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Category: Middle School Info

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We are excited to offer our annual Utah Skyward User Conference virtually this year!  This conference is an opportunity to learn about Skyward directly from the source as most sessions are being presented by Skyward staff. There are some fantastic sessions being offered this year for teachers and administrators, including Administrator Boot Camp, Tips & Tricks for Teachers, Secondary Gradebook Features, Standards Gradebook Features, and Teacher Tracking.

The conference has been scheduled for the week of October 25th.  The Monday-Thursday sessions are dedicated to Skyward presenters and Friday is focused on state-specific sessions.

You can access the website for the Skyward Virtual User Group now, to view the agenda and begin registering for sessions. You can filter the sessions by date, product (SMS - which is the Skyward system we currently use in JSD, and Qmlativ - which we currently do not use), and Skyward area, i.e. Food Service, Student Management, Human Resources, and Special Education.  **Important Note** All times listed for the sessions are Central Standard Time.  Registration closes two days before the beginning of each session so make sure you sign up in advance.  If you find that you are not able to attend a session that you are interested in, still register for it. Skyward will be recording every session and will email links to the recording to anyone who registered.

To register for sessions on this site, you will need to select "Register for SMS 2.0" in order to view the session for the Skyward system we currently use.  If the button "Register for SMS 2.0" is not available, that session is not offered for our current Skyward system.  Once you select the option to register, you will be prompted to select your state and school district, then enter your login credentials for Skyward (credentials for both Student Management and Finance will work).  Select "Confirm".  You will be taken to a new screen where you need to enter your first name, last name and email address, then select "Register".  You will receive a confirmation email after you register for each session.  You will also receive an email one business day prior to the session you registered for that will include instructions on how to attend the virtual session.

During the virtual sessions you will have the opportunity to ask questions via chat or Q&A periods throughout the sessions.   However, if you have a problem that will take a bit longer to resolve, we suggest that you call our help desk to get further assistance.

As always, we hope you get the best out of this virtual conference and are able to see new things, learn new tips and tricks, get some of your questions answered, and see some of the new possibilities in Skyward.  If you have any questions about attending the conference, please feel free to reach out to me.

Steven Harwood
Application Development and Support Manager
steven.harwood@jordandistrict.org
801-567-8737

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You are invited to the Learning Edge Conference on November 9, 2021, at the Provo Marriott Hotel. The theme is “Leadership: Tools for Today.” The conference will provide sessions addressing innovative leadership, community connections, and creativity. See attached flyer for more information.

 

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The District website will be down for scheduled maintenance on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 1 - 10 p.m. This maintenance will only affect the main District website. Department and school websites as well as online services such as Skyward will not be effected.

You can go to websites.jordandistrict.org to access most of the features of the website. The full site, including documents and forms, will be available when the maintenance has concluded.

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We invite parents who are newcomers (refugee, immigrant, or asylee) to our school district to attend one monthly parent orientation to get information on how they can best help their child in school. Different dates and Interpreters will be provided. Please fill out this RSVP form.

 

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Microsoft has recently updated their Microsoft Office software, and it’s time to move forward with Microsoft Office 2021! Office 2019 is no longer available to purchase, and we are now required to purchase the 2021 version of the program for new computers or any computers at your school running something older than Microsoft Office 2019.

Please use the following information to purchase Microsoft Office 2021 software licenses moving forward:

  • Part# 021-10696 Microsoft Office 2021 Standard lifetime license for PC, per device. $50.67/each
  • Part# 3YF-00731 Microsoft Office 2021 Standard lifetime license for Mac, per device. $50.67.each

There is no shipping as these are electronically delivered. The vendor is Insight Public Sector.

Please note that Information Systems has not had an opportunity to test out this software. There could be a few issues with the software once you have it loaded on your machines. Information Systems will do their best to troubleshoot any problems that may arise. If significant issues occur, they may have to move you back to Office 2019 for a time until the bugs can be worked out, and then have Office 2021 reinstalled. Please be aware of this possibility.

Please contact Tonya Hodges in Purchasing at tonya.hodges@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8706 if you need assistance with these software licenses.

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DATE: October 7, 2021

TO: District Administrators

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

SUBJECT: Fall Enrollment as of October 1, 2021

Attached to this memo is District enrollment as of October 1, 2021. This report is subject to revision based on the USBE final review, expected by mid-October.

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DATE:
Thursday, September 30, 2021

TO:  
Middle School Administrators
Elementary School Administrators

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph. D., 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: State Cohort Evidence Exchange: Utah Math Technology
Applicant: Emily Barton, University of Virginia on behalf of the STEM Action Center

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 project will involve teachers in your building who teach math all or part of the day. They will be asked to take two surveys on the use of math technology in their instruction.

Thank you for your assistance.

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DATE: 
September 23, 2021

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals

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

SUBJECT:  
Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) – Assessment and Response

A threat is a behavior or communication of intent to harm that may be spoken, written, gestured, or expressed in some other form, such as text messaging, email, or other digital means. Expressions of intent to harm is considered a threat regardless of whether it is communicated to the intended target or if the intended target is aware of the threat. When in doubt, treat all communication or behavior as a threat and conduct a threat assessment.

When conducting a threat assessment, the communication or behavior is assessed to determine the level of response and/or intervention required. A transient threat means that there is no sustained intent to harm (exclusionary practices would not typically be used) and a substantive threat means the intent is present (or not clear) and therefore requires action (that may include exclusionary practices).

Schools are encouraged to use CSTAG assessment and response protocols for any threatening behavior or communication that is serious enough to generate an office referral or enough concern that the student may intend to harm someone in the future. Threat assessments do not need to be conducted for minor incidents or situations that are immediately resolved.  All CSTAG assessment and response protocols/forms are documented and retained by the school according to the records retention schedule for student records and are administered according to FERPA.

The CSTAG Forms are available on the Student Support Services website at:

https://studentsupport.jordandistrict.org/cstag-forms/

All forms are for your use and Jordan District has the necessary permissions allowing you to adapt them to your needs (the word version is also available online at www.SchoolTA.com). Please note that the administration of the Mental Health Assessment requires prior written parent/legal guardian consent (AA441-Privacy Rights-Students and Family).

It is important to remember that threat assessment is not a crisis response. If there is an indication that violence is imminent (e.g., person has a firearm at school or is on the way to school to attach someone), a crisis response is appropriate. Take immediate action such as calling 911 and follow the school crisis response plan.

Additional CSTAG manuals ($50) and/or Level 1 trainings ($85) are available at school cost. Please contact Travis Hamblin (801.567.8439) in Student Services should you have any questions or want any additional CSTAG manuals or Level 1 trainings for your staff.

All questions regarding threatening communication and behavior should be directed to Sharon Jensen (801.567.8187) in Student Support Services.

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DATE:   
September 30, 2021

TO:  
Building Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Office Staff
Secondary Registrars

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

SUBJECT: 
Revision to Policy AS61 – Student Records and Transcripts

A revision to Policy AS61 - Student Records and Transcripts, was approved last night by the Board of Education. The text of the revision is attached to this memo. The change brings the policy into compliance with the requirements of FERPA and Utah law. Specifically, a non-custodial parent may now be added to Skyward as Family 2 and granted their own login and password to access grade information. Family 1 does not have the legal ability to consent to or approve this access. Schools must verify the identity of the individual requesting to be added as Family 2 and confirm their parental rights. This verification can be done through the student’s birth certificate and/or through court orders that confirm that the individual holds these rights.

Schools may elect to notify Family 1 when an individual with parental rights requests their access as Family 2 as a courtesy and to verify that there are not any updates to court orders that would prevent the access from being granted.

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DATE:  
September 27, 2021

TO: 
School Psychologists and School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT: 
October School Psychologist Guidance Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, October 8, 2021, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Dr. Alina Fong, neuropsychologist, and Dr. Jaycie Loewen, clinical neuroscientist from Cognitive FX will provide us with a presentation that addresses the needs of students with traumatic brain injuries.

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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Here's helpful information that has been provided after the communications discussions held at the principal and  assistant principal meetings.

This is a ten-minute tutorial (unedited) on Snooze Buttons (Mobile/Desktop), Inbox Types, Reading Panes, and Multiple inboxes.

Gmail Snooze, Inbox types, Reading Panes, Multiple Inboxes Tutorial

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The administrator JAES evaluation (full and interim) is now available for all administrators on Perform. To better assist with the completion of the administrator JAES evaluation, attached are the standards and rubric for rating the evaluation. Please contact the JES office with any questions at (801) 567-8369 or rebecca.lee@jordandistrict.org.

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Salt Lake County Health Department - Team assisting Jordan School District

Paige Allen-Rife – 801-448-9620, PAllen-Rife@slco.org
Candice Briese – 801-859-1939, CBriese@slco.org
Amber Martin – 385-722-0517, AMartin@slco.org
Lara Fields – 801-836-2670, LFields@slco.org
Mia McDonald – 385-219-5908, MRMcDonald@slco.org

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The agenda for the optional training sessions for office and administrative staff of schools and District departments is attached. The September 30th and October 14th sessions will be held in the morning and the October 4th session in the afternoon (same information presented at each session). If you would like to participate in one of the sessions, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org and let her know which date you would like to sign-up to attend. Attendees of each session will receive an email the day prior to the training with instructions for connecting to the Zoom meeting.

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DATE:  
September 22, 2021

TO:   
Secondary Principals
Elementary Principals

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, PhD, Administrator, Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:    
Ballet West 2021-22 Student In-Theater Presentations

Ballet West is again providing free presentations of the following ballets in the Capitol Theater:

  • Dracula (Grades 5-12)
  • The Little Mermaid (Grades 1-12)
  • The Nutcracker (Grades 1-12, One and Two-Hour Presentation Available)
  • Romeo and Juliet (Grades 3-12)
  • Choreographic Festival (Grades 5-12)

Each program begins with an educational introduction and is followed by a portion of the repertoire currently being performed for the general public.

Ballet West will be following CDC and SL County guidelines for all of their student offerings. Until further notice masks will be required to attend any presentation.

Please refer to this spreadsheet for the dates, times, and Jordan District seating allotments of the performances. If any of your teachers are interested in having their classes attend any of the performances, please have them contact Susy Peterson at susanlyn.peterson@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8296.

Please be aware that Ballet West will not be covering the costs of transportation.

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Please use these contacting an interpreter for your school procedures when you need an interpreter or a document translated for your school. 

  1. Contact Mirsa Joosten in Equity and Compliance at 801-567-8314 for the language you need to be interpreted at the school. She can also help with the translation of documents. 
  2. If not available or she cannot assist you right away, you may use the number to connect with Commgap. 

Special Notes:
This number is for administrators and office staff to use. Please do not give out to the entire staff. 

When you can use this number: to share good news about a student, an accident, homework clarification, information on signed papers, issues at school, set up a meeting with translator, remind families of the District parent orientations, etc. 

For any clarification, please contact Language and Culture Services. 

Commgap offers on-site, over-the-phone, tele-health and video remote interpreting in over 100 languages. Language and Culture services will pay the invoice on calls made.

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We want to assist our parents of second language learners by giving them a virtual tour of the District and resources to our schools. Please share this flyer with your Refugee, immigrant, asylee and EL families. Please fill out this google form, "Contact information for Parent Orientations" on the families behalf if they plan on attending. Interpreters will be provided. If they need assistance with transportation, please have them contact Michelle Love-Day in Language and Culture Services. 

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DATE: 
September 16, 2021

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 2021-2022

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this fall. 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 27, 2021 through Friday, October 1, 2021

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.