He wants students to work hard and to reach their Walk to Read reading goals, so Principal Ross Menlove made them a promise which he recently kept. Mr. Menlove said if students earned enough points with high levels of participation in Walk to Read, he would kiss a goat. Rocky Peak is after all, proud to be the Greatest of all Time (the GOATS).

Because students met their participation goals, Mr. Menlove headed to Gilette Family Farms and he did indeed kiss a goat named Sophie.

Keep up the great work, Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, and keep having fun while doing so!

Elk Meadows Elementary School Administrative Assistant Heidi Mariani thought it was just another fun day at work until she was called to the gymnasium to take a group picture at Friday’s staff meeting. That’s when Ms. Mariana learned she is the 2023 Jordan School District Wellness Day Grand Prize Winner! Heidi won a free vacation thanks to Get Away Today and the Jordan Education Foundation. The entire staff was thrilled to hear the news and celebrate Heidi Mariani’s big win. Congratulations, Heidi Mariani. We hope you have a fun and relaxing vacation!

Other Wellness Day winners will be surprised at their schools with prizes this week.

We appreciate everyone who participated, making Wellness Day 2023 such an amazing experience.

It was a day Allisun Cartier won’t soon forget as she began her work day at Welby Elementary School. The Jordan Education Foundation surprised the school’s new counselor with a JEF Outstanding Educator award. Ms. Cartier is the first school counselor to receive the award and she was congratulated by staff at the school along with Superintendent Anthony Godfrey and South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey.

We love our school counselors and all they do for students. Keep up the great work, Allisun Cartier!

Stay tuned, more JEF Outstanding Award winners to be announced.

Members of the Jordan Education Foundation, along with District administrators, Superintendent Godfrey and Board members hit the road to have some fun this week. They were all smiles as they visited school after school surprising teachers with the JEF “Educator of the Year” awards.

This week they made 18 stops, and over the next few weeks they will visit every single school in the District surprising teachers with the coveted award.

Teachers who are recognized have a commitment and dedication to students and education, making a difference in young lives every day. We are so proud of the work carried out in our classrooms and thankful to our amazing educators.

Congratulations to the first 18 winners who received their awards this week. Stay tuned, more to come.

• West Jordan High School – Natalie Nielsen
• Joel P. Jensen Middle School – Courtney Beesley
• West Jordan Middle School – Kathy Howa
• Heartland Elementary School – Haydee Carranza
• West Jordan Elementary School – Connor Sullivan
• Westland Elementary School – Jason Lee
• Oquirrh Elementary School – Vicki Robinson
• Terra Linda Elementary School – Natalie Newbold
• Westvale Elementary School – Shelby Blonquist
• Riverside Elementary School – Kaelin Tumblin
• Jordan Hills Elementary School – Melissa Reynolds
• West Hills Middle School – Charte Young
• Hayden Peak Elementary School – Rebecca Tucker
• Fox Hollow Elementary School – Ami Briscoe
• Sunset Ridge Middle School – Melanie Leavitt
• Falcon Ridge Elementary School – Janet McCall
• South Valley School – Laurie Egan
• Copper Hills High School – Kristen Oda

It was an exciting day for Jordan School District students participating in the Unified Sports basketball championship tournament at Weber State University. It was also a day to take pride in our teams and the great work going on in our schools as Jordan School District was named Special Olympics Unified Sports “District of the Year.”

The tournament brought 380 students from 32 high school from around the State together for a day focused on inclusion, empathy and sport. First Lady Abby Cox participated showing her passion for Special Olympics Unified Sports programs saying they bring together students of all abilities and encourage them to collaborate, build relationships, and develop empathy.

Thanks to everyone involved in this incredible event and congratulations to the students coming together and displaying such wonderful teamwork on and off the court.