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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

DATE: 
March 26, 2025

TO:  
Administrators
All Panorama Users

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

SUBJECT:  
Intervention Plans in Panorama: Communicating with Families

As we strive to increase trust and further deepen MTSS within your school, communication with a student’s respective parent/guardian is critical. Schools may keep parents/guardians informed about their student’s intervention plan and progress by generating a secure link directly from a student’s profile in Panorama’s Student Success.

Any educator with access to a student’s intervention plan may share the plan by generating a secure link that parents/guardians may access for 45 days.

Instructions are found in Panorama Academy or by using this link. Educators may select from a list of pre-populated guardian emails or create a custom message.

Parents/guardians will be able to view intervention plan details, current or updated progress notes and strategies, and frequently asked questions about intervention plans.

Published on

DATE:  
March 26, 2025

TO:  
Administrators
School Safety Specialists
Threat Assessment Team Members

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

SUBJECT:   
Proactive Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence **OPPORTUNITY**

School leaders are facing an alarming rise in violence, threats, and behavioral challenges. The pressure to respond to crises is overwhelming, but reactive measures alone won’t create lasting change.

Join an online training for Breaking the Cycle: Strategies for Youth Violence Prevention on Tuesday, April 15 at 2 PM (ET) to explore how intervention, behavioral threat assessment, and a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework can help you break the cycle of violence.

Gain insights from Michele Gay and Ben Fernandez of Safe & Sound Schools, along with Thom Jones from Navigate360 (who provides our curriculum for CSTAG), as they share actionable strategies to help you:

  • Recognize early warning signs of potential threats
  • Implement sustainable, effective prevention measures
  • Empower your staff with the confidence and tools to act

Click HERE to save your spot.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Description

The Principalooza Leadership Conference is an annual conference hosted by the Utah State Board of Education for school-level administrators and those who support them to both receive leadership development and critical information.

Please note: The $20 fee is not refundable. Only Visa and MasterCard payments are accepted. Space is limited to the first 400 registrations.

Your attendance will provide you with a toolbox of program information, resources, tools, research, or other section information that is pertinent to you. For any follow-up questions, you can reach out directly to quinn.kellis@schools.utah.gov.

Date of Conference: April 22, 2025
Time: 8:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: Utah Valley Convention Center
Registration Closes: March 31, 2025 11:59 pm

Register HERE

Published on

DATE:
February 26, 2025

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant

SUBJECT:
Prevention Plan Update 2025-26

School administrators and teams are expected to update prevention plans annually and post them on their school’s website. Prevention plans address overall prevention efforts and include suicide, bullying, and violence prevention information. Additional information on updating your school’s prevention plan can be found at wellness.jordandistrict.org/preventionplan.

The template for prevention plans has been updated and school administrators can use this link to make a copy and update their plan for 2025-26 by filling in the highlighted areas.

The Wellness Team would gladly visit your school (upon request) to attend a team meeting and support you in completing your prevention plan!

If you’d prefer to take time away from your building to complete your prevention plan with the wellness team present, reach out to request “office hours” and we will schedule time at a District conference room that works for your team. Contact McKinley Withers (88245, mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org) to arrange for in-person support at your school or through District “office hours.”

Published on

DATE: 
March 20, 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 Preparation (EARTHQUAKE)

Due to Spring Break, our monthly drill preparation will be held on April 9th at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month we will be covering EARTHQUAKE in conjunction with the Great Utah ShakeOut set for Thursday, April 17th, 2025, at 10:15 A.M..  Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety.  All other administrators are welcome to attend as well. The meeting is also open to any staff who may be interested.

After each monthly training, all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.

Information regarding the EARTHQUAKE response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 28-31.  We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill.  This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

We will be holding this meeting over ZOOM so please join using this link.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning

Principals,

Registration for the 2025-2026 Instructional Coaching Endorsement - Cohort 3 is now open! Priority will be given to individuals assigned to be a coach next year and additional spots will be available for teachers interested in future coaching opportunities. Teachers with a principal recommendation may complete the application. Please see the attached document for more details and to access the coaching endorsement application link.

Published on

DATE: 
January 27, 2025

TO: 
All Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:   
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

SUBJECT:
Updated W9 and URS Request

Please use the attached W9/URS verification form as it has been updated. This form can also be found on the Accounting webpage at the following link: https://jordandistrict.org/departments/accounting/

If you have any questions please reach out to Accounting.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Administrators of Schools

As we plan both the June Administrator Training and the August Leadership Conference, we would like to identify specific training and professional development needs/wants that you may have. Please take a minute to complete the survey by choosing up to 3 topics of interest. If you have a topic that wasn't represented please feel free to add it to the short answer question (not required). Please complete this survey by March 24, 2025. 

If you already completed this survey at the Principal or AP meeting you do not need to repeat it.

LINK to Survey

Published on

DATE:
March 20, 2025

TO:
All Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Administrators of Schools

SUBJECT:
Stipend for Department Chairs and Team Leaders

Stipends for Department Chairs and Team Leaders will be paid in May.

  • Elementary Schools may pay $300 for 8 Team Leaders.
  • Middle Schools may pay $500 for 12 Department Chairs or Team Leaders.
  • High Schools may pay $500 for 16 Department Chairs or Team Leaders.

A Google timesheet roster will be shared with principals and administrative assistants and should be completed by Friday, April 25, 2025. Department Chairs or Team Leaders will be paid out of the same program number from which their salary is paid. 

Kauri Sue, River’s Edge, South Valley, and JATC will be paid as middle schools. If a school houses an additional special education program (cluster or preschool program), it will have an additional team leader allocation.

Budget Code

10 xxx xxx 2216 131

10 xxx 7551 2216 131 (Special Education)

Published on

DATE:   
March 12, 2025

TO:   
School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns

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

SUBJECT:   
March School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, March 21, 2025, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium (7905 South Redwood Road). Brad Lundahl, Ph.D., and Steve Jones, LCSW from the University of Utah and Compass Counseling will provide us with a presentation on integrating Motivational Interviewing and ACT.

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

cc:
Principals

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

The following information pertains to Intern Educators, Intern Psychologists, or Intern Counselors graduating in 2025 that are assigned to your location.

Please excuse full time intern educators (BYU, U of U and UVU), intern school psychologists, and intern counselors to attend their own in-person Commencement OR Convocation ceremonies. They are eligible to enter their absence in Skyward under the “Other” Leave Code and the Absence Reason of, “District Excused”. Only one day can be coded as District Excused, and should reflect their commencement or convocation date. Please confirm this date prior to approving in skyward. The following information should be included in the description in Skyward ‘0050- Intern In-Person Graduation UNIVERSITY NAME’

The intern is responsible for requesting a substitute, if needed, through the Frontline Absence Management System. The absence reason entered should be ‘District Excused’ and in the blue notes to administrator box, the intern should add the following information; ‘District Excused 0050- Intern in-person graduation UNIVERSITY NAME’.

If you have questions as to whether your Intern has entered the time off in Skyward or Frontline appropriately, please contact suboffice@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

The Jordan School District High School graduation dates and times will vary from school to school. Please see the attached 2024-25 High School Graduation Schedule.

Principals and Directors are encouraged to provide flexibility to parents or grandparents requesting the opportunity to attend the graduation ceremonies of family members.

Licensed employees are responsible for requesting a substitute through the Frontline Absence Management System, 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 suboffice@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:    
March 13, 2025

TO:    
Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator

SUBJECT:  
Classroom Supplies Appropriation - Payments and Reports

The State Legislature recently clarified Classroom Supply funding qualifications and appropriated funding for the 2025-26 school year. Consistent with last year’s allocation, only Classroom Teachers will receive legislative supply funds as follows:

  • Full-time Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade teachers will receive $500
  • Full-time 7th through 12th grade teachers will receive $250
  • These amounts will be adjusted, based on FTE percentage, for teachers who work part-time

School Counselors received “legislative funds” in the past, however as stated in JAM previously, Counselors will not receive these funds for the 2025-26 school year.

In late September, ACH deposits will be completed to the licensed employees that qualify for legislative supply funds. At that time, schools will also receive a disbursement and FTE report with instructions and helpful information about legislative supply money.

If you have questions, please contact my administrative assistant, Lisa LeStarge, at 801-567-8120 or via email: lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org.

jl/ll

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning

Administrators,

A Qualtrics Coaching Survey will be sent by Ben Jameson to all teachers on Friday, March 14th.

The Jordan School District is looking for ways to enhance, refine and improve our instructional coaching initiative and we need teacher feedback. Please encourage your teachers to complete the coaching survey and answer the questions based on their experience working with instructional and/or digital coaches. The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete, depending on the time it takes for teachers to add their comments.

Survey answers will remain anonymous unless you identify yourself in the free response questions. The survey will remain open until April 4th.

Published on

TO:
Principals, Teachers, All Mathematicians

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Kinder, Consultant for Math, Teaching & Learning

Dear Administrators, Teachers, and ALL MATHEMATICIANS,

We're thrilled to invite you to a special screening of the documentary film Counted Out by Vicki Abeles, in honor of Pi Day! This is a unique opportunity to celebrate math and explore its impact on our world.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, March 14, 2025 PI DAY
Time: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Please be seated by 4:30)
Location: ASB District Office, 7905 South Redwood Rd. Entrance A. Auditorium
Registration:
Register using the link in the attached flyer below or click HERE. Space is limited, and we're inviting neighboring districts, so be sure to secure your spot soon!

​About the Film:
Counted Out delves into the crucial role math plays in shaping our society. It explores how math influences everything from the news we see to the jobs we obtain. Through personal stories and expert interviews, the film reveals the importance of numeric literacy and challenges us to rethink how we view math.

Watch the Trailer:
Experience a glimpse of the film’s insights by watching the Counted Out trailer.

LINK TO SIGN UP

Questions?
Contact Amy Kinder at Amy.Kinder@jordandistrict.org

We can't wait to celebrate math with you!

Published on

TO:
Administrators Completing Title III Compliance

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director, Language and Culture Services
Kim Lloyd, Director, Special Education

At this time, Skyward does not have the functionality to indicate when a bilingual school psychologist has participated in the evaluation of a multilingual student. As a result, we are currently unable to process requests to update this section.

For your Title III Compliance, as long as you have listed the student ID numbers of those missing a bilingual psych on the LPL report, that is all you will need to do and you will be considered in compliance. Please do not fill out the bilingual psych's request link. It's fine if you already have filled out the form, but please understand that this request cannot be completed at this time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Published on

DATE:
March 13, 2025

TO:
All Principals
All Licensed Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior

SUBJECT:
ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills

Effective Teacher Training (ETT) is available for a spring cohort! Seats are capped at 50 and fill quickly, so learners need to register on Canvas Catalog as soon as possible.

Direct registration link: ETT Spring 2025
Or search “ETT” at pd.jordandistrict.org

See attached memo and flyer for more information.