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Category: Middle Schools

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The winning schools receive $500 for a mineral field trip or classroom technology!

Show some love to the minerals in your life. We’re giving $500 to the two schools with the most creative photos showing how minerals help power their students, classrooms or schools.

Need inspiration? What minerals powered your transportation to school? To turn on the lights, air conditioning or heating? Did you power up a computer or other electronic device? How was your school constructed?

Click here for more information! Get your photos posted by February 28th.

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Suicide Prevention Grant Reimbursement Instructions:

  1. Schools should spend the money out of their school budget (including reimbursing teachers or counselors) prior to seeking reimbursement from the District. Each school will then seek reimbursement from Noreen Samowitz (samowitz@jordandistrict.org, est: 88367), with copies of all NPOs, Purchase Orders, P-Card Summaries, check copies, and receipts (anything that validates the expenditure(s)).
  2. Noreen Samowitz will reimburse each school up to $1000 of qualified expenses so long as the money is spent and reimbursement documents are sent by 3/29/2019
  3. Prior to seeking reimbursement, ensure that expenditures meet the grant funding criteria:
    • "Funding is to be used for educational curricula and/or professional development for staff that enhance understanding of suicide prevention. It may not be used for food, drinks, gift cards, or incentives." 
    • If you have questions about what may or may not qualify for funding, please contact McKinley Withers (withers@jordandistrict.org, ext: 88245) PRIOR to seeking reimbursement.

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Influenza season is in full swing and the Salt Lake County Health Department is asking schools to be proactive in their approach to influenza prevention and their response to cases of illness.

The most effective approach is four-pronged:

  • Vaccination: Encourage staff and students to receive a seasonal flu vaccine every year.
  • Hand Washing: Remind staff and students to engage in frequent, thorough, hand washing.
    • Wash hands regular
    • Washing with soap and warm water, and physically scrub for at least 20 seconds.
    • Hand sanitizers are not an adequate replacement for proper hand washing with soap and warm water. Use in addition to hand washing.
  • Cleaning: Standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill viruses.
  • Stay Home When Ill: Keep ill students and staff home from work and school for the duration of their illness.

Attached are PDF files you may use to encourage proper hand washing and cough etiquette. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also offers helpful influenza information for schools here: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/index.htm.

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Teachers who qualify may submit an application through USBE's Educator Licensing website to receive this annual stipend. Any teachers with specific questions regarding the TSSP application or process may contact USBE directly or Jill Lisonbee in HR at 801-567-8227. Administrators may view a document found on the AdminOnly site for additional information regarding this program: http://workatjordan.org/files/Teacher-Salary-Supplement-Program-TSSP.pdf

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DATE: 
Thursday, January 31, 2019

TO: 
Middle School Principals
High School Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
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:     Effects of a Peer-Supported Implementation of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) on Students with Severe Disabilities and their Peers without Disabilities: Acquisition of Academic Skills, and Perceptions of Self-Determination and School Connectedness

Applicant:     Carrie Eichelberger, 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.

Thank you for your assistance.

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DATE: 
Thursday, January 31, 2019

TO:
All Principals

FROM:  
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
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:     Educating Schools on Congenital Heart Disease

Applicant:     Katie Barton, 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 10-minute survey to teachers, administrators and specialists on a voluntary basis.

Thank you for your assistance.

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DATE: 
Thursday, January 31, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM:   
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
2019 UEPC School Climate Survey – Preparation and Administration Details

Please see attached memo with details.

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DATE:  
Thursday, January 31, 2019

TO: 
Middle School Principals
High School Principals

FROM:   
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Utah Aspire Plus Updates and Reminders

In an effort to provide timely updates and reminders as we transition to a new state-mandated 9th and 10th grade summative assessment, we want to provide the following information to school administrators.  Principals are asked to please pass this information on to test coordinators, ELA, math, and science teachers, resource teachers, and any other pertinent personnel who will be involved with the 2019 administration of the Utah Aspire Plus Summative test.

Updates and Reminders:

  • School administrator, test coordinator and teacher accounts on PearsonAccessNext, the admin site for Utah Aspire Plus, went live on Monday, January 28th. If you did not get an account notification email, please call or email the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department.
  • Question samplers for each of the four subtests (English, reading, math and science) are now available on the Utah Aspire Plus resource website: http://utah.pearsonaccessnext.com/question-samplers/. It is strongly encouraged that every 9th and 10th grade student has had the opportunity to go through the question samplers.
  • USBE’s new parental opt in policy where a parent, with signed permission, may opt to have their child’s Utah Aspire Plus score be used in place of a course requirement will not be available this year. We do not expect to see any scores for the Utah Aspire Plus test until the fall of 2019, rendering the opt in impossible.
  • It is recommended that school administrators help parents, students and community members understand that the Utah Aspire Plus is essentially free practice for the ACT. Individual student reports will provide a predictive score for the ACT and their student’s college readiness.  Like the ACT, parents will also have access to a parent portal where they can drill deeper into their student’s performance on the Utah Aspire Plus and access resources to help their student prepare for the ACT.  ACT’s own research has shown that students perform better on the ACT if they take it more than once.  Therefore, taking the Utah Aspire Plus, which is an ACT product, will have a positive impact on students’ future ACT performance.
  • USBE has set the dates of February 4-8, 2019, as the week schools should test the new system and ensure the installed testing software is working. Details on how to do this system check will be available to testing coordinators and school administrators during the Utah Aspire Plus trainings (Jan. 28th and 30th).  Please work with your school techs and test coordinators to accomplish this task.
  • Please remember that once a subtest has been started, it must be finished in one sitting. School testing schedules should allow for this.  If a student has to stop a test for any reason (they get sick, a parent checks them out, etc.), it is unlikely that he/she will be able to finish the subtest.
  • The Utah Aspire Plus is a grade specific, end-of-level test, which means that all 9th grade students must take the 9th grade test and all 10th grade students must take the 10th grade test. For instance, an 8th grader in a 9th grade math class will not be eligible to take the Utah Aspire Plus test.  In addition, the RISE and Utah Aspire tests cannot be taken in the same room.
  • Blueprints for the Utah Aspire Plus test have recently been released. They can be found on the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department’s website.  They are also attached with this JAM memo.
  • Middle School Principals: Because you will be implementing two brand new summative assessments with completely different admin sites, we are recommending that middle schools, where possible, have a RISE test coordinator and a separate Utah Aspire Plus test coordinator to help ease the learning curve and workload.

For more information and additional resources for the Utah Aspire Plus Summative test, please visit the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department’s website: http://assessments.jordandistrict.org/assessments/utah-aspire-plus/

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DATE: 
January 31, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:    
RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative Help Sessions for Resource Teachers and EL Leads

A member of the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department will be available at the following dates, times and locations to assist resource teachers and EL leads as they input student accommodations into the RISE Nextera admin system and the Utah Aspire Plus PearsonAccessNext system.

In addition, school test coordinators may also come to these help sessions if they require assistance.

Date: Time: Location:
Monday, Feb. 4, 2019  

 

3:00 – 5:00 pm

  

 

PDC 101
Monday, Feb. 11, 2019
Monday, Feb. 25, 2019
Monday, Mar. 4, 2019
Monday, Mar. 11, 2019

School principals and department heads are asked to provide this information to all school test coordinators as well as special educators and EL leads that will be involved in RISE or Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing.

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DATE:    
January 29, 2019

TO: 
Middle and High School Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits
Jason Mott, Accountant/Internal Auditor

SUBJECT:  
Textbook Transfers

This is a reminder that textbook fees need to be transferred out of the activity fee account and into the 9080 textbook account. The Financial Accounting Manual states on page 30:

“Because textbook fees are part of the registration fee, a journal entry must be made to transfer revenue from the activity account (program 2160) to the textbook account (program 9080) by debiting 21 R xxx 2160 1800 999 and crediting 21 R xxx 9080 1805 999 for the amount of the textbook fee times the finalized October 1 enrollment. In May, the accounting department will generate a memo to indicate the total dollar amount of textbook fees to be sent to the district by multiplying the textbook fee by the October 1 enrollment count. For convenience purposes, this amount is offset by fee waivers to be reimbursed by the district. Typically, the school will issue a check to the district for the net amount of these items. Any remaining balance (positive or negative) should be moved to the general account (program 2000).”

Also, attached are instructions to issue a check for the textbook fees when the billing statements are sent out in May. If you have questions or need assistance, please call Jason Mott at (801)567-8388.

Thank you.

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In 2016 the Utah Legislature passed HB460 which requires all School Resource Officers and School Administrators to attend annual training. The purpose of the training is to review and define the roles of disciplinary misconduct that is to be handled by school officials and delinquent offenses that should be addressed by the SRO's.

The State requires that one administrator and their SRO from every secondary school attend this training together. The training is free and will be provided in the Jordan School District on:

  • Tuesday, February 12th from 8:30-12:30 in the Auditorium at the ASB
  • Wednesday, February 13th from 8:30-12:30 in Room 129 at the District Office

Please click the attachment below to register for one of the sessions. If you cannot attend either of these sessions, please call Laneta Fitisemanu at 801-538-1044 to find a training at a nearby district to attend.

 

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As a follow up to the memo sent in JAM on December 20, 2018, we want to clarify that all schools have received their allotted classroom TECC kits. As indicated in the memo, the due date for distribution of classroom TECC kits and the submittal of Your School’s TECC Kit Assignment Sheet, which is sent to Judy Bird in Facility Services, was Friday, January 11, 2019. Thank you to those schools that have distributed the classroom TECC kits and have submitted the TECC Kit Assignment Sheet to Judy Bird.

In addition, you have also been asked to schedule and complete your TECC hands-on training with your local fire agency. Schools should not be holding classroom TECC kits until the training has been completed. Contact information to schedule hands-on training is provided below.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Fire Department Contacts for Hands-on Training:

Bluffdale, Herriman and Riverton:
Unified Fire Authority - Bret Fossum, 801-310-6262, efossum@unifiedfire.org

South Jordan FD - Jim Ladle, 801-842-4097, jladle@sjc.utah.gov

West Jordan FD - Wyatt Jones, 801-652-4054, wyatt.jones@westjordan.utah.gov

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Principals:  Please post in your school and send the attached flyer to each School Community Council member, all parents are invited to attend.

Jordan Parent University
Legislative Forum
Thursday, February 7, 2019
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Joel P Jensen Middle - 8105 S 3200 W, West Jordan

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DATE:  
January 17, 2019

TO: 
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM:  
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kristin Norris, Teacher Specialist-SLP/A, ESY Coordinator

SUBJECT:   
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines

Attached are the guidelines for determining a student's eligibility for Extended School Year Services. Please review these Time Sensitive documents carefully.