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Category: Other Administrators

Published on

DATE:     
April 4, 2024

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Empowering Parents: A Conference on Wellbeing

The Health and Wellness Department, in Student Services is hosting a parent event scheduled for April 10th, 2024 at Riverton High School. This conference- style event aims to bring together professionals and education experts in the field of mental health and well-being to share their knowledge, insights, and research with parents in our JSD communities. This event aims to help parents to be best equipped to support their children with well-being.

We will offer resource booths near the entrance of the school from 5:30-6pm, and throughout transition time for parents to gain insight and information on helpful resources.

We will offer three(3) 30-minutes sessions between 6pm-8pm to maximize learning for parent participants. Some sessions will repeat more than once.

Topics will include best practices, research insights, or information that would be useful to parents of school-aged children. Including mental health issues in the schools and associated issues (bullying, stress, perfectionism, social pressures, etc.), risk, prevention, resilience and ways in which parents can help support their students. See attachment for more details about resource tables and breakout sessions.

There is a digital copy of more information attached(for printing and sharing), but a hard copy will also be sent to your school.

Please consider posting this flyer somewhere with high parent traffic (maybe the main office entrance).

Share with PTA!

Encourage parents in your communities to attend!

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

IN HONOR OF JSD PARAEDUCATORS!

April 3rd was the official Paraeducator Appreciation Day and Western Governors’ University (WGU) is excited to announce a special initiative to honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions of paraeducators in Jordan School District.

We know the vital role Paraeducators play in supporting students, teachers, and the entire school community. Their dedication, compassion and hard work make a significant difference in the lives of students every day. In recognition of their outstanding efforts, WGU is promoting a paraeducator recognition program.

All JSD employees are encouraged to nominate a paraeducator that exemplifies excellence, goes above and beyond in their role and demonstrates a commitment to student success. This is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on those employees who make a profound impact in the classroom and beyond!

Nominations can be submitted through this online form - [SUBMIT NOMINEE HERE] and the deadline for submission is April 5th. Paraeducators that are nominated for this recognition will be put into a drawing for a special prize as a token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

WHAT: Standard Response Protocol / Standard Reunification Method Half-Day Virtual Workshop led by The “I Love U Guys'' Foundation, paid for by USBE. There are two training dates for the same content and only one should be attended. Please note, these trainings do not include the train-the-trainer component, as previously offered. See below for details.

WHO: School Safety and Security Specialists, School Building Administrators, Crisis-Response Team Members, School-based Mental Health Professionals, School Resource Officers (SROs) / Law Enforcement, and other school employees and community partners who support school safety.

Number of participants: The first 400 registrants for each workshop. A waiting list of 50 people will be maintained.

WHEN: Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Virtual)
OR
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Virtual)

WHERE: A Zoom link will be provided to participants after registration.

ACTION: Save your seat by registering for one of the following:

  • Registration • for Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Virtual)     Registration Form
  • Registration • for Wednesday, May 15, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Virtual)      Registration Form

MORE INFORMATION: Visit The “I Love U Guys'' Foundation website for additional details.

QUESTIONS: Email the schoolsafetyprograms@schools.utah.gov.

Published on

DATE:
April 1, 2024

TO:
All Principals All Budget Directors

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets & Audits
June LeMaster, Administrator, Human Resources
Steffany Ellsworth, Manager, Information Systems
Bonnie Brennan, Director of Insurance Services
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll
Kurt Prusse, Director of Purchasing

SUBJECT:
Year-End Processing Deadlines

Please observe the critical deadlines, included in the memo below, regarding the financial year-end processes for the 2023-24 year. Please review these dates as they could have a major effect on your location’s ability to operate.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Nadine Page, Administrative Assistant

Deadline Extended to April 5, 2024

Reminder!

The LOG/TIMESHEET must be turned in to the school no later than April 5, 2024 so that amounts may be paid in the May 2024 paycheck. Payroll will take the information for payment from the Google Sheet.

Please make sure to total the hours listed on the Log/Timesheet and put this number on the Google Sheet. Double check to make sure ALL employees to be paid are listed and that their hours worked are correct. If you have questions please reach out to Nadine Page at x88182 or nadine.page@jordandistrict.org.

Below you will find the original documents sent out at the beginning of the school year with all the guidelines.

Dates were revised to have Log/Timesheets due on April 1st in order to provide payment on the May payroll in this JAM

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Ami Shah, Officer Equity & Compliance

The final PD of the year is on April 11, 2024, at the JATC South from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Prof. Dusty Jensen from USU will present on understanding the culture and needs of our Native American students.

All licensed employees will receive 2 hours of in-service pay and licensure points. The administrators are encouraged to attend.

Register for the PD HERE

Please see the flyer for additional information.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

URGENT - Professional License Renewal Reminder

Teachers and other educators whose license will expire on June 30, 2024, are encouraged to begin the license renewal process IMMEDIATELY by going to the USBE website. Reminder letters regarding license renewal information will be sent out this month to individuals with expiring licenses.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
June LeMaster, Administrator of Human Resources

Special Calendars are Coming Mid April

It is that time of year when Administrators review Licensed staff to determine who require a special calendar for the 2024-25 school year. Special Calendars are an essential Human Resources process to ensure appropriate contract pay, accurate time entry, and emergency employee tracking.

Examples for employee who may be on a special calendar include:

  • Educators in Job Share Assignments
  • Educators split between two or more locations
  • Educators on a 187 Modified or 207 Modified contract working modified hours or modified days (i.e. a .50 employee working 8 hours every other day or a 207 that works certain days during the summer that are not part of a normal 207 contract-usually in late June or early July)

If you have questions about special calendars please contact Brittany Bauer (x88214) or Jane Olsen (x88217).

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Katie Bastian, Director of Nutrition Services

The USDA and Utah State Office of Education Board addressed fundraisers and competitive foods and services by enacting guidelines for food fundraisers that are exempt from Smart Snack nutrition Standards. Please see accompanying handout for details and let your Nutrition Services Coordinator know if you have questions.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Administrative Assistants

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

We are excited to share our ML Memo with you. In this newsletter, we have important dates, ML parent nights along with SIOP and ELLevation tips and resources. We hope that as you continue to support students you will gain insight in our cultural corner about Ramadan and celebrate our teacher spotlight.

The full newsletter can be found at the link below. Stories include:

  • WIDA Testing Done - You should have scores by beginning of May! Consider Giving your MLs a WIDA-style formative assessment at the end of Q3 & Q4.
  • Educator Spotlight - Dawn Torres at Columbia Elementary has done a great job working with the ML's at her school. She has gone over WIDA data and created Pull out groups that she works with daily. She has started working with these students using a curriculum that focuson speaking and listening. Over all, Dawn is doing amazing at supporting teacher and ML students.
  • ELLevation Tips - The resource center offers a plethora of articles that you can read to learn more about effectively using the dashboard, student list, student profile, forms, activities, and much more.
  • Culture Corner - On March 11, we entered the Islamic holy month. Here are some things to keep in mind:
    • Fasting: Ramadan is a month of fasting, reflection, and community. Students observing may not eat or drink from dawn until sunset. Please be mindful of students who are fasting. Avoid scheduling food-related activities and provide a quiet space for them during lunch if possible.
    • Prayer Times: Students may need to perform Salah (prayer) during school hours. Allowing flexibility for these brief prayer times shows great support.
    • Tiredness: Be aware that students might be more tired than usual due to early morning and late-night meals. Adjusting physical activity expectations can be helpful.
    • Inclusion: Encourage class discussions about cultural diversity and inclusion. This fosters a supportive environment for all students.
    • Tests & Homework: During Ramadan, students might find it challenging to study late at night. Consider flexible deadlines or additional support.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Mike Haynes, Director of Jordan Education Foundation

District support staff are among the unsung heroes of the Jordan School District.

Each year Jordan school principals and department heads are invited to nominate one non-teaching/support staff employee for recognition. Based on the scoring rubric and the nomination submitted, the Jordan Education Foundation Board of Directors will select up to five individuals who will be recognized as Outstanding Education Support Professionals. Each recipient will be given $1,000 and a commemorative award at the Board of Education meeting May 28, 2024 at 6:30 pm.

All Jordan School District Education Support Professional employees are eligible. Past winners of this award are not eligible for nomination. One nomination per department/school will be considered. Please make sure the Nominee's Department Head or Principal has approved this nomination.

Please visit the Jordan Education Foundation website for more information.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2024

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager in Information Systems

Every Chromebook comes with an expiration date called Auto Update Expiration (AUE) where it will no longer receive critical updates. Google recently announced that new Chromebooks will receive updates for up to 10 years after a model is first released. In addition, Google announced that updates for some older Chromebook models will also be extended. These updates range from keeping your devices secure on the web to continued device stability improvements.

What Does This Mean for You? The extended time before updates expire may allow your school some flexibility in prolonging the life of your Chromebooks. While it remains important for your school to maintain a regular rotation of purchasing new Chromebooks, you may find that your rotation is able to be spread out over a longer period of time, depending on hardware performance, maintenance and deterioration.

When to Surplus Older Chromebooks? It is not necessary to send a Chromebook to surplus solely due to the original AUE date. Rather, the extended AUE date can be used to determine when a Chromebook will no longer receive updates. However, if the Chromebook has performance or hardware issues, continue to surplus the device even if it hasn’t met the extended AUE date. If in doubt, consult with your school tech.

How Long Will My Older Chromebooks Continue to Receive Updates? The chart below shows the extended AUE dates for older Chromebooks.

 

Chromebook Model Extended AUE Date
Chromebook 11 G6 EE* June 2027*
Chromebook 11A G6 EE* June 2029*
Chromebook 11 G7 EE June 2029
Chromebook 11 G8 EE June 2029
Chromebook 11A G8 EE* June 2029*
Chromebook 11 G9 EE June 2031

*IMPORTANT NOTE - Chromebook models with an asterisk will have some features and services that will not be supported through the extended AUE date. According to Google, this includes Google Play Store being removed from the Chromebook and all Android-related data being erased from the Chromebook and not recoverable.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Ami Shaw, Officer of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Jordan School District invites all faculty, students, and families to Heroes Among Us to hear the inspiring stories of remarkable individuals who have shown unwavering dedication to our community. Join us at West Jordan Middle from 5-7 pm on April 3rd to hear our speakers share their struggles, successes, and life lessons. Bring your questions about mentoring, career paths, and internship opportunities for your students.

Pizza dinner will be served! RSVP by clicking HERE or scanning the QR code on the flyer to secure your spot! Please see the attached flyer for more information!

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

The Health and Wellness Department, in Student Services is hosting a parent event scheduled for April 10th, 2024 at Riverton High School. This conference- style event aims to bring together professionals and education experts in the field of mental health and well-being to share their knowledge, insights, and research with parents in our JSD communities. This event aims to help parents to be best equipped to support their children with well-being.

We will offer resource booths near the entrance of the school from 5:30-6pm, and throughout transition time for parents to gain insight and information on helpful resources.

We will offer three(3) 30-minutes sessions between 6pm-8pm to maximize learning for parent participants. Some sessions will repeat more than once.

Topics will include best practices, research insights, or information that would be useful to parents of school-aged children. Including mental health issues in the schools and associated issues (bullying, stress, perfectionism, social pressures, etc.), risk, prevention, resilience and ways in which parents can help support their students.

Please share the attached flyer and encourage parents in your communities to attend!

 

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

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

We are writing to inform you of an important update to our professional learning registration system, JPLS. Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, we will be transitioning from JPLS to Canvas Catalog for all in-district professional development class registration and transcript records for those classes.

Action Required: To ensure a smooth transition, we ask each teacher to take the following steps by June 20, 2024:
Log into JPLS and download an archive of your transcript Save these records in a secure location for your reference.

Why This Change? This decision was made after careful consideration to enhance our professional learning experience. Canvas Catalog offers a more user-friendly interface for end users and provides additional features that we believe will significantly benefit our teachers. We understand that change can be challenging, and we are here to support you every step of the way. Detailed instructions on downloading your transcript from JPLS is available below.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to Chris Westra in Teaching and Learning, christine.westra@jordandistrict.org or Jared Covili, Admin - Digital Teaching and Learning, jared.covili@jordandistrict.org.

Link for the Instructions

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

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

Check out the link to the flyer for the latest updates from Teaching & Learning for March. Learn tips and tricks, sign up for upcoming PD, and learn about important updates from the T & L team.

March 2024 T & L Newsletter

Published on

DATE: 
March 14, 2024

TO: 
District Administrators
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Melissa Flores, General Counsel
Sandra Riesgraf, Director, Communications
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Record Request: FERPA or GRAMA

This is a revision and reissue of a memo previously distributed in September 2023 and replaces that version of this document. 

Please distribute the information below to anyone in your school or department who may field questions regarding a record request.

Two laws govern processes that parents/patrons must follow to access information the District maintains: FERPA and GRAMA.

FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that governs access to a student’s educational record. The educational record typically consists of the contents of the student’s cumulative folder, the Special Education record (if applicable), and information for the student in Skyward. District Policy DP367 – District Records Management designates each school's principal as the school's record officer. As such, parents may obtain copies of information in the student's educational record by making a written request to the principal. The parent does not need to be referred to Planning & Enrollment or Communications; however, both departments can assist schools in identifying records that may be responsive to the parent's request. If a parent requests the student’s entire education record (a record that may contain information from multiple schools), this information can still be provided by the school where the student is currently enrolled; the building principal is the record officer for all records at that location, no matter where they may have originated.

Any clips of District surveillance video that were used in student discipline are considered part of the educational file for both the subject student and any victims. Under FERPA, parents have a right to “access” this portion of their child’s record, but do not have a right to obtain a copy of video footage. The process of providing access to footage will include a review by Planning & Enrollment, Communications, and General Counsel but is overseen by the school principal. An updated overview of the process schools should follow in providing access to retained footage is available at this link:

GRAMA is Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act. It outlines the process for the general public to access records created and maintained by government entities. Practically every other type of record generated and maintained by the district (except those designated as “private,” “controlled’, or “protected” in DP367) may be accessed by an individual through the GRAMA process. Emails, including emails sent to and from students that are not maintained as part of the student’s educational file, are included in the records subject to GRAMA. DP367 outlines that the District will only respond to GRAMA requests that are submitted through the Utah Open Records Portal. Individuals may submit their request directly to the portal via the website and do not need to contact Planning & Enrollment or Communications first. Patrons may be required to pay the cost of employee time (in excess of 15 minutes) for preparing records.

 

Published on

TO:
All District Administrators
All District Administrative Assistants

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

A proposed USBE rule change would have required the District to count the Health & Wellness Day as a teacher professional development day. The 2024-25 calendar was created and approved with this rule change in mind. The rule change was ultimately not passed, which allows the District to continue to count the Health & Wellness Day as a virtual instruction day AND frees up an allowed teacher professional development day to be used elsewhere in the year.

To reduce the impact on students and employees, the following change was approved by the Jordan Board of Education:

  • Friday, September 27, 2024 had been previously scheduled as a parent conference compensatory day for secondary schools and a regular school day for elementary schools. This day will now be a teacher professional development day for elementary schools. No students will attend school on this day.
  • Friday, October 4, 2024 had been previously scheduled as a regular school day for secondary schools and as a parent conference compensatory day for elementary schools. This day will now be a teacher professional development day for secondary schools. No students will attend school on this day.

This change allows for an additional teacher professional day for teachers while also creating more consistent days off for students and families.

Updated calendars can be accessed at this link: Calendars - Jordan Planning & Enrollment