Please return the attached form to Brenda Groo in the High School area office within two weeks after your conference dates.
Middle School Parent Teacher Conference Report – Spring 2023
Please return the attached form to Kyla Robertson in the Middle-Level offices within two weeks after your conference dates.
Training for Security Camera Use and Software Operation – March 1, 2023
Principals:
We have scheduled two separate training sessions on the operation of the school’s security camera and software. The training will include the use of the software, saving of camera footage and the transferring of that footage to the appropriate device. We receive many requests for help in this area.
The training will be held on March 1, 2023.
Session 1: 9:00-10:00 am
Session 2: 1:00-2:00 pm
Both sessions will be held at the Auxiliary Service Building in the Presentation Room, enter at Entrance C. It is recommended that at least one administrator per building attend one of the sessions and if possible send one hall monitor to each session.
Research Project – Music Integration in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms
DATE:
Thursday, February 9, 2023
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: Music Integration in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms
Applicant: Jennifer Gee, San Diego State University
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee 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.
Administrative Assignments – February 2023
The following are new administrative assignments:
New Assignment effective January 3, 2023:
- Katie Jarvis, administrative intern at River’s Edge appointed assistant principal at River’s Edge.
New Assignments effective as soon as possible:
- Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Lead in Information Systems appointed Support Services Manager in Information Systems.
New Assignments effective February 21, 2023:
- Derek Bennett, administrative intern at Mountain Ridge High appointed assistant principal at West Jordan High, replacing Howard Griffith who is retiring.
- Curtis Hagen, Staff Assistant at Auxiliary Services appointed assistant principal at Mountain Ridge High, replacing Derek Bennett.
- Tim McConnell, retired administrator in Park City School District appointed assistant principal at Ridge View Elementary.
New Assignments effective July 1, 2023:
- Michael Hutchings, assistant principal at West Jordan High appointed principal at West Jordan High, replacing James Birch who is retiring.
- Rachel Hill, administrative intern at West Jordan High appointed assistant principal at West Jordan High, replacing Michael Hutchings.
- Tamara Rajczyk, consultant in Special Education appointed principal at South Valley, replacing Rita Bouillon who is retiring.
- Jennifer Ludlow, principal at West Jordan Elementary appointed principal at Oquirrh Elementary, replacing Shauna Worthington who is approved for a Sabbatical leave.
- Abram Yospe, principal at Columbia Elementary appointed principal at Foothills Elementary, replacing Cherie Wilson who is retiring.
- Keith Klein, principal at Etna Elementary in Lincoln County School District in Afton, WY appointed principal at Columbia Elementary, replacing Abram Yospe.
- Vaega Toilolo, administrative intern at Bingham High appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Russell Stephenson, administrative intern at Joel P. Jensen Middle and Oquirrh Hills Middle appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Jessica Wilson, administrative intern at South Hills Middle and South Valley appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Jessica Hayes, administrative intern at Child Development Center appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Thyme Meleisea-Vea, administrative intern at Oak Leaf Elementary appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Angela Solum, assistant principal at Riley Elementary in Salt Lake School District appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
- Janae Young, administrative intern at Aspen Elementary appointed assistant principal at an assignment TBD.
Research Project – Retaining State-Qualified Teachers: An Exploratory Case Study
DATE:
Thursday, February 9, 2023
TO:
All 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: Retaining State-Qualified Teachers: An Exploratory Case Study
Applicant: Amanda Bollinger, University of Phoenix
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee participation in the study is at your discretion. Survey participants who meet study criteria will be invited to participate in interviews or focus groups. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.
Thank you for your assistance.
Research Project – Cross-Cultural Development and Psychometric Validation of the Beliefs and Behavior Scale in the U.S. and Taiwan
DATE:
Thursday, February 9, 2023
TO:
All 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: Cross-Cultural Development and Psychometric Validation of the Beliefs about Behavior Scale in the U.S. and Taiwan
Applicant: Howard Fan, Idaho State University
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The researcher will send out a recruitment email inviting educators to participate in a research survey. Employee 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.
ALPS Testing at Local Schools
ALPS testing will be conducted during the school day at local schools from February 6 - March 14. The GT office and/or the proctor for your site will contact you with dates and times for your school. Please contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.
Thank you for accommodating the testing at your sites.
Date Change for Elementary Math Tournament
Due to a conflict with busing, the Elementary Math Tournament will now be held on Thursday, April 6, 2023. All other details and times will remain the same.
Please see the attached document for complete information. Registration is due on Friday, February 17. Please register here.
Please contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access
DATE:
Thursday, February 2, 2023
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:
- The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent.
- If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal. Schools may use this Google tracking sheet for documentation or their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators.
- When testing is complete, the school will share the Google tracking sheet with JoLynn Snelgrove in Evaluation, Research & Accountability using this email address: snelgrove@jordandistrict.org. JoLynn will also check school opt out logs.
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.
Chromebooks with Expiring Hardware that Will Be Used for Testing
DATE:
Thursday, February 2, 2023
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems
David Bowman, Systems & Security Manager
SUBJECT:
Chromebooks with Expiring Hardware that Will Be Used for Testing
When Chromebooks are purchased, they come with a pre-defined time at which the vendors will stop giving updates to the software that makes the computers run. With Chromebooks this is almost always 5 years or a bit more.
This is called the Auto Update Expiration (AUE) Date.
When a Chromebook hits that date it may continue to work, but it stops getting updates from Google. Over time, this will decrease its functionality with the internet where things will stop working properly. Websites won’t load right; extensions and apps either work partially or won’t work at all.
This can become an issue when older Chromebooks won’t be able to update to the minimum device specifications outlined for a testing secure browser such as the RISE Secure Browser, TestNav (Utah Aspire Plus and ACT), DRC Insight (WIDA Access), etc. If the older testing device can’t update to the secure browser’s minimum specifications, it is possible that the testing platform will be glitchy or not work at all.
In some cases, more than 60% of a school’s Chromebooks are already expired. To see how many and what percentage of your school’s Chromebooks are expired, please click here.
As testing season approaches, school administrators will want to think about how to mitigate possible technology issues if the majority of the school’s Chromebooks that will be used for spring testing are expired. Also, school administrators are strongly encouraged to run an infrastructure test prior to ACT, RISE, and/or Utah Aspire Plus summative testing. If schools are unable to replace expired Chromebooks prior to spring testing and many of the school’s devices failed the infrastructure test, school administrators should develop a plan for rotating through newer devices to complete spring summative testing.
Free Dental Day for Kids
This free service is for any JSD student (K-12) in need of dental work that does not have insurance. Book an appointment up until February 22, 2023.
See attached flyer for all of the details.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities for Licensed Employees – February Updates
Valued Licensed Employees:
The Human Resource Department is contacting you with important information regarding upcoming events and opportunities.
LICENSE RENEWAL
Teachers and other educators whose educator license will expire on June 30, 2023, are encouraged to begin the license renewal process starting February 1st by going to the USBE website. You may begin reviewing the videos; however, license renewals cannot be submitted to the USBE before January 2023. The District HR Department will send you reminders in November, January, and March. A FINAL reminder will be sent to you in April as a 4th and FINAL NOTICE & NOTICE OF TERMINATION should you not receive your license renewal certification in CACTUS by June 30, 2023.
DON’T DELAY – START THE PROCESS NOW!
LICENSED EARLY NOTIFICATION (Resignation or Retirement)
Licensed employees resigning/retiring at the end of the current contract year, who give official early notification in SKYWARD – EMPLOYEE ACCESS, will be eligible for a tiered incentive. To qualify, notification must be submitted on or before the following dates:
- February 15, 2023 $200.00
The incentive will be paid on the last regular paycheck. Notifications of resignation/retirement received after the dates listed above will not qualify for an incentive. The official District “Notice of Resignation” form is found in Skyward under “Employee Access”. Please see District policy DP318 for more detailed information regarding resignations. If you do not know your Skyward username or password please contact the Help Desk at 801-567-8737.
Licensed employees who do not submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward “Employee Access” with at least thirty (30) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500, which will be deducted from their final check. Informing your principal/school administrator either verbally or in writing is not sufficient. See District Policy DP318 – Resignations - Licensed.
School/District Administrators must submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward “Employee Access” with at least sixty (60) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500 in accordance with District Policy DP318A – Resignations-Administrators.
Special Education Budget Closeout for the 2022-23
DATE:
February 1, 2023
TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff
School Secretaries
FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
SUBJECT:
Special Education Budget Closeout for the 2022-23 School Year
Please note that Special Education purchase orders/requisitions for the 2022-23 school year must be received by Monday, March 6, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. Please remember the following:
- Budgets are not carried over from one year to the next.
- Remember to deduct any previously submitted amounts from your Special Education budget (so that you know your balance) before submitting new orders. This includes reimbursements submitted through your school. No orders will be processed that exceed your budgeted allocation.
- Please check with your school secretary to make sure all Special Education reimbursements have been submitted to the Special Education Department by the March 6th deadline. We will soon be providing each school secretary with a sheet of currently recorded purchase/reimbursement totals for the special education department at your school up through January 31, 2023.
- When ordering supplies, follow Skyward procedures.
- Be sure to follow the ordering guidelines outlined in the attached budget information page, as you close out your current year budgets.
Staff will be notified of the new budget allocation amount prior to the start of the new school year. Keep in mind that new purchase orders/requisitions will not be processed until late July when all of the current year’s budgets have been closed out.
As you close out your budgets for the current school year, please note the following:
- All purchase orders/requisitions, should be routed through Amanda Hamblin in the Special Education Department.
- Use the following codes for Purchase Orders/Requisitions, P-Cards, and ECHECKS submitted through the year.
Coding for P.O.s/Requisitions, NPOs, P-Cards, ECHECKS:
| FUND | TYPE | LOCATION | PROGRAM | FUNCTION | OBJECT |
| 10 | E | (School #) | 1295 | 1090 | Use object code |
If you have questions regarding your Special Education budget, please contact Amanda Hamblin at (801) 567-8177.
Please review the Special Education Budget information that is attached below.
ParaPro Testing Updates
How To Become “Highly Qualified” and Receive LANE CHANGE INCREASE.
PARAPRO Testing is optional for most school locations but required for all Title One School locations. Applicants/Employees interested in working at a Title I school may contact the Title One school principal for additional testing options.
Please see the attached document for more information.
JSD Teacher Transfer Fair – February 13, 2023
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:
- Your JSD ID badge – required to gain entry, AND
- Copies of your resume available to distribute.
Come explore your options in JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT!
See the flyer below for more information.
Advertise Transfers prior to Teacher Transfer Fair
Prior to the TEACHER TRANSFER FAIR on February 13th, principals may post available positions for the 2023-24 school year on a Google Form. Please fill out the Teacher Transfer Fair link to advertise your transfer openings for teachers and other licensed employees. This will allow teachers to view your postings prior to the Teacher Transfer Fair.
JSD Job Fair Thank You
THANK YOU to Principals/Assistant Principals, Directors, JESPA Volunteers, HR Assistants, and the Communications Department for promoting and participating in the first JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB FAIR!
It was a GREAT success, as it resulted in the hiring of numerous new applicants for open positions throughout the District. A total of 207 households were in attendance and a total of 59 applications were COMPLETED in Frontline during and after the Job Fair. We are certain there will be more applications completed in the near future as a result of the Job Fair.
A special THANKS to Oquirrh Hills Middle for hosting this event and also to those who served as interpreters. The success of this event was due to the efforts of many individuals and groups.
THANK YOU all again for your contributions.
Dealing with Traumatic Death Training Opportunity
DATE:
February 2, 2023
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
SUBJECT:
Grief Conference Opportunity
Student Services is continuing to offer training opportunities for administration and school mental health team members with the unspent suicide prevention funds from prior years. With these remaining funds, we will be sponsoring the registration fees for an upcoming grief conference. The Bradley Center is hosting a full day training titled Traumatic Death: How to Help Those Left Behind.
Here is a description of what to expect from this opportunity: Since COVID-19 disrupted life for children and families worldwide, traumatic deaths have impacted millions. Local professionals deal with the impact of those and other traumatic deaths every day. Learn additional strategies to help clients cope.
This will take place on Friday, February 24th at the Mountain America Center. It is a full day of learning from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
For more information about the conference, you can visit https://bradleycentergrief.org/
If you or any of your school’s mental health team (school counselors, school psychologists, or clinical support/social workers) would like to attend, please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org. Provide an email with the full name, email address, office phone number and meal preference (vegetarian or not) of those who would like to register.
Seating is limited for this event. Please send in your request for registration as soon as possible!
2023 Elementary Principal Award Nominations
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. Principals may be nominated for awards in the following categories:
- Rookie of the Year
- Innovator of the Year
- Community Leader of the Year
- Student Advocate Principal of the Year
- Instructional Leader of the Year
- Principal Mentor of the Year
Recipients of the National Distinguished Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year have already been chosen and will be recognized soon.
If you feel that a principal has done exceptional work in one of these areas, we invite you to nominate them for an award through this survey.
All nominations are due Feb. 10, 2023. Please remember this is for elementary principals only.
The following principals are ineligible to be nominated because they have received an award during the last three school years:
Garett York, Theresa Christensen, Tiffany Smith, Ross Menlove, Megan Cox, Cherie Wilson, Odette Desmarais, Buddy Alger, Shauna Worthington, Courtney Titus, Bobbie Nixon, Jennifer Ludlow, Ann Pessetto, Laurie Goodsell, Suzie Williams, Ken Westwood, Aaron Ichimura, Amanda Edwards, Nick Hansen, Joel Pullan, Ronna Hoffman
After all nominations have been received, the JAESP board will present the awards to each recipient at their own school. Recipients will then be eligible for state-level awards in the same category through UAESP.
Thank you for taking the time to nominate exceptional elementary principals!