Jordan Administrative Memos

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources

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The College of Education offers summer professional development opportunities for paraprofessionals. Participants do not need to be a current University of Utah student to enroll. Participants will receive an email confirming registration once the process is completed. Enrollment is first come, first serve with limited availability for each course. It is strongly recommended that participants register as soon as possible to ensure a space in the workshop. Links and related information will be sent a week prior to the workshop.

See the flyer below for all the details.

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Chris Richards-Khong, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

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School-Based Associates Opportunity
The Jordan School District is excited to announce the School-Based Associates (SBA) program for the 25-26 school year. For many years, past CITES/ BYU Public School Partnership Associates participants have asked about bringing the powerful learning experiences within CITES/ BYU Public School Partnership Associates back to their colleagues in the classroom. JSD School-Based Associates will now make that desire a possibility!

The JSD School Based Associates mini grant awards will help schools nurture classroom teacher leaders as they facilitate cohort sessions for their school. The grant funds include a compensation stipend for teacher leaders. School cohorts explore ideas toward gaining a deeper understanding of education and the Partnership Commitments. Associates fosters collegial connections, exchange of viewpoints with one another, and builds lasting relationships.

The mini grant application process has been streamlined into a brief google form. Administrators or teachers can initiate this grant for a school. Use the School-Based Associates Application GUIDE to help you keep things simple. Call Chris Richards-Khong with questions 801-567-8158 or email at christen.richardskhong@jordandistrict.org.

JSD School-Based Associates Grant Interest Form

DATE:   
May 1, 2025

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, School Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:  
School Counselor Training and Professional Development

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The training and professional development for the month of May are below. We appreciate your support sending in our ongoing training efforts.

Friday, May 2 - Mountain Ridge Feeder Meeting, South Hills MS
Mountain Ridge Feeder Counselors K-12
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Wednesday, May 7 - BRISC Monthly Call, Zoom
All School Counselors (optional)
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Wednesday, May 14 - Steering Meeting, District Office, Room 129
Lead Counselors attend session 1 or 2
Session 1 -- 8:00 am - 10:00 am; Session 2 -- 10:15 am - 12:15 pm

Contact Stacee Worthen at 801-867-8309 or stacee.worthen@jordandistrict.org with any questions or concerns.

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
School Administrators

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kitt Soumpholphakdy, Field/Activity Trips Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Alternate Field/Activity Trip Options for Schools

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The Department of Transportation’s Field/Activity Trips Office is committed to doing its best to accommodate all of the district’s field/activity trip requests. However, there are times throughout the school year, particularly during spring sports season, when the demand for field/activity trips is greater than the supply of bus drivers and school buses. When this happens, schools have alternate options from local charter bus companies to accommodate field/activity trips.

The following local charter bus companies may be able to assist you with your field/activity trips needs when the Field/Activity Trips Office is unable to do so.

RedStar Transportation – https://redstartransportation.com/
Contact: Cate Murphy at cate@redstartransportation.com or 801-685-8560

Right Way Bus Lines – https://www.rightwaybus.com/
Contact: Tea Hafford at office@rightwaybus.com or 385-504-1443

Please keep in mind Jordan School District Transportation’s priorities. The first priority is school routes, the second priority is Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) related trips, and the third priority is all other field/activity trips.

Feel free to contact the Field/Activity Trips Office with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
All administrators

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

SUBJECT:
May 7th Ask a Therapist LIVE!

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In partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connection, our customized May Mental Health Series calendar is now available.

Access to the ENGLISH / SPANISH May Mental Health Series Calendar
What’s Included:

• Key Dates: Schedule of live webinars for May, with each event starting at 5 & 7 PM MT.
• Topic Highlight: District-selected focus topic tailored to the needs of your students, families, and staff.
• Access Details: Instructions on how to join live sessions.

You are encouraged to share this calendar with parents, staff, and members of your community. Especially the upcoming Ask a Therapist LIVE event on May 7th at 6:00 pm (MST), which is part of the Mental Health Series platform. This event takes place once a month and offers a unique opportunity for parents to engage directly with a licensed family therapist. Parents can ask questions anonymously and receive personalized answers in real-time.

Please utilize the following to promote the Ask a Therapist LIVE on May 7th event.

• Link to register
• Parent flyer

Should you have any questions, please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org or Mckinley Withers.

DATE:
April 30, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Monthly Drill Preparation (Drill of Choice)

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Our monthly drill preparation will be held on May 7th at 3:00 PM with a second session at 3:30 PM. This month, each school will conduct a drill of choice.  Administrators may choose to conduct any one of the safety drills previously covered throughout the year.  The training will be an overview of conducting drills and the use of SRP.  Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend, along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety.  All other administrators are welcome to attend as well. The meeting is also open to any staff who may be interested.

After each monthly training, all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.

Information regarding Standard Response Protocol and other emergency procedures can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual.  This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas among the schools.  Consider your school’s identified deficiencies and needed areas of improvement when determining which drill to select.

We will be holding this meeting over ZOOM, so please join using this link.

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
All School Principals
School Administrative Assistants
Administrators of Schools

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator

SUBJECT:
Monetary Donation Protocol

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If a monetary donation is made directly to a school, the school should give the donor a written receipt. If a school needs help printing a receipt from Skyward, please contact Information Systems or Accounting for assistance. Donations of $250 or greater where the donor receives no benefit, such as advertising on a banner, require that the donor receive a written acknowledgement of the donation for IRS purposes.

Please remember to contact Lisa LeStarge in Business Services at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org so a letter can be written to acknowledge and thank the donor. When requesting this letter, schools should specify that no goods or services were given to the donor in exchange for the donation.

DATE:
May 1, 2025

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

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

SUBJECT:
Home School Updates – May 2025

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Please note the following updates on home school processes and procedures.

Home School Affidavit Requirement Eliminated
HB209 from the 2025 legislative session takes effect on May 7, 2025. This law eliminates the requirement that parents submit a written affidavit prior to starting home school with their children, replacing the affidavit with a “one-time initial notification, that may include a letter of intent, to the local school board.”

The following changes will take effect on May 7, 2025, and should be communicated to parents with questions about home schooling:

• Parents no longer need to complete a written affidavit or visit Student Services to submit an affidavit; however, parents are still required to notify the District when they intend to home school.
• Parents should be directed to send an email to homeschool@jordandistrict.org. In the email, we would request the parent provide the following:
  • Parent name
  • Address (for verification of district residency)
  • Student(s) name
  • Student date of birth or current grade
• The parent will receive an automatic reply confirming their notification. The reply will also provide links to state curriculum and notify the parent that the District is no longer responsible for providing instruction or other services.
• This information is also available for parents at http://planning.jordandistrict.org/homeschool/
• When Student Services receives a notification from the parent of a current student and we ARE ABLE to verify the identity of the parent, the school of enrollment will be notified so that the student can be withdrawn.
• When Student Services receives a notification from the parent of a current student and IS NOT ABLE to verify the identity of the parent, the school of enrollment will be notified so that the notification can be confirmed with the parent by the school and the student can be withdrawn.

The parent may also provide the notification to Student Services (801-567-8183) via phone call or in-person at the District Office.

Students who began home school prior to May 7, 2025 using an affidavit do not need to resubmit notification to the district.

Withdrawing Home School Students
When a school withdraws a student to home school, the student should be inactivated for the current and following school years and a withdrawal code of “TH” should be entered.

Utah Fits All Scholarship Students
Students who participate in the “Utah Fits All” (UFA) Scholarship are ineligible to enroll in Jordan School District for classes, including classes offered through the JATC. UFA scholarship funds for enrollment may only be spent with approved providers. At this time, the District has chosen not to become an approved provider, so any UFA student who chooses to enroll in District courses must return all scholarship funds.