It was a labor of love, providing warmth and comfort to hundreds of families in need this winter season. Kelly Grundy’s 4th grade class at Herriman Elementary School embarked on a “Pajama Project” before the holidays. It was all hands-on deck as the students set out to collect as many new sets of pajamas as they possible could for children at The Road Home family shelter. Word quickly spread about the “Pajama Project” and pajama donations started pouring in.

Students even made individual tags for each of the pajamas and added cute pictures and words of encouragement for the children who would receive them. The students also helped tie ribbon around each pajama and organized them into sizes. Ms. Grundy said many students even learned some awesome folding skills.

The “Pajama Project” was a huge success with students collecting 261 sets. Additional donations came in from Walmart and Target, so the 4^th graders were able to deliver a total of 423 pajamas to the Road Home Shelter just in time for Christmas.

Congratulations, Herriman Elementary students! Keep up the great work warming the hearts of families in need.

The District Information Systems team will be performing a major equipment upgrade to ensure continued system performance and reliability. This maintenance is scheduled during the upcoming Winter Break, from Sunday, Dec. 28 through Wednesday, Dec. 31. The following major systems will be completely inaccessible during the entire maintenance window:

• Skyward Finance System at skyfin.jordan.k12.ut.us
• Skyward Student System at skystu.jordan.k12.ut.us
• Most Department and School Websites
• Phone Systems/Voicemail at all District Schools and Offices 
• Internet Connectivity at all District Schools and Offices

Please know these systems will not be accessible until the upgrade is fully completed and systems are verified as operational.  If you have any questions or concerns before the upgrade, please contact Information Systems at 801-567-8737.

It was the start of a season of giving, one where Herriman High students and the community will open their hearts to help those in need over the holidays and beyond. The school kicked off their “Hearts of Gold” charity drive with lots of music, dancing, and holiday happiness. Students selected the local non-profit “The Giving Grinch” to benefit from their fund-raising efforts.

The Giving Grinch strives to help those in the local community during times of need. The non-profit says, “Our passion is providing assistance during the holiday season to children and local elderly homes across the state of Utah. We are also known for providing headstones, creating memory trips for terminally ill families, and hosting one of the largest car shows in Utah.”

Thank you to Herriman High students, staff, and the community for the generosity and kindness they show to so many in need throughout the holiday season.

Please join us in congratulating Foothills Elementary Chinese DLI teacher Liangli Tao on an amazing accomplishment. Liangli Tao was recently awarded the “ChinHuei Yeh Memorial Scholarhip” by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, which is an organization that sets standards for language proficiency. Just one or two teachers are selected each year for this scholarship in the Chinese language teaching field.

He also presented at the Swap Shop by CLASS at ACTFL on “Strategies to Increase Students’ Opportunities for Oral Response,” where educators can “swap” or exchange teaching materials, resources, and ideas. More than 60 educators from across the country attended Liangli Tao’s presentation and his accomplishments underscore the strength of the collaborative, coaching-focused culture in Jordan School District and at Foothills Elementary School.

Keep up the great work, Liangli Tao!

Join us in congratulating Mountain Creek Middle School’s David Parker who was recently named the Utah School Counselor Association’s “Counselor of the Year.” This truly is a prestigious honor for an amazing counselor.

Mountain Creek Middle Principal Glen Varga says Mr. Parker is such a great school counselor because he is a very humble and giving person who thinks of others before himself. Principal Varga says while David Parker doesn’t seek public recognition, he is certainly worthy of it!

David is surrounded by a very supportive school counseling team at Mountain Creek Middle School. That incredible team received Honorable Mention awards at the annual Utah School Counselor Association conference this year. Mr. Varga says they all lift one another up and are a highly effective team, and he is proud to be a part of it all.

Congratulations, Mountain Creek Middle team! Keep up the amazing work.