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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
JSD Cabinet Members

USBE is now accepting applications for recognition as Purple Star Schools. A school is eligible to be recognized if the school has a designated staff point of contact, has a webpage for military families, has a student-led transition program to help welcome new students, provides training to staff on military student needs, and conducts an annual military recognition event.

Applications are due April 1, 2025 and can be found on the USBE Purple Star School webpage. Additionally, rather than require renewal forms every three years, each purple star school must now file an annual report by April 1st. The link to fill out the report can also be found on the USBE Purple Star School webpage.

For questions, please contact ben.rasmussen@schools.utah.gov.

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
JSD Cabinet Members

Based on feedback from administrators and in an effort to include more staff members, schools and departments may now offer their Health and Wellness breakfast or lunch beginning on Friday, January 31st.

See below for more details.

Principals and Department Directors should arrange for lunch or breakfast for all your employees one day from January 31st–February 6th. Please do not schedule meals on February 7th so all employees feel free to participate in the Health and Wellness Day activities occurring that day.

Traditional schools (i.e. the 42 elementary schools, 13 middle schools and 7 high schools) will receive an additional $13 per employee in the school’s supply budgets. Traditional schools may then charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 0050 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.

All other schools (i.e. Kauri Sue Hamilton (including the Child Development Center), River’s Edge (including the Jordan Family Education Center), South Valley, JATC North, JATC South, Valley High School, and Southpointe Adult High) will also have $13 per employee available. However, these schools will need to charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 1090 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process.

District departments will also have $13 per employee available. Departments should charge the cost of this meal to 10 E xxx 9054 yy90 639 by submitting the receipt to Accounting through the normal P-Card or NPO process. The “yy” listed in the account above will differ for each department as follows:

Superintendent – 24
Associate Superintendent – 24
Administrators of Schools – 24
Accounting, Budgets, and Audits – 25
Auxiliary Services – 26
Business Administrator – 25
Career & Technical Education – 22
Central Warehouse – 26
Communications – 28
Custodial and Energy – 26
Equity & Compliance – 21
Evaluation, Research & Accountability – 10
Facilities – 26
Human Resources – 28
Information Systems – 28
Instructional Support Services – 22
Insurance Services – 25
Jordan Education Foundation – 22
Language and Cultural Services – 21
Nurses – 21
Nutrition Services – 26
Payroll – 25
Purchasing – 26
Transportation – 27
Special Education – 22
Student Services – 21
Teaching and Learning – 22
Transportation – 27

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager

Timekeeping made easier: Information Systems is excited to introduce two easy and effortless ways to log in to TrueTime!

See the documents below for all of the details.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, January 9, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT: 
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access

The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners. This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students. This Supreme Court case essentially preserves a student’s civil right to an equitable education and the federal government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for providing an equitable education to English learners.

The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test. Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access. Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.

So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? USBE has provided the following guidance:

“Parents/guardians can elect to exclude students out of language services, but they cannot exclude students from WIDA ACCESS. LEAs must provide the student with the opportunity to test. LEAs should document everything if parents/guardians refuse to allow their student to test. Parents/guardians always have the ultimate right, but LEAs cannot provide parents/guardians a testing exclusion form to sign in order to opt the student out of testing. The only way a student can be deemed proficient and be reclassified as a former EL is by taking ACCESS.”

The following are the recommended procedures to follow when a parent/guardian wants to opt their student out of the WIDA Access:

  • The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent.
  • If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal using their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators to note the parental exclusion.
  • Schools may accept a parental exclusion in writing, but they cannot provide an opt out form to exclude students from the WIDA Access.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.

Published on

DATE:   
January 16, 2025

TO:
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
District Enrollment as of January 6, 2025

On a previous version of this memo, enrollment totals for Oak Leaf ES were not included. The error has been fixed.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Nadine Page, Administrative Assistant

Please take note of the following timeline items:

Jan. 15 - Final Reports & Upcoming Plans open up on the State website for principals to start working on.

Watch the videos below to prepare for reviewing these program requirements.

Feb. 14 - Final Reports completed and submitted on the State website. (2025-26 Upcoming LAND Trust plans cannot be submitted until the Final Report is completed and submitted)

Mar. 21 – 2025-26 Upcoming LAND Trust Plan and 2025-26 TSSA Plans are due to be completed and submitted. This date is necessary in order to get all of the approvals done and the Plans approved by the Board in order to receive funding for the 2025-26 school year.

Click on this LINK to access the file with the timeline, examples of level specific goals, and the council signature form.

  • Hints and Tips:
    • Plans need to be student-centered
    • Be specific in action steps and expenditures
    • Have your SCC sign the signature form at your final meeting when you approve your plan (see the link above for the signature forms we've provided). Send a copy to Nadine Page when your plan is completed and submitted, no later than March 21, 2025. Keep the original in your school for three (3) years.
    • I can't stress this enough------please use the correct categories for the expenditures as you add them to your goals. They need to be distributed correctly. Don't put everything under salaries/benefits. Call Nadine Page (x88182) if you have questions of what category it should go under. 

Please see the links below for everything you need to know about “Land Trust” and "TSSA".

School Land Trust Program

TSSA Program

Published on

TO:
Administrators
Directors

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator Human Resources
Jane Olsen, Recruiting, Licensing & Hiring in Human Resources

Please see the documents below for all of the information!

Published on

DATE:  
January 6, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:  
School Counselor Training and Professional Development

The training and professional development for the month of January 2025 for school counselors is below. Your efforts to ensure your counselors participate is greatly appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to contact Stacee Worthen with any questions or concerns.

January 8

  • BRISC Monthly Call
    • All Counselors (optional)
    • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Zoom)

January 10

  • Secondary Counselor PLC
    • All Secondary Level Counselors
    • 7:30 am – 9:00 am (Valley High School, Auditorium)
  • Elementary Counselor PLC
    • All Elementary Level Counselors
    • 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (Valley High School, Auditorium)

January 24

  • Elementary Small Group PLC
    • All Elementary School Counselors
    • 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (various Elementary School locations)

January 28

  • West Jordan Feeder Meeting
    • All West Jordan Feeder Counselors K-12
    • 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (Terra Linda Elementary School)

January 29

  • New Counselor Training
    • All New Counselors K-12
    • 8:00 am – 11:00 am (JATC-South, Auditorium)

January 30

  • School Counselor Collaborative Committee Meeting
    • Appointed School Counselors
    • 8:00 am – 11:00 am (Jordan School District Office

 

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Ami Shah, Jordan Native American Program

The Jordan Native American Program has created a presentation that will enlighten our students about the rich history and culture of Native American tribes across the United States.

They will explore the challenges Native Americans have faced throughout history and learn about how to show respect and support for Native cultures today. Through real-life examples of notable Native American leaders and artists, students will gain a deeper understanding of Native American contributions and the importance of using accurate and respectful language. This engaging and educational presentation aims to promote cultural awareness and respect among students.

For those interested in having our team come to their classroom to give this presentation, please fill out this Google Form, and one of our team members will contact you to schedule a date/time. It is encouraged to group classes together, so we can utilize our team's schedules.

 

Published on

TO:
Directors
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator, Human Resources

The Utah State Board of Education Teacher Salary Supplement Program (TSSP) qualifications and application deadlines are available for 2024-2025. The application deadlines are printed below. Information regarding the TSSP program and qualifications is found at the following Utah State Board of Education (USBE) link:

Application Term Dates

An application term indicates a preference of when and how often the educator would like to receive any bonus. Applicants may select one of the following terms before the respective deadline:

Term # of Payments Application Available & Accepted Application Deadline
Semester 2 Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 AM Friday, January 31, 2025 11:59 PM
Annual 1 Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 AM Wednesday, April 30, 2025 11:59 PM

Please note that the 2024-2025 school year will be the final funding opportunity under the current TSSP. The Utah Legislature has approved the new Salary Supplement for Highly Needed Educators (SHiNE) Program in the 2024 session that will go into effect July 1, 2025.

Published on

TO:
Directors
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator, Human Resources

Upcoming Events and Opportunities – LICENSED EARLY NOTIFICATION

 Valued Licensed Employee:

The Human Resource Department is contacting you with important information regarding upcoming events and opportunities.

LICENSED EARLY NOTIFICATION (Resignation or Retirement)

Licensed employees resigning/retiring at the end of the current contract year, who give official early notification in SKYWARD – EMPLOYEE ACCESS, will be eligible for a tiered incentive. To qualify, notification must be submitted on or before the following dates:

  • January 15, 2025    $300.00
  • February 15, 2025  $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 “Notice of Resignation” 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.

Licensed employees who do not submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward Employee Access with at least thirty (30) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500, which will be deducted from their final check. Informing your principal/school administrator either verbally or in writing is not sufficient. See District Policy DP318 – Resignations - Licensed.

School/District Administrators must submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward Employee Access with at least sixty (60) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500 in accordance with District Policy DP318A – Resignations-Administrators.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning

Check out the links below for the latest updates from Teaching & Learning for January. Learn Tips and Tricks, Sign Up for Upcoming PD, and Learn about Important Updates from the T & L team.

Published on

DATE:    
January 6, 2025

TO: 
All Principals

FROM: 
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
2025 Special Education Transition Fair

Special Education is excited to announce an in-person, Special Education Transition Fair for 2025. There will be over twenty community resources attending to help answer any post-secondary questions for our students and families.

The Transition Fair will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 from 4 - 7 p.m. at South Jordan Middle School. For questions please contact Ashley Calhoun at 801-567-8208 or ashley.calhoun@jordandistrict.org

Please make sure to send the flyers out to your community.

Special Education Transition Fair Flyer (English)

Special Education Transition Fair Flyer (Spanish)

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

Attached is the Special Ed Newsletter for January 2025.

Published on

DATE:     
January 9, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
Panorama Survey Coordinators

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

SUBJECT:  
Winter Panorama Student Feedback Surveys

The winter Panorama Student Feedback Survey window is January 22, 2025 through February 21, 2025.

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. Student opt-in lists have been provided to Panorama already and a mid-window upload of students will also occur.

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

  • The list of students who may take the survey (opted-in) will be provided to Panorama prior to 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 information may be found on the Student Serves website here.

Other survey information including the Spring survey window may be found here.

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

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, January 9, 2025

TO:  
All School Principals

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

SUBJECT: 
Stakeholder Input Survey Effectiveness Rating Reports

2024-25 Stakeholder Input Survey results may be found in Tableau here or by navigating to the Explore menu in your Tableau account: Explore>Surveys>Stakeholder Input Survey.

As a reminder, 53G-11-506 requires that stakeholder input be included as a component of educator evaluation. For this purpose, educator effectiveness ratings have been calculated for each school, principal, assistant principal, classroom teacher, and licensed support professional for whom at least 10 parents or students responded in the Stakeholder Input Survey. Effectiveness ratings were not calculated for personnel with less than 10 survey respondents. Educators have the option to include their effectiveness rating report in their JPAS portfolio.

Effectiveness rating reports may be accessed by clicking on the applicable school below (see next page). Only school principals have access to the effectiveness rating reports, but they may share access with other school administrators as they deem necessary. A hard copy of the reports addressed to principals will be sent via district mail and should arrive within a day or two of the date of this memo. These hard copy reports should be distributed to all personnel.

It is recommended that school administrators meet with each educator and go over their effectiveness rating report as well as the survey response data for that educator available in Tableau:

For classroom teachers:

For licensed support staff:

For questions about the Stakeholder Input Survey or the effectiveness rating reports, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

(See the memo below which has the links provided on page 2)

Published on

DATE:      
January 9, 2025

TO:   
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

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

SUBJECT:   
School Safety and Support Grant

On January 6, 2025 USBE sent out a notification regarding the availability of the 2025 School Safety and Support Grant. This is grant is not completed by each school and you should disregard the School Safety Support Grant email from USBE. This grant will be completed at the district level for all schools according to the safety needs assessments that were conducted at each school. Individual schools do not apply for this grant.

Published on

DATE:  
January 9, 2025

TO:  
High School Administrators
Middle School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:  
Course Catalog Updates

Information regarding updated Course Catalog courses and how to request course changes and/or new courses is included below. Please contact Stacee Worthen with any questions or concerns.

The Course Catalog can be found at counseling.jordandistrict.org/catalog/

New Course Requests:

  • New Course Requests can be made by filling out the New Course Request Form
  • Please check the course catalog before submitting a new course to make sure that the new course is not already in the course catalog
  • The New Course Request Form needs to be filled out completely to be reviewed by the designated Teaching and Learning Consultants.
  • The process may take several weeks to get a course approved and course number in Skyward
    • An approval/denial email will be sent when process is complete
  • If you have questions about any course, please reach out to the Teaching and Learning Consultants

Course Change Requests

Newly Approved Courses (2024-2025 & 2025-2026) as of 12.18.2024

CTE

  • Individual and Family Relationships (CTE)
  • HTHS 1104 - Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology (CTE)
  • Electric Vehicle Safety & Technology (CTE)
  • Construction Management 1 (CTE)
  • Construction Management 2 (CTE)
  • Construction Management 3 (CTE)
  • Economics CE (CTE)
  • Electrician 1 (CTE)
  • LINUX Fundamentals (CTE)
  • Cyber Forensics (CTE)
  • Careers in Criminal Justice (CTE)
  • CMGT 1100 – Construction Math (CTE)
  • Machining 3 (CTE)
  • Introduction to 3D Print Technology (CTE)
  • Radio Production 1 (CTE)
  • Radio Production 2 (CTE)
  • Influencer and Content Marketing (CTE)
  • EE 2780 (CTE)
  • Fire Science, Safety and Survival (CTE)
  • Fire Science, Introduction (CTE)
  • NET 2300 – Introduction to LAN Management (CTE)
  • NET 1400 – Prin of Cyber Defense & Ethics (CTE)
  • Floriculture, Advanced (CTE)
  • Exploring Work-Based Learning (CTE)
  • Power Motor Sports Repair (CTE)

Digital Studies

  • Braille Literacy and Assistive Technology (DS)

Fine Arts

  • Photography 3 (A)
  • Black & White Film Photography 2 (A)
  • The Science of Comedy (A)
  • Debate 3: Advanced (A, Sr. ELA)
  • Screen Printing (A, CTE)
  • FILM 2200 – Fundamentals of Film Studies (A)
  • Latin Dance (A, ILA)

Language Arts

  • Literature & Storytelling (Taylor’s Version) (Sr. ELA, E)
  • Intro to Public Speaking & Speechwriting (ELA)

Math

  • Data Science/Mathematical Modeling (M)
  • Mathematical Decision Making for Life SPED (M)

World Language

  • Introduction to Spanish - Spanish 1B (E)
  • French 1A (E)
  • French 1B (E)
  • Spanish 5H (E, Sr. ELA)

Social Studies

  • History of Warfare (Military History) (E)

Physical Education/Health

  • Fundamentals of Baseball (ILA)

Science

  • BIOL 1610 – College Biology I (AAF-S)
  • BIOL 1615 – College biology I Lab (AAF-S)