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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, December 12, 2019

TO:   
All Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
USBE Teacher Engagement Survey

The Utah State Board of Education is requesting that we disseminate the following teacher engagement survey to all classroom teachers.  This is NOT the same as the district’s stakeholder school climate survey scheduled to be released on February 10, 2020. Principals should send the attached letter entitled JSD Educator Engagement Email Template for Survey Distribution to all classroom teachers in their school. This document invites teachers to participate in an 8-minute anonymous teacher engagement survey that they can access using the link in the document.

The survey window is already open and will close on December 31, 2019. Please refer any questions about the survey administration to Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:
December 3, 2019

TO:
All Principals

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

SUBJECT:
Student Enrollment for November 2019

Please see document below.

Published on

Administrators: The first notification date is coming up. Please share with appropriate employees in your building.

Employees resigning/retiring at the end of the current contract year that gives official early notification of resignation/retirement will be eligible for a tiered incentive. To qualify, the notification must be submitted online on or before the following dates:

  • December 15, 2019     $500.00
  • January 15, 2020     $300.00
  • February 15, 2020     $200.00

The incentive will be paid on the last regular paycheck. Notifications of resignation/retirement received after the dates listed above will not qualify for an incentive. The official District resignation/retirement notification form is found in Skyward Employee Access under Task Processes. Please see District policy DP318 for more detailed information regarding resignations. If you do not know your Skyward username or password please contact the Help Desk at 801.567.8737.

Published on

DATE: 
December 3, 2019

TO: 
All Elementary, Middle, and Traditional High School Principals

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Derek Anderson, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits

SUBJECT:  
Updated School Budgets

Attached are the updated school budgets reflecting the changes from projected enrollment to your actual October 1 student count. They are broken down into three pages:

  1. Current year allocation
  2. Carryover from the previous year
  3. Actual budget in skyward which is the current year allocation combined with the carryover from the previous year.

The amount to the left of “the line” are transferable between the different budget types.

Please note, if you have submitted a budget transfer it has been reflected in the sheet labeled “final budget”. If you try and total the sheet labeled “annual allocation” and the sheet labeled “carryover” they will not equal the amount on the sheet labeled “final budget.”

 

Published on

Social Emotional Learning Accelerator - date changed to March 6th. Please visit wellness.jordandistrict.org/sel  to sign up to present or attend. Please forward to those at your school who you would like to attend.

See attached flyer.

Published on

Volunteer reports need to be submitted to Insurance Services.

Workers' Compensation insurance costs are based on numbers submitted by schools. It is important that this information be accurate and complete.

PTA figures must be separate from other volunteer hours.

Attached is a copy of the Volunteer Report for the period from July 1, 2019 - November 30, 2019.

Please complete this form and return it to Cheryl Matson, Insurance Services by December 20, 2019.

Published on

DATE:   
December 3, 2019

TO: 
All Elementary, Middle, and Traditional High School Principals

FROM:   
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Derek Anderson, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits

SUBJECT: 
December 2019 Budget Transfer Request

If you would like to transfer budget between your postage, supply, textbook, technology supply and equipment budgets, please complete the following, sign and return to Derek by January 4, 2020. If Derek does not receive this back from you by January 4, 2020, Derek will assume no transfer is requested. The next opportunity to make such a transfer is June 2020.

Published on

As mentioned in Business Meeting, Support Services has put together a collection of tutorials for tasks that pertain to the operation of your school office.  These tutorials can be found using the Documentation link on the Information Systems Gateway (is.jordan.k12.ut.us).

In addition, our Support Analysts are available to come out to your school and train on Skyward tasks as needed, in either an individual or group setting.  If you would like to schedule training, please contact our help desk at (801) 567-8737, or Ext. 88737.

Published on

DATE: 
November 25, 2019

TO:
School Psychologists, Elementary Counselors, and School Social Workers

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

SUBJECT: 
December School Psychologist, Elementary Counselor, and School Social Workers Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists, elementary counselors, and school social workers has been scheduled for Friday, December 6, 2019, from 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jordan School District’s Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). We will begin with a pot-luck holiday luncheon at 12:00 p.m. Melisa Genaux, Jordan School District Autism Behavior Specialist, will provide us with a presentation addressing self-regulation for students with autism as well as “Top Five Interventions for All Kids.”

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

Principals and Administrative Assistants:

In preparation for the upcoming fee requirement changes, Brad Sorensen and Cody Curtis would like to provide a training meeting for all secondary principals, administrative assistants, and one high school assistant principal (principal's choice). Dan Ellis will also be there to answer any questions you might have. There are two options to attend:

December 6, 2019
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
OR
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
District Office - Room 129

Here is the timeline to meet the required fee requests (R277-407) deadline on April 1, 2020 for aggregate total and maximum fee amounts:

Jan. 31 - All fee requests submitted to the District Office
Feb. 11 - Present 2020-21 school fees to Board
Feb. 25 - School Board Public comment meeting
Mar. 3 - Additional School Board Public comment meeting
Mar. 10 - Study Session discussion on fees feedback
Mar. 31 - School Board Final Fee Schedule approval for the 2020-21 school year
Apr. 1 - Fee Schedule Finalized

Please make every effort to attend one session. Thank you!

Published on

JSD Administrators:

McKinley Withers, our District’s Health and Wellness Specialist, is conducting a research study through the University of Utah on teacher wellness. (See approval form in this week's JAM)

If you would like your school to be considered as a study site for this research please contact McKinley Withers at mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org, or 801-567-8245. Also, if you have any questions about the purpose, commitment, or privacy related to this study prior to participation, please contact McKinley with your questions or concerns after reading the study summary below.

Study Summary

The purpose of this study is to uncover what school leaders have been doing well as well as what school leaders could do to improve teacher’s workplace wellness, which is defined by their overall subjective wellbeing (teachers’ self-perceptions of healthy and successful functioning at work), teaching efficacy (appraising one’s teaching behaviors as effectively meeting environmental demands), and school connectedness (feeling supported by and relating well to others at school). With an understanding of teacher’s perceptions of what has had a positive impact on their workplace wellness, school leaders will be better equipped to provide meaningful interventions and creative approaches to improve a teacher’s sense of efficacy, connectedness, and overall well-being. The questions guiding this research are:

  • What are teacher’s perceptions of ways that school leaders have fostered a sense of wellbeing, efficacy, and connectedness for them in the workplace?
  • What strategies have been used, and could be used, by school leaders to support teacher wellness through improved teaching efficacy and school connectedness?

Your participation in any part of this study is voluntary. There are three types of participation for those who choose to participate at each school. Individual or identifiable information will not be published or publicly available.

  • All teachers in selected schools will be invited to take the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (TSWQ), a copy of this survey and additional information on its questions and development can be found at tyrenshaw.org. Data from schoolwide survey data will be aggregated for each school. This data will not be individualized or published with your school’s name. Data will be used for research purposes only, will be stored on secure Jordan District servers, and your school’s results will not be published.
  • An invitation to individual teachers at your school, who have 7 years of experience or more, will be sent following the invitation to take the TSWQ. Those that agree to participate will volunteer between two and four hours for focus group participation. The purpose of these focus groups are to understand teacher’s perceptions of what has contributed to their feelings of workplace wellness (as defined above). Names of focus group participants will be changed and will not be published or publicly available.
  • School principals will be invited to participate in individual interviews to discuss strategies and leadership perspectives on what promotes improved teacher wellness. This interview could take up to one hour. Individual principal’s names will be changed and will not be published or publicly available.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 21, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM:   
Dr. Shelley Nordick, 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:     Happy Schools: Uncovering Positive Conditions for Improved Teacher Wellness

Applicant:     McKinley Withers, University of Utah

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 the administration of a questionnaire to teachers, focus groups, and an interview with the participating school principal.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

If a school is sending a device home with students, it is important to remember that state law (53G-7-216) and federal law (CIPA) prohibit schools from allowing a device to go home with a student that does not have a Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant filter installed on it. This includes, but is not limited to, hotspots and chrome books. I-Pads and laptop computers are not allowed to go home at this time as the District continues looking for a filtering solution for those devices. If you are looking at sending a hotspot home with a student, KAJEET is one option which has satisfied District tests. If your school has allowed students to take home devices, please ensure that every one of them, including hotspots, has an installed CIPA compliant filter.