Welby Elementary Teacher Turns Math Class into Secret Agent Lab

Ms. Smith and students from Welby Elementary participating in a Secret Agent Math LabMichelle Smith is known for bringing lessons in her Welby Elementary School classroom to life. She is often dressed up as historical figures or turning textbook lessons into hands-on projects. This week’s math lesson was no different; with blacklights, string, sunglasses, and notecards paid for by generous donors through Donors Choose, Ms. Smith turned her classroom into a “secret agent lab.”

During the project, students, also known as agents, were tasked with helping to find the school’s mascot, “Agent Whiskers,” by solving math problems. The secret agent illusion included lasers made of string and clues hidden around the room in the form of math problems. Each math problem the students solved helped decode a message that would tell them the location of Whiskers.

Great job, Ms. Smith, for making your classroom and lessons engaging and fun for students. We know your students are benefiting greatly from your creativity.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

From creative cards, to fun classroom celebrations, door decorating contests and more, students, teachers and staff shared lots of love and acts of kindness on this Valentine’s Day.

At Daybreak Elementary School, students learned about proper dancing etiquette and had fun learning a few new dance moves.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. We LOVE our students, teachers, staff and education.

Employees, Students and Parents Participate in Health & Wellness Day Activities

Jordan School District Staff in a Yoga ClassThey enjoyed wellness yoga, zumba, art activities and classes like Stress Busters. On Friday, Jordan School District employees were offered a variety of ways to help manage the added stress many are feeling right now due to a very challenging year in education. Friday, February 11, was converted into a Health & Wellness Day for employees, students, and families in place of the Flex Friday previously scheduled.

Resources were made available throughout the day to help everyone focus on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Zoom classes on stress management, dealing with anxiety, classroom management, and others were offered, along with in-person activities designed to help staff connect with other employees and for physical health and wellness.

The District also provided families with information and activities for students of all ages to help them focus on their own health and wellness. The resources were made available so parents could make choices about what would be most helpful and appropriate for members of their individual families.

A big thank you to all of our community partners who stepped up and supported the Health & Wellness Day by offering things like free use of gyms, cycling classes and jazzercise.

Utah PTA Honors Bingham High School’s Momma Jo for Starting Kindness Movement

Picture of Momma Jo and Golden Gate It was a day to recognize and honor someone known in the halls of Bingham High as Momma Jo. For years, Jolynne Ward has been a fixture in finding the good and sharing it among students and staff.

Now Momma Jo is being honored by the Utah PTA as a “Forces for Good” award winner for starting the “Golden Gate” movement. Jolynne started the very first Golden Gate Club at Bingham High School out of a desire to spread smiles among students and provide opportunities for them to connect with peers and school.

As part of the PTA “Forces for Good” award, Jolynne was recognized for her efforts which have moved countless others, changing people long after the initial impact.

Congratulations, Momma Jo! Keep up the great works spreading smiles and changing lives.

Thank you, Utah PTA, for recognizing positive people doing good work impacting students, teachers and staff in our schools.

Response to: FEMA, Utah DEM Release Inventory of Unreinforced Masonry Public School Buildings

Jordan School District is constantly working to upgrade and retrofit older buildings to bring them up to current standards, as those standards change. We contract with an outside engineering firm, which conducts regular evaluations to determine the seismic upgrade needs in our buildings. The most recent Tier One evaluations were completed on four of the schools in September, 2021. Evaluations on the remaining schools listed are in the process of being completed.

  • According to the Utah Department of Emergency Management, actual presence on the inventory list released today, does not indicate an imminent failure of the building. There are many factors involved in the ultimate outcome of, or impact, to a building in a seismic event.
  • Seismic assessments are always a part of renovation projects in Jordan School District schools, such as the most recent project completed at Bingham High School. West Jordan Middle School was re-built for seismic safety.
  • We are currently in the process of doing updated, in-depth seismic evaluations based on current standards, rather than relying on the older evaluations, (released today) many of which were completed in the 1990’s.

We appreciate the Utah Department of Emergency Management and FEMA’s efforts to better understand where their time, and resources in particular, can be utilized to help make all schools in Utah as safe as possible.

Student and staff safety is a top priority in Jordan School District.

If you have a question regarding a specific building, email your name and phone number to this address dave.rostrom@jordandistrict.org and we will contact you.