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Category: Middle Schools

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, August 7, 2025

TO:   
Middle School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Fall 2025 Testing Bulletin

School administrators may view the most up-to-date testing bulletin, complete with test administration and survey administration windows, by clicking on ‘Middle School’ under the heading Testing Bulletins on the front page of the website for Assessment, Research & Accountability. See the memo for the link and all the details.

 

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, August 7, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
2025-26 Parental Exclusion Forms

2025-26 Parental Exclusion from State Assessments forms have been released by the state. Elementary and secondary versions may be found attached with this memo (including Spanish versions for each level). In addition, the forms may be found on the Assessment, Research & Accountability website.

Parents must notify schools of their desire to opt their student out of a state-mandated assessment on an annual basis. Parental exclusions should be recorded on your school’s opt out log so that both school and district personnel have one source of truth for all parental exclusions. Schools are discouraged from keeping parental exclusion lists that are separate or different from the opt out log received from Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Please direct questions about parental exclusions to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, August 7, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, 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: Online Mental Health Training to Improve Physiological Stress Outcomes in Schoolteachers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Applicant: Katelyn Jackman, Brigham Young University-Provo

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant will contact teachers via email directly to invite them to participate in the research project. The applicant has been directed to contact principals to discuss the extent of the project and arrange a private area in which to meet with teachers. 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.

Published on

TO:
Building & District Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

The 2025-26 updates of the “Assistant Principal Directory” have been finalized and are available below.

These links will be valid all year and any updates will be saved to these locations.

If changes or corrections need to be made, you may contact Caleb Olson in Student Services or make the changes on the web version of the directories at the link below.

Link to the Web Version of the Directory to make changes

 

Published on

TO:
All Principals
All Administrative Assistants

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

The following instructions are to help you in compiling the timesheets that will be coming to you from your licensed personnel. The complete list of instructions is attached to this JAM.

PRINCIPAL/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT INSTRUCTIONS 

Principals and administrative assistants have 11 assignments:

  1. Assign a designated person to oversee this program. Add their name to the google sheet.
  2. Make sure the plans are turned in on or before September 30, 2025.
  3. All plans must be logged (with the date received), by the designated person, no later than October 31, 2025 on the provided google sheet.
  4. Provide time for eligible staff to complete the plan.
  5. Gather and track the timesheets as licensed employees complete them.
  6. Make sure teachers follow through.
  7. Add the actual number of hours the employee worked, (up to a maximum of 32 hours, which is determined by the FTE of the employee for work that is not already compensated, e.g. contract time or other paid time) after you receive the timesheet.
  8. Verify that all employees, that are eligible, have turned in their timesheet on or before April 10, 2026.
  9. If an employee works at multiple sites, the school listed as the check location is to track the timesheet for that employee.
  10. If an employee changes locations during the school year, the administrative assistant for the new location must collect the timesheet and log it by the April 10, 2026 deadline.
  11. Keep the plans and timesheets on file at your location for auditing purposes.

Eligible licensed personnel must turn in their plan to the principal or administrative assistant (designated person) on or before September 30, 2025.

Principals are asked to give time in a meeting at the beginning of the year for eligible staff to fill out the Professional Hours Plan and turn it in.

A google doc (school name – Educator Directed 32 Hours 2025-26) will be shared to each individual school to be used in tracking the plan as well as the timesheet. Please use this original google doc to track the hours. Do not create your own form. 

    • Administrative assistants, or other designed person will add 
      • the school location, 
      • names of the employees, 
      • employee ID (six digit #), 
      • FTE of the employee (the awarded amount is determined by the FTE of the employee; 1 FTE = 32 hours, .5 FTE = 16 hours,
  • ***the items above will be prefilled. Please double check to make sure all employees are listed correctly for your school, 
    • date that you received the plan, 
    • finally, the date when you have received the timesheet and the hours to be paid (once you have received the final hours worked).

Thank you for your help in making sure all eligible employees receive the correct pay.

Published on

TO:
All District Administration

FROM:
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Please take the time to fill out the requested survey. See the information and links below regarding the facts for this survey.

What: The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is conducting a brief survey of local education agency (LEA) school and district administrators to assess the Utah Educational Leadership Standards and determine whether a revision process should be considered.

Who: District Superintendents, Charter School Directors, appropriate District Directors, Principal Supervisors, and school-based administrators, including Principals, Assistant Principals and Administrative Interns.

When: The survey will be open for responses through August 8th, 2025.

Information: 

As required by state code, it is noted that this survey response is being requested to seek input on the Utah Educational Leadership Standards, but it is not a survey that is required by federal or state code. The information being requested is not available elsewhere.

For more information, please reach out to Julie Lundell, the USBE School Leadership and Improvement Specialist.

Published on

DATE:
July 31, 2025

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Adminhistrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting and Audits
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

SUBJECT:
2025-2026 School Allocations

The 2025-2026 School allocations have been provided for your review. See attached file for allocations, your carryover balances, and estimated headcounts. An explanation of changes to supplies budgets and staff appreciation and PD meals being moved to to in lieu are included in the memo.

School allocations will be updated in November after the October 1 headcounts are finalized by the State. Budgets will not be adjusted for the virtual schools.

Budget transfers can be submitted, using the attached form, to Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org.

If you have questions please contact Natalie Grange at 88312 or at Natalie.Grange@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:
July 31 2025

TO:
All Administrators
All Admin Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems

SUBJECT: 
Exciting News! Introducing Our Enhanced Point of Sale System

We are thrilled to launch a new and enhanced Point of Sale (POS) system in your school offices! This upgrade brings a host of fantastic new features designed to make managing lunch and fee payments smoother and more efficient for everyone.

What this means for parents:

  • Low Lunch Balance Notifications - Parents can now set up alerts to notify them when their student’s lunch balance is running low, helping to ensure their students account is funded.
  • Recurring Lunch Payments - Say goodbye to forgotten payments! Parents will have the option to set up recurring lunch payments.
  • Convenient Office Payments - For those who prefer to pay in person, the ability to process lunch payments directly in the school office is a new, convenient option.
  • Step-by-Step Guide for Parents - Feel free to download and share this step-by-step guide (written in both English & Spanish) with parents. This guide directs parents how to update their account on the new eFunds site and set up recurring payments or save credit card information. It has also been included in the annual Registration for Schools.

Key Benefits for Our Schools:

  • Modern Payment Options - You can now accept a wider range of payments, including tap payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and chip reader transactions for added security.
  • Automated Receipt Entry - A huge-time saver! You’ll no longer need to manually enter receipts for payments taken in eFunds into Skyward Fee Management. The new system handles this automatically, streamlining your administrative tasks.

Training and Support:

Training on the upgraded POS interface was provided in early July. If your office staff missed this training, please call to schedule training with Information Systems. If you have any questions, or require assistance getting your school up and running with the new interface, please don’t hesitate to contact our office at (801) 567-8737 or extension 88737.

Published on

DATE:   
August 1, 2025

TO: 
Principals
Head Financial Secretaries
Special Education Teachers (Resource and Self-Contained)
Speech-Language Pathologists/Technicians

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

SUBJECT:    
Special Education Budget Allocations 2025-26

Welcome back! Listed below are the special education budget allocations for Resource, Self-Contained Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists/Technicians for the 2025-26 school year. (Cluster Leaders and school psychologists do not receive a Special Education budget.) Remember that special education monies must be spent in ways that provide the most benefit to special education students with the goal to improve student achievement and performance.

Please review the attached Memo for instructions on spending the allocated budgets and guidelines for what the money can be spent on.

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.