Author: Mr. Jenson

Calling all SOJO student artists! The Memory Book Staff wants you to create the cover for next year’s book. For the first time, there will be a student cover art contest. The theme is “Paws for the Moment.” The art needs to include the snow leopard and show school pride. Students can work individually or in groups. There are a lot of important specifications for submissions, and this flier has all of the information you need. A hard copy can also be picked up in the Main Office, and found on the PTSA and SJMS social media sites.

Entries need to be submitted both digitally and physically by Thursday, May 18th. Email any questions to sojoyearbook@gmail.com. Memory Book advisors are PTSA volunteers and cannot receive or reply to student JSD email addresses, so do not use your school account.

We have such talented students and are very excited to see what they create.

Welcome back from mid-spring recess! Nothing says 4-day week like a block schedule and end-of-year testing. You can check out our block schedule for this Thursday and Friday here. For more information on the purpose and things we get out of testing, check out this post here.

Memory Books are Going Fast!

This week is our PTSA’s final Memory Book Sales Drive. All students who purchase a memory book before Friday the 28th will be entered into a drawing. Prizes include candy, Chick-Fil-A, Target and Nike gift cards, and a pair of AirPods. 

The Main Office will keep an updated list of students who have purchased their books on the glass this week. If your student’s name is on the list, they are in the drawing. If not, purchase their book in the Main Office or on Skyward. There are a limited number of unsold books available. Once we are sold out, we cannot order more. The drawing will be held on April 1st.

How Does Buying a Memory Book Support the School/PTSA?

Did you know that the PTSA’s Memory Book funds all of their programs? The PTSA provides our students and teachers with programs and support that make our school great. They provide grants to teachers who want to innovate in their classrooms, socials and spirit nights for our students, meals for our teachers when they need to work extended hours, and so much more. Their programs would not be possible without Memory Book sales.

April is flying by! Now that we’re getting closer to the end of the year, there are a few things coming up to note:

No School on Friday, April 21 or Monday, April 24

Friday is a professional development day for teachers, and Monday is Mid-Spring Recess.

Memory Book Purchases

There are a limited number of extra memory books. If you haven’t already purchased one, you can do so in the main office, or on Skyward under Fee Management.

Resources for Parents

Parenting is hard! There are many resources to help. One resource the district has partnered with is ParentGuidance.org. They offer free virtual courses on a variety of topics such as anxiety, depression, bullying and more. They also offer free coaching with trained professionals who can give you feedback and ideas on your specific situation. 

School Community Council Meeting

We’ll be meeting tonight at 4 pm for our final community council meeting of the year. Feel free to join us!

End of the year testing update:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

End of the year testing is approaching.  The assessments that your child will be given are determined by the grade they are currently in.  Our 7^th and 8^th grade students will take the RISE Assessment, and our 9^th grade students will take the Utah Aspire +.

RISE Assessment (grades 7^th and 8^th):

Subjects Tested: English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Math, Writing (only assessed in grade 8)

Assessment dates: 4/27-5/12- Teachers administering the RISE assessment are given a window to complete the assessment.  It is up to the individual teacher as to when they will be giving their assessment within the window. 

How testing data is used: This assessment is based on state standards and gives teachers immediate feedback as to how students are doing.  Teachers can use the RISE assessment as a grade in Skyward if the grade helps the student.  If the grade on the RISE assessment will lower a student’s grade in the class, then the RISE assessment cannot be used for a student’s grade in Skyward.  Because this assessment covers the class’s standards, many classes choose to use it in place of a class final.  In the event of extenuating circumstances that prevent a child from participating in the assessment, teachers can give an alternative assignment (usually an end of year review of all standards for the course) and the student may still have to take a final for the course depending on the course expectations. In such cases, the student will remain in the classroom and work on an alternative assignment while their class tests. 

Utah ASPIRE + (grade 9):

Subjects Tested: English, Reading, Math, and Science

Assessment Dates: 4/27 and 4/28- Students will follow a block schedule to take this exam.

English Test: will be taken in ELA 

Reading Test: will be taken in World Geography

Math Test: will be taken in Math

Science Test: will be taken in Science

How assessment data is used: This exam (if all 4 sections are taken) will give students and parents a predictive ACT score and helps evaluate secondary program preparedness.  This exam is written by the same company as ACT, and serves as a great practice for students that will be taking the ACT their junior year.  Results are sent to parents over the summer.  ACT can be used as a college entrance exam, and many programs use ACT scores to determine a student’s college scholarship eligibility. 

Because this exam will take place during 2 block schedule days, all classes will be held including those classes that are not tested subjects.  Students who are unable to participate in the assessment due to extenuating circumstances will stay in their classroom during testing, and no classroom instruction will take place.  In such cases, students will NOT be allowed to use computers, phones, or any other technology in order to keep the testing environment secure.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to your students’ counselor!

Today was our 9th grade Industry Tour, and we want to send a huge thank you to our partners in the community for hosting our students at their businesses. It’s a great hands-on chance to see what the future can hold. We also want to thank our chaperones and counseling center team for making this happen. 

9th Grade BHS Class Officer Elections

It’s time to vote for next year’s Bingham High School class officers. Only current South Jordan Middle School 9th graders can vote in the 2023-2024 Sophomore Class Elections. Every vote is individually verified. Please vote for up to 2 candidates for Sophomore Office. Voting will close on Friday, April 14th at 12:00 P.M. 

South Jordan Sophomore elections – https://forms.gle/Mq5Ny88DJ8xuUaRz7

Campaign videos will be available on Instagram @BinghamHigh soon. This link and information can also be found in students’ Snow Leopard Canvas Course.

School Community Council Meeting

Our last community council meeting of the year will be held on Monday, April 17th at 4 pm in the main office conference room. The agenda for the meeting can be found on our community council page of the school website.

Mental Health Tips

We’re seeing more and more students with needs for mental health support. In an effort to put resources into the hands of parents, we’re going to start including mental health tips, look-fors, and resources in our Skylerts whenever possible. If you have topics you’d like us to address, please let us know.
For this week, we’re going to link you to the most recent Supercast about the Cook Center for Human Connection. It’s a great launchpad to a wide variety of free, well-vetted resources that can help parents and students with so many of the things kids face today. Check out the Supercast here.

Tuesday, April 4th will be our third virtual day for students due to poor current road conditions and expected heavy snow accumulation throughout the day. Please stay home and stay safe. The official email from the district will answer the majority of questions. For SoJo specifically, here’s what you need to know:

• Your teachers will be communicating expectations for what to do, but it will largely be continuing current work or enrichment activities, and not necessarily new work.
• Teachers will be available to answer questions via Zoom using these Zoom links from 10 am until 12 pm. They will also be monitoring email during that time.
• No school lunch will be served, and the building will be closed to the public. If you have questions, email is the go-to, as staff won’t be able to get to the building to answer phones.
• Decisions on evening activities will be made by 1 pm tomorrow. The district will send out an additional Skylert once that has been determined.

That’s it for now. We’ll send out any additional information as needed. We’ll see everyone back in-person on Wednesday!