Please read the attached notice, received from the United States Postal Service regarding bulk mailings.
Jordan School District
DATE:
January 8, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Campus Monitors
School Safety Specialists
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
School Safety Officer Course
Through a partnership between the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health, a no cost training for school security personnel is available. This course is taught by instructors from the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). However, it is not intended for school resource officers. This particular course is intended for school safety officers (administrators, campus monitors, school safety specialists or other individuals) charged with making our schools safe and secure.
This is a single 24-hour course that will be held over three consecutive Fridays (8-hours each): March 8th, 15th, and 22nd. All three sessions must be attended in order to complete the course. The course will emphasize three (3) main areas: Functioning as a security officer in the school setting; Working effectively with students; and School Safety and Emergency Planning.
The link for more information and registration is included below. Create a free account in order to access registration and when registering, please select “invoice me” on the payment option so DPS will receive the invoice at the conclusion of the training.
Link to NASRO Events for Registration
Schools would need to cover the cost of substitutes if needed. Please contact Matt Alvernaz at (801)567-8623 or matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org with any questions.
DATE:
January 3, 2024
TO:
Administrators
Administrative Assistants
Registrars
DLI Teachers
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Kaye Rizzuto, Consultant Dual Language Immersion
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
SUBJECT:
DLI Student Permits and Movement Between Levels
The following guidelines will assist schools in identifying where DLI students should be placed when moving between levels within a feeder.
DLI students will generally attend school through the feeder where they began the program. As long as the student remains in the DLI program, a seat will be available for them at each level through high school. This means that a middle school or high school may receive a DLI student who may not live in their boundaries.
Additional Considerations:
DATE:
January 3, 2024
TO:
All Principals
All Certified and ESPs
FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior
SUBJECT:
ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills
Seats are limited and fill quickly, so learners need to register on JPLS as soon as possible.
Beneficial for: All general education and special education teachers.
Also welcome: Specialists, mental health providers, ESPs.
Each year, the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP) gives the Jordan Association of Elementary School Principals (JAESP) the opportunity to celebrate elementary principals for the great work they are doing in their schools.
If you feel that a principal or assistant principal has done exceptional work, we invite you to nominate them for National Distinguished Principal of the Year or Assistant Principal of the Year through this survey.
All nominations are due January 17, 2024. Please remember this is for elementary principals and assistant principals only. The following administrators are ineligible to be nominated, because they have received the award: Teresa Christensen, Nick Hansen, Joel Pullan, Ronna Hoffman, Meredith Doleac, and Beth Pollock.
Thank you for taking time to nominate exceptional elementary administrators!
Nominate on the link in the attachment.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities - LICENSED TEACHER TRANSFER FAIR
Valued Licensed Employee:
The Human Resource Department is contacting you with important information regarding upcoming events and opportunities.
TEACHER TRANSFER FAIR
This year, the annual Teacher Transfer Fair is open to all CURRENT JSD teacher/educators AND student teachers, interns and those on a 1-year agreement. This event is for current Jordan School District teachers/educators seeking a new teaching/assignment opportunity! The transfer fair will be combined for both elementary and secondary teachers/educators.
Please come prepared with:
Come explore your options in JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT! (SEE THE ATTAHCED FLYER)
REMINDER: There is a 30-day window at the beginning of the school year and then the window shortens to 10 school days for your school to begin the "Task Manager" process and for the LCS & Evaluation departments to test and enter scores into Skyward.
The attached cards are for quick reference but as always please reach out to Nicole Woodburn 801-567-8124 if you have questions.
The mileage reimbursement rate is based upon the IRS rate. Effective January 1, 2024, the reimbursement rate is $0.67 per mile. Please use the attached form when submitting for mileage reimbursement. All 2023 mileage reimbursement requests should be submitted as soon as possible. Click HERE to access the mileage form online.
DATE:
January 2, 2024
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
Scott Festin, Planning Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
District Enrollment as of January 2, 2024
Please see the attached memo.
DATE:
Thursday, January 4, 2024
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services
SUBJECT:
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access
The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners. This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students. This Supreme Court case essentially ensures that students’ civil right to an equitable education and the government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for doing so.
The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test. Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access. Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.
So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? Basic procedures are outlined below:
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.
DATE:
January 4, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Required Fire Drill Within the First 10 School Days
All schools are required to conduct a fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year. This provides a great opportunity to review plans, emergency response/Incident Command assignments, evacuation maps, outside rally locations, communications, and related supplies.
Please take special care to orient new students and staff, individuals with special needs and younger students that may not have been exposed to fire alarms/strobes and emergency response protocols. Please be sure to clearly announce that it is a “drill”.
Please call the Jordan School District 24-hr. Alarm Response 801-567-8865 at least 30 minutes in advance of the drill, so the fire department is not dispatched.
Use the JSD Incident Command System Manual - Fire Action Plan as your drill guideline. Jordan School District Safety Manual
Report the drill and any related meetings using the JSD report form on Google Drive. Link: 2023-24 REPORT EMERGENCY — DRILLS, ACTUAL EVENTS, or MEETINGS
Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matt Alvernaz the District Safety Coordinator at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623.
If you are a contracted employee and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before or after President’s Day 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.
School Holiday | Date of Holiday | Critical Days | Window |
President’s Day | February 19, 2024 | Feb. 16 and 20, 2024 | Jan. 5 – Jan. 15, 2024 |
Licensed Annual/Personal Leave Taken on a Critical Day 2023-2024
DATE:
Thursday, January 4, 2024
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Rebecca Smith, Consultant, Gifted & Talented
SUBJECT:
6th Grade CogAT Tableau Dashboard Updated with 2023-24 Results
The 2023-24 6th grade CogAT results are now available in Tableau viewer accounts. Elementary school administrators may access the dashboards here. Results are available at both the district and school level. School administrators may also filter the data by student groups (economically disadvantaged, ML, race/ethnicity, and students with a disability). Finally, individual student results are also available here.
Hard copy results and interpretation guides will be sent to schools at a later time.
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about these dashboards.
The Utah State Board of Education Teacher Salary Supplement Program (TSSP) qualifications and application deadlines are available for 2023-2024. The application deadlines are printed below. Information regarding the TSSP program and qualifications is found at the following Utah State Board of Education (USBE) link:
Application Term Dates
An application term indicates a preference of when and how often the educator would like to receive any bonus. Applicants may select one of the following terms before the respective deadline:
Term # of Payments Application Available & Accepted Application Deadline
Trimester 2 Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM Wednesday, November 15, 2023 11:59 PM
Semester 1 Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM Wednesday, January 31, 2024 11:59 PM
Annual 1 Sunday, October 1, 2023 6:00 AM Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:59 PM
Principals,
The following information and attached flyer outline a unique pilot with Jordan School District, BYU's School Leadership Program, and the School Leadership Alliance. Please share with those licensed employees you think may be interested in becoming a future school administrator.
Jordan School District is partnering with the BYU School Leadership Program and the School Leadership Alliance to pilot an administrative endorsement program with courses held during the school day during the 2024-2025 school year. While this day program is open to students from any district, Jordan School District has agreed to allow those who are working as full-time administrative interns and who are also admitted to the BYU program to attend these day courses. BYU will award a generous half-tuition scholarship to any student who attends this accelerated 14-month day program. Courses start May 2024 and will run through June of 2025 so that participants will be job ready by July 2025. Day program students will be invited to attend Deloitte’s Courageous Principals Program in Dallas, Texas, where each participant will work on real problems of practice and receive instruction, support, and coaching from a trained mentor principal, district leadership, and BYU professors. In addition to this day program, BYU will continue to offer a 14-month evening program. Evening students will be invited to attend the UASSP or UAESP Mid-Winter Conference in St. George, Utah. Applications to both the day and evening cohorts are due February 15 with final admissions decisions being made in March. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to join these fantastic cohorts of aspiring school leaders!
Thanks!