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TO:
All Administrators
All Office Staff

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager


We are excited to announce our annual Utah Skyward User Conference! The conference is scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th at Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building. Please see the attached agenda for additional details.

This conference is an opportunity to learn about Skyward directly from the source as most sessions are presented by Skyward staff. There are some fantastic sessions being offered this year, including Data Mining for Beginners, Data Mining for Advanced Users, Admin Bootcamp, Skyward Tips & Tricks, Grade Analysis, and Qmlativ Business sessions.

During these sessions, you’re welcome to ask questions. However, if you have an issue that may take more time to resolve, we suggest you call our help desk for additional support.

We hope you make the most out of this year's conference by discovering fresh insights, learning valuable tips and tricks, getting your questions answered, and exploring new possibilities within Skyward. If you have any questions about attending the conference, please feel free to call the help desk at ext. 88737.

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager


The Skyward finance system will be unavailable for yearly maintenance on Wednesday, October 2, at 4:00 pm. This process will log you out of Web Finance and you will not be able to log in while we are running these year-end processes. If you have access to PaC, please logout before 4:00 pm. This process is expected to take one hour, at which time the system will be restored.

The following are new administrative assignments:

New Assignment effective Sept. 17, 2024:
Megan Daly, administrative intern at Mountain Ridge High, transferred as administrative intern at Copper Canyon Elementary.

New Assignment effective Oct. 28, 2024:
Jacob Rollins, teacher at Copper Hills High, appointed assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High, replacing Megan Daly

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Natalie Grange, Accountant/CPA


As was discussed in principals meeting, all classroom, school, and district grants must have a Cabinet sponsor. Please use the grant pre-approval process in Skyward before anyone applies for a grant. Only Admin Assistants can start the Skyward pre-approval process. Instructions are attached. The only current exception to the grant pre-approval process are applications for classroom grants through JEF and Donors Choose.

DATE:
September 12, 2024

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Scott Festin, Planning Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT:
10th Day Enrollment vs. the Estimate for All Schools


The 2024-25 enrollment for all schools on the tenth day is 57,136. See the attached memo for more details.

TO:
Principals
Teachers

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services


Language And Culture Services has an opportunity for educators to join us to learn strategies for teaching Multilingual Students. If you missed our summer SIOP workshop, then this is the professional development for you! Please use this link to register: Fall 2024 ML Support PD Signup Form

 

 

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning


Our YuJa contract is set to expire on October 1, 2024. As a district, we’ve chosen not to renew the contract as there are many new options available to teachers and students to create screencast learning videos. Here are some of the best options for creating a video:

  • Screencast by Google - This tool has recently been made FREE on any Chromebook device.  The videos save directly into Google Drive and you have unlimited access to create and store videos.  Unfortunately, you can only create ScreenCast videos on a Chromebook device, not using Google Chrome on a Mac or PC. Learn more about creating videos using Screencast.
  • Canva - One of underutilized tools from Canvas is a video creation tool.  You can use AI to help you create some elements of videos and use the Canva collections to add callouts, text, etc. to your projects. Check out a Canva video tutorial.
  • Loom - This tool allows you access to a pro educational account for creating videos.  Simple to use and edit your videos, loom is a great option for teachers using their Mac or PC.  Find out more about Loom.
  • Built in Tools on your Mac or PC - Both Mac and PC provide options for you to create screencast videos.  You can use QuickTime Pro or Command +Shift+ 5 to create a quick video as well.  These must be uploaded into Google Drive or Canvas to share with students. Similar options are available for the PC - here’s an article describing some of your options on the PC.

Please note you can still download any videos from YuJa you need for your classroom.  These must be downloaded by Oct. 1, 2024 to ensure you have access to your video content. Instructions on downloading videos can be found on the YuJa website.

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services


Language & Culture Services wants to celebrate our 2024 WIDA graduates. Our students work hard and we want to celebrate their linguistic greatness in reaching level 4.2 overall and level 3.5 on the speaking section in WIDA. Please come out and celebrate with your students and their families. Each feeder system has a special date.

  • Sept. 23, Mountain Ridge High, 7 p.m.
  • Oct. 9, Bingham High, 7 p.m.
  • Oct. 30, Herriman High, 7 p.m.
  • Nov.7, West Jordan High, 7 p.m.
  • Nov. 21, Copper Hills High, 7 p.m.
  • Dec. 2, Riverton High, 7 p.m.

You can access your individual feeder system flyer using this link:

DATE:
Thursday, September 5, 2024

TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager in Information Systems
David Bowman, Systems and Security Manager


Information Systems is excited to announce that on September 12th, we'll be implementing a new email security system to enhance your online safety. This upgrade will reduce the amount of spam and scams you receive. As we fine-tune the system, some emails will have "SPAM?" in the subject line.

If you're expecting an email that hasn't arrived, please don't hesitate to contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737. We're committed to providing you with the best possible email experience.

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant in Teaching & Learning


Check out the links below for the latest updates from Teaching & Learning for September. Learn Tips and Tricks, Sign Up for Upcoming PD, and Learn about Important Updates from the T & L team.

TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator


Please see the attached newsletter.

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator


Many workers are injured or killed on aerial lifts each year. Please see the attached fact sheet from OSHA which provides information to help employers and workers recognize and avoid safety hazards they may encounter when they use aerial lifts.

DATE:
Thursday, September 5, 2024

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Record of August 13th Professional Learning Day Attendees
________________________________________________________________________________
School administrators may access a Tableau dashboard that contains a record of all educators who signed in using the QR codes for both the morning keynote sessions and the afternoon breakout sessions during the August 13th professional learning day. The dashboard may be accessed here. Administrators may also filter the list by conference location.

For questions about this dashboard, please refer to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

TO:
All Administrators
Finance Departments
School and Department Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems


We are excited to announce that we will implement Google as a convenient and secure way for users to access our Skyward systems on September 6, 2024. This new method will streamline your login process and enhance the overall security of your Skyward account. 

In the Skyward Finance system, logging in with Google will be REQUIRED for departments, administrators, and school office staff, and optional for employee access users. In the Skyward Student system, logging in with Google will be optional for all staff. 

Two Easy Methods to Login to Skyward Using Google

  • Navigate to the Skyward login screen and select the “Staff Login with Google” button. If you are already logged in to your JSD Google account, you will be immediately logged in to Skyward. If you are not already logged in to your JSD Google account, you will be taken to a Google login screen where you will need to login to your JSD Google account.

  • After logging in to your JSD Google account, click the waffle menu in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll down and select “Skyward Finance” or “Skyward Student”.

Benefits of Using Google for Skyward

  • Enhanced Security: Google provides a more secure login process by eliminating the need to remember and manage multiple passwords. Also, because you are logging in to your JSD Google account, you will be using multi-factor authentication.

  • Convenience: With Google, you can access Skyward with a single click, saving you time and effort. 

If you encounter any issues accessing Skyward with your Google account or have questions, please contact the Information Systems help desk at (801) 567-8737.

DATE:
August 29, 2024

TO:
Secondary Principals
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:
Ballet West 2024-25 Student In-Theater Presentations


Ballet West is again providing free presentations of the following ballets in the Capitol Theater:

  • Pictures At An Exhibition (Grades 4-12)
  • The Nutcracker (Grades 1-12)
  • Cinderella (Grades 2-12)
  • Fairy Tale Theater: Alladin (Grades 1-12)
  • The Rite of Spring (Grades 5-12)
  • Works From Within (Grades 5-12)

 Each program begins with an educational introduction and is followed by a portion of the repertoire currently being performed for the general public.

Further information may be found at Ballet West Student In-Theatre Performances and in this flyer.

If any of your teachers are interested in having their classes attend any of the performances, please have them contact Sydney Hamblin at sydney.hamblin@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8296. Seating is limited and performance slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

Transportation fees and bus scheduling are to be taken care of by individual schools. Neither Ballet West nor the Teaching and Learning Department will cover transportation costs.

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services


We are excited for our annual Fall Family Fair on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 4 - 7 p.m. at the the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan. All Jordan District students and their families are invited to come celebrate back to school with us and become familiar with the District and the Community.

Special music guests, "Superintendents of Rock", featuring our very own Dr. Godfrey, will be performing. Come out with your family, enjoy snacks from the food trucks, win prizes, and get to know the district community.

DATE:
August 16, 2024

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
Professional Development Opportunities for September and October


Below is a listing of all the professional development opportunities for Special Education Licensed Staff for September and October. A link to sign up for each training will be sent to all Special Education Licensed Staff Members.