Author: Mr. Jenson

End of Q1, Fall Break & Grade Transmittal Day

This Friday marks the end of the first quarter and Monday is the start of Fall Break. The Monday after Fall Break is designated as grade transmittal day and students won’t attend on that day. This means that the first day of the second quarter is October 29th. We hope you have a wonderful and restful Fall Break!

Updated Cell Phone Policy

The Jordan School District Board of Education updated the personal electronics policy (often called the ‘cell phone policy’) effective 10/29/24. The full policy can be found here. You can watch this video to learn more. Our student handbook has been updated to reflect these changes, and you can see that addition to our handbook below:

In short, for secondary schools, all personal electronics, including cell phones, smart watches, bluetooth headphones, etc. are not allowed during class time. The policy specifically states that devices must be silent and out of sight, meaning that if it is seen or heard during class, it’s a violation of the policy. 

The consequences of violating this policy are also specifically outlined in the policy:

• 1st Violation
  • Device is stored in a secure location (Attendance Office) and the STUDENT can pick up the phone at the end of the school day.
• 2nd Violation & Beyond
  • Device is stored in a secure location (Attendance Office) and the PARENT can pick up the phone at the end of the school day.
  • Further consequences can be determined by the school as needed.

A FEW NOTES:

It’s worth noting that there is no warning system written into this policy, which means that the device will be confiscated the very first time it’s used during class time. 

Also note that it is not specific to a location (a classroom), but to the time when students should be in class, which means students using a hall pass or who should otherwise be in class should likewise not be using any such devices.

Violations of this policy will also be addressed in the citizenship grade under “Respect for Adults” or “Readiness to Learn” categories of the citizenship rubric. Please remember that the school is not responsible for lost or stolen electronic devices.

8th Grade PCCRs – Nov 4-13

Does your student know all the steps needed to graduate high school? Do they know what college they would like to attend, or what scholarships are available? Come attend a Plan for College and Career Readiness (PCCR) meeting with your counselor and learn all this and more. These 40-minute sessions will be held November 4 through November 13, and will consist of a 30-minute small group presentation followed by your individual questions.

To schedule a PCCR appointment, login to Skyward Family Access at http://skystu.jordan.k12.ut.us between October 9 and October 29.  Select your South Jordan Middle School student, and then click the Conference button on the left side of the screen.  Choose All Conferences next to your student’s name, click Select a Time, and then click Select by the desired appointment time.  You will receive a confirmation email for your appointment.

Your appointment will be with your student’s counselor:

A-Da – – – – – – – – – – – – – Mr. Young

De-G – – – – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Switzer

H-Mad – – – – – – – – – – – -Ms. Poulter

Mae-Ror – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Pew

Ros-Z – – – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Graham

If you need help accessing the Skyward Scheduler, please call 801-412-2910. All students will have a PCCR meeting regardless of parent attendance.

Utah’s 8th Annual Apple Crunch Day – Thurs, October 17

JSD Nutrition Services has purchased local apples from Pyne Farms in Santaquin, Utah, to celebrate. Check out this great 3-minute Pyne Farm tour video and to learn about apples. This year, Apple Crunch Day falls during National School Lunch Week! The theme for this year is “School Lunch Pirates…Find Your Treasure”. We hope you enjoy this celebration!

Chipotle Spirit Night – Tues, October 8, 5-9PM

It’s time for another SoJo Spirit Night. This time, we’re partnering with Chipotle in South Jordan near the District. 25% of event sales get donated to our middle school’s PTA, and helps them support students and teachers. Be sure to mention South Jordan Middle School when ordering. You can also order online for pickup using the code G8NJERL. Thank you for your support!

Lockdown Drill – Tues, Oct 8 during 4th Period (11:15-11:30)

We will hold a Lockdown Drill on Tuesday, October 8. We will be treating this as a drill and you will not be able to check out a student or come into the office until the drill is complete.

A lockdown is issued when an immediate threat is identified within the building. On the announcements students will hear: “This is a Lockdown. Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.”

During the LOCKDOWN drill, we will:

• Close and lock the classroom door 
• Cover the door window 
• Close and lock classroom windows. Close the blinds. (If there are any)
• Turn off the lights
• Move all students and staff to a safe corner of the room
• Silence all phones and remain quiet

In the event of a real emergency:

• If the threat is NOT nearby AVOID- immediately get outside through the closest, safest exit
• If the threat is nearby, LOCKDOWN and DENY- barricade the entrance
• If the threat is attacking, DEFEND- fight back with any means necessary
• DO NOT open the door for anyone requesting entrance. Authorities will have keys and open the door to release you when everything is clear.

Picture Make Up – Wed, Oct 9

Picture Retakes will be available for anyone who missed picture day or who would like to retake their school picture. Students will be called down alphabetically by last name beginning in 1st period and completed by lunch. We will make an all-call before Bell Photography leaves in order to catch anyone that doesn’t hear the announcement.  

Choir Concerts – Thurs, Oct 10

Our School Choirs will be performing this week. Everyone is welcome to attend. Here are the details:

• 7th Grade Performers arrive at 5:30 PM
• 7th Grade Choir Performance begins at 6:00 PM
• 8th & 9th Grade Performers arrive at 7:00 PM
• 8th & 9th Grade Choir Performance begins at 7:30 PM 

Reflections Entries due Friday! – Fri, October 11

PTSA is excited to announce that….It’s Reflections time!! This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfections”. Think hard about what that means to you and create something! Visual Art (2D or 3D), a film, a dance, a song, a poem or short story, or a photograph! You can even do one of each.

The top scoring piece in each category will win the Grand Prize: Hale Center Theater tickets!!!! And there will be other prizes for other winners plus a participation prize for everyone that enters.

The entry deadline is October 11th. For more information including guidelines for each category and entry instructions visit https://www.utahpta.org/ref

9th Grade College Tour – Wed, Oct 16

We are so excited for our 9th grade College Tour! On October 16th our 9th grade students will get to tour a nearby college. We leave during 2nd period and will be back by lunch. We still need a few more parent volunteers to chaperone.

Please complete this form if you would like to be a parent volunteer for our 9th Grade College Tour. Thank you, SoJo community!

Panorama Survey This Week

Students will be taking our district’s Panorama survey this week. This is the same surrey given in the fall, winter and spring each year. This survey gives us insight into how students feel about school and helps us drive change for our school culture. The survey will only be administered to students whose parents gave permission for the survey during registration. This survey will be given to students during class and should only take about 15-20 minutes. Students will be asked how they think and feel about school. Here is a link to some of the questions that your student may be asked. 

This data will be used alongside academic, behavioral, and attendance records in order to support the whole child. By using Panorama, our school will be able to act on data and plan solutions at the school, classroom, and student level. Thank you so much for your support at home. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact your student’s school counselor.

8th Grade PCCRs – Nov 4-13

Does your student know all the steps needed to graduate high school? Do they know what college they would like to attend, or what scholarships are available? Come attend a Plan for College and Career Readiness (PCCR) meeting with your counselor and learn all this and more. These 40-minute sessions will be held November 4 through November 13, and will consist of a 30-minute small group presentation followed by your individual questions.

To schedule a PCCR appointment, login to Skyward Family Access at http://skystu.jordan.k12.ut.us between October 9 and October 29.  Select your South Jordan Middle School student, and then click the Conference button on the left side of the screen.  Choose All Conferences next to your student’s name, click Select a Time, and then click Select by the desired appointment time.  You will receive a confirmation email for your appointment.

Your appointment will be with your student’s counselor:

A-Da – – – – – – – – – – – – – Mr. Young

De-G – – – – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Switzer

H-Mad – – – – – – – – – – – -Ms. Poulter

Mae-Ror – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Pew

Ros-Z – – – – – – – – – – – – Ms. Graham

If you need help accessing the Skyward Scheduler, please call 801-412-2910. All students will have a PCCR meeting regardless of parent attendance.

School Community Council Meetings

We will be holding our first school community council meeting of the year on Thursday, October 17th at 4 pm in the main office conference room of the school. The agenda can be found here, and the meeting is open to the public!

Halloween Guidelines

Halloween is a great chance to see the personality and creativity of our students. We want the day to be fun, and we also want to be able to have a productive day in class. With that in mind, what follows is a list of guidelines to help us do both:

• The School Dress Code and the Student Code of Conduct still apply
• Students should come to school already dressed with any makeup or hair color already applied
• Students should avoid costumes that degrade any other group of people
• We must be able to easily see who you are
• Avoid masks worn on the face, except for use as personal protective equipment
• Makeup or other costume additions must still allow us to identify you
• We must be able to move in the halls and function in class, including avoiding disruptions to teachers and other students
• Costumes must be safe, and make others feel safe
• No weapons or facsimiles of weapons
• Footwear must be worn all day

Above all, if you’re aren’t sure you should wear it, just don’t. We can’t wait to see what you come up with, and be sure to check our social media channels for pics of the great costumes at SoJo.

Parent Teacher Conferences This Week

It’s time for parent-teacher conferences, and we can’t wait to see all of you. Our schedule is as follows:

• Virtual, Wednesday, September 25 – 4:00-7:30
• In-Person, Thursday, September 26 – 4:00-7:30 in the SoJo Gym/Cafe
• No School, Friday, September 27

For virtual conferences, you can sign up for a 5-minute appointment by going to Parent Access in Skyward and choosing the Conference option on the left sidebar. At the time of the appointment, use this document to access the Zoom links for each teacher. If you have any questions, please contact the main office. For detailed instructions, click here.

For in-person conferences, you can simply come to the gym/cafe and find the teachers seated alphabetically by last name. Try to watch for teachers with open spots, and remember that if you don’t get a chance to talk to a teacher you need, we have access to teachers all year long via email, appointment, phone call or Parent Square. It’s never been easier to access a teacher, so please use any and all forms of communication to get whatever information you need.

NOTE: If you need translation services for conferences, please let us know ASAP by contacting the main office.

College Tour Chaperones

This year we’ll be doing a College Tour in place of the Industry Tour. This will be a fantastic opportunity to get our students excited about college and future careers! It will happen during our College Week on October 16th! We’re looking for chaperones to help. We would love to have at least 2 per bus (14 chaperones). Chaperones arrive at 9:00am and will be back at SoJo by 12:00pm. So, save the date and fill out this Google Form if you’re interested in chaperoning! (We need 15 more chaperones!)

Morning Drop Off Speed Boosts

Use the north lot in the morning if you’re in a hurry. It’s consistently nearly empty when the south lot is full.

9th Grade Baby Photos for Memory Book 

The SJMS PTSA is thrilled to announce a special opportunity for all 9th graders! We are offering free baby photo submissions to be featured in this year’s memory book! This is a fantastic way to celebrate your student’s journey, and we can’t wait to showcase these adorable throwbacks. To make sure your photo gets included, please follow these simple submission rules:

• Deadline: Submit by September 30th.
• Photo Quality: Upload a high-resolution photo.
• Photo Selection: Choose a picture where the student’s face is clear (no shadows, glare, or extreme or mixed lighting). 
• Student Only: No other individuals may be in the photo, only the student.
• Submission Limit: One photo per student (no multiple submissions).
• Information Required: Include the student’s first and last name and your email address.
• Late or Non-compliant Photos: May not be published if they don’t meet the guidelines.

We can’t wait to see the amazing photos you share! Submit a photo here.

Reflections

PTSA is excited to announce that….It’s Reflections time!! This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfections”. Think hard about what that means to you and create something! Visual Art (2D or 3D), a film, a dance, a song, a poem or short story, or a photograph! You can even do one of each.

The top scoring piece in each category will win the Grand Prize: Hale Center Theater tickets!!!! And there will be other prizes for other winners plus a participation prize for everyone that enters.

The entry deadline is October 11th. For more information including guidelines for each category and entry instructions visit https://www.utahpta.org/ref

Secure Safety Drill 

SoJo will be holding a Secure Drill on Thursday, September 12 at 10:25 AM – that is at the beginning of 3rd Period. We anticipate the drill lasting approximately 10-15 minutes. A summary of the purpose of a Secure Drill is included below. As a parent, here is what you need to know: 

• No one will be allowed inside the building during the drill
• No check in or check out can occur during the drill
• The secure drill is used when there is an outside threat, not something occurring inside the building

*For a complete list of the Standard Response Protocols being used by JSD, please visit the JSD School Safety website.

Secure Protocol:  If there is a threat of violence or hazard on or near the campus but OUTSIDE, the school implements a Secure. In a Secure, all students and staff are brought inside the building and all exterior doors are locked until the threat has been resolved. Parents and other visitors may not be allowed in the school during a Secure.This is often called even if the threat is unrelated to the school but there is a potential for it to place students and staff in danger, such as police activity nearby or a wild animal on the loose. During a Secure, the school schedule remains the same and classes inside continue without disruption. 

Parking Lot Updates

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the drop-off and pick-up process, we have a few quick reminders and requests:

• When leaving the parking lot, turn right unless you can turn left without waiting. Much of our slow-down after school comes from people waiting for an opening to turn left.
  • If every car leaving takes 30 seconds to turn left, it quickly adds up to a lot of waiting for the cars behind them.
• If entering the north lot, be sure to avoid blocking the bus lane.
• Watch for students at the exits. We have a lot of students that ride scooters and bikes, or that walk home. We’ve had a few near misses, so keep your eyes peeled.

Note that the north parking lot clears much faster than the south lot. If the south lot looks full, try the north lot and you may get out faster.

JSD Fall Family Fair

Language and Culture Services is excited for the annual Fall Family Fair on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 4:00-7:00 pm at the Viridian Event Center – 8030 S 1825 W, West Jordan. The Viridian Event Center is connected to the West Jordan Public Library. All Jordan District students and their families are invited to become familiar with the District and the Community.

Special music guests, Superintendents of Rock, will be there and our very own Superintendent Anthony Godfrey is a member of the band. Come out with your family to enjoy food trucks, win prizes, and get to know the school community. 

Fall Family Fair Flyer – English

Fall Family Fair Flyer – Spanish

Picture Retakes – October 9th

If you missed picture day or need a retake of your picture, Bell Photography will be back at SoJo on October 9th. More information to come as we get closer.

Fee Reminders

If your student is taking a class with a class fee (art, foods, French, etc.), those fees are now visible and can be paid by logging into Skyward. You can also view and pay Registration Fees in Skyward. Lunch balances can be paid in Skyward by going to Fee Management. You can also add money to your student’s account in person, but only via cash or check. You can use a card to pay class and registration fees.

Link to JSD Middle School Fee Schedule  

Link to SoJo School Fee List  

Immunizations

Just a reminder that all 7th grade students are required to have a TDAP booster and 1 Meningococcal vaccinations. They were due by August 16, 2024. Please send a copy of your Student’s immunizations to South Jordan Middle School (torey.carroll@jordandistrict.org) lto verify that they have those vaccinations.

Students in all grades (K through 12) must be immunized according to Utah state guidelines. To be clear, this means that we cannot allow your student to attend if these requirements are not met. 7th Grade is one of the key immunization checkpoints. You can view your student’s immunization status in Skyward. Link to JSD Immunization Requirements

Safety Reminders

SoJo runs safety drills on a regular basis, typically once a month. We try to list those on our SoJo Master Calendar. You WILL NOT be able to check out or check in a student during a drill. The intent of practice is to be prepared for an actual emergency. We try to run the drills in the same way we would operate in an actual emergency. Keep in mind, our evacuation drill took about 15 minutes. If you really cannot wait, please pick up your student before the drill begins or wait for students to return to the building. Below you can see which types of drills will take place during the year. Each drill will take place within the school, except for the evacuation drill.

Memory Book Information

Join the Memory Book Staff!

Encourage your student to join the Memory Book Staff! It’s a fun way to get involved and stay connected with what’s happening at school. Applications are due by September 16th, and meetings are held on Friday mornings at 9 AM and during PROWL. Visit the application link to apply and learn more about the staff. 

9th Grade Baby Photos – Due September 30th

Parents of 9th graders: Don’t forget to submit your child’s baby photo for the Memory Book by September 30th. It’s free to include a photo! Be sure to check the guidelines before uploading. Please use the photo upload link to upload your photo – you will have to verify your email address in order to submit. 

Purchase Your Memory Book!

Don’t miss out! Memory Books are now available for purchase exclusively through the PTSA store. They’re a great way for your student to remember the school year, and your purchase supports essential PTSA programs. Buy a Memory Book today and consider adding a PTSA membership to your cart for a special bundle deal. Memberships are essentially a donation—no time commitment required!

Buy Your Memory Book and Join PTSA by using the SoJo PTSA Store Link.Email questions to: sojoyearbook@gmail.com

We won’t normally send our ParentSquare notifications out with the ‘immediate delivery’ designation, but…

The Parking Lot is Fully Functional!

After a long summer and an even longer first week of school, we are happy to announce that our parking lot is at 100% operational capacity. Here’s how it looks this morning:

And here’s one with a few labels:

Here are the essentials for using the new parking lot:

• If you come from the north, use the north lot. If you come from the south, use the south lot.
• No parking, drop off, or pick up in the bus lane. This is the center lot between the north and south lots. And this is all day. We have buses come for field trips, etc., so just don’t use it.
• Use the outer loop of each lot for drop off and pick up, and use the center parking area of each loop for coming into the building.
• In the loop, use the left lane as a thru lane and the right lane for drop off and pick up.
• When leaving the lot, be aware of those behind you. If you can make a left turn, great. If you have to wait and there are cars behind you, just go right. It’s the polite thing to do.
• Only load/unload from a sidewalk. The main point of this whole overhaul was to eliminate kids wandering in and out of cars. Please encourage your student to load and unload only from a sidewalk.

A note on students who walk home: Please remind them to walk out to 2700 W from the school using the far north or south sidewalk. We have a number of students going out to the road from the center of our parking lot, which means they have to walk in front of the exit of the parking lot to get wherever they are going once they are on the sidewalk on 2700 W. It just makes it much less safe and is completely avoidable. We’ll keep reminding them, but your help is appreciated.

That should be it. We’ll have a few of us out there this morning to make sure it all flows well, but it should just run itself from this point forward.

Thank you again for your incredible patience as we navigated the construction. It ended up going better than we could have hoped, all things considered, and that comes down to all of you pitching in and making it work by following our ever-changing directions.

Picture Day is Friday, August 30. 

We will not be sending home paper order forms. Please use the Bell Photo website to prepay for photos. A scanned copy of the packages can be found here. However, it is much easier to see online. Visit bellphoto.com and scroll down to enter the Prepay Code: sjordanmsfall24. Pictures will be taken during the student’s math class. 

HELLO WEEK!  8/26 – 8/30

Show your school spirit by participating in each day’s theme and lunchtime activities. Outfits must be school appropriate and adhere to the dress code.:

Monday – SOJO Day – Wear school colors 

Tuesday – 80s Day

Wednesday – Teachers dress as Students & Students dress as Teachers

Thursday – Olympics Day – Celebrate a Country by wearing its colors/dress

Friday – Sunglasses Day*

*Sunglasses are not permitted to be worn in school pictures

Fall Musical Auditions

Auditions for The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition) will be September 3rd and 4th after school. For information about auditions, rehearsals, and performances, follow this link.

SoJo Calendar

Upcoming spirit days, assemblies, and activities can be found on the SoJo Calendar. You can also find links to any revised bell schedules. The school calendar is accessible through ParentSquare or from our school’s website.

Chromebook Reminders

Students were given a Chromebook on Thursday, August 22. Please remember, the Chromebook is the responsibility of each student. Any costs associated with repair or replacement will be charged to the student. You can review Chromebook Expectations and Repair/Replacement Costs on our school website. 

Great news! They’ve opened up our south parking lot…sort of. Here’s what it looks like now:

And here’s how we want traffic to flow in the south lot through the rest of this week:

We won’t be able to use the outer drop-off and pick-up loop in the south lot until next Monday so that cement can cure. The north lot can function normally – just use the left lane to drive through, and the right lane to load and unload.

A few notes about the south lot:

• Do not park in the south lot. Drop off and pick up only for the rest of this week.
• Pull as far around the loop as you can before unloading.
  • If everyone unloads when they get to the front one at a time, it backs up the whole line.
  • If we unload in groups by pulling as far forward as possible and unloading all at once, we can move people through much more quickly.
  • Follow directions of our staff to get to the right place BEFORE unloading.

Again, thank you for your patience as this changes day-to-day. We’re getting close to full operation, and what a relief that will be for everyone!

Now that we’re a day into this grand parking lot experiment, we need to make a few crucial adjustments to what we’ve sent out previously:

The Short Version

Stagger your arrival times, use the left lane to get to a spot in the right lane, pull as far around the loop as you can before picking up your child, load from the sidewalk, and only turn right out of the parking lot. Details below.

Staggered Pick-Up

We got through everyone fairly quickly today, but we are going to ask you to please stagger your pickup the rest of this week as much as possible according to the following schedule:

• 3:00 pm – Last Names A-G
• 3:10 pm – Last Names H-N
• 3:20 pm – Last Names O-Z

Early-Bird Drop-Off

Just know that the earlier you get here, the less you’ll be fighting traffic. Everyone seems to arrive at about 7:40 am, so the earlier you arrive, the better. The school doors open at 7:30, so that’s a great time to be here if you’re hoping to avoid the rush.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Pro Tips

• Use the left lane of the loop to get to an open spot in the right lane.
  • If everyone just stays in the right lane, we’re as slow as the slowest car in the line.
• Pull as far around the loop as you can before pulling into the right lane.
  • Everyone wants to be close to the school, but it makes it so that far fewer people can get into the parking lot.
• Don’t let your kid get into the car in the left lane.
  • It means they have to cross in front of another car, which is dangerous. Only load from the sidewalk.
• Plan to turn right out of the parking lot.
  • Sorry. This is temporary, but turning left takes forever, and we don’t want everyone behind you to wait for you to save a few minutes getting home.

Thank you again for your tremendous patience. Today was an absolute blast with your 7th graders, and we can’t wait to see our 8th and 9th graders tomorrow.

For pictures and detailed maps of parking, see our previous post.