Author: communications

Take the first step toward a secure retirement by attending an informative URS seminar.

These free seminars are tailored to your retirement horizon, whether you’re early in your career, plan to retire soon, or are already retired. To register and learn more, log into myURS and click on the Education tab.

The following seminars are available this summer for URS members to attend:

• Pre-Retirement Seminar - July 16, Aug. 6, or Nov. 5 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon
  Is retirement sneaking up on you? The following topics will be addressed – Retirement Income/Pension; 401(k), 457, and IRAs, and Social Security. Other topics, like Estate Planning, Investor Fraud Protection, and Creating Your Retirement Lifestyle, will be pre-recorded.
• Early to Mid-Career Seminar - Oct. 8 | 9 - 11 a.m.
  Now’s the time to get serious about your financial future. The following topics will be addressed – You URS Pension and 401(k), 457 and IRAs. Other topics like College Savings Plans and Estate Planning, will be pre-recorded. 
• Retiree Seminar - Sept.10 | 8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
  Learn important tips and strategies for retirees. The following topics will be addressed – Your Pension, Accessing Your Money, Retiree Services, and Legal and Estate Planning

USBE is seeking your feedback on early literacy and math professional learning opportunities. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this brief pre-survey. A post survey will be sent in September.

• USBE Survey for PreK to 3rd Grade General Education & Special Education Teachers 

Join Michelle and Mandy on Thursdays for a Literacy Launch Q & A.  Michelle and Mandy will be available through ZOOM from 3:30 - 4:30 to answer your questions, help solve your challenges, and celebrate your successes.

• When: Aug. 26, Sept. 2, Sept.9, Sept. 16, Sept. 23, and Sept. 30
• Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m
• Where: Online in ZOOM

Dear Educator,

What do you need to make this an amazing school year? Fresh ways to engage students? Time-saving strategies? Ways to boost creativity or a growth mindset? Something else? Your colleagues at the Utah Education Network have answers based on input from educators like you.

UEN’s Digital Locker is designed to help you find just what you need quickly and easily. UEN curated dozens of free-to-you resources and arranged them by teacher need. It’s UEN’s newest resource to help you make 2021-22 your best year ever!

Sincerely,
Rich Finlinson, APR
Director, Communication
Utah Education and Telehealth Network

Thank you for the great start to the year. Join us for an ESP open house social.

Catering by Caley's Catering Dinner Includes:

JESPA members no cost. Others $10.00 paid at the event
* If you join, at the event, no cost.*
Significant Other, Partner, Spouse $10.00 paid at the event

RSVP by August 24th, so we can order the food, at: https://tinyurl.com/ESPSocial

Check out the Aug. 2021 Be Well newsletter from EMI. Stories include:

• Positive Body Image - Many Americans are dissatisfied with their appearance. Girls, and children of parents who diet or have poor body image, are more likely to develop a poor body image. The intense societal focus on how girls and women look, combined with unrealistic media standards of beauty, may contribute to body image issues; boys and men can be affected as well. Being underweight or overweight, or being teased or bullied about your appearance, can also lead to a negative self-image.
• Tanning is skin damage - a reminder during Summer Sun Safety Month to protect your skin and health with sunscreen, now and any time of year you are outdoors exposed to sunshine for extended periods. The best prescription: Apply one ounce of broad- spectrum sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of at least 30 to your exposed skin and reapply every two hours. Healthy skin is protected skin.
• Fish and Seafood - Add fish and seafood to your menu at least twice a week, especially if you have a history of vascular disease. A recent study shows that having two servings (175g total) of fish — especially oily fish, such as salmon, trout, oysters and albacore tuna — help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, especially if you have pre-existing heart disease.
• Keto Diet: Pros and Cons - The most-searched diet trend in 2021 to date is the ketogenic diet, casually known as keto. This diet plan is very low in carbohydrates but is very high in fat (keto is about 75% fat, and the USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend only 25% fat). The goal of the diet is to get your body into a state of ketosis, where you burn fat as energy instead of carbohydrates.

To receive the monthly Be Well Newsletter via email and check out back issues, please visit the EMI Hope Health Newsletter page.

• Aug. 2021 EMI Be Well Newsletter

New teachers to Jordan District that would like a Zoom account, please fill out this short form and Digital Teaching and Learning will work with the Utah Education Network to set up your access.

• Request for Zoom Account

For teachers who may be unsure if they activated their Zoom account last year, they can find out if they have an active account by following these directions:

1. Go to zoom.us and log in using Google.  
2. Check the Profile and look under the Meeting section.  The Personal Meeting ID should be similar to the image below.  
3. If you cannot log into Zoom or if the Personal Meeting ID does not show UETN, that would indicate that you do not have an active Zoom account.
4. If you want a Zoom account, you can then fill out the above form.  If you do not want a Zoom account, then no action is required.

If Digital Teaching and Learning can be of any help with teachers regarding their Zoom account, please contact Bonnie Muir, Digital Learning Specialist.

Each month a newsletter will be added in elementary teacher Literacy Launch Canvas courses. You will be able to get some quick and easy ways to include social studies in your classrooms. Each newsletter will include several social studies informational texts that are based on the grade level core. There will also be ideas and lesson activities that are tied to the literacy standards.

This month you will find informational texts on School (1st Grade), Helen Keller (2nd Grade), Geography (3rd Grade), Longitude and Latitude (4th Grade), Indian Peter: an Indentured Servant (5th Grade), and Sophie Scholl (6th Grade). There is also a list of picture books that you could use to talk about the 20th anniversary of 9-11 or to celebrate Constitution and Citizenship day on Sep 17th. Teachers can find a vocabulary game, a summarizing activity, and a retelling activity that are tied to a social studies picture book.

• Aug./Sept 2021 Elementary Social Studies Toolbox Newsletter

The following are new administrative assignments effective for the 2021-22 academic year:

• Tami Pyfer, Chief of Staff for Unite and former Education Advisor to Governor Herbert, appointed part-time Community Engagement Specialist.
• Kenneth Auld, former principal of Logan High, appointed Human Resource Administrator.
• Sally Wilde, Language Arts teacher at Herriman High, assigned to Bingham High as an Administrative Intern.
• Chad Stolle, Geography/Spanish teacher at Mountain Creek Middle, assigned to Sunset Ridge Middle and Southpointe Adult High as an Administrative Intern.
• Trudy Jack, Director at Franklin Discovery Academy, assigned to Ridge View Elementary and Rosamond Elementary as an Administrative Intern.
• Paulina Labra, Instructional Coach in Granite School District, assigned to Oquirrh Elementary as an Administrative Intern.
• April Thompson, Instructional Coach at Butterfield Canyon Elementary, assigned to Aspen Elementary and Terra Linda Elementary as an Administrative Intern.
• Veronica Holyoke, Instructional Coach at Aspen Elementary, assigned to Bastian Elementary and Butterfield Canyon Elementary as an Administrative Intern.

In order to increase security to Jordan School District computer systems, password requirements for both Active Directory (the account used to log in to Windows and Mac computers) and Google accounts will be updated. You may be required to change these passwords to meet the new requirements.

If you have any questions, please contact the Information Systems help desk at 801-567-8737.

As a reminder, Information Systems will NEVER ask you for your password over the phone or via email. If you receive a phone call or email asking you to provide your login information, it is most likely a phishing scam and should be reported.

Phishing is the practice of sending emails or phone calls purporting to be a trusted source in order to trick victims into revealing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card details, etc. In general, you should never respond to emails or phone calls seeking this type of information. Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. If you suspect an email is a phishing attempt look up the company’s phone number on your own (don’t use the one a potential scammer is providing), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate. If you receive a suspected phishing email through the district’s email system report it to Information Systems. For more information visit www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/spoofing-and-phishing or www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams#protect

Check out the July 2021 Be Well newsletter from EMI. Stories include:

• Sun Safety: Get the Facts - When it comes to protecting yourself from sun damage, do you know fact from fiction? Review the basics from the American Cancer Society and CDC.
• Food Waste No More - Ready for a shocking statistic? It’s estimated that between 30% to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted — that’s more than $240 billion worth of food. About a third of this food waste could be rescued and sent to communities in need. While this problem includes waste at the farm, factory, restaurant and grocery level, there’s also plenty of food wasted in homes across North America. The average family wastes $1,866 worth of food each year.
• When Adult Kids Move In - Grown children moving in with their parents is no longer unusual. In fact, the number of young adults living with one or more parents has surpassed the number living in multi generational households during the Great Depression, according to Pew Research. There are numerous reasons why adult children return home, including a job loss, apartment woes or a relationship breakup. While the new living situation may be fine for a while, it can disrupt the parents’ home life and cause stress for all family members.
• Smartphone Tendonitis - Smartphones help make work and personal lives easier in multiple ways, but it can be a pain — literally. Specifically, it can cause smartphone tendonitis: pain in your hand, wrist and thumb. Tendonitis is inflammation of tendons connecting muscles to bones. It’s not an uncommon condition and typically occurs in people who do repetitive activities, such as playing tennis or certain musical instruments. Now daily use of smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices has been added to that list.

To receive the monthly Be Well Newsletter via email and check out back issues, please visit the EMI Hope Health Newsletter page.

• July 2021 Be Well Newsletter

Jordan School District has an immediate opening for a Human Resource Administrator supporting Licensed employees.   Please refer to the details below:

General Function:
The Human Resource Administrator – Licensed is responsible for the recruitment, employment, placement, retention and licensure of licensed personnel and for the management of related personnel services.  Will provide guidance and assistance to administrators and employees regarding employment, recruitment, employee discipline, training, leaves, policy interpretation or other related areas.  Will assist in the development, implementation and direction of programs under the supervision of the administrator.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in human resources, business or an administrative license in education with an interest in human resources.
• Five years of administrative or leadership experience in human resources, business or education.
• Knowledge of USBE licensing guidelines preferred.

Position Closes July 2, 2021 or until filled.  Selected applicants will be interviewed.

• If you are interested in this HR Administrator opening, apply using the link below.
• Apply today!
• Frontline application tutorial

We hope you’re enjoying your summer and getting some much needed and deserved rest. In preparation for the 2021-22 school year, we wanted to make you aware of a couple of items.  As you know, Jordan School District will no longer have any year-round schools this fall. As a result, it becomes possible to align calendars at all levels to provide clarity and consistency for families and employees.  In order to accomplish this, elementary schools will be adjusting from a trimester to a quarter calendar. We will continue to have parent teacher conferences twice a year at approximately the end of first and third quarter. An updated 2021-22 calendar is available on the Planning & Enrollment Calendars page. More details will be provided at the beginning of the school year.

Thank you for your dedicated work on behalf of students.

The following are new administrative assignments effective July 1, 2021:

• Jarom Airhart, administrative intern at Academy Park and Plymouth Elementary in Granite School District, appointed assistant principal at Aspen and Terra Linda Elementary.      
• Aubri Moench, teacher at Fox Hollow Elementary, appointed assistant principal at Riverton and Jordan Hills Elementary.

While you may be taking a vacation this summer, the NEED for blood donations is not.

Blood Donations have fallen to their lowest point ever this summer. Donating blood takes less than 1 hour and can help save up to 3 lives. An ARUP Blood Services blood donation center is only 20 minutes away.

Your Blood Donation is needed NOW! Please schedule your appointment to donate blood by calling 801-584-5272 or logging onto arupbloodservices.org.

URS Individual Retirement Planning Sessions are now available through video conferencing or over the phone.

Meet one-on-one with a URS Retirement Planning Advisor for custom retirement guidance. The format will be identical to in-person sessions previously offered throughout the state.

We can answer questions and provide advice about your retirement benefits such as:

• Which Tier 2 benefit should I choose?
• How much should I save?
• Which retirement savings plans (401(k), 457(b), IRA, Roth IRA) are right for me?
• Which investments are right for me?
• How much will my pension pay me in retirement?

Go to www.urs.org/us/counseling for more information about Individual Retirement Planning and how to sign up for a session.

URS now offers a brand-new program designed to improve your financial wellness and lower your financial stress. All employees are eligible to participate. These new sessions are separate from the one-on-one retirement planning sessions that URS also currently offers. 

What can you expect? In these free, confidential sessions conducted via videoconferencing, the goal is to assess and improve your overall financial wellness. URS advisors do this by reviewing and addressing three key areas: 

• creating a debt management plan, 
• building an emergency savings fund, and 
• developing a workable spending plan. 

As there are opportunities to make improvements, your advisor will give you specific recommendations. URS advisors can address other financial topics with you as well. If you have any questions about the URS financial wellness program, you can call the URS Retirement Planning Advisor line at 801-366-7470. 

As part of the financial wellness program, you also now have access to a variety of financial wellness calculators. These calculators are great tools for doing “what if” scenarios on different topics, such as refinancing a mortgage, calculating a car payment, etc. The calculators can be accessed at fwcalculators.urs.org. 

How can you sign up for a personal financial wellness appointment? URS provides this service at no cost to you. You register online through your myURS account at www.urs.org. Once you are logged in, click on the Education tab, and then click on Individual Financial Wellness Sessions. You can then choose a date and time that is convenient for you via a videoconference. These sessions typically last one hour. 

The Board of Education has reached negotiated agreements with JESPA. Details of the agreements can be found below:

• Steps will be given for education support professionals for the 2021-22 school year.
• A cost of living adjustment of 3.13% will be added to all steps for education support professionals.
• Employees will cover fifty (50) percent of any future insurance premium increase and the District will cover fifty (50) percent of any future insurance premium increase; however, there is no insurance premium increase for the 2021-22 contract year.
• The statement in DP344 Vacation Schedule for Twelve-Month Personnel II.B. stating: “After September 30, the vacation allowance may not exceed the days accrued for the current year” will temporarily, for the 2021-22 year only, be adjusted to “After December 31, the vacation allowance may not exceed the days accrued for the current year.” The intent is to move the deadline of September 30 for using vacation days to December 31 for the 2021-22 year.
• Due to the moratorium placed on DP354B NEG – Attendance Incentive-Education Support Professionals last year for the current year, the funds normally used for this incentive were instead used to pay those individuals who would not have otherwise qualified for the State COVID Stipend. As a result, no attendance incentives will be paid in July 2021.
• DP354B NEG – Attendance Incentive-Education Support Professionals will be revised to allow Education Support Professionals who have up to four qualifying absences to receive the full absence incentive amount.