Author: Mr. Jenson

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Primary Children’s Fundraiser

December Fundraiser for Primary Children’s Hospital (THIS WEEK ONLY)

Our annual fundraiser will be for Primary Children’s Hospital this year. Our SBO’s are setting a goal of raising $5,000, and have a wide variety of activities planned over this week. If you have a chance and the means to give, it’s a great cause and one that benefits many of our own students. All proceeds will go directly to Primary Children’s Hospital.
Students can bring cash and coin to school and compete in Money Wars, and parents wishing to contribute can do so by visiting this link and donating to Primary Children’s directly. The link ties donations to our school so that we can still add it to our total. Some of the rewards for meeting goals including getting pied in the face (Mr. Jenson), Ice Bucketed (Mr. Ricks & SBO’s), and students shaving their heads (SBO’s). There are some raffle prizes and other fun lunchtime activities along the way. It’s safe to say that if you’ve lived in Utah for very long, you know someone personally who has benefitted from the excellent care at Primary Children’s, and we’re excited to do our part to help their cause.

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Community Council

Minutes (12/4/23)

South Jordan Middle School Community Council

Official minutes- Monday, December 4, 2023

Present: Curtis Jenson (CJ), Jennifer Ngatuvai (JN), Stephanie Rich (SR), Lindy Christensen (LC), Marilyn Richards (MR),  Lindsey Branca (LB), , Kami Taylor (KT), Tracy Miller (TM), Sara Nichols (SN), Jessica Tenney (JT)

Absent: none

Meeting opened at 4:07 by CJ.

Motion by JN to approve the October minutes. 2nd by SN.

MR led discussion updating the parking lot plan. SN asked a follow up question. JN gave feedback. The council was given a draft of the map. CJ responded to concerns and questions.

CJ led discussion on Digital Citizenship and School Safety. The council was given a copy of the agenda which included data on school violations. CJ answered questions related to the violations report. JN asked what misconduct entails. CJ replied it is student misconduct that does not fit another category. CJ explained the phone light system. 

CJ led a discussion on the current School Prevention Plan and gave copies to the council. He explained all of the preventative measures currently in place. He answered questions related to the plan. 

JN gave feedback about PROWL and asked if it could be implemented at BHS. CJ answered questions. LB asked about the Student Wellness Room. CJ and LC answered questions about the room and its use. 

CJ led discussion of current Land Trust and TSSA plans. Previous areas of spending were:

  1. Reductions in Class Size, Specifically in Math & Language Arts
  2. Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
  3. Additional Counseling Services
  4. Professional Development & Planning Days
  5. Instructional Coaching (ideally, 1 coach per period)
  6. Chromebook Replacements (~$50,000 / year, if needed)

CJ answered questions and explained all areas of spending. JN asked about the coaching process. CJ explained the process and how we utilize our coaches in our building. 

CJ asked if there were other things the SCC would like to look at funding. JN suggested sending a survey to teachers and asking them how the funds should be spent. SN detailed how a similar survey was utilized at the elementary school. JT said she thought it would be beneficial.  CJ will draft the plans and send them out before the next meeting. LB asked how to get information on the PTA. LC answered questions. CJ explained PTA memberships and memory books have to be removed from Skyward. LB explained some of the new procedures related to PTA. CJ will talk to the PTA and report back. 

JN asked about the bus drop off schedule and the doors unlocking. JT explained the district sent an email addressing this situation last week. 

Next meeting will be January 22 at 4:00.  

Meeting adjourned at 5:15 with motion by SN; 2nd by JN.

–Stephanie Rich

South Jordan Middle School

SCC Secretary

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The Season of Giving

December Fundraiser for Primary Children’s Hospital

Our annual fundraiser will be for Primary Children’s Hospital this year. Our SBO’s are setting a goal of raising $5,000, and have a wide variety of activities planned over the coming week. If you have a chance and the means to give, it’s a great cause and one that benefits many of our own students. All proceeds will go directly to Primary Children’s Hospital.

Christmas for Kids Event

Each December, the Jordan Education Foundation partners with local community organizations to sponsor the Christmas for Kids Event. Each school nominates deserving students, and we celebrate them with a shopping experience at Walmart. You can be part of this amazing event by providing your time or financial support. Each student is given a gift card and they shop with an adult volunteer from the community. Go to the JEF site to register to Shop with a Student on Saturday, December 9. Chaperones are needed for approximately one hour between 8:00 and 10:00 AM. You can also donate by going to the JEF site.  

Parking Lot Reminders and Updates

Our parking lot can be…confusing. In fact, we’ve had two accidents on 2700 W in the past several weeks. Please, please take a moment to review the maps found here. Specifically, we’ve been asked by South Jordan Police Department to remind parents that:

  • Traffic Signs Must Be Followed (e.g. if the sign says right turn only, please only turn right)
  • Parking on 2700 W for Pickup is Strongly Discouraged
    • Both accidents involved 2700 W – one as someone was turning onto 2700 W, and one with someone pulling out from parking on 2700 W

We are very aware of the difficulties our parking lot setup and size creates, and we are in the process of officially exploring options for improvement and expansion. We hope to have more official news on that front soon, but please know that we are aware and are working on permanent solutions to make it safer and more user-friendly to parents. We have seen great support on all fronts in seeking and supporting improvements, and we are excited to bring you updates and specifics once we have them.

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Community Council

Agenda (12/4/23)

School Community Council Meeting, Dec 4, 2023

4 pm, Main Office Conference Room

Agenda

  1. Questions & Updates
    1. Parking Lot Update
    2. Questions?
  2. Digital Citizenship & School Safety
    1. Violations to Date
    2. Preventative Measures
      1. Prevention Plan
      2. School Culture Committee
      3. Digital Literacy Classes
      4. Digital Citizenship Assembly
      5. Spots – Kindness, Courage, Respect
      6. Cell Phone Lights
      7. Ripple Effects
      8. Future Efforts
        1. Journalism Course
        2. Prowl Classes
        3. Club Messaging & Rush Week
  3. Areas of Focus for Land Trust Plan & TSSA Plan
    1. Reductions in Class Size, Specifically in Math & Language Arts
    2. Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
    3. Additional Counseling Services
    4. Professional Development & Planning Days
    5. Instructional Coaching (ideally, 1 coach per period)
    6. Chromebook Replacements (~$50,000 / year, if needed)
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Community Council

Minutes (10/16/23)

South Jordan Middle School Community Council

Official minutes- Monday, October 16, 2023

Present: Curtis Jenson (CJ), Jennifer Ngatuvai (JN), Stephanie Rich (SR), Lindy Christensen (LC), Marilyn Richards (MR), Jessica Tenney (JT), Lindsey Branca (LB), Kelly Graham (KG), Kami Taylor (KT)

Absent: Sara Nichols (SN), Tracy Miller (TM)

Meeting opened at 4:10 by CJ

Motion by LB to approve JT as chair for the 2023-2024 school year; 2nd by JN; approved. Motion by SR to approve JN as vice-chair for the 2023-2024 school year; 2nd by JT; approved. Motion by JN to approve SR as secretary for the 2023-2024 school year; 2nd by LB; approved. 

CJ led discussion of Rules of Order and Procedure specific to SCC. 

KG led a discussion on the past few weeks of school as related to the counseling offices. The counselor have been or are busy with the following;

7th grade orientation

Career lesson for all 8th graders

Empathy lesson for all 9th graders

Individual meetings for PCCRs (Plan for College and Career meetings) for 8th and 9th graders

Our three year Interim Review will be held on Dec 5

Over two thousand individual student or parent meetings for academic or mental health

Connections Group (a friendship group)

The counseling office employs 4.5 counselors, two part time social workers, and one psychologist. 

Therapy Access will be advertised in several places including the weekly newsletter, the counseling website, and during the PCCRs. PCCR Nov. 8th, Dec. 6-15th, Dec. 5th we have a District visit. Data project is related to Hispanic achievement. Our Hispanic population has a 24% rate of critical academic standing.  We will be working to drop that rate. LB asked how many counselors/staff are on the counseling team. LB asked what PCCR’s are. KG explained. JN asked who was in charge of College Week. KG responded she was.

JN said she has used the district’s mental health resources and talked about how great it was. Up to $800 in therapy and help getting in is available to students. LC explained the program and how the funding works. MR asked how we let parents know about the resources.  KG said it can be included in PCCR information and MR added it can be sent to parents.  CJ said it can be included in weekly Skyalert. CJ asked KG and LC to help him put it out.  KT said to add it to the counseling webpage. 

CJ led discussion of the parking lot remodel. MR said it will be her job to make sure the board knows this should be a priority. JT asked if we have had problems with students being injured.  CJ said thankfully no but it will only be a matter of time. Bids are coming in November. They may be able to begin on the field portion before the summer. 

CJ announced the gym will be repainted next summer to add volleyball and pickleball standards and lines. 

CJ led discussion of current Land Trust plan; CJ reported a lot of money is spent on lowering class sizes and counseling ratio.SN questioned how we measure effectiveness of monies spent on goals.  CJ responded with RTI and PLC data and conversations.

CJ led discussion of the TSSA plan. CJ reported there are five teachers at the PLC conference right now. JN explained the difference between the two plans. CJ said a lot of TSSA is spent on technology. 

CJ led a discussion on the grading scales as a follow up to last year’s discussion. He explained the rationale to switching the school to a 4 point scale. JN said she has always been confused by the end of quarter homework deadlines.  SR stated the new PROWL is really helping kids get help they need. CJ and LC reported on our panorama data showing kid’s need to belong. CJ explained the different PROWL sessions. KG said it helps with doing counseling lessons. CJ explained Kelsi’s role in the school as our new student advocate. CJ explained the new citizenship rubric and said it was a lot of change at once. LC said it has helped kids enjoy their time at school. JT reported it has made a huge difference for her daughter and learning autonomy. 

JT asked what topics should be brought to the table in SCC meetings. JN answered for the room and explained we can’t know what to vote on if we don’t know what is going on in the school. JT asked who is struggling the most in the school.  CJ explained the difference between average students and honors students’ performance.. JT asked if the students are doing better so far.  KT explained we may not be able to tell yet. JN explained we are trying to focus on the average student and their needs. JT asked how students know about their club.  Can we advertise them? JT suggested a tag a friend feature. JN and LB said that might not work well but it might be something we can look at in the future.

JN asked if we could schedule upcoming meetings: Dec. 4 @ 4:00pm; Jan 22 @ 4:00pm; March 11 @ 4:00pm

JN explained the process and procedure for the rest of the year. 

JT asked for clarification on how many students are honors vs. regular. CJ responded there are 314 in honors; 746 not in honors..

LB asked what standardized tests are given in middle school. CJ responded they are RISE and Aspire. JT asked if we will get data on testing scores. CJ showed the scores to JT and LB and said he hopes PROWL will help improve scores.. 

Next meeting will be December 4 at 4:00.  

Meeting adjourned at 5:15 with motion by JN; 2nd by JT..

–Stephanie Rich

South Jordan Middle School

SCC Secretary

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Musical Tickets & Halloween

It’s nearly the end of first quarter. Make sure you’ve checked Skyward and there are no surprises. As a reminder, we have no school all next week. We’ll come back on October 30th to start 2nd Quarter. See below for our Halloween dress guidelines.

We also want to kick off Fall Break right, so we’re celebrating our first-ever CROCtober. Wear your Crocs on Friday, October 20th and we’ll give away some Croc bluetooth speaker jibbitz during lunches on Thursday so that the winners can sport them on Friday.

Finding Nemo Jr., Tickets

Get your FREE tickets to Finding Nemo JR at SOJO November 9-14. Tickets are free but they are required for the show. Reserve your tickets HERE. Performances are November 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 at 7:00 PM and November 11 at 2:00 PM. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance. It’s a great show, and we can’t wait for you to see it!

Please only reserve tickets you actually intend to use. One unintended consequence of not charging for tickets was that patrons would reserve banks of tickets for multiple nights “just in case” and not end up using them. This made it so we had sold out shows where people thought we didn’t have seats, when we really did. Please, please only reserve tickets if you plan to use them, and if something comes up, please go in and cancel your tickets so others can attend.

Halloween Dress 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 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
    • 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 our costume contest.

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10-9-23 Evacuation

Dear Parents,

As a precaution, South Jordan Middle School students and staff were evacuated at the end of the school day due to an unusual odor reported inside the building. The South Jordan Fire Department arrived immediately, and after their investigation determined the school is safe and there is no danger to students and staff.

All students are safe and accounted for and were released at the regular dismissal time. After-school activities will resume on a regular schedule.

Tomorrow will be a regular school day.

Safety is our top priority. 

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Community Council

Agenda (10/16/23)

South Jordan Middle School

School Community Council Meeting

10/16/23

  • Review Rules of Order, Welcome New Members
  • Elect Chair and Vice Chair
    • Chair Responsibilities
      • Set Agenda
      • Conducts Meetings & Takes Notes (unless delegated)
      • Welcomes and Encourages Public Participation
      • Ensures Timeline is Kept
      • Brings Rules of Order & Procedure for Adoption
      • Uses the Council Members (delegates)
    • Council Responsibilities
      • Adopt Rules of Order & Procedure
      • Advise & Make Recommendations on:
        • The School & Its Programs
        • School District Programs
        • School Land Trust Plan
        • Child Access Routing Plan (Formerly Safe Walking Routes)
        • Student Safety, Including Technology Use
          • Acceptable Use Agreement
          • Net Positive Assembly
          • Digital Literacy Course
        • Other Issues Relating to Community Environment for Students
  • Review Timelines
    • Electronic Signatures – By Friday, if possible
    • August – October
      • Fall Elections
      • First Meeting
        • Elect Chair & Vice Chair
        • Review Current Land Trust & TSSA Plans
      • October 20
        • Assurances Completed on Land Trust Website
        • Updates to School Website Completed
    • November – December
      • Review School Safety & Digital Citizenship
      • Review Positive Behavior Plans
    • January – February
      • Review Current Budget & Submit Plan Amendment, if needed
      • Review Academic Data for Current Year & Future Plan
      • Make Recommendations for Future Plan
    • March – May
      • Prepare & Approve School Land Trust Plan
      • Sign Plan on Land Trust Website
      • Report on Current Plan
      • Celebrate Student & School Year Successes, Including Plan Implementation
  • Review Current Plans (Land Trust & TSSA)
    • Land Trust & TSSA Goals: Success will be measured by a growth of at least 1% on the school USBE report card. We were at 65.5% for the 2021-22 school year, and hope to see at least a score of 66.5%. This includes academic performance, growth, multi-language learner progress, and growth of the lowest 25%. We will also specifically target growth in math specifically through the coaching and mentoring programs, as well as class size reductions. Math achievement scores and growth scores should show at least a 1% growth. For achievement that means growing from 53.3% to 54.3%, and for growth going from 64.7% to 65.7%.
  • Review Progress on Parking Lot Changes
  • School Updates (Grading & PROWL)
  • Counseling Updates
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Retakes, College Week, & SCC

Picture Retakes Tomorrow

Picture retakes will be offered tomorrow, October 5th. The link and access code are the same as they were for the original pictures if you didn’t make an order at that time:

https://eastmanadamsonline.com/ordering/access

Access Code: V2GFTQ78

College Week

It’s college week next week, and we have a theme each day that will involve a dress-up options, lunchtime activities, and messaging from our counseling department. Here’s what to look forward to:

  • Monday – My Future is So Bright I Have to Wear Sunglasses
    • Wear bright colors and sunglasses (teachers may ask you to remove them during class)
  • Tuesday – Don’t Sleep on Preparing for Your Future
    • Wear Pajamas (school appropriate, of course)
  • Wednesday  – Dress for Success
    • Wear nice clothes/business attire
  • Thursday – Rep Your College
    • Wear college gear
  • Friday – Remember Where You Came From
    • Wear SoJo gear

Community Council 

Our first community council meeting of the year will be held on Monday, October 16th at 4 pm in the main office. The school community council is responsible for our land trust plan, and serves as a method of parent and community input on other plans and issues affecting our school. The meeting is open to the public, and we meet in the main office conference room unless there are enough attendees we need to move to the media center.

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Parent Conference Info

Our parent-teacher conferences are this Wednesday (In-Person) and Thursday (Virtual) from 4- 7:30 pm both nights. You do not need an appointment for the in-person night on Wednesday. To schedule an appointment for Thursday, log into Skyward. If you select an appointment for Thursday, you can access the Zoom links here. All Zoom links will be updated by Thursday before the conferences begin.

If you attend conferences in the gym tonight, please be aware of other parents and keep conversations to less than five minutes per teacher. If you need more time than that, we are happy to set up another time to talk.

Above all, please remember that while parent conferences offer a great chance to meet with multiple teachers in a single night, teachers and staff are available year-round via email, phone, or in-person appointment. If there is ever anything you wonder about or would like to address, please don’t feel you have to wait for the conference to bring it up.

In addition, if a line is long or you don’t get the appointment slot you need, just reach out to the teacher and pick another day and time to talk. We love working with your wonderful children, and good two-way communication makes a huge difference for everyone.