This week is National School Psychologist Week. It is a week dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the hard work and endless efforts of school psychologists in districts across the nation. School psychologists are there for students every day helping with their mental health, learning, and behaviors.

More than 80 school psychologists work in Jordan School District providing direct support and interventions; consulting with teachers, families, counselors, social workers, and school staff. These professionals play a vital role in the educational process and we thank them this week and every day for all they do to support students and our schools.

It was a night to celebrate and applaud the many great things happening with students and staff at West Hills Middle School. At the recent Jordan School District Board of Education meeting, Ashlyn Strasser, a student body officer at West Hills Middle, talked about the pride students and staff take in West Hills Middle School. Ashlyn said everyone is embracing a new campaign at the school this year called “No One Sits Alone.” She said it is a campaign designed to help all students feel welcome at West Hills, encouraging them to make new friends in places like the lunchroom.

Ashlyn also expressed appreciation for the no cellphone policy which she said is helping students have more face-to-face conversations and is resulting in fewer distractions in the classroom. Ashlyn concluded by talking about efforts on the part of West Hills to post positive stories on social media, helping to build connections and making students feel a part of the school.

The West Hills choir performed a selection under the direction of choir teacher Michael Draut.

West Hills students were invited to shake hands with Board members at the end of their presentation. Keep up the great work students and staff at West Hills Middle.

As National School Lunch Week wraps up, Jordan School District would like to again thank our hardworking cafeteria and kitchen staff. JSD has over 500 cafeteria employees who combined serve more than 30,000 meals daily. It is only with their effort and friendly smiles that school lunch is every student’s favorite part of their day. 

A special shoutout to the staff at South Jordan Middle School, who have a brand new kitchen this school year. With six different lines, the Snow Leopards at SoJo Middle have plenty of delicious options to power them throughout their day. 

Also, thank you to the staff at Valley High School, who not only serve the students at Valley, but also provide students at the neighboring River’s Edge School with their nutritious lunches.

They are having some fun learning about the importance of being good sports and getting along. Students and staff at Foothills Elementary School dressed in their favorite Utah Utes red or BYU Cougar blue, building some schoolwide competition, spirit, and passionate predictions over who will win the big Utah vs BYU game on Saturday.

Principal Abe Yospe and Assistant Principal Jayme Gandara said it was an opportunity to teach students that they can support different teams, but still get along and cheer for one another.

Way to go, Foothills Elementary! We applaud you for your kindness in competition and for showing such good sportsmanship.

Watch KSL 5’s story on the Foothills Elementary football rivalry. 

There were a lot of students and staff happily crunching on healthy apples during lunch today. That’s because “Apple Crunch Day” is being celebrated in Jordan School District. The annual event in October coincides with National Apple Month and National Farm to School Month.

In some schools on “Apple Crunch Day”, students and community members participate in a synchronized “crunch” into locally grown Utah apples to raise awareness for healthy eating and to support local farmers. This year JSD Nutrition Services purchased local apples from Pyne Farms in Santaquin, Utah to help everyone celebrate. The apples were delivered to schools and offered for free to anyone who wanted to crunch into an awesome apple.

Happy “Apple Crunch Day” everyone!