Author: Mr. Jenson

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.

Tomorrow is the big day if you’re a 7th grader! If you’re not, then Wednesday is your first day. Either way, we’re excited to have you and can’t wait to welcome you to SoJo! If you’re looking for bell schedules, Hello Week dress-up themes, or other date-specific information, we keep our Google Calendar up-to-date. That same calendar also shows up in Parent Square; just click the detailed view of the calendar event for more info. We also post all Parent Square posts to the school website.

Also, if you were hoping for a map to go over with your student prior to school starting, you can view the classroom map and bell schedules here. We aren’t allowed to post them on the website for security reasons, but we checked and we can send it to you this way since you only get this if you have a verified email address.

Let’s Talk About the Parking Lot

As you can probably guess if you’ve been near the school at all recently, the parking lot is NOT finished. On top of that, 2700 W is undergoing some repaving that also isn’t done. When it rains, it pours. In fact, that’s exactly what pushed everything back so much – we’ve had a lot of rain the last few weeks, and even more the last few days. That rain has identified some new sinkholes both in our parking lot and on 2700 W, making it impossible for crews to pour concrete or lay asphalt. They are working hard to get it done ASAP, but it won’t be done before we start tomorrow.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PARKING LOT INSTRUCTIONS

Expect delays. We’re going to be operating with a smaller parking lot and ongoing construction for the rest of this week. We should have the full parking lot by next week – barring any major weather issues. Please plan for drop off & pick up to take a bit longer to navigate. Watch out for each other and please be patient. 

Here’s a picture taken Monday, August 19, showing how the parking looks:

And here are those parts, but labeled:

We’ve divided what follows into four sections:

1. Drop Off & Pick Up
2. Busing
3. Walking
4. 2700 W Repaving

Drop Off and Pick Up

If you are dropping off or picking up (no parking, please), you will use the outer loop of the north parking lot. For this to work, there are three main things:

1. Drop off or pick up in the RIGHT lane. Keep the LEFT lane open for movement. Do not stop in the left lane.
2. Pull as far around the loop as you can.
3. Students only load from the sidewalk.

Here’s a picture of what we mean:

Again, pull as far around the loop as you can before pulling into the right lane, and keep the left lane moving at all times. No loading from the left lane.

A NOTE ON DROPPING THEM OFF ELSEWHERE: You have the option of dropping your student off further away from the school (7-11, for example), but 2700 W is still going to be under construction. This means there is no shoulder on 2700 W to use to pull over to drop off. If you do this, you will block traffic on 2700 W and make the whole situation even worse. If you drop them off somewhere else to have them walk, don’t do it on 2700 W. We also don’t want you to use residential streets behind the school for that either. Really, our options are limited, so just be as patient as you can be.

Busing

The bus lane will be open and functioning. Students will use the sidewalks on both sides of the bus lane to go out to their bus. Students might have to check both sides of the loop to locate their bus. Students will load from the sidewalk. Here’s a picture:

Please do not use the bus lane for drop off or pick up – even after buses leave. More buses may come in, and it just sends mixed signals to kids about what part of the parking lot is for what. If you’re not a bus, don’t go in the bus lane.

Walking

Whether you’re walking to seminary or walking to and from the school, the outside sidewalks on the north and south sides of the school are where you’ll walk. NOTE: The south side is still having a bit of concrete poured as marked with the red ‘x’ below, so students will walk across the asphalt for that small stretch. See the picture for more:

Above all else, just don’t walk anywhere there is active construction going on. We’ll have people out to guide you, but also encourage your children to use the sidewalks and don’t go out where things are obviously unfinished.

2700 W Repaving

Like our parking lot, the repaving of 2700 W is about two weeks behind schedule due to sinkholes and soft spots. They keep finding them just like we did in the parking lot. They will be digging up the soft spots and fixing them right in front of the school today and tomorrow morning. This means that you will be driving in the modified lanes pictured below:

Note that those lines we put on the picture aren’t there in real life. Instead, you’ll be driving around cones –  just like you used to do in driver’s education. While we can’t require you to only make a right turn out of the parking lot, it will help tremendously if you can plan ahead and route yourself home by turning right when you leave the parking lot. There is no center lane to turn into if you’re going left, so right makes it much faster to get out.

Final Parking Lot Thoughts

This is the world of construction and natural weather events. We wish it weren’t so, but it is. Please, please read and follow these instructions, and please, please, please be patient with each other and the process. We hope to be basking in new and expanded parking lot glory next week, but this week is going to be slow, frustrating and full of caution tape. Plan ahead, and plan for it to be slow. 

We’ll keep you updated if the process changes via ParentSquare and on our website. Thank you in advance for your patience.

August 14 – In this message you will find information about:

• Virtual Back to School Night
• Finding your bus number/schedule
• 7th Grade First Day Schedule – Tuesday, August 20
• All Students Schedule – Wednesday, August 21
• Parking Lot Updates and Instructions
  • Load and Unload Only Until Construction is Complete

Virtual Back to School Night

We want you to meet our amazing faculty! We are sorry we are unable to welcome you in-person before the first day of school. Use this link to view video welcome messages from teachers, counselors, and our librarian. For those of you new to SoJo, don’t worry about not seeing the school in advance. 7th Grade will spend the whole first day learning about SoJo and there are lots of people here to help you be successful. We look forward to seeing you in-person next week.

Finding Your Bus Number & Schedule

If you are eligible to ride a bus, you can find details in Skyward or on the district Planning & Enrollment site. In Skyward: look for “Bus Stops” or “Busing” in the menu. You can also enter your address on the district planning website. If the address indicates your student is eligible for a bus, you will be able to click the link provided to see the available bus stops. You may also confirm bus stop information with the Transportation Department at 801-567-8840.

7th Grade First Day – Tues, Aug 20

7th Grade students will attend school from 8:00-12:00 on Tuesday, August 20. Buses will be available in the morning and to take students home at noon. The morning bus schedule will be the time listed in Skyward.

The first day is all about learning how to navigate SoJo. Don’t stress about being new – everyone is new and we will spend the time helping you find your way. There will be no breakfast or lunch served on Tuesday, August 20.

Please have 7th grade students bring a pen or pencil and know their first period teacher. That is all they will need. We will hand out a printed schedule to each student in their first period class – as long as they know who their first period teacher is, we will help with the rest.

All Students Schedule – Wed, Aug 21

Wednesday, August 21, is the day all students will be at SoJo. We will run on a regular schedule, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Buses will run on the schedule shown in Skyward.

Parking Lot Updates and Instructions 

The photo included in this message was taken Wednesday, August 14. There will be some additional asphalt completed prior to the first day of school and we will send another photo next week. Please note: the south parking lot will not be available for parking on the first day of school. We will have the ability for drop off and pick up only.

For those of you wondering why we took on such a big project, please know the whole goal was student safety. We had too many areas where students crossed in front of or around buses and cars. Yes, it would have been amazing to have it completed for day one, but getting it right is also important. Our construction crew has been really stellar. There were some unexpected and unavoidable delays due to weather and materials. They have put in extra hours during the weekdays and weekends. We are grateful for their commitment to helping us keep SoJo Safe. 

We need your help. We need your patience. We need you to follow the guidelines.

Guideline #1: Students should only enter or exit a vehicle from the sidewalk. This is true for students who ride the bus or come by car. There is no designated loading along 2700 West. If you choose to park in the parking lot and wait, your student must use the crosswalk to access the parking lot. Please help students use appropriate paths so everyone is safe.

Guideline #2: There is a single entrance and exit for each lot. Be mindful of cars around you – merge with patience and keep traffic flowing. Be mindful of 2700 West and do not block traffic. 

Guideline #3: There are two lanes for vehicles to drop off or pick up. If you are in the right lane, you can stop to load or unload. If you are in the left lane, you should be moving to the exit. Remember vehicles may be exiting from the parking area so please be mindful of vehicles trying to merge.

Guideline #4: Buses have the right of way. The U-Shaped center section is for buses only. Please do not pull into that area. Allow buses to merge on 2700 West, and be prepared to yield if a bus is pulling out.

Load and Unload Only Until Construction is Complete

The larger south parking lot should be completed in September. Until it is complete, we will have limited visitor parking available. We know the first day of school is a popular time to capture those first day moments on your camera. We are sorry, but we do not have space to accommodate that. Please help us keep the drop-off and pick-up lanes moving smoothly. Please limit check-out and school visits to absolute necessities until our parking lot is complete. 

The parking lot is split into three sections: a north parking lot, a center bus only lane, and a south parking lot.

The photo shows the completed North Parking Lot.

• Enter from 2700 West.
• The loop is for drop off and pick up.
• Use the right (outside) lane for drop off and pick up. Use the left (inside) lane for thru traffic.
• Students can enter and exit cars from the sidewalk.
• If you park and enter the school, cross at the crosswalk.

The South Parking Lot will have a completed outside loop when school begins. 

• Enter from 2700 West.
• The loop is for drop off and pick up.
• Use the right (outside) lane for drop off and pick up. Use the left (inside) lane for thru traffic.
• Students can enter and exit cars from the sidewalk.
• The parking area will be completed as soon as possible.

The Bus Lane will be completed when school begins. 

• Students will enter and exit the bus from the sidewalk.