South Valley School Staff Builds Camaraderie with Building Blocks

Educators at South Valley School got together for some team building using building blocks to kick off their year. The school theme for the year is “Building the Future Together,” and the educators took this theme literally as they worked in groups to build the fastest LEGO car at their staff welcome meeting.

A special congrats goes to the team of Ms. Egan, Mr. Holdaway, Ms. Lane, Ms. Roylance, and Ms. Ward of Class 3. Their LEGO racer proved to have the best aerodynamics and the most muscle under the hood, placing them on the top step of the podium. Have a great school year South Valley, and keep building up your students brick by brick!

Community Partners Volunteer to Set Up New Innovations Lab at Juniper Elementary

Employees of the Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, America First Credit Union, and Jordan School District rolled up their sleeves and got to work getting the Innovation Lab at Juniper Elementary School up and running. This new space will contain everything from 3D printers to stop motion cameras, transforming a classroom into a digital learning laboratory where students can be creative and develop new skills. 

The group of volunteers spent their morning cleaning the classroom, painting the walls, and unboxing equipment and supplies to set up the room. The new lab will be housed at Juniper Elementary but used by classes in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade from across the District. 

Thank you to the Jazz, Mammoth, and America First Credit Union for their help in creating an amazing learning environment for students of Jordan School District.

Salt Lake Bees Honor Jordan School District Teacher and Students at Baseball Games

It was a great week for baseball at The Ballpark at America First Square last week, and Jordan School District was given special pregame honors before three Salt Lake Bees games. Mountain Ridge High School choir director Kelly DeHaan threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday’s game. The Bees celebrated Mr. DeHaan for being named the 2024-25 Jordan School District Teacher of the Year.

Before the games on Wednesday and Friday night, Jordan District Unified Sports athletes Israel Ramirez Castillo and Cole Wilson delivered the game ball to the mound. Israel is a proud West Jordan Jaguar that never stops smiling. Cole is known at Riverton High School for lighting up every room he walks into. Both Israel and Cole serve on the Unified Sports Youth Advisory Committee for the Special Olympics of Utah.

Congratulations to Kelly, Israel, and Cole, and thank you to the Salt Lake Bees for the recognition.

Mascots, Music, Cheerleaders, Students, and Principal’s Welcome 300 Brand New Teachers to Jordan School District in Energy Filled Event

It was a fun and energy filled welcome for 300 new teachers beginning their careers in Jordan School District. A drum line, school mascots, cheerleaders, students, plenty of principals and administrators were on hand to greet the new teachers as they walked the welcome path into Bingham High School for new teacher induction training and celebrations.

This year, Jordan School District received dozens of applications for every single teaching position posted. Jordan School District Superintendent Anthony Godfrey said, “We are attracting more and more candidates every year and cannot wait to see what they will accomplish in Jordan School District.”

Welcome new teachers! Have a fantastic and successful school year.

What Did You Learn in Your Travels Spending Time with Family and Friends This Summer?

We hope you had a chance to learn something new and fun over the summer months, in your travels or simply by staying home enjoying family, friends, and local summer celebrations.

Sunset Ridge Middle School Assistant Principal James Maughan says he was able to enjoy some pretty exciting travel. Mr. Maughan and his family accompanied his son to Paris where the University of Utah French major is about to begin a study abroad program. One fun thing Mr. Maughan learned while in Paris; the French don’t do what Americans know as “to-go” or “doggie bags” at restaurants because they want you to either take your time enjoying your meal and finish it or simply don’t over-order. He quickly learned something else, some public restrooms are available, but you have to pay for them, so Mr. Maughn learned to ask to use “les toilettes” at the places where his family was dining.

Traveling to Jamaica was another adventure for the Maughan family. In Jamaica Mr. Maughan learned several things. Jamaicans are relaxed and kind, crocodiles are scary, and due to English colonialism, people drive on the left side of the road. And, due to some poor road conditions, riding in a tour bus or van can be quite harrowing. Mr. Maughn says he recommends not riding at the front of a tour bus, because watching out the front windshield can cause severe anxiety!

We hope you learned something fun over the summer months as well and had a wonderful time doing so.