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DATE:
July 8, 2021

TO:  
All District Employees

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Student Support Consultant

SUBJECT:  
Required Annual Training to Help Prevent Child Sex Abuse


Per state statue all school district employees are to be trained annually concerning Child Sex Abuse Prevention or Human Trafficking Prevention. This year (2021-2022) Child Sex Abuse training will be replacing the Human Trafficking Prevention training conducted last year in Crucial Concerns and Policies.

What:                          An on-line training from Prevent Child Abuse Utah
Who:                           All adult school district employees
Time:                           1 hour to complete
Date:                           May begin now but must be completed by October.
Link to training:      Preventing Child Abuse An Online Course for Adults Working With Youth

At the end of the training there will be a Certificate of Completion that should be printed by the employee for their records.

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignments effective July 1, 2021:

  • Jarom Airhart, administrative intern at Academy Park and Plymouth Elementary in Granite School District, appointed assistant principal at Aspen and Terra Linda Elementary.
  • Aubri Moench, teacher at Fox Hollow Elementary, appointed assistant principal at Riverton and Jordan Hills Elementary.

As of March 2021, the Fire and Security department began replacing all employee access badges that are approximately 5 years and older. This process is being conducted on a school by school basis. They are also upgrading badge holders that will assist in preventing wear and loss. Office staff at each location will be contacted for assistance in confirming active employees, in collecting the old badges, and in distributing the new. The process of replacing said employee access badges will be free of charge. Employees will remain responsible for the fee of $7.00 to replace a lost access badge. This will be done through a payroll deduction.

Pass badges, such as portable passes, substitute passes, sweeper passes, and elevator passes, will also be replaced considering the needs of each location.  This is also being conducted on a school by school basis. Once schools receive new pass badges, they will be required to pay the $7.00 replacement fee for any badges that are lost or stolen. This can be done through a journal entry.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Due to the recent approval of changes made to BP178 – Purchasing Provisions, the Accounting and Purchasing Departments would like to announce the following changes. Effective July 1, 2021, the Purchasing Guidelines will have increased spending thresholds at each level, which will also include Pcard and eCheck purchases. Most notable in the changes is the increase of the individual procurement item threshold (single item) from $1,000 to $5,000. There will not be a distinction under the Level 1 purchase threshold of a single item purchased and a single procurement aggregate (multiple items purchased from one source at one time) purchase. They will both be $5,000 and will not require any additional quotes.

This also means that the maximum one-time charge that can be made using the district Pcard is $5,000. Because some administrators may not be comfortable with their employees having a higher limit on the Pcard, all cardholders will remain at current levels. A new application needs to be filled out with an acknowledgement for the higher dollar amount authorization must be signed by the cardholder and their supervisor. That form will be made available on the Purchasing website beginning July 1st. The Purchasing Card Manual has also been updated and must be read and understood before making any credit limit increases.

Attached is the updated and revised Purchasing Guidelines. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Purchasing Department with assistance with future purchases that will be affected by these changes.

Information Systems would like you to be aware that as of tomorrow, June 11, 2021, all Kajeet devices throughout the district will be disabled for the summer. They will be re-enabled on August 16th. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Sowa at 801-567-8392.

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignments effective July 1, 2021:

  • James Groethe, assistant principal at Copper Hills High appointed assistant principal at Bingham High School, replacing Kenneth Damron who resigned.
  • Sterling Hunt, assistant principal at West Jordan High appointed assistant principal at Copper Hills High, replacing James Groethe who was transferred.
  • Noelapoomaikala (Noelani) Ioane, teacher specialist in Teaching & Learning appointed assistant principal at West Jordan High, replacing Sterling Hunt who was transferred.
  • Josh Sullivan, assistant principal at Channing Hall, appointed assistant principal at Bluffdale and Antelope Canyon Elementary.
  • Aubri Moench, teacher at Fox Hollow Elementary, appointed assistant principal, on an open contract, at a location to be determined.

Date:
June 10, 2021

To:
All School Administrators

From:
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

Subject:
2021 WIDA Access Results and Dashboard


Results for the 2021 WIDA Access assessment administered in January-March this year are now available on your Tableau Viewer account. School administrators may access the following data:

  • District level data
  • School level data
  • Student level data

School administrators may interact with the data using the following demographic filters:

  • School year
  • Grade level
  • Gender
  • Economically disadvantaged
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Students with a disability

A data analysis protocol has been provided to help school leadership and EL teams examine the assessment data and brainstorm possible responses or implementations to further support the learning of EL students.

As a reminder, if having a group of teachers work with the Tableau dashboards is something principals are interested in, temporary access to the 2021 WIDA Access results may be granted through Tableau. Please contact Ben Jameson for more information.

 

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignments effective July 1, 2021:

  • Michael Haynes, JEF Board Member appointed director of the Jordan Education Foundation, replacing Steve Hall who is retiring.
  • Amanda Bollinger, consultant in Special Education appointed staff assistant in the Special Education Department.
  • Kaye Rizzuto, Social Studies teacher at Elk Ridge Middle appointed consultant in the Teaching & Learning Department, replacing Pam Su’a who is retiring.
  • Tamara Rajczyk, teacher specialist in Special Education appointed consultant in the Special Education Department, replacing Shelly Davis who is retiring.
  • Audrey Fish, assistant principal at Fort Herriman Middle appointed principal at Sunset Ridge Middle, replacing Kim Searle who is retiring.
  • Lisa Jackson, principal at Southland Elementary appointed assistant principal at Fort Herriman Middle, replacing Audrey Fish who was transferred.
  • Garett York, assistant principal at Westvale Elementary appointed principal at Southland Elementary, replacing Lisa Jackson who was transferred.
  • Tyler (TJ) Davenport, elementary teacher at Plymouth Elementary in the Granite School District, who was offered open contract in February 2021, appointed assistant principal at Westvale Elementary, replacing Garett York who was transferred.
  • Frank Preston, assistant principal at Herriman and Butterfield Canyon Elementary appointed assistant principal at Herriman and Daybreak Elementary.
  • Jennifer Smith, assistant principal at Foothills Elementary appointed assistant principal at Copper Canyon and Welby Elementary.
  • Michelle Kilcrease, assistant principal at Blackridge Elementary appointed assistant principal at Blackridge and Foothills Elementary.
  • Angela Hamilton, assistant principal at Bastian Elementary appointed assistant principal at Bastian and Butterfield Canyon Elementary.
  • Allyson Stovall, assistant principal at Southland and Welby Elementary appointed part-time assistant principal at Southland Elementary.
  • Kami Taylor, teacher specialist in Teaching & Learning appointed consultant for STEM and Computer Science in the Teaching & Learning Department.
  • Todd Theobald, assistant principal at Daybreak Elementary, part-time, appointed part-time administrator on special assignment in the Teaching & Learning Department.

DATE:  
May 26, 2021

TO:  
All Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources
Administrators of Schools

SUBJECT: 
Summer Hours for School Personnel


Please review the schedule of Summer Hours for School Personnel below, with all designated summer school personnel at your location. Extended school office/business hours are acceptable; however, other adjusted schedules are NOT acceptable because they limit public access to school personnel.

In an effort to keep you informed about changes in current technology support, Information Systems is announcing the following:

  • Information Systems is now able to support the new Apple operating system, OS 11, also called Big Sur, for devices that are capable of running it. Upgrading to this new operating system will need to be a technician assisted process. To determine if your computer is capable of accepting this upgrade, and to begin the process where applicable, please contact your building computer technician.
  • The newest generation of Apple computers using the M1 chip are now supported. Please see your building computer technician for further assistance with getting these devices deployed.
  • Information Systems is changing the district's antivirus from Sophos to Trend Micro. If you have any questions about this change, please consult your building computer technician.

DATE:
May 19, 2021

TO:
Elementary, Middle, High Schools Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
“NEW Behavioral and Mental Health Crisis Resource”


The Utah Department of Human Services has recently created the Stabilization and Mobile Response Team. This is meant to be an alternative to the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT). This resource is available for children and families from 7am-11pm. This resource can be reached by calling 1-833-SAFE-FAM (1-833-723-3326). This resource is meant for any parent or caregiver that is experiencing any of the following challenges with a child: threatens to inflict harm on self or others, is verbally or physically aggressive, uses substances, destroys or steals property, has difficulty in school, often runs away, bullies or is bullied, demonstrates severe changes in mood, experiences depression or anxiety, is withdrawn from friends and peers.

Here is a brief description of how this team will assist with these challenges.

Mobile Response Services

Provided to you in your home or at school to ease an immediate challenge and provide support.

  • Minimize the impact of the challenge on you and your family
  • Create safety plans
  • Connect you and your family to other helpful resources

Stabilization Services

Short-term services may be provided in addition to mobile response to help ensure your family’s long-term success.

  • Teach skills to improve family functioning
  • Create plans that prepare you for and prevent future challenges
  • Prevent the need for out-of-home services
  • Equip you with ongoing resources and support

For more information visit their website and review the attached flyer.

Dear Educators,

We would like to share a new professional learning opportunity with you called Utah Microcredentials. This resource is supported and funded by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and is available to all educators in Utah’s public education system, including teachers, instructional coaches, paraprofessionals, counselors, related service providers, administrators, and other educators.

Microcredentials acknowledge all the different types of professional learning that educators do, both formal, traditional courses and independent, self-directed learning. Realizing that educators are continually honing their craft, Utah Microcredentials provides a way to recognize that learning. Microcredentials represent instructional skills and concepts. A microcredential is competency-based recognition that the holder has demonstrated effective and consistent use of the target skill or concept as a part of their practice. Microcredentials are not earned through seat time, assignments, or tests. They are earned by submitting the required evidence for a specific microcredential on the target skill or concept.

Each Utah Microcredential is worth a 0.5 USBE credit, which may be used for relicensing and for salary changes in certain districts/charters. The cost for each is $20. Earning microcredentials is also a way to demonstrate leadership. Posting earned microcredentials on your webpage, social media, and even outside your door is an invitation to share your skills with others. For more information, you can use these resources:

  • A narrated video that provides an overview of microcredentials,
  • The UEN website for Utah’s Microcredentials,
  • A one-pager of the most frequently asked questions about microcredentials.

You can start earning Utah Microcredentials on MIDAS. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to supporting learning for our Utah students.