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Category: Other Admin Info

Published on

DATE:
November 12, 2026

TO:
All Employees

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Jared Covili, Consultant, Innovative Coaching
Steffany Ellsworth, Assistant Director of Information Systems
Caleb Olson, Consultant of Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Migration to Qmlativ Student Information System - Coming Summer 2027!

We are excited to announce that our district is migrating to a new student information system, Qmlativ, on August 2, 2027. This migration is designed to make daily tasks smoother and much more efficient.

Key Upgrades in Qmlativ

  • Customizable Live Tiles: Personalized dashboards with direct shortcuts to daily tasks.
  • Simplified List Screens: Streamlined filtering and custom-built views to maintain student records quickly.
  • Modern Interface: Clean, intuitive design for improved navigation.

Training and Support Plan
We are preparing a comprehensive training and support program to ensure a smooth transition for all staff.

  • Pre-Launch Training: Includes hands-on sessions, role-specific resources, and access to a sandbox environment prior to go-live.
  • Post-Launch Support: Provides ongoing helpdesk support, refresher training sessions, and online Q&A opportunities.

 Next Steps
While our migration team is hard at work configuring Qmlativ and verifying the accuracy of migrated data, no immediate action is required on your part. Further updates, Qmlativ demonstration videos, and specific training schedules will be shared in the coming months.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737 or extension 88737.

Published on

DATE: 
November 10, 2026

TO: 
All Administrators
School Resource Officers

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

SUBJECT:
District Inter-City SRO Training

The District Inter-City School Resource Officer training is coming up and attendance from each SRO and at least one school administrator is strongly encouraged.  The number one request from our SROs was administrator involvement. The invitation includes elementary administrators as well. Many of the students we discuss have younger siblings who are often impacted by the same issues and subject to the trends we see.

This is a great opportunity for the cities to collaborate and discuss students and/or issues of concern that cross borders.  We also cover trends, current events, and how we can improve district/city relationships.

Date: November 20th
Time: 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Location: Jordan Learning Center

Please contact District School Safety Coordinator, Matt Alvernaz at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or by phone at (801) 567-8623 if you have any questions.

Published on

TO:
All Principals, Jordan School District
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Jordan District Nurses

SUBJECT:
CPR/First Aid/AED Certification - Instruction Updates

Beginning in January 2027, we will be transitioning to the American Red Cross program for district employee certification in CPR, First Aid, and AED.

Please notify any employees who have already enrolled in the National Safety Council (NSC) online course that they will need to pass their in-person skills check at either the November 20 or December 4 class.

Additional information about registering for the American Red Cross classes will be sent out in December. Please watch for those details. If you have any questions about the transition, please call Shannel Hooper at extension 88204.

Published on

 

DATE: 
November 12, 2026

TO: 
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

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

SUBJECT:   
Qmlativ Invoice Filter

Recently changes were made within Qmlativ to allow departments and schools to see supporting documents and transactions posted within your accounts. As a result, there are more items appearing on your Invoice List screens related to other locations. In order to reduce the number of items seen please refer to the attached instructions to create a list view filter to reduce the items. These instructions can also be found on Information System’s website under Documentation – Accounting - Qmlativ, or at the following link.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Ellis at (801)-567-8389.

Published on

TO:
Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Sarah Palmer, Payroll Director

All Time Tracking through Nov 1st must be submitted and fully approved by Nov 16th to be included in the Nov 25th pay check.

NOTE: This deadline is critical in ensuring employees are paid on time. If Time Tracking is submitted and/or approved past this date, the TT will not be processed in time for payday. We recommend that TT is submitted and approved on a weekly basis to prevent disruption of pay.

The Time Tracking Tutorials are located on the Payroll webpage at payroll.jordandistrict.org/employee.

Published on

TO:
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Kurt Prusse, Director of Purchasing

With the new Qmlativ finance system, finding things is different from the old SMS system. Here is a brief tutorial of how to check on the status of a PO and whether or not it has been paid. You will be able to see if it has been paid for or is still waiting for some other approval or process. When a purchase order is paid, it will not move to a History status; it will remain Open until the end of the month. The tutorial will walk you through how to see this.

If there are other helpful tips you need, please don't hesitate to contact the Purchasing Department so we can help you. It may be something other people are struggling with too. There are other useful tutorials on our website that may be of help to you.

Published on

TO:
Administrator, Administrative Assistants

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

If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before or after Winter 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

Published on

TO:
Principals & Administrative Assistants

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

District allocations for individual schools were updated in Skyward on October 30. Adjustments were made based on the October 1 headcount. Carryforward balances and transfer requests are included in the total allocation.

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

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Brandon Larsen, Performing & Fine Arts Consultant, Teaching & Learning

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education (SLA Awards).

This is a fantastic opportunity to recognize outstanding leadership and teaching across Jordan School District. Awards highlight excellence in Dance, Music, Theatre/Drama, Visual Arts, and Film/Media, as well as specialized categories for administrators, exemplary arts programs, and elementary teachers who integrate the arts into general instruction.

• Who Can Nominate: Principals, teacher peers, parents, and students.
• Nomination Link: Sorenson Legacy Awards Nomination Form
• Deadline: November 30th at 11:59 PM

Please share the nomination link and attached flyer with your staff and school communities. Final candidates for each category will be selected in December to complete a full application.

For questions regarding the nomination process or award applications, please contact Liz Bunker at liz.bunker@schools.utah.gov.

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Cherie Oliver, Jordan Education Foundation

Costa Vida is hosting a fundraising event that supports the whole district! On November 4th, eat at one of three Costa Vida locations and 20% of proceeds will come back to Jordan Education Foundation. Details on attached flyer.

Published on

TO:
All principals and administrators responsible for facility assessment

FROM:
Ian Roberts - Director of Facility Services

Starting at the beginning of November, Facility Services will be reaching out to arrange a meeting with principals and custodians to discuss and review facility needs. This event typically takes place from January through February, however, recent changes in legislation will result in additional time needed to meet time line requirements for the Division of Facilities and Construction Management oversight.

The purpose of the annual facility assessment is to provide a collaborative opportunity for the principal, custodian, and facilities coordinator to review and prioritize the building’s most critical needs. Guided by the prioritization philosophy established by the district and Board of Education, the team works together to make strategic, responsible decisions with a primary emphasis on student and staff safety. The assessment also helps schools identify significant facility improvement needs, such as roof replacements or major mechanical and building system upgrades. In addition, the process provides an opportunity to discuss other facility concerns, needs, and desired improvements and to categorize them appropriately—for example, as routine work orders, school-funded special projects, or larger capital projects for future consideration.

We understand the demands on administrators' time, particularly with the upcoming holidays and their numerous responsibilities. That said, we respectfully request that principals prioritize this assessment review.

Published on

DATE:
October 15, 2026

TO:
All Administrators and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

SUBJECT:
Administrative Assignments

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignments effective Oct. 20, 2026:

  • Katie Mintiloglitis, Assistant Principal at Rivers Edge School, transferred as Consultant to the Special Education department.
  • Becky West, Behavior Specialist in Granite School District, appointed Assistant Principal at Rivers Edge School.
  • Keith Klein, teacher at Jordan Ridge Elementary, appointed Assistant Principal at Bluffdale Elementary.
  • Polla Slade, Intern Assistant Principal at Foothills Elementary, transferred as Intern Assistant Principal at Aspen Elementary.

Published on

TO:
Administrative Assistants

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

We have a few spots open for Spanish for Office Staff. Our goal is to provide tools and resources for office staff so that you can sharpen the Spanish skills, whether this is your first time being exposed to Spanish or you learned in high school, we encourage all office staff who have students that speak Spanish to take this 5 week course from our DLI educators. Please sign up here. 

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

Language & Culture Services wants to provide you with one place to find the information to support the language and culture in your school. In this newsletter you will find:

  • We had an excellent turn out at our annual Multilingual Family Night! We celebrated multilingualism with great food, student performances, and by celebrating our MLs that tested proficient on WIDA last year! Thank you to our JSD employees that attended, Foothills Elementary DLI students, our other student speakers and performers, and all of you that support our Multilingual Learners!
  • Strategy Highlight - ELLevation has a catalog of high-quality strategies that can be implemented into Tier 1 instruction. Each strategy also provides scaffolding suggestions for Multilingual Learners. You can find the Strategy Catalog by logging into ellevationeducation.com, then use the “Strategies” tab, and go to “Browse Catalog.”
    This month we’d like to highlight the following strategy: Vocabulary Rating - Benefits for Multilingual Learners Develop Academic Language with Weighted Words: Increased exposure to and meaningful practice with vocabulary words and phrases will support a deeper understanding of language at all levels. How To: Identify a list of vocabulary to focus on during the lesson and have students self-assess their vocabulary knowledge. Best used for: Hook/Intro of a lesson, as an Assessment
  • Announcements - Reminder: ELLevation Tasks are due! Exit Letters: Any remaining letters left in “Not Started” should be printed & sent home. Exit Interviews: Interviews need to be conducted with parents/guardians of students that tested proficient last Spring. Quarter 1 Monitoring: Forms are due Oct. 16. For support, please reach out to your school’s ELD Lead, Admin over MLs, or Language Teacher Specialist!

  • Culture & Diversity - Hispanic Heritage Month: Sept. 15 - Oct.15 | Recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Hispanic Heritage Month Information Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): Nov. 1 -2  | a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated to honor, remember, and welcome back the spirits of deceased family and friends. Day of the Dead Resources.

Published on

TO:
Elementary Principals and Elementary Assistant Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Todd Theobald, Teaching and Learning

Grade Transmittal Day is Oct. 19, and all elementary teachers are expected to review student evidence and record Quarter 1 proficiency levels in Skyward. Quarter 1 provides an important snapshot of where students are in their learning at this point in the year, even though a formal report card is not generated until Semester 1. Teachers should record a current proficiency level for each strand where they have enough meaningful evidence to make a reasonable determination, using the full-year proficiency scale as the reference point. Please review the JSD Elementary Grade Transmittal Expectations for a quick overview of what to record, why these snapshots matter, and how expectations progress throughout the year.

JSD Elementary Grade Transmittal Expectations
Grade Transmittal Day provides teachers with dedicated time to review student evidence, reconcile proficiency levels, and ensure that Skyward accurately reflects each student’s current learning. The goal is not to create a perfect or final judgment of student performance. The goal is to provide an accurate snapshot of where each student is at that point in time.

What should teachers do?
For each subject area, review the overall strand proficiency level in Skyward and ask: “Based on the evidence I have right now, what is the best description of this student’s current proficiency?”

The proficiency level recorded should reflect the student’s current performance in relation to the full grade-level standard and proficiency scale, even if every portion of the standard has not yet been taught.

Teachers should enter a proficiency level whenever they have enough meaningful evidence to make a reasonable determination. This does not require perfect or exhaustive evidence. If the evidence available provides a reasonable picture of where the student currently is, that information should be recorded.

A blank should generally indicate that there is not yet enough evidence to make a reasonable determination.

Why does this matter?
Quarterly proficiency levels create a record of student learning over time.

Even though elementary report cards are only generated at the end of Semester 1 and Semester 2, Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 scores still provide valuable snapshots. These records can:

  • Help document student growth across the year,
  • Provide useful information if a student transfers to another school or district,
  • Support communication with parents and future teachers, and
  • Ensure that reported proficiency levels accurately reflect what students currently know and can do.

Ideally, the information entered in Skyward should not be a surprise to families. Teachers should be communicating student progress early, often, and consistently throughout the year.

What should be recorded at each checkpoint?
Quarter 1 - Snapshot - Record current proficiency levels for the strands where you have meaningful evidence. Students are still early in the learning process, so Level 1 and Level 2 scores may be entirely appropriate.

Semester 1 - Semester Picture - Review and reconcile the Semester 1 proficiency level for each strand that has been meaningfully measured. In English Language Arts, students should have a proficiency level for all three strands: Reading, Writing, and Speaking & Listening.

Some areas in other subjects may still be blank if they have not yet been sufficiently measured.

Quarter 3 - Updated Snapshot - Update proficiency levels based on the evidence collected since Semester 1. The picture of student learning should continue to become more complete as the year progresses.

Semester 2 - Complete Picture - By the end of the year, the full grade-level core should have been taught, and teachers should generally have a proficiency level recorded for every strand.

There may be rare circumstances where an exception is appropriate. In those cases, teachers should work with their administrator.

One important reminder
A proficiency level is not based on whether a student is “on track for this time of year.” It is based on the full-year proficiency scale.

For example, if a student has successfully learned everything that has been taught so far but their current evidence places them at Level 2 on the full standard, Level 2 is the accurate proficiency level to report.

The purpose of Grade Transmittal Day is simple:

Review the evidence → Reconcile the overall proficiency level → Document where the student is right now.

Published on

TO:
All Employees

FROM:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent

The 6th annual Health and Wellness Day is back again, will be bigger than ever, and will be here before we know it! Employees can look forward to connecting with colleagues and prioritizing their well-being through a variety of wellness offers across the District. Mark your calendar because you won’t want to miss this!

Published on

DATE:
October 15, 2026

TO: 
All Administrators & Threat Assessment Teams

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

SUBJECT:  
Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Training

CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels, Level 1 and Level 2. Both levels must be completed by all administrators and threat assessment team members.  CSTAG Level 2 training is for all who have completed the Level 1 training (the web-based training from Navigate360). Level 2 training builds upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.

New Administrators and Administrative Interns are encouraged to attend.

Select the link to register for a session of CSTAG Level 2 training.

In-Person CSTAG Level Two Training:
Friday, November 13th (In-Person) 1-3PM
District Office Room 129
Registration Link

Other important CSTAG reminders: If your school wants to train a staff member or threat assessment team member that is not an administrator in CSTAG level 1, please email angie.rassumussen@jordandistrict.org the request with the person’s name, title, and email address. CSTAG Level 1 is web-based through Navigate 360 and costs $100 per person. A request for reimbursement will be sent to the school after the staff member has been added.

To access CSTAG documents and resources use this link: CSTAG Resources

We look forward to learning more about your school's violence prevention initiatives and CSTAG implementation, or assisting you with customized training needs. To schedule a meeting, please contact Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

TO:
JSD Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Curtis Jenson, Assistant Director of Teaching & Learning

We had the chance in this week’s Principal meeting to spend the day with Jan Hoegh talking about how our work over the past year with Proficiency Scales translates into next steps with assessment and reporting. While we do that work, we have the unique chance to participate in a book study with Jan this spring using her book Planning & Teaching in the Standards-Based Classroom.

 The book study will happen during three 75-minute virtual sessions with Jan Hoegh. While dates are still being finalized, they will occur in February, March and April of 2027. We will provide all participants with a copy of the book to use throughout the book study and beyond. All JSD administrators are invited to participate in this optional book study.

Interested? Let us know here and we’ll get you a copy of the book.

We’ll keep you posted on exact dates and times for the book study. We just want it to be on your radar while it’s fresh. It’s unusual to get the chance to talk in this setting with the leading expert in the field while we’re actually doing the things she’s writing about. If you’re interested, let us know and we’ll get the book for you. If the final dates for the book study don’t work for you, at least you have access to the source material.