South Jordan Middle SchoolIt’s time to vote for our 9th grade ‘Most Likely to…’ for the memory book. Anyone at the school can nominate a 9th grader, but the person you nominate must BE a 9th grader. Also, only one nomination per category or your nominations won’t be counted.
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.
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:
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
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:
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.
School Community Council Meeting, Dec 4, 2023
4 pm, Main Office Conference Room
Agenda
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
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.
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 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:
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.
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.
South Jordan Middle School
School Community Council Meeting
10/16/23
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:
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.