Author: communications

The Teaching and Learning Literacy department is offering one final round of training for the Multisyllable Routine Card (MSRC) program from 95% Group.

Teachers who have implemented this program have been excited with the results that they are seeing. Some of the comments have been, "Where has this been my whole career?"  "Why haven't I known about this until now?"  "This was so easy to implement and has such a big impact!"

If you have not yet been trained we hope that you will sign up for one of the final training dates.  Please register on JPLS.  The Course Title is "95% Group Multisyllable Routine Cards (MSRC) 3rd-6th Grades" and the course number is 101525.  The final training dates are:

• Wednesday December 2nd - 4:00-7:00 (off contract - teachers will be paid)
• Friday December 4 - 8:00-11:00 (on contract - teachers will not be paid)
• Friday December 11 - 1:00-4:00 (on contract - teachers will not be paid)

Any and all websites that are domain specific to Weebly or Wix will be blocked by the JSD iBoss Filter on January 18, 2020. All Weebly or Wix sites content will need to be transferred to a JSD supported website. For assistance please contact your school Digital Coach and your school assigned Digital Learning Specialist.

During the 2020-21 contract year, performance evaluations for Education Support Professionals will be optional, with the exception of Provisional employees.  By policy, provisional employees must be evaluated twice in their first year of employment.  For career employees, evaluations are recommended if performance concerns exist.

Healthy Holidays - Maintain Don't Gain
November 16th - January 4th

The holidays can be a busy time of year. Maintain your health throughout all the festivities with tips and resources to help you eat wisely, stress less and keep moving!

Schedule:

• Week 1: The Scents & Sounds of the Holidays - Prepare for the upcoming season with a plan and a healthy holiday meal.
• Week 2: All is Calm, All is Bright - Create a more serene you by giving yourself the gift of self-improvement.
• Week 3: Tis the Season to be Freezin’ - Get “winterized” by preparing your home and immune system for the colder weather.
• Week 4: Making Spirits Bright - Enhance the well-being of others by serving and discovering new strategies for a happier holiday season.
• Week 5: Even if “The Weather Outside is Frightful” - Stay active this holiday season indoors or outdoors.
• Week 6: The Best Present is Family Presence - Connect with your past and experience a heart-warming holiday season.
• Week 7: For a Better & Brighter Future - Set your New Year’s resolutions with a positive mindset for better health in the new year.
• Week 8: To All a Good Night - Reward yourself for the healthy habits you created during this challenge and put an eventful 2020 to bed!

Wellness challenges are email based, self paced educational programs that focus on areas of well being. Often used to jump-start personal goals, challenges can help you take charge of your health.

Do you know who your school’s ELD teacher lead is? (It might be the Instructional coach and it might not be). We will be meeting with all school level ELD leads on Fri. Nov. 20th, via zoom, from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. Even if you are not the ELD lead, we encourage the instructional coach to attend.

• Zoom Meeting: https:/rb.gy/un149Z
• Meeting ID: 825 0735 1859
• Passcode: 799772

• Payroll Due: 11/3/20
• Last day to change direct deposit accounts: 11/10/20
  ** Please let Payroll know of any changes to your account after this date. Any bank account changes will affect your check on payday.
• Paychecks available for viewing in Employee Access: 11/21/20
  ** Strongly recommended
• Payday: 11/25/20
• District Office will be closed for Thanksgiving Recess: 11/26-11/27/20

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True Time Deadlines for Pay Period
10/5/20 – 11/1/20

• Employee Final Submittal: 11/4/20
• First Approval: 11/6/20
• Final Approval: 11/10/20

Please inform new True Time employees of these deadlines.

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Thanksgiving Recess

• *YRE, 242, 245 contracts: Nov 26-27
  *These employees must record a leave day if not in attendance on Nov 25th (Traditional school principals may use a vacation day as this is a non-student day)
• Traditional, 206 contracts: Nov 25-27

As per DP335(B): Employees who have not been approved by Human Resources for using an annual/personal day before and after a holiday may be docked (certified $131 or classified 40% of their daily rate). Please refer to policy for further clarification.

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Parent/Teacher Conference

• Traditional Elem (Comp Day Nov 13) Nov 9-12
• YRE Tracks A,B,C (Comp Day Nov 7) Nov 2-6
• YRE Track D (Comp Day Nov 21) Nov 16-20

As per DP335 NEG: Licensed employees may not use a personal or annual leave day if absent from parent teacher conferences. They may use a sick day or a no-pay day if applicable. The absence should be entered on the comp day.

The Blomquist Hale Newsletter for the 4th Quarter has arrived.  In this issue, you will find articles on Managing Holiday Stress, 5 Ways to Relax Over The Holidays, and Family Fun For The Holidays.

• Blomquist Hale 4th Quarter 2020 Newsletter

The October Workout Warrior will encourage and motivate you to be active in the great outdoors and enjoy the cooler weather and fall colors. Hiking is a perfect way to stay fit so fall in love with cool weather fitness! A lot of us don’t like to walk during the hot summer months, but now is a great time of year to start a walking group at work. Gather some co-workers and take that much needed break. If you are working from home, don’t forget to do get away from your computer screen and move your body. It will thank you! Registration and information about the Happy Hiking October Workout Warrior is can be viewed below.

One of the best antidotes for stressful situations for a rough year is laughter. We need to laugh and find humor in life now more than ever. The October Wellness Challenge will focus on the physical, emotional, and social benefits of laughter. Join the Laughter, It’s No Joke Wellness Challenge by using the registration link on the in the PDF below. Let’s all work to make the last part of this year happier and more light-hearted. Laughter is the best medicine!

Fall is the perfect time for healthy and hearty soups. Don’t forget to add a lot of fresh vegetables to your soup to increase the nutritional value and boost your immune system. Have you checked out all the delicious soups and other healthy recipes on our Test Kitchen page of the PEHP Website? Use the following link to explore all the delicious recipes, or maybe submit your own recipe for others to enjoy.

• Oct. 2020 Wellness Challenge
• Oct. 2020 Workout Warrior

IMPORTANT OCTOBER PAYROLL INFORMATION FOR ALL EMPLOYEES:

Due to the District Office closing for Fall Recess at the end of the day on Thursday, Oct. 22, and not returning until Monday, Oct. 26, the Payroll Department is making the following recommendations:

• If you need to close your bank account, please call Payroll immediately.
• If you are a True Time employee, make sure your time is submitted.  If you are a True Time approver, please make sure all time is approved.
• Paychecks are available for viewing in Employee Access on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Please review your pay check and call Payroll immediately with any questions or concerns.  (801) 567-8155. 

If you need help logging into your Employee Access, call the help desk at 801-567-8737.

• Payday is on Oct. 22nd.

The Payroll Department will resume work on Oct. 26, 2020 and will be available if you have any questions.

Thank you for your efforts in assisting Payroll.

The Utah Department of Health, under the direction of Governor Herbert, has approved adjustments to the 14-day quarantine. Students and employees who have been quarantined due to an in-school exposure, while wearing a mask, may return to school if they are symptom-free, and have a negative test result after day 7 of quarantine. The test may be taken on day 7. State officials and medical experts indicate that this new guidance aligns with the best medical practice. 

The following are key points provided by the State:

• Masks are effective at preventing transmission in classroom settings
• This only applies to mask on mask exposure
• Only applies to exposures that occurred in school
• % of individuals who will develop symptoms do so on: 
  • Day 7 -75%, 
  • Day 9 - 90% 
  • Day 11- 95%
  • Testing picks up positive cases two days before symptoms onset; therefore, testing on day 7 means there is less than a 10% chance that an individual will contract after day 7
• This is for individual exposures, and does not pertain to the threshold recommendations for classroom or school virtual learning 

The COVID-19 School Manual will be updated to reflect this change but the change takes effect immediately. 

Please carefully read the attached Low Risk Test and Return guidance document found below.  

• Low Risk Test & Return Guidelines

More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.  

Language & Culture Services has created a newsletter that can be found at the link below.

There are stories about online teaching, hispanic heritage month, a Thanksgiving discussion and WIDA resources for parents and guardians.

• Language & Culture Services Fall 2020 Newsletter

The CARES Act Reimagine Teaching program is providing $200 Amazon gift cards to teachers and administrators who sign up for the program by Oct. 1 and complete it by Dec. 1. Heres how does it works:

1. Sign Up by Oct. 1 to qualify and get updates
2. Search Workshops & Programs and other Professional Learning Resources.
3. Complete four clock hours of professional learning between June 1 - December 1, 2020.
4. Submit Proof of completion such as a certificate, email from the instructor, or department letter.
5. Accept recognition - $200 Amazon gift card (limited quantity available)

Employees of the Jordan School District:

In light of increasing COVID-19 cases in Salt Lake County, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD), and your school district have created an option for employees of the school district to get free COVID-19 testing. This testing will be available for a limited period of time based on available lab capacity.

Plans are already in place to test people with symptoms and people who have had close contact with confirmed cases. These people will receive a testing certificate from their school with instructions on how to be tested at any of the 70 testing locations statewide.

We understand employees who do not feel sick and who have not had close contact with a confirmed case may still wish to be tested, too. The school district has partnered with the UDOH and the SLCoHD to provide this testing for you.

Beginning Tuesday, September 29, any district employees who want to be tested can be tested. Each district has its own referral code to access this free testing. Your district’s referral code is 40014.

To be tested, please go to TestUtah.com, fill out the required demographic information, and then provide your referral code when prompted to do so. You will then be able to schedule testing at any of the TestUtah locations (there are four in Salt Lake County). Once you select a location, date, and time for your test, TestUtah will provide you a QR code which you will take to the site at your assigned date and time. You will be tested free of charge and will be notified by text and/or email when your results are available. If you test positive, you will need to notify your school and also let the public health investigator who contacts you know that you are an employee of the district.

If you have any questions about using this referral code to sign up for testing, please contact the COVID-19 information line by chat at coronavirus.utah.gov or by phone at 1-800-456-7707.

With the beginning of the new school year comes new pay rates along with new deductions.  All employees are encouraged to log in to Employee Access and review their salary placement, FTE, insurance premiums, deductions, name, and *address.  This information can all be located under the EMPLOYEE INFORMATION tab.

*Reminder that checks that are not direct deposit will be mailed to your home address in Skyward.  Please make sure that your address is correct to avoid a delay in receiving your pay.

Your actual paycheck is available to view up to two (2) days prior to payday each month in CHECK HISTORY. If you have questions, please contact the following:

• Help Desk 801-567-8737 (For Employee Access login and password)
• Payroll 801-567-8154
• Insurance 801-567-8146
• Human Resources 801-567-8150

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All paychecks that are not direct deposited will temporarily be mailed to your address on file in Skyward.

To avoid possible delays in receiving your paycheck, please log in to your Skyward Employee Access (call 801-567-8737 for login assistance if needed) to verify that your address is correct, or to make any changes to your address.

View and/or change your address online:

• Log in to Skyward Employee Access
• EMPLOYEE INFORMATION tab (under Employee Information heading)
• PERSONAL INFORMATION
• ADDRESS (under Demographic heading)

View and/or change your address by telephone:

• Call Human Resources at 801-567-8150

To register for our no cost online webinars, please go to: blomquisthale.com/workshops/

Dear JSD Employee,

The recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) may entitle eligible employees who have worked for the District for 30 days to receive a limited amount of paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.  The PDF below is a FFCRA notice from the Department of Labor outlining eligibility, paid leave entitlements and qualifying reasons for leave related to COVID-19.

The PDF also contains a tutorial on how you can submit a FFCRA Leave application through Skyward Employee Access if you believe you have a qualifying reason.  If you need assistance in accessing your Skyward employee account, please contact the Information Systems Help Desk at 801-567-8737.  For questions regarding FFCRA, please review the attached notice or contact HR at 801-567-8249. 

• Employee Rights Notice & FFCRA Leave Application Tutorial

Utah Education Network is working to provide a ZOOM Pro Plan for Educators.  Within the next two weeks you will receive an email from ZOOM with an invitation to approve a request for a new account through UEN. If you would like the Pro Plan for Zoom, you will have 30 days to approve the request.

Here's a sample of what the email will look like:

Getting a flu shot is an easy way to help protect you, your family and co-workers.
There is no cost to you with your insurance card. Two district clinics have been scheduled for flu shots this year (see the attached schedule). Clinics have also been scheduled at most schools. See your individual school for dates and times.

You can also go to your physician or any pharmacy that accepts PEHP insurance.