Jordan School District
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.
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:
TO:
All Principals
All Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
All McKinney Vento Aides are required to attend.
Monday, April 22, 2024
10:00am - 11:30 am
Presentation Room, ASB, Entrance C
See attached flyer.
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
DATE:
Thursday, March 21, 2024
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Research Project
The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.
Project Title: Enhancing Educator Expertise: Evaluating the Impact of an E-Learning Module on Teachers’ Knowledge of Collaborative Writing Strategies
Applicant: Stacy Selk, Western Governors University
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant will email educators directly to invite them to participate in the e-learning module. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.
Thank you for your assistance.
DATE:
March 21, 2024
TO:
Principals and Administrative Assistants
FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
SUBJECT:
Legislative Supply Envelopes – Due May 1, 2024
Teacher Legislative Supply envelopes are due May 1, 2024. The attached memo gives reminders and information to help with the year-end process. Please note the important changes for 2024-25 and contact Lisa LeStarge (ext. 88120) if you have questions.
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.
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!
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!
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.
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Ann Pessetto, JAESP Committee Member
2024 JAESP Awards:
Jennifer Ludlow: Distinguished Principal of the Year
Veronica Holyoke: Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year
Tiffany Smith: Community Leader Principal of the Year
Candie Checketts: Student Advocate Principal of the Year
Jerilyn Schaffer: Rookie Principal of the Year
Jessica Stowe: Instructional Leader Principal of the Year
Ken Westwood: Mentor Principal of the Year
Suzie Williams: Innovator Principal of the Year
We congratulate these principals for their excellence in school leadership.
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.
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.
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:
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
DATE:
March 14, 2024
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Finance Secretaries
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
Digital Cumulative Folder Training
In April 2024, the District will begin the process of transitioning from paper-based student cumulative folders to digital cumulative folders housed in Skyward. From July 1, 2024 onward, all new students must be enrolled with a digital cumulative folder and blank copies of paper cumulative folders will no longer be available.
Digital folders provide multiple benefits to schools and staff, including:
Staff at each school will be responsible for “weeding” unnecessary documents from current student cumulative folders and will scan and upload documents to Skyward. As part of the transition, parents will gain the ability to scan and upload some of the required documents to Skyward during New Student Online Enrollment (NSOE), which will provide additional time savings to staff.
Participation in the training is mandatory for elementary administrative assistants, secondary attendance secretaries, and secondary registrars. Others who assist with gathering documents at registration (including during summer hour coverage) or maintaining cumulative folders should also attend. Staff at each school location must be trained before the school begins using digital cumulative folders. Training will be offered six times during the first week of April in the ASB Auditorium (see individual tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet) . School teams may attend any number of sessions to ensure office coverage.
Each individual attending must register for the training at the following link: April Digital Folder Training Link
DATE:
Thursday, March 14, 2024
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
URGENT: New Acadience Testing Platform and Touchscreen Testing Devices
As announced in the February principal meeting, the state’s contract with Amplify came to end and, through an RFP process, the state has procured a new testing vendor for the Acadience Reading assessment. The new vendor is Acadience Learning and their platform is called Acadience Learning Online or ALO. The Acadience Reading assessment will remain the same, but how it is recorded in the new testing system is different. More information about the new testing platform and a host of training options will be released in the future.
URGENT: The state recently communicated important information regarding the devices used for benchmark and progress monitoring testing. With mClass, several schools have been using click-only testing devices, meaning that the tester uses a track pad or mouse to input student responses. ALO does not allow for click-only devices when administering the benchmark and progress monitoring probes. To administer benchmark and progress monitoring probes in ALO, the testing device must be touchscreen enabled. Additionally, smart phones are not compatible with ALO.
Thus, classroom aides and teachers who are currently administering the Acadience Reading benchmarks and/or progress monitoring probes in grades K-6 using a click-only device will need access to a touchscreen device beginning with the fall of the 2024-25 school year.
A document containing the ALO device and system recommendations is attached with this memo.
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about this issue.
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
Ann Pessetto, JAESP Committee Member
Please submit concerns to be discussed by JAESP committee and cabinet by March 20, 2024. Send items to be discussed to Nick Hansen at Golden Fields, Ann Pessetto at Silver Crest, or Kaleb Yates at the new Flex School. All items are discussed anonymously as we work to provide clarification and solutions to concerns of elementary administrators.
Notes of the discussions will be published following the meeting on the Google Doc titled "JAESP committee notes 2023-24" shared previously with Elementary Administrators.
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Electrocutions are the fifth leading cause of occupational injuries. Remember: You don’t have to be an electrician to be exposed to electrical hazards!
See the document below for safety tips.
TO:
All Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Please see the attached newsletter.
DATE:
March 7, 2024
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
Mandatory Prevention Plan Updates, Workshops and Support Available!
Throughout March school teams have an opportunity to efficiently update, enhance, and complete their mandatory prevention plans related to suicide, bullying, and violence prevention. Stop by a Prevention Planning Workshop in March to take advantage of this support available!
Prevention Planning Workshop Dates: March 11, 14 (pm only), 15, & 18
All sessions will take place at ASB Presentation Room (entrance C)
Two sessions Each Day (pm session only on the 14th): 8:30-11:00, 12:30-3:00
Choose a workshop time to update and enhance your school’s prevention plan. There will also be targeted support for accessing grant funds that are available for your school’s unique prevention efforts. Substitute costs can be covered so a full team can attend! RSVP for a session here! Stop by even if you don’t RSVP!
*As a reminder, each school is required to maintain and update prevention plans annually. These funds and upcoming workshops are meant to support each school’s prevention plan.
Prevention Plans must be updated and this form completed by April 5th to take advantage of grant funds available!
If you are interested in updating your plan without attending a workshop, visit Jordan Health & Wellness for detailed instructions.
