TO:
Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Brian King, Special Ed Director
Maddie Karanevich, Special Ed Asst. Director

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Attached is the Special Ed Newsletter for September 2026.

TO:
Administrators and Administrative Assistant/ All Staff

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll

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With the beginning of the new school year comes new pay rates along with new deductions. All employees are encouraged to log in to Skyward Employee Access and review the following:

Salary placement and Hours Per Day (FTE)
• ASSIGNMENTS tile - make sure you are in the 2026-2027 (Current) year at the top of the screen
• Open the assignment by clicking the arrow to view the assignment details

Paycheck - insurance premiums, deductions, name, address, phone, tax exemptions (from your Form W4)
• PAYROLL CHECK HISTORY tile

Paychecks that are not direct deposit will be held in Human Resources for pickup. You can sign up for direct deposit through Employee Access (DIRECT DEPOSIT PRIMARY ACCOUNT tile).

Your actual paycheck is available to view up to two (2) days prior to payday each month in the PAYROLL CHECK HISTORY tile. If you have questions, please contact the following:

Help Desk: 801-567-8737 (Employee Access login & password assistance)
Payroll: 801-567-8154 or email payroll@jordandistrict.org
Insurance: 801-567-8146 or email insurance@jordandistrict.org
Human Resources: 801-567-8150 or email hr@jordandistrict.org

** This information and tutorials can also be found on Payroll’s website at payroll.jordandistrict.org/employee.

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• Name Changes (EMPLOYEE NAME CHANGE REQUEST FORM tile)
• Address Changes (EMPLOYEE PROFILE tile - ’Edit by Online Form’ next to
EMPLOYEE DETAILS- CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE tile)
• View W4 Tax Information (MENU/PAYROLL/TAX INFORMATION)

 

TO:
School and District Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Michelle Love-Day, Director LCS

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Please enjoy the September Language and Culture Newsletter. In this edition you will find:

Dates for administrator compliance workshops (link)
ELLevation strategies (flyer attached)
Information about our ML Family night (flyer attached)

TO:
New Administrators & Interns
New School or Department personnel
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

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Training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on October 15, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Auxiliary Services Building Presentation Room. This training opportunity is for new administrators and interns; and new school or department personnel including principals, assistant principals, administrative assistants, clerks, aides or others with responsibilities correlating with the Business or Auxiliary Services Departments. The draft agenda is attached.

If you would like to participate in this session, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge, at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org. The total number of participants in this session will be capped at 60 (plus presenters). Attendees will be provided with a link to hand-outs provided by the presenters so they can be viewed during the training or downloaded for future use.

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Ami Shah, Jordan Education Access Committee

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Date: January 21, 2027

Time: 4:00–7:00 PM

Location: West Jordan Middle

Licensed employees who attend the conference will receive a $175 stipend for their participation. Additional details about the keynote speaker and breakout sessions will be provided with registration information.

Please mark your calendar and watch for more information in the future. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

TO:
Teachers, Administrators, School Staff

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

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Students that achieved English proficiency will be invited to receive their medal and certificate during our ML family night. We encourage staff, teachers, and administrators to attend to celebrate with our families on Thurs. Oct. 8th from 6-8 p.m. at Mountain Ridge High School.

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
McKinnley Withers, HR Administrator

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Administrators, 

The HR Employee Experience and Wellness Team will be offering “Stress Less” workshops on both upcoming PD days (9/25 for Elementary and 10/2 for Secondary).

We are inviting ALL employees to participate in these workshops. These efforts are directly aligned to our district Strategic Plan indicator that focuses on a reduction in stress for Jordan District students and staff (pasted below). 

AM sessions will be specifically for Education Support Professionals (ESPs). Any ESP working that day is invited to optionally attend one of the two days during their contract time if there are no scheduled conflicts at their worksite. ESPs who are off-contract on those Fridays or are part-time and not scheduled to work those days are also invited to attend but should not adjust their work schedules to reduce availability for their regular job duties. In other words, part-time or off-contract employees are invited and encouraged to attend but will not be paid for this time. 

PM Sessions are available for any employees who are able and wish to participate, including ESPs and licensed staff. 

The attached flyer will be shared through JEM, and supervisors are expected and encouraged to allow employees, both ESPs and licensed staff, to attend, provided there are no major scheduling conflicts at the school.

Thank you for your support as we grow opportunities for all employees in our district. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions/concerns or ideas for future offerings. 

McKinley Withers
mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org
801-567-8245
cell 801-448-1404

DATE:
September 17, 2026

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Anthony Muto, Assistant Director Network & Telecommunications, Information Systems

SUBJECT:
iBoss Parent Portal App for Parents/Guardians

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As we settle into the 2026-27 school year, Information Systems wants to remind you about a tool for our families: the iBoss Parent Portal App. This application is designed to give parents and guardians more control and visibility over their student’s internet use on their school-issued Chromebook. The application can be downloaded from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store by searching for “iBoss Parent Portal”.

The iBoss Parent Portal App will allow parents to guide their student’s internet use in two primary ways:

1. View Browsing History: Parents will be able to review their student’s browsing history on the school Chromebook.
2. Scheduling Internet Access Outside of School Hours: The app allows parents to set specific schedules to restrict internet access on the device during designated times. This feature is particularly useful for establishing “no-screen” time overnight.

Attached to this memo, you will find a copy of the iBoss Parent Portal Quick Start Guide. This guide will be sent to parents from the office of Communications in the coming weeks. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with this guide.

Should parents have questions, they should be instructed to contact the school directly. For any questions you are unable to answer, please contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737 or extension 88737. You can also reach out to your school’s assigned tech for assistance with the app. We are here to support you in helping our families with this tool.

DATE:
September 10, 2026

TO:
All Administrators
All Admin Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Heaps, Director - Information Systems
Steffany Ellsworth, Manager - Information Systems

SUBJECT:
Monthly Budget Reports Emailed on Sept. 9th

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FYI - we recently experienced a technical issue affecting email delivery from our Qmlativ finance system. As a result, the automated budget report emails were not delivered to your inbox on the regularly scheduled date of September 5th. This was strictly an email delivery issue; the system successfully generated all budget reports on schedule. All budget report emails were resent as of Wednesday afternoon, so you should have seen the email notification in your inbox on September 9th.

You can always access these reports in Qmlativ through the 20th of the month, even if you did not receive an email. To do so, log in to Qmlativ and select “My Messages” in the upper right-hand corner. Search your message inbox for “scheduled report,” and select the messages sent on the 5th of the month. Select to view or download the results, based on your needs.

We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused. If you have trouble accessing your report or have any questions, please contact the Information Systems Help Desk at (801) 567-8737 or extension 88737.

 

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Brittany Bauer, HR Administrator of Data and Operations

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Administrators who are resigning or retiring effective at the end of the current contract or calendar year may be eligible for a tiered early-notification incentive. To qualify, administrators must submit their official resignation or retirement notification online on or before the applicable deadline listed below.

The incentive amount will be based on the date the official online notification is received.

Mid-Year Resignation (December) Notification:
August 15, 2026 $1,000.00
September 15, 2026 $600.00
October 15, 2026 $200.00

End of Contract Year Resignation (June) Notification:
December 1, 2026 $1,000.00
January 15, 2026 $600.00
February 15, 2026 $200.00

The incentive will be paid on the last regular paycheck. Notifications of resignation or retirement received after the dates listed above will not qualify for an incentive. The official District resignation/retirement notification form is found in Qmlativ under “Employee Access”. Please see District policy DP318a or DP319 for more detailed information regarding resignations and/or retirements. If you do not know your Qmlativ username or password, please contact the Help Desk at 801-567-8737.

TO:
Spanish Articulation Videos

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director, Language and Culture Services
Brian King, Director, Special Education
Jessica Stowe, Assistant Director, Teaching and Learning
Mandy Thurman, Consultant, Elementary English Language Arts

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A new set of articulation videos by Dany Caruso has been created to support our beginning level MLs with articulation of English phonemes. They are similar to the Really Great Reading Videos.

Please view the overview here

We hope this helps to assist you with your Multilingual learners. The overview catalog is organized in tabs by UFLI's scope and sequence with the videos linked.

These videos will be placed on department websites (LCS, T & L, Sped) so that you can locate them with ease. Please contact us if you have any questions.

TO:
School Principals, District Employees, Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

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In order to maintain a professional work atmosphere for students and staff members, respect staff time, and to avoid ethical and fraudulent conflicts of interest with vendors, building administrations are asked to abide by the following:

1. Vendors are not allowed into District schools/facilities to solicit business from employees during business hours. Building administrations may allow vendors to leave promotional materials (e.g. brochures, business cards, posters, etc.) with the front office and request these materials be placed in an area, such as the employee break room or bulletin board, so staff may view them and take one, if they so choose. Materials may not be placed in staff boxes. Vendors are not allowed to make sales pitches during faculty or staff meetings. Vendors are not to provide a snack, treat, or meal for employees in the break rooms while the vendor remains to solicit business. Building administrations may allow a vendor to leave a snack, treat, or meal along with promotional materials and a note indicating who brought the items and who employees should contact if more information is desired. Employees, including building and district leadership, should never feel like they are required to meet with vendors and hear their sales pitches.

2. Decision makers are advised to avoid gifts from vendors in order to guard against the appearance of misconduct. A vendor providing a gift or meal for the staff or large groups is a very nice gesture of thanks and support. A vendor providing a special, private gift or lunch to only the decision maker(s) can create an ethical conflict of interest that can influence decision making.

3. Vendors must follow the same protocol expected of all other visitors to District buildings by checking in at the front office and proceeding beyond the front office only after being invited to do so.

4. If an employee desires to meet with a vendor at a District location to discuss services the vendor may offer to them personally, the employee and vendor must meet outside of normal business hours for that building. For schools, this means no contact between one-half hour before school starts and one-half hour after school ends, including lunch time and prep time. These hours are considered work hours and must be respected by the employee and vendors.

5. The District’s finance system is not to be used to pay for employees’ personal business (e.g. mortgage payments, utility payments, insurance payments, donations to churches, credit card payments, etc.). Payroll deductions are not permitted for non-Jordan District purposes unless the funds are tax sheltered through a District-allowed plan (see #6 below). It is not appropriate for the District to engage in employee personal bill pay at taxpayer expense. Any payment arrangements made by employees with vendors should be done using the employees’ personal financial institution.

6. As a taxpayer funded subdivision of the State of Utah, Jordan School District participates in the Utah Retirement Systems (URS). While employees have the private option of authorizing financial advisers or others to manage their retirement funds, there are inherent risks associated with any investment strategy. Jordan School District and Utah Retirement Systems does not and has not endorsed, contracted out, authorized, advocated, recommended, sponsored, or vetted other entities, including 403b agents, to represent them in these matters. Instead, URS employs retirement advisors, with a URS email and phone number, who will meet with and advise JSD employees free of charge. URS is a nonprofit trust and their advisors never earn commissions. If you want help with URS questions, please contact URS and if you choose to go outside of URS, please compare commissions and fees.

7. As a taxpayer funded entity, Jordan School District, its departments and schools must only work with businesses that have first gone through the proper procurement process. Competing vendors are to be treated fairly without personal preference or bias.

DATE:
September 03, 2026 

TO:
All District Administrators and Employees

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
David Bowman, System & Security Manager, Information Systems

SUBJECT:
New Limit for Emails Sent to Large Groups

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To help protect district email accounts from evolving security threats, the district is limiting emails sent to individual recipients to no more than 300 people at a time.

If you need to email more than 300 people, please consider using any of the following options:
a) an existing district-created mailing list counts as 1 email, even though it can send to large groups; or
b) JAM or JEM; or
c) ParentSquare; or
d) creating a user-created Google Group.

How to Create a Google Group

1. Open Google Groups: Open the Google apps (waffle) menu and select “Groups.”
2. Select Creat Group: On the Groups page, select “Create group” at the top left.
   
3. Enter Group Information: Enter a “Group name.” Google will automatically use the group name to create the group email address. You can shorten or update the email address if you do not want to use the full group name. Add a description if needed, then select “Next.”
4. Set Privacy & Access: Leave all privacy and access settings at their default values, then select “Next.” There is no need to change any of these settings.

Finish Setup

5. Add Members & Managers: Add the people who should belong to the group in the “Group members.” You can add members by typing in their email address. Add “Group managers” and “Group owners” as needed. Managers and owners can add or remove members in the future.
6. Welcome Message: After adding the group members, you can create an optional “welcome message” to send to new members when they are added or invited to the group.
7. Choose Email Notifications: Leave the subscription setting as “Each email.” This ensures that everyone in the group receives an email for every message sent to the group.
8. Create the Group: Select “Create group.” A confirmation will appear when the group is created.
9. Sending to your New Email Group: Once your group has been created, you can send an email to it just like you would any other email address. In the “To” field, enter the group's email address. The first time you use the group, you may need to type the full email address. After that, Google should remember the address and suggest it from your contact list when you begin typing the group name.

Reminder

• If you have any questions about creating an email group, please contact the Help Desk at ext. 88737. 

 

 

TO:
Directors, Administrators & Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Rebecca Eastman, Leaves Specialist

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If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before or after Fall Recess for any reason not listed in policy DP335NEG or DP335B, you must submit a request as follows:  

How to Request
During the window, the employee must send the request through email. Please include your name, school, position, and the date you are requesting the leave. Requests left on voicemail or over the phone will NOT be accepted.

Licensed employees submit their request to licensedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

Education Support Professionals submit their request to classifiedpersonalleave@jordandistrict.org

The employee will receive an email confirmation within two working days after submitting the request. If the employee does not receive a confirmation email, then Human Resources has NOT received your request and your leave will not be approved.

*Critical Days are the first student attendance days before or after a school holiday. If a non-student attendance day falls before or after a school holiday, the Critical Day is the day before or after that non-student attendance day when students are in attendance.

Licensed
Licensed Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 26-27

ESP
ESP Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 26-27

DATE:
September 3, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators 

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Angie Rasmussen, Student Services Specialist

SUBJECT:
FREE Mental Health Education for Parents and Caregivers

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Jordan District has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection to provide ongoing mental health education for parents and caregivers. This collaboration offers FREE access to live, virtual educational sessions covering various topics. Student Services will share these links to Parent Square for all JSD school communities to access. Please print, post, and assist families with access as you work with parents in your schools. 

• A calendar for September’s Mental Health Series sessions is attached. Sessions are offered in both English and Spanish. Previously recorded seminars can be accessed through a comprehensive library of sessions and resources for each topic. You can access the library of recorded sessions at any time by visiting this site: https://parentguidance.org/mhsindex. 

• September is Suicide Prevention Month. A topic that is highlighted for parents this month is “What Parents Need to Know about Suicide Prevention.”
  • In this session, parents will gain an understanding of the dynamics surrounding suicide, including its underlying reasons, warning signs, and appropriate responses. We’ll explore what to say, what not to say, and where someone who might be contemplating suicide can go to seek help. By addressing suicide openly and empathetically, parents can de-escalate suicidal ideation and guide their children toward appropriate support and intervention. Unwavering support and understanding are essential in helping children navigate life’s challenges.

• Ask a Therapist live virtual event. This is an anonymous opportunity to ask questions from a licensed family therapist about your child’s mental health. It is a live event on Sept. 29th at 6 pm with access to the recording afterwards. Registration Link: https://cookcenter.info/ATLSept29

• Included in the mental health series is a "Watch Together Series." While the Mental Health Series is designed for parents, these “Watch Together” events are for the whole family, especially teens and young adults. In each episode, you'll meet a new animated character facing real challenges that teens and young adults experience. Together, you and your family can watch their story and learn how to start meaningful conversations at home.

 Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

DATE:
August 27, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists 

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

SUBJECT:
Monthly Drill Preparation (SECURE)

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Our monthly drill preparation will be held on September 2nd at 2:40 PM, 3:10 PM, and again at 3:40 PM. Each session will last about 20 minutes. This month we will be covering SECURE.  Each school safety specialist is expected to attend.  All other administrators are welcomed to attend as well. The meeting is also opened to any staff who may be interested as well. 

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 SECURE response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 8-11. 

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.

TO:
All Administrators & Program Directors

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

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At we start the 2026-27 school year, we want to remind you about the master calendar for the District. You can find it on mastercal.jordandistrict.org. This calendar is intended to inform principals, administrators & District personnel of district events and due dates (it does not include individual school events).

If you would like to copy anything on this calendar to your personal google calendar, simply click on the “see more details” link and then copy it using the three vertical dot (options) button.

To search for an item in the master calendar, you can use Command+F (Apple) or Control+F (PC). This will bring up a search bar where you can type a few key words to help you find the information you are seeking.

If you would like to add a district event or make a revision to the master calendar, please contact Lisa LeStarge at 801-567-8120 or lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org.