Elementary Administrative Assistants, Secondary Attendance Secretaries, Secondary Registrars
FROM: Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent, Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services, Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
SUBJECT: Third Party Information Release Opt-Out

Parents (and students over the age of 18) have the right to opt-out of the release of their student’s directory information to third parties. This right is communicated to parents annually in the FERPA, PPRA, and Directory Information notices in the online “Registration for Schools” process.

To opt-out, parents must provide a written request to the school principal within the first ten school days of the year. Once received, the request is entered in Skyward on the Profile screen. The fields are located at the bottom of the screen (as shown below):

Distribute Student Demographic Information

The field meanings are as follows:

  • Military: Allow release of information to military recruiters
  • Higher Ed: Allow release of information to post-secondary institutions
  • Public: Allow release of information to local media or public source (schools must still obtain permission before posting student images or information on social media, websites, or before participation in media interviews and stories)
  • District: This field is not used and can remain “YES”. It will be removed from Skyward in the future.
  • Local: Allows use of information in items such as yearbooks, performance programs, and sports rosters.

Once received, requests for opt-out must be processed promptly, as various agencies and entities are already submitting requests for information. The written request can be filed in the student’s cumulative folder. When entered in Skyward, the opt-out will remain from year-to-year until the parent submits a request reauthorizing the release of information.

If an individual wants to opt out of the release of “directory information”, staff will need to clarify which specific recipients the parent wants to op-out for and ask the parent to list them in the written request.

Parents may opt-out after the first ten days of the school year but should be informed that information may already have been released prior to their request.

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CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels and both levels must be completed by all administrator’s and threat assessment team members.  The CSTAG Level 2 workshop is for all who have completed the Level 1 training (the six (6) hour web-based training from Navigate360). This workshop will build upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.

The Level 2 workshop will;

  1. Review CSTAG level 1
  2. Focus on implementation and use of the threat assessment process
  3. Focus on sustainable ways to use CSTAG in your school.
  4. Review and training on the decision tree
  5. Review the CSTAG forms and best practices
  6. Practice using real-world scenarios.

You can choose to attend either a morning session or an afternoon session. There are two (2) different dates to choose from as well. Select the link below to register for a session of CSTAG Level 2 training.

In-Person Training:
Tuesday, September 27th (In-Person)
ASB Auditorium
8:30am-10:30am or 1pm-3pm  Section # 117422 and 117423

Friday, November 4th (In-Person)
ASB Auditorium
8:30am-10:30am or 1pm-3pm  Section # 117424 and 117425

Please sign up using JPLS for the session you will be attending at https://jpls.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/learning2/course/viewCourseSearch?courseId=101883

The course number is 101883.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

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Dear JSD Principals,

The wellness team is excited to announce two programs designed to support teacher and student health and wellness this school year: 1) Educator Wellness Representatives and 2) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Teacher Leaders.

The Educator Wellness Representatives will primarily be responsible for supporting faculty/staff wellness efforts at your school while the primary role of the SEL Teacher Leader is to support student-focused social and emotional learning efforts for our District. Please refer to the table below for specifics of each position.

Educator Wellness
Representatives
Each school nominates one		 Social Emotional Learning
Teacher Leaders
10 per level (elementary, middle, high) 
  • Support teacher wellness
  • Must be a licensed, non-administrative staff member.
  • Nominated by a principal using this form
  • Will attend our Educator Wellness Kickoff event on September 20, 2022 @ JATC South
    *Sub will be provided for workday
    *A stipend will be offered to representatives data collected in the spring regarding their efforts

Duties include: lead and support faculty/staff wellness efforts at your school throughout the year, maintain contact with District SEL Specialists, model educator wellness for the school community

How are they selected?
Principal nominates ONE educator wellness representative for each school using this form.
  • Support student social and emotional learning
  • Teachers apply by completing this form
  • Will meet quarterly with District SEL Specialists (meeting times TBD)
    *Sub will be provided for workday meetings

Duties include: consult on social and emotional learning implementation districtwide, develop website content, review curriculum options, support classroom lesson planning

How are they selected?
Teachers are invited to apply by completing this form! 10 teacher leaders will be selected for each level.

Action Items for administrators:

  • Please nominate your Educator Wellness Representative by August 26, 2022.
  • Please invite teachers who would be good social and emotional learning leaders to apply.

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This is a reminder that next week is a required Campus Monitor Training!

Date: The fall training is Tuesday, August 23rd
Time: The same training is offered from 7:30 to 9:00 AM & again from 2:00 to 3:30 PM.
Location: The ASB Auditorium. Please park on the north end and use entrance A.
The plan is that one Campus Monitor will attend each session.

An assistant principal is welcome to come to the training with the campus monitor but it is not required.