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Category: Other Admin Info

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During the 2020-2021 contract year, performance evaluations for Education Support Professionals will be optional, with the exception of Provisional employees. By policy, provisional employees must be evaluated twice in their first year of employment. For career employees, evaluations are recommended if performance concerns exist.

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DATE:  
Thursday, November 12, 2020

TO:  
All Principals
All District Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Student Data Privacy Approved Apps and Programs

A list of apps and programs that have been reviewed for student data privacy and curricular use has been published online.  This searchable list contains apps that have been approved for use as well as those that have been reviewed and denied.  This list will show the grade levels for which the app has been approved and whether or not parent consent will be required for the app’s use.  Any app that has an approval status of ‘Approved for Use’ may be used by schools.

The list may be found on the Evaluation, Research & Accountability website:
https://assessments.jordandistrict.org/student-data-privacy-approval-requests/

Or educators may go directly to Jordan School District’s Public Library on LearnPlatform:
https://jordandistrict.app.learnplatform.com/new/public/tools

As we are constantly reviewing apps and programs, this list will be updated regularly.

Please contact the district’s Student Data Privacy Managers:
Holly Allen (holly.allen@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8115)
Steven Harwood (steven.harwood@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8257).

 

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2020-2021 Leave Policy Overview: Please see the attached Leave Policy Overview by employee type below. Changes to leave policy for the 2020-21 school year are clearly indicated in red. Questions can be directed to Jane Olsen, HR Generalist.

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Principals:

We have scheduled two separate training sessions on the operation of the school’s security camera and software. The training will include the use of the software, saving of camera footage and the transferring of that footage to the appropriate device. We receive many requests for help in this area.

The training will be held on November 10, 2020.

Session 1:  9:00-10:00 am
Session 2:  1:00-2:00 pm

Both sessions will be held at the Auxiliary Service Building in the Auditorium, enter at Entrance A. It is recommended that at least one administrator per building attend one of the sessions and if possible send one hall monitor to each session.

Masks are required. Social Distancing will be maintained.

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We are excited to offer our Utah Skyward Conference virtually this year!

The conference has been scheduled over two weeks, November 2nd-6th and November 9th-13th. The first week is dedicated to Skyward presenters and the second week is focused on state-specific sessions, along with presentations from vendors and other districts that use Skyward from across the country. There will be morning and afternoon sessions offered each day, in order to give everyone the opportunity to attend. For example: Monday morning will have Finance sessions and Monday afternoon will have Student sessions. On Tuesday, the morning sessions are Student and the afternoon sessions are Finance.

Here is a link to the Skyward Virtual User Group. On this site, you can browse the sessions that are offered, as well as download the agendas (also attached to this email), and register for sessions. You can filter the sessions by date, product (SMS - which is the Skyward system we currently use in JSD, and Qmlativ - which we currently do not use), and Skyward area, i.e. Food Service, Student Management, Human Resources, and Special Education. **Important Note** All times listed for the sessions are Central Standard Time.

To register for sessions on this site, you will need to select "Register for SMS 2.0" in order to view the session for the Skyward system we currently use. If the button "Register for SMS 2.0" is not available, that session is not offered for our current Skyward system. Once you select the option to register, you will be prompted to select your state and school district, then enter your login credentials for Skyward (credentials for both Student Management and Finance will work). Select "Confirm". You will be taken to a new screen where you need to enter your first name, last name and email address, then select "Register". You will receive a confirmation email after you register for each session. You will also receive an email one business day prior to the session you registered for that will include instructions on how to attend the virtual session.

During the virtual sessions you will have the opportunity to ask questions via chat or Q&A periods throughout the sessions. However, if you have a problem that will take a bit longer to resolve, we suggest that you call our help desk to get further assistance. If you find that you are not able to attend something that you really wanted to see, Skyward will be recording every session and will post links to each session along with any presenter notes and handouts.

As always, we hope you get the best out of this virtual conference and are able to see new things, learn new tips and tricks, get some of your questions answered, and see some of the new possibilities in Skyward. If you have any questions about attending the conference, please feel free to reach out to me, Steffany Ellsworth, (steffany.ellsworth@jordandistrict.org) or x88240.

Thank you!

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DATE:
October 15, 2020

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment
Scott Festin, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment
Steven Harwood, Support Services & Programming Manager

SUBJECT:
Fall Enrollment as of October 1, 2020 - REVISED

Please see memo and report below.

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DATE:    
Thursday, October 15, 2020

TO:   
All Principals
All District Department Heads and Directors

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Kurt Prusse, Director of Purchasing
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems

SUBJECT:
Student Data Privacy Updates and Reminders

Principals are asked to read and then communicate the following information to their faculty.

We cannot buy or use websites, apps, or software without checking into how they collect, manage, and use student data. If we do, we run the risk of breaking state and federal laws. Because of this, we are asking that all purchases related to website subscriptions, apps, or software go through Purchasing. This includes purchases made with teacher money and p-cards.

We cannot let children under 13 use websites or apps that collect their data without parent notification. This can be done in disclosure documents, emails to parents or other means of communication. Some websites, software, and apps do not allow children under 13 to use their services even with parent permission. These are prohibited by the district for grades K-7. Some websites, software, and apps do not allow children under 18 to use their services. These are prohibited by the district for all students.

Current processes for purchasing websites, apps, and software: 2020-2021

  • The school submits the requisition for the purchase of an app or program to Purchasing.
  • Website, app, or software is vetted for student data privacy.
  • Purchasing will send the district’s data privacy agreement (DPA) to the vendor to sign if needed.
  • Once the vendor signs the DPA, the purchasing process is completed.
  • If a vendor chooses not to sign or does not respond, the purchase of the app or program is halted and Information Systems is asked to block the website or application. There are currently two apps that have been blocked because of student data privacy reasons:
    • Quizlet
    • Beano

At a later date, Evaluation, Research & Accountability will be contacting digital teaching and learning coaches at each building in order to train them on vetting apps and programs. In addition, together with Teaching & Learning, we are working to develop an interactive website where schools and teachers may go to see what apps and programs have been approved and denied.

Please email the district student data privacy managers if you have any questions.
Holly L. Allen: holly.allen@jordandistrict.org
Steven Harwood: steven.harwood@jordandistrict.org

 

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Due to the District Office closing for Fall Recess at the end of the day on Thursday, Oct. 22, and not returning until Monday, Oct. 26, the Payroll Department is making the following recommendations:

  1. If you need to close your bank account, please call Payroll immediately.
  2. If you are a True Time employee, make sure your time is submitted. If you are a True Time approver, please make sure all time is approved.
  3. Paychecks are available for viewing in Employee Access on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
    Please review your pay check and call Payroll immediately with any questions or concerns.  (801) 567-8155.
    If you need help logging into your Employee Access, call the help desk at 801-567-8737.
  4. Payday is on Oct. 22nd.

The Payroll Department will resume work on Oct. 26, 2020 and will be available if you have any questions.

Thank you for your efforts in assisting Payroll.

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Trauma can have a detrimental impact on students' functioning in the school setting. Educators need tools to identify and support students who may have experienced or are currently experiencing traumatic stress. Please see the attachment below for helpful information and strategies.

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In order to ensure that your District mail is properly delivered, please include the following on all items:

  • First and last names
  • Full school or department name
  • Full building name (for items not delivered to schools)

Thanks! This will help ensure that all of your items are delivered quickly to the proper location.