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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

DATE:  
July 31, 2025

TO: 
District employees who qualify for mileage reimbursement

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting

SUBJECT:  
Defensive Driving Course Requirement for Mileage Reimbursement

Our insurance carrier, State Risk Management, has asked that every person who receives mileage reimbursement take the Utah Defensive Driving Course. We ask that you complete this free course as soon as possible using the instructions attached to this memo.

A new District Mileage Reimbursement form can be found at this link https://jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/083_MileageReport.xlsx. This new form has a box under the title for the individual to enter the completion date of the course. Please note that beginning in January 2026, Accounting will only reimburse mileage that includes the completion date of the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course. The course must be completed every two years. Supervisors approving mileage reimbursement – please remind your employees to complete this course and enter the date at the top of their mileage reimbursement form to avoid delays in reimbursement in January 2026.

The link below provides access to the course in the Utah Learning Portal. Your username is your district email. Click “Sign Up” and fill out the required information. Note that the security key word is Jordan and you may create your own password.

https://utah-riskpool.sabacloud.com/Saba/Web_wdk/NA1PRD0101/index/prelogin.rdf#/login

Once you have passed the course, record the completion date on your mileage reimbursement form and print the certificate. You may use the print option at the top of the final page of the online assessment or print your certificate from the attachment that will be emailed to you. Retain the certificate at your location for audit purposes.

If you have questions regarding the mileage reimbursement form, please contact Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits at 801.567.8389. If you have questions about the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course, please contact Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator at 801.567.8876.

Published on

DATE:     
July 30, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:  
Fire Drill Required Within the First 10 School Days

All schools are required to conduct a fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year. This provides a great opportunity to review plans, emergency response/Incident Command assignments, evacuation maps, outside rally locations, communications, and related supplies.

Please call the Jordan School District 24-hr. Alarm Response 801-567-8865 at least 30 minutes in advance of the drill, so the fire department is not dispatched.

Use the JSD Incident Command System Manual - Fire Action Plan as your drill guideline. Jordan School District Safety Manual

Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matt Alvernaz the District Safety Coordinator at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623.

Published on

DATE: 
July 31, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM:   
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:  
Monthly Drill Schedule

This schedule is designed so that our district will remain in compliance with state regulations. The design is set up so the district can help prepare and support each of your schools throughout the year to better implement these drills. This schedule is to be followed throughout the district.

Secondary schools are required FOUR (4) evacuations a year. You may do more if desired.

Elementary schools are required to conduct an evacuation EVERY OTHER MONTH. These evacuations can follow any drill and DO NOT have to be in conjunction with a fire drill. Due to this regulation and the mandated fire drill after winter break, an evacuation drill will need to be conducted in both December and January in order to remain in compliance. This only applies to elementary schools.

Two virtual Drill Preparation trainings will be held back-to-back on the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM and again at 3:30 PM. The ZOOM LINK will remain the same for each session throughout the year. School Safety Specialists and Administrators over safety are expected to attend. Other administrators or interested employees are always welcome as well.

MONTH DRILL TYPE NOTES
August Fire First 10 days of school
September Secure
October Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
November Shelter
December Hold Evacuation required for elementary schools
January Fire First 10 days of school after winter break
February Secure
March Lockdown Evacuation required for elementary schools
April Earthquake Great Shakeout. Evacuation is optional
May Drill of Choice Choose whichever drill appropriate for your school

If there are any questions, concerns, or conflicts please contact the District Safety Coordinator Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator Human Resources
Jane Olsen, HR Specialist

Greetings!

Continuing in the tradition of collaboration, building relationships and cultivating systems of support we will be having a Meet & Greet for departments, systems of support, sponsors and our partners on August 8 during the New Teacher Induction. This is an opportunity to interact with our anticipated 250 new teachers, connect them with resources, and develop relationships.

We would like to invite you to have a table or table(s) for the Meet & Greet during our lunch break. Arrival/setup can begin as early as 11:00 A.M. and take down time would begin at 12:50 P.M.

To notify us of your reservation and to assist us in planning, please see the invitation below and click the ‘CLICK HERE to Reserve a Table’ link. Please complete your reservation request by 8/4/2025 so we can source the appropriate number of table and chairs.

New this year, you will have the option to notify us if you need power for your table. Please indicate your need for power during your reservation process.

Tablecloths will not be available, please plan to decorate your table and have takeaways to provide to our new educators such as information, swag, manipulatives, or a link to resources connected to your department.

Help us show them that Jordan School District is the District of choice for the best and brightest educators.

Questions?
Please contact Jane Olsen, HR Specialist at jane.olsen@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8217.

Published on

DATE:
July 1, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Preschool and School-Age) Speech-Language Pathologists

FROM:  
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:  
Extended Year Special Educator Stipends 2025-26

Please read the following information and instructions carefully. Submitting these days requires an online survey to be filled out and submitted.

This year the state has allocated 4 additional days available to work during the two weeks before or after your contract days. Please read the attached memo for instructions on when the days can be worked and how to submit them correctly. The link for submitting the days is included in the attached memo.

If you have questions please contact Amanda Hamblin at the Special Education office.

Published on

DATE:
July 24, 2025

TO:
Elementary Principals
Middle School Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:
2025-26 K-8 Grade New Teacher Math Training

Principals,

Please make sure your newly hired 2025-26 K-8 teachers are signed up for the August New Teacher Math Training. Teachers will be compensated with a stipend for attending the training. Please see the attached memo for additional information.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, July 24, 2025

TO:     
Middle and High School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:
2024-25 AP Results Updated in Tableau

The AP Analysis Dashboard has been updated with 2024-25 AP exam data in Tableau. School administrators may access both district and school dashboards here.

School administrators will be able to view participation rates, pass rates, and a distribution of scores by school, discipline, and assessment from 2014 to 2025. In addition, the dashboard also contains scores by AP teacher and student.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions about the AP Analysis Dashboard.

Published on

DATE:    
June 25, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
Registrars
School Counselors

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Counselor Consultant
Steven Harwood, Application Dev. & Support Manager-Information Systems
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager-Information Systems

SUBJECT: 
H.B. 191 High School Credit Amendments

Overview:
Utah’s new legislation, HB191, introduces additional requirements for tracking and reporting high school packet credits. This memo outlines the new processes and responsibilities—especially for registrars—to ensure compliance and accurate data collection.

Key Points of HB191:

  • Definition of a “Packet”:
    • A packet is a collection of instructional materials and assessments that students complete independently, with little or no direct instruction. Credit is typically earned based on completion of assignments within the packet.
  • Types of Packet Credit:
    • Credit Recovery: Pass/Fail for courses not initially passed or completed; does not impact GPA; used to meet graduation requirements.
  • New Core Codes:
    • New curriculum codes will be created and found in the Course Catalog.

Action Items:

  • Registrars:
    • With the exception of Home & Hospital, Jordan School District does not use packets for original credit.
    • Begin using the new core codes established by Information Systems for all packet credits issued.
      • The new core codes will be found in the Jordan School District Course Catalog.
    • Credit recovery completed via outside vendors (e.g., Northridge, BYU Independent Study, etc.) need to be entered using the 999 entity and the new curriculum codes, not using the transfer curriculum codes.
    • If completing a credit recovery packet through your LEA, credit must be entered with your school entity and the new curriculum course codes.

If you have questions about the implementation or need clarification, please reach out to Stacee Worthen, Counselor Consultant, at (801)567-8309. Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we implement these legislative changes.

Published on

DATE:    
July 31, 2025

TO:     
All School Administrators and District Department Directors/Consultants

FROM: 
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
2025-26 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Education Support Professionals

For the 2025-26 school year, administrators will need to conduct a training on the state’s testing ethics policy for all licensed educators as well as any education support professionals (ESPs) who will assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing. All licensed educators will need to be trained on the policy. Administrators will want to consider including computer lab assistants who function as the school’s test coordinator, any classroom aides that assist with testing, literacy aides who assist with Acadience Reading or Math testing or progress monitoring, or any office staff that assist test coordinators with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.

The three required procedures for completing this testing ethics professional development are listed on the “2025-26 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for ESPs” form, which is due to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 19, 2025.

As has been done in the past, administrators may provide the testing ethics training themselves using the Google slide deck linked in this memo. Alternatively, administrators may show the YouTube video linked below to school personnel. The video provides the same information as the slide deck. Once school personnel have been trained, either by a school administrator or using the video, they are required to sign the “2025-26 Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy Training Signature Form.” Administrators are asked to keep these signed forms on file at the school.

There are several materials attached with this memo for your use:

Please contact Ben Jameson or Gaylene Miller in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services

Health Special Risk, Inc. is offering two supplemental accident insurance, at-school coverage and 24-hour coverage. See attached flyer (English and Spanish) for additional information. Please consider including the information in your school packets.

Published on

2025 PD Day ScheduleTO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning

The District-wide Professional Development Day on Aug. 12, 2025 is just around the corner. If you haven't already, please choose from an available keynote speaker using the link below.  All keynotes begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12. The topics and location information for each keynote speaker are included in the registration information. You will receive a confirmation of your keynote choice and location to remind you of your selection.

You are required to attend your 2-hour morning keynote. It is optional to attend one of two 1-hour sessions AFTER your keynote. 

  • An optional 1-hour session presented by Jordan School District Insurance Services will be held at Mountain Ridge High School from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. NO SIGN-UP REQUIRED.
  • An optional 1-hour session presented by Utah Retirement Systems (URS) will be held at both Herriman High School and Bingham High School from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. NO SIGN-UP REQUIRED.

You are also required to attend the afternoon session at YOUR school.

  • The afternoon sessions at each of your individual home schools start at 1 p.m. and will focus on Jordan School District’s newly adopted “Portrait of a Graduate.”

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Elementary AOS
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

The Special Education Summer Conference for the 2025-26 school year will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025, at Mountain Creek Middle School. Check-in begins at 7:30 am, and the conference begins at 8:00 am. Attendees will receive a $200 stipend, and lunch will be provided. Administrators are also welcome to attend. There will be sessions specifically for Administrators throughout the day.
All Certified/Licensed Special Education staff and school administrators are invited to attend. Please register through PD Catalog by July 31st.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your teacher specialist.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Jordan School District Cabinet Members

The Administrative Leadership Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2025, and Thursday, August 7, 2025, at Fort Herriman Middle School. This year, the conference is a customizable experience. Here’s how you can make the most of the event.

Plan your conference experience:
Both days of the conference will be held at Fort Herriman Middle School at 14058 Mirabella Dr in Herriman. Parking is limited on the school property, so you may want to carpool with other administrators from your building. If the school parking lot is full when you arrive, additional parking will be available at the church south of the school, or on the right side of the road surrounding the school.

Come hungry on Tuesday morning! Salt Lake Sweetery will be serving a delicious breakfast from 7:30 to 8:00 in the school cafeteria. The conference begins promptly at 8:00, so arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy a fantastic meal. A beverage service will also be provided.

We’re excited to have Mike Merchant from the Arbinger Institute as our Keynote speaker this year. His presentation notes are attached below; however, we will have some hard copies of his slide presentation available if you’d like to take notes. The keynote will be held in the auditorium, so if you plan to take notes, you’ll want to bring something to write on and with. May we suggest the binder you received at the Administrative Leadership Training?

Lunch on Tuesday will be an event in and of itself! You’ll have 90 minutes to enjoy an amazing lunch, also catered by Salt Lake Sweetery. During your lunch break, make sure you head outside for some ice cream from The Scoop. Dress for the conference is business casual, but choose your clothing wisely so that you can participate in the games that we’ll have set up outside and in the gym.

Following lunch, the conference will continue with school and department level meetings and the first of five workshops that you can attend.  You will receive an email reminder for the courses you've signed up for, as well as an invitation to join the "Admin PD Day 2025" Canvas course. Please accept the course invitation before the workshop classes begin. Each of the modules will be available to view on the day of the course.

Most of the workshops will require a laptop or tablet. Be prepared and make sure your device is fully charged! There won’t be a lot of options for charging devices in the classrooms. Check out the attached map to see where meetings and workshops are being held.

On Thursday, a beverage service will be provided beginning at 7:30. We’ll have principal-level meetings at 8:00 and additional workshops beginning at 8:15. Your 90-minute lunch is on your own. Bring a sack lunch or check out one of the restaurants in the Mountain View Village, or anywhere along 134th South. Just plan to be back in time for Workshop Session 4, which begins at 12:45.

Remember to scan the QR code to check in for the conference and for each workshop you attend. This is how you’ll earn licensure points and add entries to the prize drawing. We’re excited to see you all there!

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation

When scheduling Field/Activity Trips for the 2025-2026 school year, please make note of the following moratorium dates and times when Transportation will not be able to accommodate Field/Activity trips. (See attachment below)

Please contact us with any questions. Mike Westover at 801-567-8809, Michele Yuill at 801-567-8804 and Janet Sadler (for billing inquiries) at 801-567-8334.

Thank you so much for your assistance and support.

 

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator Human Resources

Welcome to the 2025-2026 contract year! As an annual reminder, in accordance with DP326 NEG I. 1. and 2. and DP324 NEG I. 1. and 2., participation in the Employee-Funded Sick Leave Bank requires a contract employee to annually donate one day of accumulated annual leave into the Sick Leave Bank. The Employee-Funded Sick Leave Bank is not intended to be used for in-and-out absences, elective medical procedures or other medical care that could be scheduled during non-contract time.

Each year, contract employees wishing to opt out of participation in the sick bank must annually complete the appropriate online form in Employee Access no later than September 1 for current employees and October 1 for first-year licensed employees, including administrators. This opt out request must be submitted annually.

Prior to completion of this form, it is strongly encouraged to review all District Leave Policies. See the Opt Out Tutorial below.

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

Jordan School District Employees are responsible for knowing and adhering to all District policies and procedures. The Crucial Concerns and Policy Review is now available to District employees in Skyward through “Online Forms.” As a condition of continued employment, all employees (i.e. Licensed, ESP, Substitutes, Coaches, Miscellaneous adults, etc.), with the exception of minor students, will be required to complete this training. We ask your assistance in notifying your employees of this required training and ask that this training be completed by November 1, 2025.

A message will appear upon login of Skyward Employee Access for the employee to complete an “Online Form.” Employees can complete the steps at that time or can return to the review at another time by selecting “Online Forms” under “Employee Information.” Attached is a tutorial to assist in completing the review.

Reports of completion will be available through Skyward and the Human Resources dashboard so you can verify that your staff members have completed this process. A tutorial is attached for your reference. If you or any staff members need technical help, please call the help desk at 801-567-USER (8737).

Published on

DATE: 
July 17, 2025

TO: 
Principals

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT:   
Early Warning System – Panorama Information, Surveys, & Training Opportunities

Each regular school within an LEA (District) is required to implement a Student Intervention Early Warning System (53F-4-207). Panorama meets all the criteria established by HB84-School Safety and will be the District’s early warning system. Panorama Student Success will be paid for by the District. The optional Positive Behavior tool in Panorama is paid individually by each school that chooses to use it.

Panorama Student Feedback Surveys

  • 53#-9-203 requires prior written consent when a student registers for surveys related to an early warning system. This consent will be included in both the online and printed registration process. Please refer to the “Parental Consent Required for Student Surveys” JAM sent on June 19, 2025 for more information.

The Panorama student feedback survey windows for the 2025-26 school year are as follows (please share with your survey coordinator and other relevant staff):

Fall Winter Spring
Sept. 8 – Oct. 10, 2025 Jan. 29 – Feb. 27, 2026 April 20 – May 15, 2026

Survey information, questions, results, and survey window dates can be found here.

Information and instructions for administering the student feedback surveys may be accessed here.

Training Opportunities:

Training regarding the basics of Panorama may be scheduled for school administrators, teams, grade levels, or faculty by reaching out to Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org) directly.

 

Published on

DATE:   
July 17, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Panorama Survey Coordinators
Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Panorama Student Feedback Survey Dates and Opt-In Report

Panorama (Early Warning System) and social-emotional surveys may only be administered to students whose parents have opted-in. Parents are asked to opt-in to the student feedback survey during the registration process. When the online registration process closes on Oct. 1 schools will manually enter the opt-in information into Skyward.

The Panorama Student Feedback survey windows for the 2025-26 school are as follows:

  • Fall September 8, 2025-October 10, 20225
  • Winter January 29, 2026 – February 27, 2026
  • Spring April 20, 2026 – May 15, 2026

The following information is provided to inform and assist you as you administer student surveys:

  • The list of students who may take the survey (opted-in) will be provided to Panorama prior to and mid-window during the administration of the survey by Student Services. Only opted-in students will be able to log in and take the survey.
  • Schools should print out the list of students who have opted-in and provide teachers with the list of students in their classes that have opted-in. The registration opt-in information can be accessed through Skyward using this data mining report.
  • Using the list provided to them by the main office, teachers will be able to manage the administration of the survey. Using the opt-in list, teachers will be able to identify why students may not be able to log in and take the survey.
  • If there are students wishing to take the survey and they are on the opted-in list, but are having log-in issues – the school survey coordinator should contact Panorama directly for assistance at support+utahjordan@panoramaed.com. Student Services does not have the ability to manage access to surveys.
  • Students may choose to not take the survey even though their parents have opted them into the survey. Student feedback surveys administered through Panorama are never required and are always optional.
  • Parents/Guardians should always be informed/notified regarding the administration of any survey.

Survey coordinators and administrators should view the Administering Panorama Survey presentation for information, instructions, and guidance regarding the student feedback surveys. Other Panorama and student feedback survey information including survey questions, survey response results, and general early warning information may be found on the Student Serves website here.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org) or Michelle Reyes (michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org).