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Category: Middle School Info

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If an employee is going to take leave using these days they MUST apply for the time off. Please share this information with them. A flyer explaining the leave time is included as well as a tutorial on how to apply for the time off.

JSD Administrators:

All employees will receive an email in JEM today outlining the recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This act may entitle eligible employees who have worked for the District for 30 days to receive a limited amount of paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.  Attached to this email is a FFCRA notice from the Department of Labor outlining eligibility, paid leave entitlements and qualifying reasons for leave related to COVID-19.

Also attached is a tutorial on how employees can submit a FFCRA Leave application through Skyward Employee Access if they believe they have a qualifying reason.  If employees need assistance in accessing their Skyward employee account, direct them to contact the Information Systems Help Desk at 801-567-8737.  For questions regarding FFCRA, please review the attached notice or contact HR at 801-567-8249.

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DATE:  
Thursday, March 26, 2020

TO:    
Middle School Principals
High School Principals

FROM:   
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
Spring 2020 AAPPL Testing for Foreign Language Students

With schools in a soft closure until May 1st, several educators have reached out to us regarding AAPPL testing for foreign language students.  For the spring of 2020 only, AAPPL testing for foreign language students is optional.  LTI, the software platform vendor of the AAPPL test, has made it possible for students to take the AAPPL online at home.  Here are the conditions that would have to be met for this to happen:

  • Foreign language teachers and schools would need to order AAPPL tests as they have done in years past.
  • The student must have access to audio and a microphone on the testing device at home.
  • A parent or another adult at home would have to sign the AAPPL proctoring agreement available here and adhere to its stipulations: https://www.languagetesting.com/pub/media/wysiwyg/remote-admin/aappl-testing-proctoring-agreement-signable.pdf
  • Once the proctoring agreement has been signed and returned digitally to the teacher, the teacher would then send login information to get into the testing platform.
  • Once a student logs into the test, he/she must complete the test within 48 hours.

For more information regarding at-home AAPPL testing, please follow this link: https://www.languagetesting.com/k-12-covid-response

Foreign language teachers have already been sent this information, including guidance on how to use Canvas to have parents download and then upload a signed proctor agreement.

For more information, please contact Brooke Anderson at 801-567-8393 or via email at brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, March 26, 2020

TO:  
High School Principals
Middle School Principals

FROM:   
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Pam Su’a, Consultant, Social Studies

SUBJECT:    
Civics Test Administration

Passing the U.S. Civics test is still a state-mandated graduation requirement and, under the circumstances where schools are in a soft closure, it can be administered at home and unproctored. The test items are public anyway, and there are few other administration guidelines, unlike other mandated tests. U.S. History I and U.S. Government & Citizenship teachers have already received instructions on how to administer the unproctored test in their Canvas courses.

Counselors received a list of seniors who have not yet passed on Friday, March 20, along with further information about unproctored testing. Students who will take this outside of a Canvas course should use the jordan.utips.org site to test.

Student instructions for accessing the test:
https://assessments.jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/Student-Instructions-US-Civics-Test.pdf

To view your students’ passed/not passed status at any time, go to Skyward → Office → Curriculum & Assessment → Educational Milestones → Reports. From there, you can run a report on the “Passed Civics Test” educational milestone.

Please reach out to Brooke Anderson at 801-567-8393 or brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org with any question or concerns and thank you for your efforts.

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The Utah Legislative Session wrapped up a week ago. The Utah State Board of Education adopted an amended rule yesterday with changes related to appropriate expenditures for the School LAND Trust Program. This link will take you to a more detailed description. You can also see the document below.

https://site.utah.gov/slt/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/03/Attachment-to-End-of-Session-Email.pdf

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Earlier today, the USBE voted to suspend all state testing for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. This action would take place even if in-person school sessions were to resume. This suspension would include the following state assessments:

    • Summative RISE
    • Summative Utah Aspire Plus
    • EOY Acadience Reading
    • KEEP Exit
    • PEEP Exit

Please refer to the attached letter from Ben Jameson

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Teaching and Learning will continue to update online learning content for teachers. Please continue to refer to Curriculum.jordandistrict.org or content specific pages for updates. 

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Stacee Worthen, secondary guidance specialist, has created a list of tips, ideas, and best practices for counselors during the school dismissal. The attached memo will be sent to all school counselors.

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Associate Academic Vice-President John Rosenberg has sent this email out to all Teacher Education programs at BYU and asked them to forward the letter to every current student teacher. This does not apply to intern teachers.

Dear UCOTE members and EPP program coordinators,

As you are aware, information on COVID-19 continues to be generated and actions taken to control the spread of the coronavirus. As we have considered the most recent information about how the public school districts and state universities are handling the situation, we have decided that our student teachers may return home immediately, consistent with the instructions we have given all BYU students. However, since the semester is not over and the students are still enrolled as student teachers, they are asked to remain actively engaged with their host schools in delivering instruction remotely under the direction of their mentor teachers. Major program coordinators and university supervisors should reach out to individual students to address their questions and to discuss the remaining requirements for bringing the student teaching experience to a successful conclusion.

Thank you for your patience at this difficult time.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, March 19, 2020

TO:  
All Principals

FROM:    
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
State Data Gateway Operational

The state’s Data Gateway is now fully operational. School administrators may find the following data for the 2018-19 RISE and Utah Aspire Plus testing and school accountability:

  • Proficiency and growth
  • Proficiency over time
  • Proficiency movement
  • Demographically similar school report
  • Student level data that will include overall proficiency and growth, proficiency by reporting category and a comparison to teacher, school, district and state data.

Teachers may also access all of the above information as well as their previous students from last year or their current students’ data on the Data Gateway. They just need to register for an account using their Cactus ID number, if they haven’t already done so.

To access the Data Gateway, please use this link: https://datagateway.schools.utah.gov/

If you are having trouble logging into the Data Gateway, please contact Ben Jameson.

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Jordan District Appeal Hearings are postponed until students return back to school.

Home & Hospital

  • H&H teachers should not be going out to homes or libraries working with students.
  • Schools that are providing the H&H teachers for their students may want to consider directing their students to do the online work from their assigned classroom teachers.
  • At this time, if any parent is requesting H&H services for their student, please direct them to the online instruction that is being provided by their current classroom teachers.  After students return back to the school, those students will be placed on Home & Hospital if it is still needed.

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SafeUT is still available as a resource for students, parents and schools during this stressful time. There are master's level clinicians available to chat or call 24/7/365 and will continue to be available throughout the outbreak.

With schools closed they will be following the summer protocol until further notice.

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There have been several recent inquiries about interview questions. The approved questions are available on the admin only website. These questions have been generated and vetted by administrators over the years. We use these questions for consistency. Questions that are not on the list need to be submitted to a Human Resource Administrator and can be used after they are added to the list.

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DATE:  
March 12, 2020

TO:  
All Principals
2020 Graduating Interns

FROM: 
June LeMaster, Ph.D., Administrator, Human Resources
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT: 
Intern Graduations 2020

It is a long-standing practice in Jordan School District to allow full time, in state partnership university teacher interns to take one (1) day leave to attend either their own university commencement or convocation, without penalty.  This year, this practice is expanded to allow all full time university interns including teacher interns, school psychologist and counselor interns, etc., the same privilege.  Interns attending both in state and out of state university commencement ceremonies are allowed one (1) day; therefore, some interns may need to choose between commencement and convocation.

If a substitute is needed for coverage, the intern is responsible for requesting a substitute through Absence Management (formerly AESOP).  The absence reason entered should be “other” and in the blue “notes to administrator box”, the intern should add the following information “District excused 0050 - personal graduation”.  For additional assistance, please contact Juli Martin at 801-567-8219.

See dates for the in state 2020 University Commencement and Convocation Ceremonies on the attached memo.

Published on

DATE:  
March 12, 2020

TO: 
All Principals and Directors

FROM:     
June LeMaster, Ph.D., Administrator, Human Resources
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:   
Employee Attendance at Relative's Graduation Exercises

This year, all high school graduation exercises are on Thursday, June 4, 2020, with the exception of Valley High School graduation on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

Principals and Directors are encouraged to direct parents or grandparents who may wish to attend these graduations, but who are scheduled to work in their own locations to District Policy DP335 NEG and DP335B NEG. This policy specifically states: "Personal leave shall not be taken during the first five days and last five days that students are in school except...to attend to personal or business matters which require the employee's attendance and scheduling is beyond the employee's control."

Since graduation scheduling is beyond the employees’ control, it is desirable that immediate supervisors will cooperate and provide employees who may fall into this category, an opportunity to attend graduation ceremonies of family members.

Licensed employees are responsible for requesting a substitute through the Absence Management system (formerly AESOP), if applicable.  In the blue “Notes to Administrator” box, the employee should add “graduation” along with his/her relationship to the graduate.

For additional assistance, please contact Juli Martin in the sub office at 801-567-8219.

Cc:
Administrators of Schools

JL/am

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The following are new administrative assignments:

TEACHING AND LEARNING

  • Assignments Effective As Soon As Possible
    • Ross Menlove, .5 FTE assistant principal at Ridge View Elementary and .5 FTE administrator on special assignment in Teaching & Learning appointed 1.0 FTE administrator on special assignment in Teaching & Learning.
    • Elizabeth Pollock, 1.0 FTE teacher specialist in Teaching & Learning appointed .5 FTE assistant principal at Ridge View Elementary and .5 FTE teacher specialist in Teaching & Learning.

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Many of you have probably heard how we should take precautionary measures with the ongoing outbreak of the Coronavirus. Not only should we be washing our hands frequently, but there are a number of other additional measures we should consider as well.

The virus has had an immediate impact on the global supply chain for a number of goods and services you purchase for yourself and that we purchase as a District. You may have already noticed empty shelves at your favorite store for some of these items such as toilet paper, cleaning products, bottled water, food items or hand sanitizer. Don't worry, the warehouse will have plenty of those types of items for your schools and departments. Although not as currently noticeable, your electronic and technology items will also be suffering sooner rather than later. Let's get ahead of it now!

Many of the technology items we use every day such as Chromebooks, iPads, iMacs, laptops or LED projectors are either assembled in China other Southeast Asia countries, or have components manufactured in these countries. We are seeing a number of factories shut down in these countries because of the widespread Coronavirus outbreak. This has lead to a ripple effect in the electronics global supply chain, causing stock depletion with our distributors. Experts have no idea when production of these electronic components or devices will resume.

It is time to plan ahead for your technology needs for the 2020-21 school year now if you do not want to experience long lead times next year. It is highly recommended that you order your needed technology for next year now while there is still plenty of stock in our distributor warehouses and while prices are still low. We anticipate seeing less supply and higher prices by the time school starts in the Fall (or sooner), and depending on the length of the outbreak, it may take until late 2021 for supplies to recover.

Current pricing for many technology items is available on the Purchasing Department webpage under Vendors > Technology Pricing. Please feel free to reach out to Tonya Hodges if you have any questions or need assistance with quotes. She can be reached at tonya.hodges@jordandistrict.org or at 801-567-8706.