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  • Episode 52: Health Class Lesson Helps to Save a Life in the Lunchroom

    It was a day in the cafeteria at West Jordan Middle School that some students will never forget. On this episode of the Supercast, hear how a 9th grade student sprang into action, using a technique he learned in health class, to save the life of his best friend who was choking. It is a story of heroism and a health teacher’s life-saving lessons.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a day in the cafeteria at West Jordan Middle School that some students will never forget. On this episode of the Supercast, hear how a ninth-grade student jumped into action, using a technique he learned in health class, to save the life of his best friend, who was choking. It's a story of heroism and to help teacher lifesaving lessons. We're here with two students at West Jordan Middle School that had an extraordinary experience last week. Tell me your names.

    Jackson:  Jackson Johnson.

    Hunter: Hunter Olsen

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Jackson, and Hunter. So, Jackson, tell us what happened the other day in the cafeteria.

    Jackson:

    I got my lunch. I sat down and was eating it. I had hiccups throughout the day. So, I hiccup and a piece of chicken got stuck in my throat.  I was trying to see if I could cough it up but nothing happened. So, I turned around and I signaled to my friend "I'm choking" and then he got up and did the Heimlich.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And that's your friend, Hunter, that did that. Did you have to get his attention? What was the choking sign that you gave?

    Jackson:

    I just put my hands over my throat.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And so Hunter, you see this and what did you do?

    Hunter:

    My first instinct was just to come up and try to help as much as I could. That was pretty much just it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So when you walked over to him, what happened? Did you just go right into Heimlich mode?

    Hunter:

    Yes, pretty much. I had to make sure he was actually choking first because we were all at the table, just laughing, just because we thought he was just choking on something little, like it went down the wrong tube or something. Then he was just coughing over the garbage can.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    When you first realized, I'm really choking here, what did you do to get their attention?

    Jackson:

    Well, they were all looking at me because I thought I was messing around. I turned and I looked dead at Hunter and I started putting my hands over my throat saying "I'm choking" while signaling it. And then he realized it and hopped up. Well, everyone else just thought it was still a joke.

    So, I just decided, I'm going to focus on one person and that person is Hunter, and I'm going to make sure I get his attention. Because I knew he would actually do something.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's pretty awesome. What made you know that Hunter was the guy to take action and save your life?

    Jackson:

    The two other kids kind of weren't paying attention, and the other one was my brother who, the whole time, was kind of just saying, "Call home", because he really wanted to go home.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Okay. So, Hunter is the go-to guy.

    Hunter:

    When he turned around, he kind of had a look in his eyes like, "Oh shoot, it's actually in there and I can't get it out myself". So, I thought, okay. I just stepped up and adrenaline shot up. I just went into autopilot I guess, and just did what I learned in health class and I've seen her at work.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So you did feel that surge of adrenaline, you kind of realized, "Hey, something's really wrong here". And have you felt that other times in your life before? Is there a comparable moment?

    Hunter:

    Yeah, a few years ago when I played football. If you get a big tackle or the whole team's depending on you to stop a play or something, it's just that kind of agenda and that adrenaline rush. It was kind of like that on steroids.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And so your friend seems to be joking, you're laughing around, you realize he's actually choking, you get the adrenaline rush and you said you went into autopilot now. I don't know that I have autopilot for that sort of situation. We'd all like to think that we do, but I don't think we do. So how were you prepared for that situation?

    Hunter:

    I think I just paid attention in health class and I learned the practice in there and I just put it into real life.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How recently had you learned the Heimlich Maneuver?

    Hunter:

    Last year, in eighth grade.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So you paid attention in health class? That's an awesome thing. And it was last year, so you really did pay attention. Have you ever done the Heimlich before this time?

    Hunter:

    No. If this was my first time.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And so did you have to think about what to do or did you just do it?

    Hunter:

    Well, I just remembered kind of where to put my hands and I just kind of did it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here in the cafeteria where it happened and Jackson is standing right there. Can you reenact it for us? Can you kind of show us? Let's see. Start choking Jack. Okay. What did you do? Jackson?

    Jackson:

    I put my arms up so that he could reach around.

    Hunter:

    I'm shorter than Jackson.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Let's see you try that. We're here in the cafeteria, where it happened? Let's see, you stand back there and you just went, right?

    Jackson:

    Oh, a little bit too high and then he pushed.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    He pushed it also. So, Jack, you pushed his hands down to get his hands into the right position?

    Jackson:

    Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And how many times did you have to do it?

    Hunter:

    It was like four times before I actually popped it up.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So Jack, what were you feeling? Were you both feeling that high level of stress as it's happening? I'm assuming, yes. I don't think I've ever done the Heimlich Maneuver. I don't remember ever doing that on someone. So, the meat then came out of your throat, right? And how did you feel right in the aftermath of that?

    Jackson:

    I was shocked that actually had come out because it felt like it was pretty stuck and I was also relieved to be able to breathe.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Were you holding your throat afterward trying to swallow and did you feel fine afterwards?  What did you say to a Hunter afterward?

    Jackson:

    I said thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    One of the biggest, thank you's of your life, I would guess.

    Jackson: Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, did you tell your parents about what happened?

    Jackson:

    They saw it as soon as they posted the thing on Instagram about Hunter.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Oh yeah, you posted it on Instagram?

    Jackson:  The school did.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Oh, the school did. And so that's how they found out?

    Jackson:  Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, they found out from the school Instagram account before you told them.

    Jackson:

    Yeah.  Then they called me down to call my parents.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How did your parents react once you talked with them about it?

    Jackson:

    My mom was relieved that I was alive. My dad came up to me and said, "Start chewing your food now."

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Lessons to be learned all around. Pay attention in health class to your food and sometimes your friends aren't joking. They really do need your help.

    Jackson:  Yeah.

    Superintendent Johnson:

    I really liked your description of the way the adrenaline kind of came up and the way that you, Jackson, described how you knew you were in trouble at a certain point. You knew it was really lodged in there. There are those moments that, figuratively, we feel that there's danger, that we know there's something we need to do and that we need help. And those moments that Hunter experienced, where we know its time for us to step up and somebody needs us and we need to do that right now. Whether it's your teammates that you described or whether it's saving your friend's life. How does it feel when I say that sentence, "Saving your friend's life"?

    Hunter:

    It's pretty shocking. I'd never thought I'd really save one of my friend's life, in that moment, but it's just kind of shocking.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So as a ninth grader, you've saved your friend's life. What's next for you now? I mean, it's always onward and upward. What's the next big achievement?

    Hunter:

    I don't really know. If something comes up again, I'll jump in.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I have to say that we all hope that we would do what you did, but it's pretty impressive that you were able to remember what needed to happen and you jumped in and just took action, because a lot of times, someone's going to run for help instead of be the help. And it's pretty awesome that you were the help and thank you. What kind of bond did this create between you two?

    Hunter:

    I think we had a pretty strong bond before because we hang out a lot. His dad was my old football coach, so we got to spend a lot of time together. But I think it even strengthened that brotherhood that we have together and I'm just really glad that he's my friend.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What do you think Jackson?

    Jackson:

    I'd have to say the same thing.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, do the two of you pay as good attention in your other classes as you did to your health class?

    Hunter:

    Some of them. I liked my health class a lot. The teacher really had an impact on us.

    Superintendent Godfrey:  I would say if you pay as good attention in other classes, as you did in health and you apply your learning from those other classes, as well as you did in your health class, then you have great things ahead of you.

    So, we pulled up some security footage and we actually can watch it. Have you guys seen this video yet?

    Jackson and Hunter:

    No.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Okay. We're going to watch it and then we're going to get your reaction. Okay. So, what happens here?

    Jackson:

    I started choking and you can see Julio pointed and laughed at me.

    Hunter:  We're all laughing at him.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You're leaning over at the table.

    Jackson:  Yeah. I'm trying to cough it up into the garbage can.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You're pointing your throat.

    Jackson:

    And then, yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Wow. You really use some force Hunter.

    Hunter:  Yeah.

    Jackson:

    This is where I moved his hands down.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hunter, it didn't work at first and you just kept going. Wow! That was six times you lifted him off the ground.

    Hunter:

    Yeah. And right at the end I put my arms up and I yelled for my health teacher named Ms. Howa.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So you celebrated her. Oh wow! That's amazing! You lifted him off the ground a couple of times is pretty strong.

    Hunter:

    Yeah, obviously.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, all that football that Jack's dad coached you in prepared you for this as well, because you really put some strength behind that. And what was impressive is that you didn't give up. You just kept going. You didn't say, "Hey, I've done it a few times. It's not working". You stayed with it.

    Hunter:

    Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I think we need to freeze frame the moment where you put your hands up and say her name, and we need to put that in a frame for your teacher.

    Hunter:  Okay.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're going to do that. That's pretty impressive.

    Hunter:

    And then Julio, our friend right there, he went to go tell the hall monitor.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So Julio went for help. Yeah. We're watching this again. That's just amazing. He just stayed with it. And were you okay after that? Did your throat hurt for a long time after that?

    Jackson:

    I was all right. It didn't really hurt.

    Superintendent:

    Did you finish your chicken sandwich?

    Jackson:  Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's a real pleasure talking to both of you and I'm just proud of what you guys have done. You kept your head in a very difficult circumstance and that's going to serve you well in the future. Great job. Wow. That's incredible.

    Stay with us. When we come back, hear from the health teacher whose classroom lesson helped save a life.

    Sandra Riesgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan school district is hiring. We're currently feeling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today @ workatjordan.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here with Kathy Howa, a teacher at West Jordan Middle School. Kathy, you've had a significant impact of the school in just a few short years. You were Hunter's teacher, who performed the Heimlich on Jackson in the school cafeteria and saved his life. How does that feel?

    Kathy Howa:

    I'll tell you what, it's probably the highlight of my career. I don't think a teacher could be thanked any more than somebody listening in their class and being able to save another person's life.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I'll agree with you there. This is an awesome feather in your cap. You know, teachers have a big impact on students and sometimes it is not so evident and immediately as this. I talked with Hunter and he says, it's information from your class last year that helped him jump into action. What do you think of that?

    Kathy Howa:

    It's pretty amazing. As a teacher, you always wonder if the student is listening and you know that they're not going to get all the information, but it's a great thing to know that he listened. The other thing is that he had the power to jump up and actually do it. That was amazing because all of us ask ourselves, what would I do in that particular situation. And to know that kid was brave enough to do that was so amazing. And what an impact, he saved someone's life.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What that says to me is you didn't just teach them the procedure. You gave your student the confidence to act on what you taught.

    Kathy Howa:

    Thank you. I hope that happens. There's a lot of things in health that are so important that these kids learn because it's their life. And especially as adolescents, you know, that they're learning what we need them to learn right now with a lot of the subjects.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What you taught Hunter had an impact because he loved your class. That's what he told me.

    Kathy Howa:

    Oh, that melts my heart. And it definitely does that. The kids are just everything. And you know, if you just lead them to where you need to lead, hopefully they'll become great human beings in our community.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, I'm going to guess that Hunter didn't walk into health class on the first day and say, "You know what, I'll bet this is going to be my favorite class". But as soon as he gets to know you and starts to see how things are in the classroom, it becomes a favorite class because of the teacher, because of you.

    Kathy Howa:

    Thank you. That means a lot. Thank you so much.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There's an exciting tidbit that I learned as we watched this video with Hunter and Jackson. We watched the video of a Hunter actually performing the Heimlich. And after he knew that Jackson was okay, he celebrated by putting both fists in the air and he yelled, "Howa, woah!" So, he shouted out your name after he'd saved Jackson's life.

    Kathy Howa:

    I just heard that, just lately. I wish I would have been there, but what a special thing. I don't think I'll ever top this, you know? Just things that happen in your career. I don't think there's a better reward. There just isn't.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, it's a great achievement. And it's a reflection of the 28 years of great teaching you've been doing and connecting to kids and helping them understand the importance of what you're teaching. So, thanks for being a great example of what an awesome teaching looks like.

    Kathy Howa:

    Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And you're going to be extending the Heimlich Maneuver unit in your class?

    Kathy Howa:

    Well, right now I'm just hoping that we can get to where the kids can actually have the hands-on practice. We do a practical where they have to pass a test in the classroom. So, I'm hoping to get there. I wish I was doing it sooner instead of at the end of my two quarters. I would teach this a lot sooner.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's one of the favorite stories that I've heard in a long time. It's been a pleasure talking with you, and it was great talking with the students as well. So, thanks for everything you're doing and keep up the great work. Thank you so much.

    Thanks again for joining us on the Supercast and remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today, wherever you are. We'll see you.

    18 min
  • Episode 51: An Up-Close Look Inside Classrooms and an Historic Touchdown on the Football Field

    On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside some classrooms with Rich Saunders, Interim Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health. Mr. Saunders stopped by to see first-hand how teachers and students are doing and learning during the pandemic.

    But first, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey heads out to the Herriman High football field to meet the young man behind a history making touchdown.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. We take you inside some classrooms in Jordan School District on a tour with Rich Saunders, executive director of the Utah Department of Health. Mr. Saunders stopped by to see first-hand how teachers, students, and administrators are doing during the pandemic.

    But first we head out to the Herriman High School football field to meet the young man behind a history making touchdown. We are here at Herriman High School with running back Nu'u Tafisi. In August, the entire nation was hungry for sports, and the first football game in the nation was played at Herriman High School. And you were the first one to score a touchdown in the nation this year. How did that feel?

    Nu'u:

    Ah, you know, so good. Just going out to play football with my boys. We had to wear face masks on the sideline and, you know, just going through everything with the COVID is just something that we had to adapt to.  And we did, as you can see in the film. I celebrate with my line, you know, we had it every time.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I like how you talked about celebrating with your line. Nobody does it alone. There are a lot of people that participated in that, but you got to carry the ball across the line.

    Nu'u:

    The line is everything to me, you know.  Without a line, I can't do anything as a running back.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, there's a lot for us to all learn from. We're relying on each other more than ever just to get through the pandemic and make sure that everybody has as much opportunity at school and athletics and activities and in the classroom as well. So, it's a great example of what we're all trying to do. Has being part of football helped you through the pandemic because we were all isolated for a long time? Did it feel good to be back with everyone?

    Nu'u:

    Yes, definitely. You know, being at home and quarantined is really waring and, just to get something for the people to watch, you know, some sort of entertainment is good.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, do you get energy from the fact that people are watching and cheering you on? Is that an important part of what you're doing on the field?

    Nu'u:

    Yes, definitely. Without the fans, I don't even think that'd be playing football.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks to Nu'u Tafisi for stopping for an interview. I know you've got to get there and practice for tomorrow night's game. So, good luck out there.

    Nu'u:  Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:  We're here with Brock Hollingsworth at Herriman High School. Brock, tell us what sports do you play? What positions do you play?

    Brock:

    I play football. I would play track to get ready for football, get my speed up, but mainly football. I play safety, corner, receiver, return kicks, or return punts, you know, just wherever coach needs me. Just get a little burst going. That's where, that's where I like to go and just get some energy going in the field.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I rely on people like you, people I can put anywhere to do what needs to be done. So that's awesome. How did they feel to get to return as an athlete this fall, after being cooped up in the spring because of the pandemic?

    Brock:

    Oh, it was amazing. Like you're just aching to play football. I've been playing football since I was a little boy. And so, it was, it was on a cycle, you know.  You get this much off of football and then you go and play it again. And the fact that it could have been taken away this year, it felt like it wasn't on the same cycle. He had to wait a little longer. I was just aching and itching to get back out there and just get working with the boys.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Do you think you played with a greater intensity because you had this kind of pent up desire to get on the field and to be with your team?

    Brock:

    Oh yeah. You're always going to play with a different intensity on the first game. You go out and everyone's got the first game jitters. Especially how we haven't been able to play for so long and being able to practice and stuff. That definitely is a big, factor going into that game and knowing that we were on TV and stuff. That was also a little urge. So, it gets people going on that too.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. You have national attention just because you were playing and that adds a different layer to everything when you know you're on that stage.

    Brock:

    Oh yeah. You know there weren't that many people in the stands, but in your mind, you know that there's people watching at home. People I have never even talked to before were texting me after the game saying good game, this and that. And I was thinking, "Wait, I've never talked to you before my life". So just knowing that they're watching, that means like a lot more people are watching and it's just crazy.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I think you have an opportunity to see just how much it means to people to be able to watch high school athletics and be part of that. It's exciting for us as a district to know that we're so well represented by you here at Herriman High.

    Brock:  Oh yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, are you still feeling that level of intensity, that excitement that you had at the start?

    Brock:

    Oh yeah. You always want to come with the same intensity, same excitement. We love the game and we know the community loves the game and, just going out there and if you look at the ticket sales, the tickets sell out in 30 seconds, it's crazy. People are really ready to get out and watch a game. And so, knowing that all those people are watching and you got to go give them a show, because the community means so much. Our fundraisers, all of that stuff, they do that for us we can go and play. And, I feel like we did like a really good job, especially on protocol. I feel like the community followed that a lot, wearing their masks and staying in their sections, this and that.

    So, I know there was a team that was ended up having to stop the game for a little bit because they weren't following protocol. And the fact that we didn't have to do that because our community is so good with that wants to see us play. It's just phenomenal feeling.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, you're feeling a high level of community support.

    Brock:  Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And inherent, you'll always feel that everyone loves their football, especially here. So, it's just a crazy feeling going on there.

    Superintendent Godfrey:  Did it feel different to you playing this year or as soon as you got on the field did it just feel like football again?

    Brock:

    It was a little different, you know, like you can actually hear the cadence from the quarterback, and you don't hear the whole fans screaming and stuff. But knowing that you're still out there battling out in a game, playing against another team. I mean, you practice against your own team the whole summer so it feels good.

    So, going out and playing against the different teams, it's crazy going out and seeing someone on the other side of the ball that you don't know their strengths. So, you just go out there and you just play and have fun. And when you make a good play, your boys are out there with you celebrating. I mean, football is football. That's just what it is.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I'm looking forward to making it to a game. So, I'll see out on the field. Thanks a lot for taking time to talk with us. I'll let you get back to practice so that you can have a great Friday.

    Brock:

    Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for taking time.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    My pleasure.

    Stay with us. When we come back, we'll take you inside some classrooms with Rich Saunders, Executive Director of the Utah State Department of Health.

    Sandra Riesgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say to people, "Come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordan.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here with Rich Saunders, the Executive Director of the Utah State Health Department, and he's been visiting a couple of our schools. Rich, thanks for spending the day with us.

    Rich Saunders:

    It has been a pleasure, and I'm amazed at the great work that's being done by your people here. The students, as well as the faculty and the staff, the administration, it's been remarkable.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, it's been great having you. I think it's very validating for teachers to see you here. Why is it important to you? I know you've been visiting schools around the State. Why is it important for you to visit schools?

    Rich Saunders:

    Well, we have a lot of concerns and a lot of interest in kids being able to come back to school, to be able to have in-person learning. It's a very high priority. We know it's a very important aspect of the children's lives. And we have a pandemic in our community and around the world. And we're trying to figure out how do we get the kids to safely come back to school and have effective learning, and yet balance that in with the right type of protection. We have a mask order. That's been implemented as a public health order. It's important that we understand that effective learning can take place with the masks. And if there are areas that are of a significant concern, that we address those so that we don't cause irreversible damage to the child's learning. That's why I'm out in the schools, to get an in-person look at how the kids are responding and to learn from teachers and the staff, any kind of feedback that they have about, sanitization and other protocols that take place for the experience to be wonderful in the schools.

    And you know, what I'm most excited about is that the kids are happy. They were getting along just fine. They're doing well. They have to make a little sacrifice wearing a mask over their nose in their face for most of the time, but they're happy and they're doing well. It's good to see that I've observed

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    The same thing. It's nice to see how much the kids enjoy being back at school. And its kids being kids, even though at the same time, they're following the rules that we've put in place. We were out at lunch and they were distanced and kids were wearing masks. And yet they still ask the goofy middle-school questions. When you came to visit one of their classes, what else have you observed as you've been out in schools?

    Rich Saunders:

    I have observed a lot. One of the things that has been most impressive is how willing the adults, the leadership, this, the staff, the administration has been. The level of effort everyone has been willing to employ to be able to make this happen. It has been touching to me, emotional and very impressive to see the sacrifice of these great people to the youth. for them to be able to pay the price, do whatever it takes to get these kids back into the classroom. That has been very touching to me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What message would you have for educators who are currently engaged in making the best of things during this pandemic?

    Rich Saunders:

    You know, it's a hard balance. We have a lot of unknown territory in this pandemic with this virus. We know a lot now, and it's tricky to step into the teaching environment where you've got a bunch of kids and where there's possible transmission. There's some risk. And I just want to express my thanks to those teachers who are willing to try to lead these kids. And we're doing everything we can to work with science and medicine and the world of education too, to come together and figure out where this balance is so that we can be effective. I think you know we care about the health and safety of the teachers. We care that they feel safe. We want to make sure that they have plenty of PPE and the things that they need to be able to perform their functions safely. We really do care and we really want to work together to make this be an effective experience for all involved.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What would you like parents to know?

    Rich Saunders:

    It's easy to get caught up in the emotions of what is going on. We have personal opinions of what matters most when we're in this kind of an environment. We try to put our emotions aside and figure out how to work together at it. And the kids are great. They're resilient, they're adaptable. They really want to progress forward. And I think if we all had that same mentality to try to work together, compromising where we need to sacrificing, whatever it takes to progress instead of stop and be stagnant. I think that is the place that we just do what it takes to work together.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We want to thank Rich Saunders again, not just for stopping to talk with us for the Supercast, and especially for visiting our schools and our classrooms. We appreciate all your hard work. It's obvious how much you care about the outcome. And, we just really loved having it today.

    Thank you. This has been my pleasure and my compliments to the parents, to the students, to the faculty and the staff, the administration. This is a tremendous undertaking and is my privilege to be a part of it. Thank you.

    Thanks for joining us. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

     

    16 min
  • Episode 50: The Masked Singers of Mountain Ridge High

    After nearly six months of silence, there is once again music filtering out into the halls of Mountain Ridge High School. In this episode of the Supercast, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey stops by music teacher Kelly DeHaan’s classroom where he visits with students who are making beautiful music again as part of the Mountain Ridge Madrigals. They are singing wearing masks, doing all they can to be Sentinel Strong and stay in school.

    Audio Transcription

    Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. After nearly six months of silence, there is once again music filtering out into the halls of Mountain Ridge High School. That music is coming from the masked singers, otherwise known as the Mountain Ridge Madrigals. I had the pleasure of visiting music, teacher Kelly DeHaan's classroom, where the Madrigals were rehearsing. All of them wearing masks and eager to share their passion about music and being Sentinel strong so they can stay in school.

    Madrigals practicing The Star-Spangled Banner

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Nice. Put your music to your side if you're off, if you're done.

    Kelly DeHaan sings welcome to Dr. Godfrey

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I feel pressure to sing, "Yes, I am!"  It's very intimidating being with this group. I would love to have your talents and abilities, or at least your instructor. Is this Madrigals?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    This is our Madrigal choir, the most elite choir of the school.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    The Madrigal choir. Wow! Did you have to try out for this choir?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And so, was that a virtual tryout in the spring?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    No. We had actual auditions just before COVID happened. Right. With this class, we got done.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, the tryouts were in March?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Wow. Very early. So, your path was forged very early in your junior year. That's fantastic. So, do you work on stuff over the summer or do you just kick right in when the school starts?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Usually we do summer activities, but this year I didn't feel safe doing so. And so, we had our first time singing together on Monday.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How did it feel? Anybody raise your hand? Tell me how it felt.

    Student:

    We missed this class so much.  I missed singing with other people, not something I couldn't do virtually, but now That we are all together as a group, I feel like you can find the Sentinel spirit of joy right here.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That seems to sum up how you feel.  Being together as one thing, singing together as another, I would think.

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're going to step outside and interview a few students from Mr. DeHaan's Madrigal class. That's what I call it. What was it? Is its High Madrigals or Turbo Madrigals? Elite Madrigals! The Super Madrigals are here with me? And tell me your names.

    Students:

    I'm Alex, I'm Chelsea, I'm Savannah,

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How does it feel to be back in class, particularly this class?

    Student:

    It is a wonderful, I think I missed singing. It's something you can't really replicate online, something I really missed, along with just being with all my classmates.

    Student:

    Particularly to this class, I find it very relieving to be back in the classroom with the energy that Kelly DeHaan brings to it. And knowing that we worked hard for the place that we're at, especially as second years, and it feels really glad to have that gratification back into our lives and just feeling fulfilled.

    Student:

    Yeah. I feel complete and whole again. I felt so empty without having a way to express myself through song. And coming to this class, it's just a whole different experience. It's almost like it takes you away from the stresses of school and you just let it all out. And the people are amazing. We're all really great friends. We all love each other. We all support each other so much. And it's just so fun to be around people that I know like me and I like them.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, it's kind of comfort because you've all sung together before for you to be in Madrigals. You've had some previous experience and you tried out for that. How does it feel different from other choir classes that you've had in the past now that we have these precautions in place as well?

    Student:

    The mask, I've got to say, it is a really big deal. And we are not sitting exactly next to each other so we can't hear each other anymore. It is very individual, so it's a lot more work to make sure we have our part because we don't know what it sounds like anymore. We have to trust in our own skills, that we know that we're singing the right parts and we have to trust in Kelly, that he is directing us in the right way.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Even though you are together in the same space and it feels great to be back together, you're still a little bit more isolated than you normally would be.

    Student:

    Adding on to that, it's really hard because in the masks, you can really only hear yourself. You can't really hear other people. And it's really hard to suck in as much air as you can because you're basically breathing in a mask and sometimes it like gets right in to your mouth. And you're looking at, you know, and it's really hard to tell when you're projecting and if you're projecting enough. So, if we're performing in the gym or in the auditorium, sometimes it's we practice quieter because we're in masks and we can hear really well that it doesn't come off as loud as it would in an open space.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I see. So, you're not going to wear a mask after you don't have to when you're singing, is what I'm gathering.

    Student:

    The second that they say masks are done, they're gone!

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    But I heard a student in class say he do just about anything in terms of procedures in order to be back. Do you feel the same way?

    Student:

    Absolutely.  I definitely do. So, what we are hoping for 2021 is that some restrictions may be lifted. If that means I have to wear my mask, or even that means we go online for a little bit of time. I will take that sacrifice, if that means I get to sing with my choir again.

    Student:

    Mr. DeHaan compared having a mask on to a cross country athlete that was wearing weights on his shoes and he walked around and then when he took them off for his race, he was able to run a lot faster. So, I think we're learning different ways, and once we do take those off, we'll be better singers and better have different perspective on things.

    Student:  Yes, believe me, my diction and projection has amplified tenfold.

    Student:  And breathing also because you have to take an extra air just to make sure you have it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I think that's true. Even when we're talking, I think we'll be shouting at each other for a while after these masks come off and our personal space is going to be really big because we're so used to distancing.

    Student:

    I mean, I'm not complaining about the personal circle thing, but....

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Was it what you expected or is it a different from what you were anticipating?

    Student:

    I've been really impressed with everybody. All the administration was really planned out well. You can tell there's a lot of procedures that they're following. Each of the teachers knows exactly what they're doing and what they have to do. And students have been awesome with wearing masks, which we were surprised about. But everybody's just on board and is seeing this as a link to getting one step closer and being in school.

    Student:

    Yeah, that's what I really love about this school. I feel like everybody's so passionate about being here that they will do anything in their possible way to be here. And I'm really amazed how respectful they are and the teachers. They're amazing. They're very kind in saying, "Hey, please put up your masks because I want to be here with you". The teachers want to be here with us as much as we want to be with them.

    Student:

    I am also liking the added unity that this has brought upon our school. Before, in our first year, it was a whole bunch of schools coming together, trying to be one. I think with this, it's this added, "We're Mountain Ridge and we're going to stay and we want to stay here. We choose to be here right now."

    Student:

    I truly very, very passionately believe in Sentinel Strong because I feel like every kid here has that part of them inside of them. And they all just are strong as people. And so, I just think that's amazing.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So it's not just being back that's unifying. It's doing whatever it takes to stay back that's unifying. Great. Well, it's really fun being in a class. It's really fun seeing you guys. Let's head back in and do a little more singing or you guys can do a little bit more singing.

    Kelly DeHaan:

    So we won't do the solos at the beginning. We'll do we'll just do all the men and all the women to help us.

    Madrigals singing

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back here, more music from the Madrigals and find out what they're doing to stay safe while learning and doing what they love.

    Sandra Riesgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career?  Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at http://workatjordan.org.

    More singing from Madrigals - School Anthem

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Can anyone tell me why I extended the lines as a musician?

    Student:

    Because it gives a little time for the meaning of the words to be absorbed.

    Kelly DeHaan:

    I wrote this song for our school and I'm really proud of it. I think you are one of the first people who got to hear it. This is our school. It means a lot to me. I came into the room and the school was still under construction and it's so beautiful and perfect. And the song just kind of wrote itself.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Did you realize that you don't just have a teacher? You have an artist in residence? Yes, you do.

    Kelly DeHaan:

    I tell them all the time, how good I am. (laughter)

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I will back you up on that. Can we hear that song?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    They're sight reading a lot of them and some of them. No? Okay, yes, stand up.  We won't do the solos at the beginning. We'll just do all the men and all the women.

    More singing

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Alright, Nathan, are you a junior or senior?

    Nathan:

    I'm a senior this year.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Alright. Nathan is in the Madrigals class we're visiting today. Nathan, you said something in class that I thought was remarkable. You'd do pretty much anything to be here.

    Nathan:

    Yes. I would volunteer to follow 12 more policies if it meant being able to be here and singing. I will admit I was concerned about singing in masks, but we're making it work. It may not be ideal, but I'm so grateful to be here.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And they're singing safely. Now that you're back at school, is it what you expected or not?

    Nathan:

    Some of both. I mean, we went in knowing we'd have to wear masks and there would be social distancing, to the extent possible and we'd be cleaning.  So that part I expected. But what I did not expect was all of the positivity where normally people aren't willing to be in school. But everybody I've talked to is 100% willing to be back in school because we've missed it so much.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, there's not just a pent-up desire to be at school, but there's a pent-up desire to do whatever it takes to stay in school.

    Nathan:

    Exactly.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What did you miss most about being at school?

    Nathan:

    I missed all of the social relationships, from being in choir, from being in the lunch room, school kind of revolves around being with people. So being stuck at home for six months was really hard for me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And I'm sure, for a lot of people, you've only just started back. Does it already feel easier to learn in person than it did online?

    Nathan:

    Infinitely. Being in person with a real teacher that can give you face to face feedback. You can feed off your classmates. Using technology is great, but being here is something that you just can't fully replicate.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, here's to a great year. Thanks for talking with me, Nathan.

    Nathan:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Madrigals is the type of class that was considered a special class with some additional potential risk because of the singing and exhaling and all of that. And you have taken some very thoughtful, deliberate precautions. Can you walk us through those?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Sure.  As the students come in, we take their temperatures and we ask them if they have any symptoms and I show them a symptom chart. And if the answer that they don't have any symptoms and they pass the temperature test, then they can come into their pre-assigned seating that has been socially distanced for them. I've put pictures of all the students who share those chairs on the chair so the students feel, so they know, so we can trace if there's any problems at all. We know exactly where they were sitting on that day. We keep a record of all of our seating charts, and then the students wear their masks always while they're singing. And they stay socially distance like this for the whole rehearsal. They have assigned slots for their music to go into that keeps everything safe and neat so we don't have to sanitize the music each time. And then at the end of class my student teacher and I go through and we sanitize each chair that has come in contact with people.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, it's working great. And talking with students in the class, anything you have to do is worth it to give them the chance to be.

    Kelly DeHaan:  We all feel that way.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How does it feel to have our students back?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    It's, everything, it's everything. I didn't realize as an educator, how much of my self-perception and happiness was dependent on being able to reach out to kids and especially through music. And now that they're back, I feel like I'm back. Isn't that strange? I feel like I've been a little bit vacant and in that hazy Netflix world. And now I have these kids back, it's like my life is back.  I'm so happy.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I that's the sentiment I'm hearing everywhere I go. And I guess I'd ask, is it what you expected? Is it different from what you expected?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Better than I could have ever expected. And it's harder than I knew it would be. It's hard. It's worth every second.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There are still obstacles, aren't there, even though we're back together?

    Kelly DeHaan:

    So many, we'll get it. We'll figure it out.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It'll get better and better. And when those obstacles are gone, it'll be like we're walking three inches off of the ground.

    Kelly DeHaan:

    Oh, it's going to be so great to get rid of these nasty masks, but we'll keep doing it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Congratulations on being back together and having this experience. I know you're going to enjoy it, make the most of it and have a great year. Enjoy it.

    Thank you for joining us for the 50th Episode of the Supercast. Remember, "Education is the most important thing you'll do today". We'll see you out there.

     

    22 min
  • Episode 49: Let the Learning Begin – Principals Talk About Being Back

    As our schools prepare to welcome students back, principals are excited to see the new school year begin after having buildings empty for nearly six months. In this episode of the Supercast, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey talks to some principals about their hopes for a safe and successful school year despite changes brought on by the pandemic.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It has been a long, and some might say "lonely", six months for principals, who are used to having schools filled with students, teachers, and staff involved in learning, and so many other exciting activities that bring a school community together. On this bonus episode of the Supercast, we sit down with a few principals. Hear from a counselor to find out how they plan on welcoming everyone back, and the excitement that surrounds having students in school. Again, we're here at Mountain Creek Middle School with Kimberly Stewart, the Department Chair of the Language Arts department here, a teacher, and also a parent of elementary age students in the District. Thanks for talking with us.

    Kimberly:

    You're welcome.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There's a lot to do preparing for the school year and department chairs, as we've tried to juggle online and in-person instruction, have had a pretty heavy load. Tell us a little bit about what you've been going through.

    Kimberly:

    So, I think for my department especially, we had a couple teachers that have gone online or partially online. So, we've had to cover, admit our department, cover the classes that are live as they take some other schools’ online classes. So, that's been kind of a stressful way to start the school year, to know that our schedules are changing. I think we've got our final schedules today. You know we have a few days before school starts, so it's been pretty stressful, but I feel my department's been really good at jumping in. I've got an English teacher that's going to be teaching dance for a period and taking creative writing. Everybody's been really good about this jumping in and helping each other out.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There has had to be a high level of flexibility that's for sure. And I know teachers and educators in general are very good at that, but unfortunately, there's been a need for even more than normal.

    Kimberly:

    Yes, for sure. I thought that last year, opening the new school was stressful, but this year has definitely been more required. A lot more flexibility.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Was the thought, it's going to be better next year? It's going to be easier next year? I really am impressed at just how hard people have worked and how flexible they've been. And that combination is what's going to get us through.

    Kimberly:

    Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I've really just told my teachers. We just need to be calm and confident when we're working with our students no matter what happens. If we go online, that's fine. We've done it. The students just know it's going to be okay and we're ready for it. And it's not going to freak anybody. We're going to be fine.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    As you anticipate students returning, what are you most excited about?

    Kimberly:

    I'm just excited for their energy back in the building. We've seen some come in to see their lockers and get tours. And we just are so excited to see kids back in the building because that's where we get our excitement. We're expanding off their excitement and their energy. And that's really fulfilling for teachers to have that those relationships. And it was hard to do online in the spring. So, we're just really excited to have them back in here so that we can see them and interact with them and see them interact with each other. That's what I'm most excited about.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are you concerned about or worried about? I know there's a lot to think about as the school year starts. What are your concerns going in?

    Kimberly:

    For me, the biggest thing is just the inconsistency with things. If we're on for two weeks and off for two weeks and not knowing how to plan for that, I'm a planner. And so, not knowing if I should be preparing things online or in-person or both. Especially having two elementary school students thinking about. If they quarantine for two weeks and I'm still working, or vice versa, that's going to be stressful to have to figure things out that way. Probably my biggest concern is, I just would like to stay in the building, working as long as possible.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    This is a particularly difficult time for people who are planners. That's for sure. If you're a planner, this is the most difficult sort of thing you can imagine because of the level of uncertainty. I think everyone's feeling that and until we have students back, we won't really know how things are going to feel. This is the longest they've ever been out of school by a long shot. And I think everyone will take some adjusting. What do you anticipate in that way? What do you think will need to happen?

    Kimberly:

    I think what we've changed for the beginning of the year is we've just put a lot more thought into how are we going to connect with these students right away and how are we going to give them opportunities to connect with each other, even when we're trying to be really safe. Contact tracing and social distancing, about how to really still allow them to be social and build relationships with each other and with us. And so, we've built our curriculum a little bit differently. We've created moments where that can happen. And with Fridays creating some time where they can be on Zoom meetings or do some videos, they can watch each other and interact with each other in a pretty safe way. We just know those relationships are super important for middle school students.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You mentioned you're a parent of elementary age kids. So, what are your thoughts about sending them back to school?

    Kimberly:

    Well, my youngest, he's a three-year-old, and he's at the Daycare at Bingham and he's been there for a week and a half now. I was really worried about a three-year-old wearing a mask all day. I didn't know if he would do it and how the teacher would get 12 three-year-olds to wear their masks, but he hasn't had a problem. He just wears it and it's not a big deal. I have a first grader who really missed her friends and missed her teacher when she was a kindergarten in the spring. So, I'm excited for her to be back, but I'm just a little nervous about how the social distancing will affect them in elementary school. Her friends walk around and hold hands all the time. Right? They're just little girls and they love that. So, I'm a little nervous about that, but I think that kids are really resilient and I found that a lot of times, we, as adults, have a harder time adjusting to change than the kids will and that they're just going to find ways to still have fun and make school.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Great.

    Kimberly:

    Anyway, and I think those elementary teachers are thinking about all of those things and they're going to be really good about letting the kids still be kids.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Kimberly, thank you very much for talking with us. I wish you the best this school year. Your students are lucky to get to be back in the classroom with you.

    Kimberly:

    Thanks.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here with Mike Glenn, Principal of Mountain Creek Middle School to talk about the coming school year. Mike, how have preparations been going for the coming year?

    Mike:

    Good. I think that the only part of it that's hard has just been the uncertainty and the changes. We'll make a plan and it looks good, and then we'll get another directive from either the State or the District. Things get adjusted. I think that's probably been one of the key challenges, trying to meet these needs. And I think probably the biggest issue for us is that we're trying to balance school safety with education, right? And those things don't always go together.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    They do when we're talking about physical safety, but with COVID-19, it's a totally different ball game. So how do we really try to create an environment that's as close to normal as possible where the kids can learn and yet still remain healthy and safe opening a new school and then having the spring happen and then the fall, do you feel like it has ever stopped?

    Mike:

    Normally, at this point in your career, you get to enjoy the benefit of experience a little bit, but every decision you make is a new decision you've never had to make before. It probably feels like that's good because we're never bored, right? There's no complacency when every day is a new challenge. And from the one perspective, we were on such a high. I don't know that you would say high stress level, but we were functioning just trying to make everything happen.
    Last year, the building, of course, was a little bit behind schedule and they were laying tile and washing the floors the same night, in each different hallway. And I think we had the last tile laid a couple of hours before the ribbon cutting ceremony. And so, we were always just barely staying ahead of the boulder that's chasing us down the hill. And then the spring hit and it kind of threw another wrench. We just thought we got a handle on things. And so, this year, in some ways it's a lot of change, but we've already been through that. And at least now it's a known thing. And so, I think, in a lot of ways, it's maybe less stressful than what we went through last year is we are planning to open the building.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There is a lot of uncertainty still, and I know things are still going to shift and change. Once the school year gets underway. But what are you most looking forward to with the start of the school year?

    Mike:

    Having some normalcy, so we know the kids. The kids bring so much positive energy with them. And so, having a routine established where they can come to school, we get to see them, they interact with the teachers, we're doing assessments. We're clear about the content, you know, the face-to-face instruction, and the new online learning we're going to do. We've already touched our toe in the water in the spring. The teachers that are doing the full online classes know they're more specific and more focused on what to do. And so even that's going to have a lot more of a solid image of what we need. And so, getting back to the routines and interacting with the kids and then moving them along so that they understand. That's what we're all about.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, the interaction with students really is the fuel for what we do. And it's been innovative to do it over a screen. It's been worthwhile to stay engaged, however we could. And a lot of effort has gone into making that meaningful, but there's nothing like having kids in the building and being face-to-face, even though the distance, even with plexiglass in-between you and be able to have those interactions.

    Mike:

    I think too, educators are as a rule, they love people and they love kids. And so, it was a great stop gap to be able to do Google Hangouts or Zoom or some kind of online thing, but really, what they need is that contact with the kids and that's where they make their connections. And so, reading the kids, such as body language in their eyes and understanding their frustrations and feeding off each other’s, that's where teachers thrive. And so, we're glad to have the kids back. We love that connection.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks a lot for taking the time. I know you've got a ton to do. We'll let you get back to it, but here's to a great school year. And thanks for all the hard work you're doing.

    Mike:

    Thanks. We're excited. It's going to be great.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're going to take a quick break, and when we come back, a middle school counselor talks about the anxiety some may be feeling about coming back to school and how those feelings are expected after almost six months apart.

    Sandra Reisgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun, supportive environment, with great pay and a rewarding career. Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordan.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here with Becky Hunsaker from the Counseling Department here at Mountain Creek Middle School to talk about preparations for the school year to come in just a few days. Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with us.

    Becky:

    Absolutely. Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You opened a school just a year ago, and then we shut down in the spring and now we're opening under these circumstances and we've asked a lot of counselors, shuffling things around to provide those online opportunities. How does this compare with opening a new school?

    Becky:

    Oh man. There are so many unexpected things when you open up a new school. We all know each other now, we didn't know each other as a counseling team, as a staff, and we didn't know our students. And now that we know them, it's just a different ball game. In this process, we all have a part to play, you know, and now with COVID and shutting down and changing all of the schedules again, after getting the board finished and all the classes set in place in June, it's just been kind of something that we're used to. We're flexible. That's our main word we're using. We're flexible.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Flexibility is the name of the game. And like you said, everyone pitches in and this is changing everyone's life. Every employee, every parent, every student is living life a little differently now and has to be flexible. I used to love working on the schedule board, counting the number of seats per period. Not anymore though, not anymore. And I know that you guys have had to work really hard. What else has changed just as you prepare for the school year? I know that it's not just about schedules. It's also about helping students adapt to being back in school after being out for so long,

    Becky:

    Right. They are missing their friends. They are also, in survival mode from COVID. We all are, you know. Our flight response is more immediate because of that. You know the danger of having COVID, of dealing with that and all of the natures that come with it, that we are so worried about our kids and their mental health and their apprehension. When they come to school, we really just want to meet with each kid when they come back in the first quarter, check in and see how they're doing to make sure that we're on a good path to success and that they know they can come and reach us. And now we'll have to change up our processes a little bit, but with this new technology, we've been more accessible than ever.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are you most concerned about as you anticipate the start of school?

    Becky:

    That's a really good question, Anthony. I'm worried for everyone. I think of every group. I'm worried about the students and what they're facing, it's different than what the teachers are facing. The teachers are amazing how flexible they've been and how willing they are to take on some online schedules to recreate their curriculum and if we go into lockdown, how to change their curriculum. All within 24 hours, you know, that was amazing. Teachers just have so many wonderful skills to be creative and are just in-tune with what their kids they need. They had to cut their curriculum down quite a bit. So, I worry about how they're adjusting to this. And I worry about my fellow counselors during this time because we're having to get on the phone and explain a lot of what's going on to the parents and the kids.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Right.

    Becky:

    But my biggest worry is community. I really want us all to feel like, yes, we have a mask. Yes, we have to socially distance, but we can still be a community. We can still be unified as a school again. And not as a counseling perspective as a counselor. I really want to see that again. I missed that connection between my students, that smile I could give them to them in the hallway, that high-five that I can no longer give them. That's what I I'm worried about is how can I connect with them? How can I help connection in the lunchroom being six feet apart? How are we going to give that social time because that is so important? As we face challenges with mental health support, connection is key. So that's my biggest concern is how do we make sure we have the connection?

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are you most excited about anticipating the start of the year?

    Becky:

    I just want to see the kids again, I've missed the kids. I've missed my team. I've missed the teachers. I miss that connection. What I'm excited for too, is just to feel whatever we can as normal, you know, be as close to normal as possible. That's what I want. And that's what I'm excited about, just to see bodies instead of a laptop in my kitchen. Right? That's what I'm most excited for. I just love the energy that the kids bring to me and to my life. And that was truly missing for me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, thanks again. I know you've worked really hard. I know how much you care about kids. I met with you last year and you just are so focused on helping everyone around you, just like you described. So, thanks for everything you're doing and let us know how we can help.

    Becky:

    Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Here's to a great year.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're here at Heartland Elementary with Principal Buddy Alger to talk about preparations for the coming school year. Buddy, what's on your mind as you prepare for the school year? There's a lot.

    Buddy:

    Yeah, you're right. There is a lot on my mind. One of the big things on my mind is our students and our teachers just being able to make sure and try to think about everything. I think that's one of the hardest tasks as a principal at this time, just having to try and think through every scenario for every teacher, for every student, for every staff member, so that I can help answer questions and trying to lift the burdens of stress that people are putting on themselves as they try and find those answers. I want to be able to be a support and be able to give guidance where I can.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are you hearing from parents as the school year approaches?

    Buddy:

    You know, it's kind of a mixed bag. I'm hearing a lot of nervous excitement, right? It's the same feeling that's kind of in the school building. There's this nervous excitement. That's building from our teachers, from our staff members and I'm getting a lot of that from parents. Don't get me wrong. We're excited to have kids in building, but I need to know a couple of things and they just want to communicate. They want to know that we're being thoughtful about their kids, that we've considered the lunch room and how we're going to get their students to and from that. We have looked at healthcare plans, and 504 plans and students with IEPs. They want to know that we are looking into the best for their individual student. I had a mom say in a phone call was spot on. She said, "Buddy, I'm not worried about the whole school. I'm just worried about my son". And helping me connect to her son as an individual helped me conceptualize a lot of things about our plan and our processes. They are individual students. We may look at them sometimes as numbers in class lists and rosters. And boy are there a lot of lists. But as I've made my way through those, recognizing that each one also represents an individual somebody's child that they're sending to us so that we can work. Our magic as educators is felt like a daunting task, but also is an honor.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I think what you said makes a ton of sense and is exactly what we're all trying to get through this mix of emotions that really just boils down to wanting to take care of individual students and families and teachers and employees and give them what they need.

    Buddy:

    Yes.
    Superintendent Godfrey:
    I noticed that, of course, you're wearing your District name tag as all do, but you have a little extra accessory there. Tell me about that.

    Buddy:

    Oh yeah. Well, this was actually a gift from one of my second-grade teachers or my second-grade team so I could take hand sanitizer on-the-go, that no matter where I was, I could be safe

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Kind of a hand sanitizer holster that you have clip clipped in on your name tag.

    Buddy:

    That is correct.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well done. I'm sure you'll be slinging. Plenty of that when school starts next week. Thanks for taking the time. I know you've got a lot on your plate. We really appreciate you stopping to talk with us.

    Buddy:

    Of course. Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. We wish you the best at school starts next week. And remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see out there.

    22 min
  • Episode 48: Let the Learning Begin – Teachers Talk about Being Back

    The 2020-21 school year is about to begin and it will be the first time back in our buildings in almost six months for students, teachers and some District staff.

    On this episode of the Supercast, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey visits several classrooms and talks to teachers who say they are ready to let the learning begin, even though the learning may look and feel a little different this year.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. The 2020-21 school year is about to begin and it will be the first time back in our buildings in almost six months for students, teachers, and some District staff. How is everyone preparing as we face the changes brought on due to the pandemic? I headed out to some schools and talk to teachers who say they are ready to let the learning begin again, even though that learning may look and feel a little different this year. We're here at Heartland Elementary School in a first grade classroom with Susan Call, as she prepares for the school year. Susan, thanks for talking with me.

    Susan:

    Happy to.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Your class looks very well organized, very neat. And you have a desk between desks so that students are at least one desk apart. Now that you've been in your classroom a little bit, you've looked around, you've set things up. How are you feeling about the start of the year?

    Susan:

    More comfortable than I was. I'm still a little bit nervous because first graders are unpredictable and they'll do their thing, but we're really good at learning and training. And we're just going to learn to keep in our own space and take care of our own supplies

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And taking care of your own supplies and keeping in your own space is kind of something that we try to help first graders do in the first place, but we have all pictured the lower grades and the younger kids in this pandemic. And we're trying to keep social distancing in place. We've all thought of you as we've looked through these plans. What are some of the things that you've done to prepare? What are some of the routines you're thinking of for students?

    Susan:

    We're thinking of hand-washing and you can't rush 20 seconds. So we're figuring out how to send two to the boys bathroom, a girl to the bathroom and one at the sink. We're thinking of how to get to lunch and just every little thing. I had one little first grader come already because of some health issues. And the first thing he did was want to touch everything and that's how we learn or tactile. So just that discussion of we can't touch things and maybe have to put their hands behind their back. I don't know. We'll figure out as we go, how to teach them.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And like you said, I think there's a lot, we'll be figuring out as we go. I think a lot of the stress has been anticipation because we don't know exactly how things are going to feel once we actually have students here. That's what I've asked. I've talked with people, that's what they felt like, what you described. I come in the classroom, I feel differently now that I'm here. And then, once the kids come, I think that will be another stage, right? Are there some of the routines that you normally do that you aren't going to be able to do in order to keep kids at a distance?

    Susan:

    We have. We try to teach to share in first grade and we're not sharing this year. I've got books, they can read a book and put it back. But this year we read a book and we put it in the timeout place so that our neighbor's not reading the same book. We usually love to lay on the rug while we read books and it won't be that. We'll do more time at our desks than normal and we've spaced out at the floor. So even traffic patterns, small groups will be smaller groups.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I never thought about the sharing aspect of things. We may have a generation of kids that grows up not wanting to share. As I was sitting in a meeting, we were socially distanced in our meeting, but we kind of talked about the fact that now our personal space has grown personal space. May never shrink down to what it was before, but first graders, what kind of personal space do they normally have?

    Susan:

    They love each other. They hug each other, they hold hands on the way to recess, you know, and they share everything. So, it's that kindness that kids already have in them, you know, they don't want to see their friends sad. They want to help them. And sharing, we'll just have to teach a new way to show how we care.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How do you feel as you think about the school year coming? How would you describe the way you're feeling anticipating that?

    Susan:

    When I think too much about it, it kind of is a little bit overwhelming because we're adding routines and adding to our day and yet still trying to get all our learning in. But I sat down yesterday and on Skyward looked at their little kindergarten pictures and they are adorable, so that made me excited. And then I have a little girl in my class that I taught her big brother seven years ago. And when they got pregnant with this little girl, it was a miracle and they were so excited. So I get her this year and I thought, that's a happy thing to me. I know her mom. And so I'm really excited about that. So as I looked at their little pictures and read their names and see when their birthdays are, they there are people again, and I'm so excited. I'm really excited to really teach in-person and not to look at this little pictures on a screen.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. I can totally understand that once they feel, not just these generic students who are going to be in my class, but real kids that need you.

    Susan:

    Yes and I need them. So, I feel like a better teacher when I can look in their eyes and we can do it again because they didn't get it or whatever we need to do. So, I'm way more excited than when I was going through the "Oh now, what are we going to do?" When I started looking at them, I'm excited.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And you make a great point. There's no feedback like being right there, watching the child and you can sense if they get it, they don't get it, they're frustrated, and you can act on that as a teacher. And that's such a key element  of a great teacher. And you obviously are a great teacher, just knowing how to connect to the needs of the child right in front of you.

    Susan:

    Well, we laughed this spring when we were teaching online because you couldn't say, "Okay, sit right here and stop that". You know they were talking, they were showing you their toys. One went and got her pet bird and I sat it on her shoulder, and then we couldn't learn anything because we had to talk about birds. So you know, that kind of stuff, and there's funny parts of it, makes it a whole new ball game.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Do you think that's going to be challenging for students who have been used to learning in that way, in their own space, to now come, especially young students who haven't been training on how to be in school all day for very long. In fact, for first grade, they never have been in all day. Is it going to be particularly challenging when they've been gone for so long?

    Susan:

    I think definitely, they haven't had to be in one spot probably at home. Some of them, that I did already talk to, said they haven't gone anywhere. So his mom said, "Well, we took him to the store so he could see other people." And so, I think we're going to have the kids who've been starting to see other people and the kids who haven't because they've just been being very careful, as they should be with them. So there might be different areas of comfort and there may be, "I can't touch you", which we don't want him to. I don't know what all we're going to get, but, we deal with personalities every year anyway. So this is just another layer of it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Spoken like a true first grade teacher that's just ready to take on whatever comes her way. Thank you for taking the time Susan and those students are lucky to be in your class this year.

    Susan:

    I am lucky to have them. So thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    All right. We're here with Amelia Paasi in her sixth grade classroom at Heartland elementary on the cusp of a new school year, to talk with her just about how she's feeling and how she's preparing. Thanks for joining us on the Supercast today.

    Amelia:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Tell me a little bit about how you are feeling about the coming school year. It's coming next week. What are your thoughts?

    Amelia:

    Honestly, initially my thoughts are that I'm just a little exhausted with everything because I know there's so much more I need to do and there's not enough time in the day. However, I am grateful we got that extra week from the school board to plan and prepare. I might've had tears of joy for that. So, there's a little bit of exhaustion, but also anxiousness. That's just natural. I'm anxious for the kids. I'm anxious to see them. Some of it's positive. I don't want to get COVID. So, I want to follow those policies and procedures and implement them from day one so that my students are safe and secure and then healthy.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So, there's a lot to think about. And there's always a lot to think about before the school year starts, but this year there's just layer upon layer of other things to be worried about. And you've described that well. We're all feeling that I think, the exhaustion and the anxiety, but also anticipation. Now, I understand that you've worked with some students because you're over a student government group. Tell us a little bit about that and then how it felt to have some students back.

    Amelia:

    Yeah. Mr. Alger, my principal, reached out to me over the summer about coming up with our student ambassador, student government group to make videos to welcome faculty and students back into the building and just do some how-to videos on how to wash our hands, how to follow the new policies and procedures in our building. And it was so amazing to see the kids and have them come in. They all wear their mask. I didn't have to get on them to have their mask. They were ready, they were prepared. So that helped with my initial anxiety that they were already prepared. Their parents had prepared them. They were ready to come back and to see them, it was just hard not to give them hugs and not be able to.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We will definitely have a pent up desire for hugs that will need to be addressed in the future. All of us are there. Some routines that you're going to have to cut out, maybe some cherished activities or some things that you normally do or procedures you normally have in place that are going to have to be put on hold while all of this is underway.

    Amelia:

    So, thankfully I work on a team where we work really well together and the things that we might've done last year, instead of saying we can't do them, we're just trying to reinvent a new way of doing them. So instead of having the kids filling out papers after papers, we've made Google docs so they can have their Chromebook and have minimal touch so I'm not handing out papers and coming up into their bubbles. We've worked really hard on having a different mindset as far as thinking we can't do these things anymore. We just have to do them in a different environment or different media.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are you most excited about as the school year comes?

    Amelia:

    Honestly, the most exciting thing will be seeing the kids, even though they're behind a mask, even though I can't, give them those hugs, I still am excited to see the kids. They are why I get up every day.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are some unanswered questions for you that might not be able to be answered until we actually have students back in the building?

    Amelia:

    So many question that I currently have. How  it's going to look for the students and how I can ease their anxieties. That's something my team and I have been talking about a lot today. How we can make it appear like we, our anxieties are gone so that they are excited and anxious to be here in a positive way. And so, all the questions that we can think of, or just the how-tos and how to make it feasible for the kids to have the best experience for them to feel safe and welcomed back here at school

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You've hit on another thing that makes teachers great. That is constantly being aware of how their students are doing. Are they making friends? Are they comfortable? Are they happy? Are they learning? Did they get that? Have I celebrated that learning? And it's just those questions and that constant wondering about how people are doing that really drains you by the end of the day, but is exhilarating too, to be able to do that.

    Amelia:

    It's important to remember that at the end of the day, everyone that got into education, it was all about the students. And so we have to put our own insecurities and feelings of anxiousness or whatever we're feeling aside and know that the reason why I'm doing face-to-face is not for me, it's for the kids. And sometimes that's hard with all the unknowns for ourselves, but imagine being 12, coming back to school or five, and it's your first year or a senior in high school. I can't fathom what it's like as a student today.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's great having the chance to talk with you. I wish you the best of the school year and those kids are lucky.

    Amelia:

    Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stay with us. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, a first year teacher talks about beginning her classroom career during the pandemic,

    Sandra Reisgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher, apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordan.org.

    Now, I'm with Haydee Carranza, in her fourth grade classroom. Haydee is a first year teacher. Thanks for taking time to talk with us. You picked quite a year to start this noble profession.

    Haydee:

    Yeah, it just happened. It wasn't the plan, but no one was expecting it. No one was planning for it, but here I am. I'm just trying to work hard, just like everyone else.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are your thoughts as you approach your first school year as a teacher?

    Haydee:

    I just want to do what's best for the students. I know that their education is important and COVID or no COVID, their future is our future and their education needs to continue. So I I'm here to do the best that I can with what we are given and hope for the best.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How are you feeling about just starting out?

    Haydee:

    It is a new area. I've been teaching in the same school as a parent educator for 18 years and so it became my home. This is a new district, it's a new classroom, new area, new students. So, I'm the new kid on the block, just trying to get to know all the teachers and all the new procedures, the new classrooms, everything's done differently. I've already learned that every school does things a little differently. You know, because we're trying to do the best for our local communities and just trying to learn it on top of it this pandemic, it has just added more to the changes. But I have a great team. I have a great principal, great school. So, I feel confident that with everyone's support ,I'm going to get through it. It is a little scary or nerve-wracking with everything that's happening, but I am hopeful that we'll get through it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I know Heartland Elementary and I know you do have great teachers around and a great principal to support you. And that's really what we try to be about is providing support. Have you always wanted to be a teacher?

    Haydee:

    Yeah, I've always known I wanted to be a teacher. I remember playing in our basement. We didn't have a lot growing up. We lived by Liberty Park. It was a low income area. All four of us kids slept in the same bedroom. It was really small, but our basement was our classroom. We would play school a lot. I would be the teacher. I would try and model whatever my teacher would do. And, in fact, my mom says that my brother learned how to read before kindergarten because I taught him.  And then, in junior high I volunteered at different schools and their after-school programs, tutoring students. And when I got into high school, I did a little more tutoring. But as my homework load got bigger, you know, I couldn't do it as much. As soon as I graduated from high school because of my volunteer work, They hired me as a para-educator with the ESL students. And after school I would volunteer and I worked with the cultural assembly at one of the high schools. And I taught Mexican folk dancing for a few years when I was 18. I also did some GED classes in math in Spanish for a few years. And then I've been to a few elementary schools also in the Granite School District where I taught on Mexican folk dances. I've always enjoyed working with kids. I've always known that's what I wanted to do to make a difference. And I feel like teaching is a way to make a difference.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Fourth grade is a big leap for kids. It's where they really accelerate their learning. I'm excited that they get to do that with you. You were a student for 12 years and now, for 18 years you've been a classroom assistant. So, you've really had 30 years of observing teachers before you teach yourself.

    Haydee:

    Yes. I've learned from a lot of teachers, a lot of strategies. And I've even learned from the parents in my community. I've learned the importance of communicating with them so that I can learn what it is that each of my students need. I think one of the most important things is that communication and building that team effort. And if you look around my classroom, that's kind of my theme. I want my students to know that we're all in this together. When we work as a team, we're helping each other as a classroom, but working as a team also helps the individual. That's what I'm trying to teach them. In addition to their academic, I think working together, building community is also important to be successful in life.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I can tell you're going to be a great teacher and that these fourth graders are going to have a great year with you. So thanks for taking the time and best of luck as you launch into this career.

    Haydee:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks to all of our teachers for adapting during the pandemic for their hard work and preparing for the new school year and for their love for the students we serve.

    Please listen to a bonus episode of the Supercast this week. As we sit down with principals and counselors to find out how they are doing, as we prepare to open schools during a pandemic. Thanks to all of you for listening. And remember, education is the most important thing today. We'll see you.

    22 min
  • Episode 47: A Passion for Serving Students with Special Needs

    Serving students with special needs is something many educators in Jordan School District are passionate about. On this episode of the Supercast, we hear about the amazing work being done to take care of students with special needs, especially during a pandemic.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today, we hear about some of the amazing work being done every day in Jordan School District to take care of students with special needs, especially during a pandemic. We have Kim Lloyd, Director for Special Education. Kim, welcome on the program.

    Kim:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Later on, we have the chance to speak with Susie Cuzme, who is a teacher at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. But before we talk with Susie, I wanted to talk with Kim and give our listeners a bit of an idea of what Special Education involves in Jordan School District. You have gone to a lot of work, along with your staff, to help continue to provide services for students with disabilities through the soft closure in the spring, and I know you're doing a lot to gear up for the fall and it's complicated because you're meeting a wide variety of needs and expectations. And so, I just know you've put a lot of work into that, and I really appreciate what you and your staff have been doing.

    Kim:

    Thank you. Our staff has put a lot of time, effort and energy into meeting the needs of students, as well as following guidelines.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There are a lot of protections in place for students with disabilities, as there should be. And as a result, we put plans together as a District for providing an education, and then your team and our Special Education teachers and specialists, take it from there to be sure that they're able to meet IEP goals, based on what we're doing for the general population of students.

    Kim:

    We do. We have teacher specialists that work with teachers on how to meet those goals and how to follow the procedures of IEP and meet the overall federal guidelines from IDEA, which is the federal law that we work in under Special Ed. There are several things we had to come up with on how to hold IEP meetings at a distance, how to sign IEP meetings, evaluations that we had to defer until we could have that face-to-face with kids. Now we are also currently working on how to come back to school and provide those services, keeping our staff and students as safe as possible.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And there's a big compliance element, always to Special Education, but it goes well beyond that. It goes to just caring about these kids and their needs and making sure that the momentum that has been created by teachers isn't lost and that learning continues and kids continue to feel cared for and receive the support that they need to learn at the very best levels they can.

    Kim:

    Yes. And compliance is a big piece of that. Like you said, our teachers love our students. They care about our students. They want the best for our students. There are those compliance pieces that we do need to stay within the law on. We do need to make sure that our students are evaluated, that they're meeting our IEP goals, that they have data to say that either we need to change IEP goals or we need to meet and change those IEP goals so that they're more relevant to students. The documentation, all of our testing, all of our related services. We've had to come up with creative ways to meet those online and make sure that kids were making progress as much as possible online. We're also spending a large amount of time trying to come up with how we're going to come back to school and keep all of our students safe, our staff safe, and everybody able to learn.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's a big task. And I know that most people probably don't realize the wide range of specialists that are hired by Jordan District to help students with various needs. Can you even just rattle off a list of some of the different positions that we have in the Special Education Department, out in our schools to help students?

    Kim:

    I am happy to rattle off that list and I know I will miss somebody somewhere, but I am happy to rattle off that list. We serve kids in Jordan School District from birth until 21 because we have the Early Intervention Program. So, we have people that are going out into homes. We have preschool from three to five years of age, so we have preschool teachers. We have our programs that are K-12 programs. We have mild, moderate, we have severe programs. We have an Autism cluster. We have some of our more severe cluster classrooms and teachers. We have OT, which is occupational therapists. We have Physical Therapists, we have Audiologists. We have school psychologists that provide guidance and mental health support. We have teachers of vision impaired kiddos. We have teachers of hearing impaired kiddos. We have orientation and mobility. We have interveners for our students that are deaf and/or blind.We have Adaptive PE teachers. We have assistants to our occupational therapist and motor skill providers that work with our occupational therapists and our physical therapists. We have behavior specialists. We have behavior teachers. We have a whole host of folks that work with, and I'm hoping I didn't miss anybody. We also have teachers and teacher specialists, SLPs, which are Speech and Language Pathologists. All those folks work together with families, they work together with teachers. They work together with administrators and they work to ensure that our kids have the opportunity to learn and that they're providing an education. And all of people, and across our District, we have amazing people that care about kids.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's absolutely true. We have lots of great people working really hard with a wide variety of expertise that they bring to it. We are going to be talking with Susie Cuzme at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. And I just wanted you to give a little bit of background on some of the Special Education Schools that we have in the District as well. We have three. Tell everyone about that.

    Kim:

    We have three schools. We have, South Valley School, which is our school for our post high. In that school, we have a variety of programs to help our adult students transition into community-based programs and into daily living programs, some into group homes, some into higher education programs. We have River's Edge, which has intensive behavioral support for our students that need that additional behavior support so they function better in a classroom that has the expert faculty to work with behaviors. We also have Kaurie Sue Hamilton, which is a school that really focuses on our students with our more severe, medically fragile, orthopedic impairment types of disabilities. And they really work with a variety of kids with more severe disabilities. And they also work with kids from preschool. Our preschool is housed at Kauri Sue, but works for kids from 5 to 21. And they work with everything from academics, daily living, feeding, community-based programs, communication. You name it, they do a great job with it. All of our schools do. All three of our schools are amazing and do a great job.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I'm very proud of the work that our folks do and of the schools and programs that we have in place.

    Kim:

    Thank you. We do have something to be very proud of. How are our teachers work with families, how they work with kids, how they work with each other and with administration, we do amazing things out there. We have amazing families that we work with.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stay with us. When we come back, we'll hear about the passion and love one Special Education Teacher has for her job and her students. Susie Cuzme joins us next.

    Sandra Reisgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan school District, we like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordandistrict.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We are here with Susie Cuzme, a teacher at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. She was one of the Jordan Education Foundation Teachers of the Year for Jordan School District. Susie, thanks for joining me on the Supercast.

    Susie:

    Thanks so much for having me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's a thrill to get the chance to talk with you. We have over 3,000 teachers in Jordan District, as you know, and very few get this award. And you were one of those who received it this year. It was so fun to be a part of the Zoom meeting when those awards were given and to see the enthusiasm from your colleagues. And we got to meet your parents on there, as well.

    Susie:

    I know, that was pretty special. My school really goes above and beyond to show how much we're appreciated. They definitely did that, bringing my parents in.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah, they said that you are their greatest work, greatest accomplishment. So that's pretty awesome, and I don't disagree. That's  wonderful thing. Now, you have not always been a teacher. You came from another career, is that right?

    Susie:

    Yes. I came from a background of a mix of jobs, actually. I have a degree in psychology and I've worked in market research. Then I had gotten laid-off and I decided I would just only do work that I was passionate about, which, not having determined my passions, just ended up being a lot of little jobs. It wasn't until I went back to grad school for Speech Therapy that I ended up finding myself in education.

    Superintendent:

    Well, I'm glad that you found your way to us. Tell us about your role at Kauri Sue Hamilton School, but first, many people may not know Kauri Sue Hamilton School and what it's all about. So can you tell us a little bit about that and then about your role?

    Susie:

    Yes, so, the Kauri Sue Hamilton School. We describe it here in Utah as a center-based school. It is a public school in the Jordan School District and it's for all the students with multiple and severe disabilities. So a lot of times when I'm talking about where I work and I say that, people say, "Oh, okay, you work with students who have Autism". And I say, yes, but maybe take the student that you know has a diagnosis of Autism and multiply it. Most students have a lot of disorders that range from Cerebral Palsy, seizure disorders, genetic disorders, like fragile X or Angelman's and ones that are just so rare, globally, that there's less than 10 people around the world that have that diagnosis. And those are the kinds of students that we are serving at Kauri Sue.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And what is your specific role in helping those students?

    Susie:

    I am a Speech Language Pathologist, or as a lot of parents like to say, a Speech Therapist at the school. I am on a phenomenal team that consists of two other speech therapists, a speech technician and an assistant. And between our team, we serve the majority of students at the school. So, that's around 200 kids with multiple and severe disabilities.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And if you want to talk about a school with diverse needs, that is a school with diverse needs. I had the chance to be part of the Christmas Concert this year that we've been able to see year after year. The kids from Kauri Sue Hamilton School come and perform at the District Offices every Christmas. And they asked me to sit in on guitar and that was really, really fun. You kind of get to know the kids a little bit better, and what I love is that it's obvious the school finds ways for every kid to find their own kind of success, based on their needs and their abilities.

    Susie:

    Yeah, I think that's one of the things that I love about my job, that the student population is so diverse and it's not a "one size fits all". So specifically, in terms of communication and speech therapy, in a typical school, you might have students who have an Arctic problem and you do your Arctic therapy and kids make progress, and then you graduate them. And it's great. And you can kind of do the same therapy with each student, but at Kauri Sue Hamilton, we have kids who are using picture symbols, they're using iPad tablets, they're using Samsung tablets. They might be using phones or eye gaze or switches. Every student's needs are just so unique. And we do have to capitalize on how they can express themselves and how we can help them make the progress they need for that individual student.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What is it that makes you passionate about working with students at Kauri Sue Hamilton School? It's obvious that you're passionate about helping them and that you love it.

    Susie:

    I think what I love is the new challenges that come up every day. It's not the same. I kind of pictured myself working as an SLP in a school where you could do that Arctic therapy and he acts great because you see the kids make progress. And we don't see that really quick progress at Kauri Sue. It's a unique place where everyday I get to problem solve. I get to learn something new. I get to have so many different tools in my toolbox that I think a lot of other people in education just don't necessarily get the opportunity to build, because what they're working works great, but what we have to do at Kauri Sue, and what I have to do is come up with new tools and new tricks on a daily basis. Sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis. I've got to change up my lesson plans super fast. And I think it's just really fun and engaging for me to have that kind of work.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You probably are never looking at the clock to see how soon the day's going to be over. I'll bet it flies by.

    Susie:

    Oh yes, it does. The days are super, super fast and super fun. We do these large group lessons and we are singing and dancing. And when kids do something they're supposed to, everyone just goes nuts. It's really fun. And you are never looking at the clock.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah. So, would you talk about new tools and new new methods and always having to adapt on-the-fly? I guess that's been preparing you for what was coming this year with our soft closure, because you've had to be flexible and nimble for a long time now.

    Susie:

    Yeah. Yeah. It's actually, been really interesting for us to take what we've learned and to apply it to the virtual learning setting. I think one thing that came out that's just really odd is that we had received a Grant in the fall and purchased a bunch of table mounts to hold on iPads up for students who maybe didn't have good, fine motor function to activate an iPad in their lap, or needed it propped up for vision. And now we're actually able to loan out those table tablet holders to families so that they can use it as the second eye for their student who is accessing a device. So, in these virtual settings, we need to actually see what the student is doing in addition to seeing the student and being able to get that Grant and have this equipment and loan it out to families has been enormously helpful for some of our students during this time.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Not only is everyday learning very different at Kauri Sue Hamilton School, but online learning is very different as well.

    Susie:

    Yes. Online is very different as well. I would agree because not every kid needs those two angles. Most kids can sit and pay attention, hopefully, and engage, but we have to bring things up on the screen and keep kids watching and make sure we're the most interesting thing.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And with a school where there's an IEP and a complex IEP for every student, there's a lot of needs to try to meet. I just, I can't even imagine how complex that task must be.

    Susie:

    Yes. We've had great collaboration at our school. We've really tried to work with the occupational therapists to figure out what words are they targeting. Can they link it to a classroom lesson? Or if PT has a goal at home for a student to be on a bike, maybe that's the word that we target in our virtual speech lessons. So we're always trying to talk to each other. It's a real interdisciplinary approach for our kids so that we're hitting on their IEP goals and we're also helping to generalize those skills from each of those disciplines, academic, physical therapy, occupational therapy, music, even PE too.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You talked about a misconception earlier, about maybe the needs of students at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. Are there other misperceptions about  what an SLP does or what Kauri Sue Hamilton School is like that you would share with parents or those who are listening?

    Susie:

    Yes. I think the biggest shocker when I keep talking about my school to other people is when I explained to them that 90% of the kids on my caseload are non-verbal. So even when you explain that these are kids with severe disabilities, they're profound disabilities. People still don't quite have a grasp on what the abilities of these students are, and so it takes a lot of description to help them understand. But on that note, it's also incredible to describe what our students are able to do. I've had a student for the past couple of years where someone said, "Oh, I don't think they can do eye gaze. You should pick someone else". And I said, "No, I really think this kid is using his eyes to communicate". And low and behold, we're now getting him funded for a dedicated diabetes device. And that's an incredible feeling to have.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's really exciting. Tell me more about an eye gaze device. What exactly does that do?

    Susie:

    Our students can communicate in a variety of ways. Those with significant physical impairments, students who are mostly wheelchair for all activities of daily living, who might not be able to use their hands to do anything or have good head control. There are high tech eye gaze devices. These were really cool. Years ago, we didn't have have tablets, But there are now devices that are tablets that you can mount in front of a person in a wheelchair. And it'll bring up a grid of buttons that have vocabulary on them. It can be a single word vocabulary, or it can be phrases, and the technology is such that a person just has to look in a certain spot, maybe for a certain period of time, like half a second or more, and then there's almost a cursor effect where it'll click on that button and the device will speak the message on that button.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's really something. So as a Speech Language Pathologist, you find ways for students to communicate through whatever means you can find so that they can connect to the world.

    Susie:

    Absolutely. In fact, during this time, when we're running our online speech groups, the first thing we have to do on our "word of the week" lesson is talk about all the different ways you can say that word, and we go through it. We say, you can sign "help". This is how you sign it. This is how you say it with your voice. You put your lips together for the "P" you can grab a picture symbol of health. You can point to a picture of health. You can point to a picture of health on your iPad. You can look at a picture of health. We've got to go through all of those different methods because our students use all of those different methods and even more so, with different software programs.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There are so many ways to communicate that we take for granted that we don't even think about. And you use all of those to connect with students. I love that. I've never heard it expressed quite that way and I think that's wonderful.

    Susie:

    Yeah. It's pretty remarkable when you start to go through the different ways kids are communicating. And, what I think is incredible is the teachers at Kauri Sue and the staff at Kaurie Sue also have to learn this as well. So, just because you're in a classroom with similar kids, they might be the same chronological age or the same cognitive age. They are all still using different systems. And so our teachers have to be really on top of knowing,this kid has a GoTalk device that he uses to say hi, but this kid uses ta single switch to say hi. So again, it comes back to a real strong team effort.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So how has working at Kauri Sue Hamilton and working with those students changed your life?

    Susie:

    Gosh, I have never held a job longer than the job that I've had at Kauri Sue. I absolutely really didn't think I would love it. I didn't think I would work in Special Education. I don't think I thought I would have a job that I would be so happy with. I've never felt so connected to the people I'm helping, the people I work with. I've gone through a lot of life events since working at Kauri Sue. I've proposed to my boyfriend. I got married. I actually went through cancer treatment while I was at Kauri Sue and just the outpouring of support from people there. The staff and student families alike have been incredible.  They've really just built such a community there and I feel so loved and supported in my career. It's life changing because I don't think I would go anywhere else.

    Superintendent:

    Wow. It really is a family over there it sounds like.

    Susie:

    Yeah, absolutely. It is.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Boy, I don't even know what to say. That's just very moving. That's wonderful. What a place to work. And they're so lucky to have you. Like I said, the accolades that we heard were heartfelt and plentiful and we just heard so many nice things about you through that process. It's obvious how much you love those kids and love the people you work with. And I'm so happy we have you at Kauri Sue Hamilton School and in Jordan School District.

    Susie:

    I am certainly happy that I found myself there because it's just been the best.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're very proud of all the efforts made every day to meet the needs of our special needs students in Jordan School District.

    Thanks for joining us again on the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see out there.

    26 min
  • Episode 46: Pandemic Impact – From Baby Boomers to Gen Z and Beyond

    The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting education and people both young and old right now. On today’s episode of the Supercast, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey talks to Kim Lear, a generational sociologist who gives us some insight on how different generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z and beyond are dealing with the pandemic very differently.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Welcome to the Superast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today we have the unique opportunity to sit down with Kim Lear, a Generational Sociologist. Kim, gives us some insight on how different generations from Baby Boomers to Gen Z and beyond are dealing with the pandemic very differently. Kim, thank you very much for taking time to talk with us on the Supercast.

    Kim:

    Thank you so much for having me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You study generations. Before we talk about different reactions that people from different generations have had to COVID-19 and kind of the ongoing impact, can you just define the difference among generations? We throw these terms around sometimes nicely, sometimes as a pejorative term, but if you can, just kind of define those first and then let's talk about the reaction.

    Kim:

    Yeah. So the Baby Boomers are born between 1946 and 1964. The other groups that we're looking at are Gen X, 1965 to 1979, Millennials, 1980 to 1995 and then Gen Z after 96. I always make it a point to point out that, of course, and all of you listening, know that people are still individuals. This study of generations, at its core is this intersection of history and culture, getting an understanding of where we've been, how we got to where we are, and that can give us some insight into where we go from here.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. Talk about some of the defining moments that may be interpreted differently across generations. For example, space exploration is viewed differently or there are different memories for each generation associated with that.

    Kim:

    Yes. So, one of the ways that I conduct my research is, my team and I, will separate our focus groups by generation and then into each focus group, we'll bring an institution or an ideology and ask that generation to talk to us about their first memory. So as Dr. Godfrey had pointed out, we'll use space as an example, the institution of NASA. When I bring that institution into a focus group of Baby Boomers, I ask, "What is your first memory of NASA?" I mostly hear landing on the moon. And that moment was such a loaded moment in American history, winning the space race, this incredibly optimistic moment of knowing that if you work hard enough, if you have the right technology, the sky's the limit. That is what that particular moment represented to so many young people, watching that in that moment.

    Now, when I walk next door to a focus group with Gen Xers, and I asked them, "What is your first memory of NASA?" The most common response that I hear is the Challenger explosion. So again, we're looking at the same institution, but those early memories of that same institution can differ greatly. So for Gen X or as they remember it, there was a teacher on that shuttle, they watched it in school and they will say things to me like, "If we could have trusted anyone, we could have trusted the geniuses at NASA, but we were let down. That was really a moment of disappointment". And so it's in these moments of generational juxtaposition that we can begin to understand how a new generation steps into the world and may see things a little bit differently.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How does that apply to the pandemic that we find ourselves in? That's going to be a defining event I'm sure for this generation. How do you think that pandemic will shape Generation Z?

    Kim:

    I wish that I really had a crystal ball to know. I'll tell you can have some of the early predictions. One of the things that I study with each generation is, who is the hero of this time. So I'll use millennials as an example, where during the formative years of millennials, tech entrepreneurs, tech innovators really controlled the history, the heroic storyline, and that dictated a lot of consumer behavior that dictated a lot of workplace aspirations where now, we have a new generation coming up and their heroic storyline is a little bit different. We see a lot of this focus on our healthcare workers, on our heroes, you know, and the who the hero is kind of beginning to change in the midst of COVID. And I think that could have some impacts on consumer behavior, on workplace aspirations.

    I think COVID is accelerating a lot of the trends that already existed for Gen Z. More of a focus on health and wellness. I think in the midst of an era of a time where there is a virus and people with pre-existing conditions are more vulnerable, you do start to see even more of a shift than we already did around health consciousness and things like that. I think that will accelerate for Gen Z. And I think the biggest way that this will impact Gen Z is how adaptable and resilient they are forced to be. And it isn't only COVID, although of course, in this moment, it is a hard time to be young. And I'm sorry for telling parents that because they're going to be okay. I think the skills that they're learning right now are going to be so helpful to them in the future, but it's sad.

    They're  going to have an unceremonious catapult adulthood, and there are moments that we cherish that mark this time for us, that they will not have. But they are finding other ways to show up for each other. I'm hearing so many stories about these socially distanced, birthday parties and graduations, where young people are showing up in each other's yards with signs and that kind of thing. It's like they're just finding such resourceful ways to be there for one another to adapt and in whatever comes next after this, I think that fundamental ability to change, to have a growth mindset to adapt, it's going to be imperative. And I think these kids have it.

    Speaker 1 (06:37):

    I interviewed students as part of a focus group as we were preparing the plan for reopening school. And from that conversation, one of the students coined this term kind of their COVID-19 Bucket List, where after all this has gone, they have plans for what they'd like to do. Things they'd like to do to make up for lost time. I know you've interviewed a lot of college and high school students. Is there that sense that they are making plans for how they're going to live life in a different way after all this is over?

    Kim:

    Dr. Ken Dykewald, who's a Gerontologist, a Psychologist ,his work that I really admire. He wrote a piece recently where he said, it almost feels like we're having like a collective near death experience. And in those moments, that's when everyone is faced with, what do I really want to do? You know, what legacies do I want to have? What is the community that I want to create? And in some ways, how fortunate are they that at such a young age, they get to grapple with those types of questions. What do I want to do? How do I want to spend my time? And I think that what you heard in from that student is so representative of what I'm hearing. There's also a very popular trend on Tik-Tok of all of these young people are talking about, you know, once I get back on to college, there's no excuses, everything that is presented to me, I'm going to say yes, every, every opportunity I'm going to do. And I think that my favorite prediction from a futurist is that we almost have this Renaissance, you know, this like 1920's era of absolute gleefulness as a result of what we're experiencing. And so I think what you heard is, I'm hoping, some of what we will see is young people taking advantage of everything that is beautiful about being young.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What is the impact you've seen on families in your interviews? And as you've studied, what's changed? I think that from my experience, we're spending more time together as a result of the pandemic and it's changed the dynamics. And I think that will change how it feels when kids come back to school.

    Kim:

    For the students who are fortunate enough to be in safe housing situations with supportive families, I think this has actually been a really meaningful time when I ask students, what's the biggest silver lining of COVID. Hands down, the runaway answer is more time with my family. And that is a response that I would expect to hear from parents who all of a sudden get a wind fall of time with their teenagers who wanted nothing to do with them. But to hear that from the teenagers themselves, and I think that's slowed down, you know, there's no fear of missing out. They're not constantly bombarded on social media with every party that's going on and everything that's happening outside of the walls of their house. They don't have that anymore, which creates, I think some peacefulness at home where they can really be there, be present with their families.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You mentioned about a stable home and a supportive home. If you don't have those things, I think the pandemic has probably emphasize those difficulties and make them more stark. Has that been your experience in interviews?

    Kim:

    You do have kids on one end of the spectrum, coming from very stable families, maybe families that have more money, we're seeing more private tutors, things like that with a very certain subset of students. And then of course, on the other side, you've got young students who are doing the best they can, their parents are absolutely doing the best they can, but both have to work, or maybe it's a single parent household. It can be difficult to level the playing field for students who are having such tremendously different pandemic experiences.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stay with us. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, more with Generational Sociologist, Kim Lear.

    Sandra Reisgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently feeling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan school district. We like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordan.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How has different generations reacted to the pandemic? I know that with every generation, there are different moments that shaped the way we view the world. So maybe older generations, what are you seeing there?

    Kim:

    Well, actually, a study just came out two days ago from Age Wave showing that older generations are actually doing better than other generations, which is almost counter-intuitive because the nature of the virus impacts our older population more than it impacts the younger generation. I think a lot of it has to do with the level of economic anxiety that exists with each generation where, for a lot of older generations, if they're stable financially, then this time can be somewhat okay. You know that they're not missing their weddings. They're not missing their graduations. They're not trying to raise small children at home during this time. And so, older generations have actually reported higher levels of happiness. Another possible reason for that is you seeing more, having a little bit more perspective, understanding that there's going to be these highs and lows to life and just not letting the lows get you as low.

    So that could be another reason for it. Baby Boomers have been showing to be incredibly adaptable during this time. Necessity is the mother of invention and they still want to talk to their kids and their grandkids, and they many still want to work. They want to teach whatever that may be. And so technology is the only way to do that and they're doing it. And so that's been impressive. I think after this, we're going to see a lot of tech empowered elders. Then, kind of in a funny twist of events, this is during my Gen X interviews, there are a lot of Gen Xers who have somewhat recently become empty nesters. And around the time that campus evacuation started happening, they had just kind of started finding their footing again with their spouse, getting into a rhythm, their new norm.

    And then all of a sudden they're college age, kids are back home and they're like, why are you here? So that's been sort of a funny thing to look at that. Young people are really okay with moving back home, but there are some parents were thinking, "Oh, we just had our freedom and now that's even being taken away." Millennials, absolutely the most economic anxiety, stepping into the labor force during a recession, statistically, it's hard to catch up when that happens. And then as they're entering their most expensive years, hitting another recession, it's the biggest thing that I hear around besides the health and safety of your loved ones, "What are you most worried about millennials?" It's being furloughed, it's being laid off. It's not being able to provide appropriately for their families. So they're all dealing with things differently, they're all up against something different based on their life stage and their situation. But I will say that overwhelmingly, I've been left optimistic by the adaptability and the resilience that people have shown in the face of such adversity.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I would agree. I've seen just a lot of efforts to come together, to look at things in a new way and to really unite and join forces to help support each other. And, unfortunately, sometimes it's a pandemic that brings us to that point. Not that we weren't already there, but it really makes us feel more keenly the need to rely on each other and support each other. And that's what we're really focused on as students return to school this fall is making sure that we create a safe environment. That there's a place for them to convey the concerns and worries that they have. But I think really focusing on learning and bringing them back to feeling the supportive environment at school, where they can form friendships and learn and feel like they're advancing and moving forward. You've talked about trends and traits in the past where trends show generally what's happening with a group that tends to have the same experiences, but we all have our individual traits. And we're all individuals, even though we talk in broad strokes about people of a certain age reacting, we know that every child, every employee, every parent is in a different circumstance and is going to react to this differently.

    Kim:

    Yes. That's so true and it's one of the reasons why in any work that I do, I make sure that people understand my expertise is limited. My background is in sociology. I'm specifically looking at what we share. And I think, even in times of so much partisanship and people having different ideas on things, whether we want to believe it or not, we do share so much. And that is the core of what I study. But of course, it's important for I'm a parent myself. My two kids are different, but as a parent, as a teacher, as an administrator, as a community member, of course, we have to look at that psychological side. Who are you? How does your brain work? How do you like to receive feedback? How do you learn? And no one knows that better than parents know their kids. And so there's a lot on the shoulders of parents right now. There's a lot on the shoulders of teachers, but it seems to me, especially here in the Jordan District, everyone is focused. Everyone is aligned on the same mission, which is, "Let's do right by these kids. Let's give them the education that they deserve".

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, thank you very much for spending time with us, Kim. It's a pleasure having you and safe travels.

    Kim:

    Thanks for having me.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most thing you'll do today.

    19 min
  • Episode 45: The 2020-21 School Year– Preparing Students and Our Schools

    What are schools doing to welcome students back safely for the 2020-21 school year? In this episode of the Supercast, we find out what is going on in schools right now with the installation and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We also offer some tips for parents who are looking to get their students ready for a successful new school year.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Welcome to the Supercast today. We're talking about the Personal Protective Equipment that's being delivered to schools. We'll visit Copper Canyon Elementary. We'll also talk with Stacee Worthen about how parents and students can prepare for the coming school year and make course changes, if necessary. I'm here at Copper Canyon eElementary with Principal Patty Bowen. We have our boom mic. And so we are doing our first in-person Supercast for a long time, but still distanced and still with masks. Thank you for joining us on the Supercast.

    Patty:

    You're welcome. We're excited to get these materials.

    Superintendent:

    Yes. We're here with Patty and all the materials that she has received, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that just arrived at the school here on display. So walk us through what you just received today, Patty.

    Patty:

    Okay. Well, we have face masks with the Jordan District logo on them, two per teacher. We're excited to distribute those. They are reusable, washable. They'll look very nice.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I have a mask, but can I try one of these on? I think I'm going to have to keep it, one sec. Let's try it. Oh, that's actually pretty comfortable. It's better than the one I had on.

    Patty:

    We also have these cool, infrared thermometers we are going to pull on out of the box here. Yeah, those are going to be great. You just scan a child's forehead and don't have to touch them and I don't have to touch anything and we can see if they're running the temperature.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's fired up. Oh, it came with batteries. So let's load some batteries in there. Alright. I guess I'll take your temperature. Let's see. Well, let's see how she's doing. 97.2. I don't get to go home and then you don't get to go home.

    Patty:

    And we've got several bottles of disinfectant spray and some paper towels. These heavy duty kind of cloth towels that we're going to use to sanitize desktops and things in the faculty room. Just things that need regular sanitation. We also have these big, heavy pieces of plexiglass.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah. The plexiglass seems nice and sturdy. All right. We actually have to happen to have an actual student here. An example, students kind of a sample student. Would you please sit in the chair here? Tell me your name, Ellie.

    Student:

    Ellie.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Ellie's here. So we're going to practice, through the plexiglass here, how that feels.

    Student:

    Yeah. It's kind of different.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Isn't that right? We've tearing off most of the plastic here. That's pretty clear. That's a lot more personal than just a screen. Yeah, I like that. Wow. It feels good to sit across the table from an actual real life student. Nice to see you. Alright. And I can see you very well through here. Can you hear me okay?

    Student:

    Yeah.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How does it feel for you on the other side?

    Student:

    It feels good. I thought it would be more filmy. So, I can see you and can connect with you, but it's better.

    Student:

    Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Good. I'm glad to hear that. It really is. We can pass things back and forth here through this little window if we need to. It's a good connection. So Ellie, we've looked through the plexiglass and we've talked with masks on and you've been in the school. How are you feeling about the start of school coming up?

    Student:

    I'm excited. I'm excited to be able to interact with my friends again and like see my teachers.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah. I think, once we get back and start to experience that again, we'll realize even more just how much we missed it.

    Patty:

    I think this is going to be great. Teachers are gonna love, working with their students, face to face again through the plexiglass. They're gonna enjoy that. And we also have these big gallon size of hand sanitizer. It's going to work well in the classroom, keeping things sanitized and kids going back and forth from recess and lunch and things using that throughout the day.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, that gallon of hand sanitizer, that is a big,  that's a lot of hand sanitizer right there. It's going to be interesting to see how long it lasts.

    Patty:

    I know that we send out rubber bands as well to put around the top so that it doesn't go all the way down. You know, you push down sometimes on that pump and you get a whole pint of it there. Thank you very much for joining us Patty. I know we have thousands of these being distributed throughout the District and some of our warehouse drivers have actually driven up to Ogden to pick some of them up directly from the warehouse to get them out as quickly as we could. So we appreciate everyone's efforts getting these ready to go. I know schools have been eager to receive these materials and now that you have them, you can start to get those into classrooms. So thanks for everything you're doing, Patty.

    Patty:

    You're welcome. Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, Stacee Worthen will help talk us through how students and parents can request a class change before the start of school. Stay with us.

    Sandra Riesgraf:

    Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great take and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher, apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers in Jordan School District. We like to say, "People come for the job and enjoy the adventure". Apply today at workatjordan.org.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Welcome back to the Supercast. We're here now with Stacee Worthen, our Secondary Counselor Specialist at the District level. And she's going to talk with us a little bit about how we can effectively help students return to school after they've been out for so long. This is about twice as long as any student has ever been out of school since they started. So, there are going to be some adjustments and it's going to be a little bit difficult. What are some things we can do to help prepare students to return?

    Stacee:

    So what I would talk to your students about is that it is normal to feel anxious or stressed or a little uncomfortable about going back to school and what that's going to look like. Because when you say, this is the first time that we've ever gone back to school, after being out of school for such a long time, we've never done it before. It's new and it's new for everyone. You're normalizing it for your child. And that makes them feel much more prepared to be able to address those feelings of being anxious or uncomfortable or stressed. So, it's important for them to understand that teachers, counselors, and other students, as well as themselves, are going to be feeling uncomfortable and stressed because this is the first time that we've ever all experienced this. And so that's okay.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I've heard this theme, as I've spoken with you and other experts in the District, about validating concerns rather than dismissing them. And I've done that as a father, as well. Just try to step back and say, there's a reason you feel this way and it's okay for you to feel this way. And other people feel this way. But now, let's talk about how you can manage that and deal with that. And, you can do this and you can overcome the feelings of anxiety or concern that you're having.

    Stacee:

    Once you normalize it, then you can say, okay, this is the first time we've ever experienced opening schools in a pandemic. We've never done this before, on both sides, as parents and as a school district. Right? And so once we normalize it and say, okay, this is going to be hard because we've never done it before. Then it allows us to, it empowers us to be able to go, okay, now we can go through these really hard times. We have the strength to do it. We know that it's gonna be hard. It's going to be uncomfortable and it might take more resources, more time, more emotional resources than we've ever put into this before. But we are now empowered to be able to move forward. And so, then you're telling your children this is going to be hard, harder than you've ever experienced before, but now you have the power to move forward and start working towards.

    Now we can find the solutions, we can find the resources and we can start making those steps. Now, in three months we might say, Oh, that worked really well, that didn't, and so now we have new ideas and new resources and we're going to continue to move forward. And then when we get to the other side, then we say, you know what? You did really hard things and you were successful and we're really proud of you. And  now we we can move forward because we've been able to do those hard things.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. And it's a very different feeling to say, I feel this way, and other people feel this way and it's okay that I feel this way. And now I can address it and try to solve it as opposed to, why do I feel with this way? What's wrong with me that I feel this way? Everyone else is handling this and I'm stressed and upset. What are some tips, especially for parents, just as they are thinking about how to prepare themselves for the changes that come with sending kids back to school and the worry that may be associated with that?

    Stacee:

    Well, the tips that we always give are first and foremost. Take care of yourself because when you are well rested, you've gotten some exercise, you're eating right, then you can be the best parent that you can be to address the issues that your children are experiencing. Then you need to do the same for your children. You need to talk to them about their stresses and their concerns. Keep that open line of communication because they are going to be scared and nervous. And that's normal. Everybody is experiencing that. But, also make sure that they're doing all the things to take care of themselves as well, physically active, that you're controlling their screen time, that they're getting some really good sleep. All of those things are going to help. And then you can go ahead and move forward. And next week you can communicate with the school because that's when our counselors are going to really know how they cab best work with these kids to do what they do best to help them be successful at school. cCommunicate with your counselor, talk about your students' needs, and then figure out what is going to work best for your child, and then move forward and let them know this is going to be hard, but they can do it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah. And that's the other part of it. It's hard. It's okay to feel this way, but you can do it. And there's a lot of support. And the fact that we're all in it makes a big difference. A couple of things, I have done a terrible job with screen time. The screen time limits have just vaporized, as has the bedtime. And I know that a routine is important and we have a routine. It just involves a lot of screen time and going to bed pretty late. And so we're going to have to wrap up, just like you talked about. But thinking about that now, I think will help prepare us for that. So I that's great advice.

    Stacee:

    Same thing at my house. I say to my son, Dude, you must sleep. You can't be up until midnight and then expect to get up for school. So on Monday, he's already got a plan where he's going to set his alarm and practice getting up. Even if he's tired, he's gonna get up and eat breakfast and get back into that routine of going to bed a little bit early. We bought some paddle boards to get out. You have to be a little creative with the times we're experiencing right with social distancing. So for us, we thought, okay, our kids like being outdoors paddle boarding. So we've been doing a little bit more of that. As a family, you have to decide what is going to work best, but absolutely start your routine on Monday so the kids are ready to start school.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    The paddle boarding, that sounds great. Now, you mentioned counselors. Counselors, of course, are a great resource. Time has taken on a different sort of quality these days and class choices that were made in April seemed like they were made years ago, right? And there may need to be some adjustments to the student's schedule. Will you talk parents through how best to approach at the middle school and at the high school level, AND request for course changes at the school. How to approach a counselor. How does that work for parents who may be seeking a class change for their students?

    Stacee:

    Sure. So when you are looking at a class change for your child, what you need to do is contact the school Counseling Center. Probably you're going to call their secretary. And your best route is to schedule an appointment so that they have time to be able to sit and meet with you and go through what the best options are because you're right, the scheduling has changed. The master schedule is going to be different than what it was in May. So there may be some different teachers, there may be some different options. And that takes about 15 to 30 minutes to just sit down with your counselor, talk about your student's needs and then fitting those classes back into the schedule, the best that they can. Now, obviously it might not be the perfect schedule. They might not be able to get exactly everything that you want, but they will facilitate meeting your child's needs to the best of their ability. And it will be the same if you're doing a partial schedule or in-person classes versus online, the school counselor will also do that as well.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    But the bottom line is that if you want a class change, there's a window within which a student can do that by setting up an appointment with a counselor before the start of school. And counselors have contract days that go after school ends and before school starts to allow for exactly that.

    Stacee:

    That's right. And in fact, most of my teams have been back this week and they're going to be all back to work on Monday.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Okay, great. What other advice do you have for students or parents as they look forward to starting school? What kind of a frame of mind can set them up for success?

    Stacee:

    I think that they just need to make sure they know that they can do hard things, that even though this isn't going to be what they have experienced in the past, this is new, they have the ability to be flexible and be kind to one another and they're going to be just fine. And they're going to be able to come out the other side and be able to have new skills and new abilities that are going to be probably bigger and better than we can ever imagine because they've been successful going through this difficult time.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. I think your point about kindness is very important because we haven't been together in these circumstances and when you're under stress and you're in a new circumstance, sometimes not at our best, it's more difficult to be kind sometimes when we're not at our best. So we need to be very deliberate about focusing on being kind to one another as we return. Right?

    Stacee:

    Let's try and find the best in each other and the situation and move forward. The best that we can.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, beyond getting your schedule set up the way you'd like, counselors offer all kinds of support, social and emotional wellness and just helping kids grapple with and solve problems and issues that pop up.

    Stacee:

    Absolutely. They will still be working with all students on social and emotional wellness. They'll still be trying to run groups safely with social distancing. They still will be coming in to classrooms and teaching lessons on anything to do with social, emotional, behavioral issues and support. They're still going to be doing everything that they've done in the past to try and meet the needs of the kids. It's more than just academics. It's about the whole child for counselors. It's about how we can make sure that everything within that child, social, emotional behavioral academic is the best that it can possibly be as well as giving them skills to be able to work through some of those stresses and anxieties that they're feeling.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    There's a close relationship between social and emotional wellness and academic learning. You can't learn academics unless you're feeling good enough to do that. But when you enjoy academic success, then it boosts your social, emotional wellness. So there's a really close relationship between the two.

    Stacee:

    And we really want to make sure that all of that is working for each student so that they can develop and grow and be happy and experience all of the success that they can in a school setting.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Okay. Well, thank you very much, Stacee, for joining us. We look forward to seeing you as we start a new school year. Stay safe and healthy out there. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

    20 min
  • Episode 44: Students Devote Summer to Computer Science, Statistics and Problem Solving as Part of Unique Program

    It is not the typical summer of rest and relaxation for some middle school students in Jordan School District. That’s because they are immersed in things like abstract reasoning, problem-solving and computer science. In this episode of the Supercast we are going to explore something called the Pre-freshman Engineering Program (PREP), which is an academically rigorous mathematics-based summer enrichment program. Learn how it gives students an opportunity to start earning college credit at a very young age.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's not a typical summer of rest and relaxation for nearly 100 middle school students at Jordan School dDistrict. That's because they are immersed in things like abstract reasoning, problem-solving and computer science. In this episode of the Supercast, we're going to explore something called the Pre-Freshmen Engineering Program or PREP, which is an academically rigorous mathematics-based summer enrichment program. Find out how this program is giving students the opportunity to earn college credit at a very young age. Our guest today is Stacy Pierce, who started the PREP program for students in Jordan School District. Stacy, thanks for joining us.

    Stacy:

    Glad to be here.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Jordan PREP is the first program, and you are the first person I highlighted with the Board as Superintendent. I get to do a little Superintendent highlight at the beginning of the meeting, and I think it was maybe two weeks before my first meeting. I saw you the culminating event for Jordan PREP last summer, and I bumped the person I already had scheduled. I put you on the agenda just because I was so impressed with your program. So, thanks for talking about it today.

    Stacy:

    Thank you, I loved it. Thank you for inviting me back.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Give us just an overview of what Jordan PREP is about.

    Stacy:

    I'd be happy to. Jordan PREP is a program that targets under-represented students. We start recruiting students from the sixth grade. We don't talk to parents, we only talk to students. So the students self-select for this program and they enter in sixth grade and now, believe it or not, they're going to exit in 12th grade. At the time we started recruiting last year, it was a three year program. They invest six weeks of their summer vacation and they choose to study logic, physics, computer science, engineering, statistics, algebraic structures, computer programming, and technical writing. We are in our third year of this program for the Jordan School District. We're the only school district in the Nation with this program. Now, this program has been around 40 years, but in general, it's supported by colleges, not by school districts. So it's a very, very exciting program. We love it. And we're doing it online this year and, believe it or not, we love it online. So that's Jordan PREP.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I'm really interested in hearing how it has transitioned to the online experience. But,  one of the things I thought was particularly impressive about the program as you described, it is the number of guest speakers that you involve to inspire the kids and give them some vision for what they can do with their lives.

    Stacy:

    I'll tell you, the guest speakers this year have been knocking it out of the ballpark, but every single year I say that. So we try to get a representative population of career speakers. There are a very diverse population of career speakers, men, women of all ethnic diversity, that come and speak to our students. And when we're in-person, we do it every single day. And when we are online, we've done it twice a week. Believe it or not, it's been as effective online as it has been in person. So these speakers come from all areas of STEM. They come from medicine, they come from the natural sciences. They come from engineering. We've had ornithologists come and bring a peregrine falcon. We've had bat specialists come and bring that little itty bitty schools. We've had engineering from every single discipline. We have the University of Utah Games, masters program professor coming this week. We've had presidents of companies. We've had lawyers, we've had bankers, from every discipline that touches on STEM. We've had common inspire our students. It's a big part of the program. Probably hard work is the biggest part of the program. And right next to it would be those career speakers and our teachers and our teaching assistants, inspiring our students and coming from a very diverse background.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Why do you think it's so important for them to hear from people who have found success?

    Stacy:

    Well, the number one thing, I think, is they not just talking about their success, but they talk about their failures. They talk about their challenges. They talk about their struggles and a lot of these students have all of the above. Our last speaker was a lawyer and a student asked, "Did you ever think about quitting law school?" And she said, every single day. But the thing that inspired me was something very negative. Somebody said that to me and it rang in my head every single day. And I though, now, wait a minute. I am smart. I do deserve this because I work hard. And so every single speaker brings that to the table for our students. Not just their success and what their career looks like today, but how they got there and their journey.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I love that, and I sensed from the kids, when I saw the culminating event, you expect a lot of them.

    Stcy:

    I do. Fortunately, sometimes it's our hardest life experiences bring us the farthest. I just put six kids on probation, right? So this online school, I should just be grateful that they show up. But that's not good enough.  They're expected to keep up with their work. They're still expected to be on time every day, they're expected to be participating and they have to be on their cameras. We have to see their faces every day so that we get a chance to build that tribe. My expectations haven't lowered this summer. In fact, maybe they're higher, right? So these kids need to push through this. It's midterms and we'll be at the end of the program in just two weeks. And I think every single one of them will meet those high expectations. We're not lowering our expectations just because it's online. They know it, they sign up, they are rising to the occasion, just like they did before.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, it's the best example I can think of, of how high expectations brings the best out in students, because implicit in that is that you believe in them.

    Stcy:

    We do, we absolutely do. We had one student show up today and he stayed online with all the teachers. I said, are you comfortable talking to all of us? And he said, "Yes, I want to know if the reason you're kicking me out of Jordan PREP is because of football". And I said, "No, absolutely not. You're not on time. You missed and you're missing assignments and I need you to be the very best version of yourself. And I believe you can. You're not kicked out of Jordan PREP. You're given an opportunity to become the best version of yourself that you possibly can. I know you can do it. All of these TA's know you can do it. We're here for you. You just tell us what we have to do to help you be successful because we know you can." So, that's what we do.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's obvious they get the message. I can't think of a more inspiring meeting I've been in with teachers and students interacting. And, um, it was just really apparent to me that you had made a permanent impact in their lives.

    Stacy:

    Well, we ended that conversation with we love you and, and he said, thanks for being the best. And I know that on Monday, every single one of his assignments will be done because we truly care about these kids and they know we love them and it's through love and holding those expectations high that I believe that these kids are going to change the world. I truly believe that.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I don't doubt it for a second. Tell me more about the rest of the staff.

    Stacy:

    Oh, I'd be happy to. I try very, very hard to make my staff as diverse as my population of students are. I have an amazing staff of both teachers and teaching assistants. The teaching assistants generally come from the college population. These are young people that bond closely with these students. I have an engineering student from Salt Lake Community College. He just graduated from Salt Lake Community College and on one of our field trips to Merit Medical, we were able to provide him with a job. So now, on the weekends, he works at Merit Medical, through the week, thank heavens, he works for us. And he's a young, hispanic man named Renee. And we all hope and pray that he doesn't become an engineer and that he actually becomes an educator. There's no question about it, but someday I do think he'll return to the world of education because he is such a powerful influence on our students.

    In addition, we have  two Hispanic teachers. mr. Baez was the Teacher of the Year for Jordan, at Western Junior High or Middle School. And he's a phenomenal problem-solving teacher, but all of our teachers are absolutely amazing. And all of our teaching assistants are absolutely amazing and they're such an inspiration to the students. There's nothing they won't do for these students. They're incredible.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, great people get attracted to a great program like that and the chance to really make a difference in the lives of students. Speaking of that, you talked earlier about hoping that Renee stays an educator instead of becoming an engineer and you did things in the opposite order.

    Stacy:

    Yes, I do. I do think that Renee will go into engineering ,as I did.  I spent 30 years in the world of engineering. I was a Principal eEngineering Manager at a company called Rockwell Collins, formerly Evans and Sutherland.  We worked on flight simulators for the military, as well as the commercial airlines. It was a phenomenal career. There wasn't a day that I didn't enjoy myself, or I didn't learn something. But when my father passed away, and he was an educator on the Navajo Reservation. I decided that it was time to become an educator myself. I had an education degree in math, computer science and statistics, but I never used it until 30 years later. And that's when I joined the field of education and was fortunate enough to get a job at West Jordan Middle School. I always knew that I wanted to start a program to help under-represented students and pave their path to careers in STEM. So I found the PREP program and brought it to Jane Harward and she found the funding from Boeing. And here we are. We have five additional years of funding from Merit Medical, and we just won a National Science Foundation Grant to extend it through high school. It's been a dream come true.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    You've had donors dying to be a part of this that have really wanted to be associated with this program, after they see what a great impact it has on students.

    Stacy:

    Right. So, to quote Fred Lampropoulos, he said, "This is my hood. These are my students. I'll do anything I can to support this program". So there's a real bonding to our neighborhood, our family, our tribe. And when you have a program that has the magic components that make students want to literally give up their summer and not hang out with their friends for six weeks to study math, that's insane. Who does that? Right? And we don't ever talk to a parent until the mandatory meeting. We never speak to a parent. These kids are the ones who want to better their lives and better the lives of their families.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's empowering. And it's focused on students beginning to end.

    Stacy:

    Exactly. Hopefully, we'll be able to get very close to an Associate's degree in technical engineering by the time they finish high school, so they're on their way, their path is paved. They've got the analytical skills, the problem-solving skills to truly make a difference in this world. These are the kids that are going to solve the COVID problem. These are the kids that are going to solve the rest of the problems that are out there that yet need to be solved.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Absolutely. And when you see that you've been underserved, but now you prove yourself in a program like this, nothing is too daunting.

    Stacy:

    Nothing is too daunting. There's nothing, these students can't do.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stay with us. When we come back with what parents need to know about getting their students involved in PREP.

    (13:59):

    Do you want to know what's going on in Jordan School District? Get updates on the latest information that could impact you and your child, or just find an uplifting story about the good things happening in schools throughout the District. Check out our website at jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at Jordan District.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stacy, what role do parents play? I know that you don't talk with parents immediately when students are signing up for the program, but ultimately, what part do parents play in student success?

    Stacy:

    You know, there's no way that students can be successful in Jordan PREP without that parental support. So, historically, the parent's responsibility was to make sure that the students had a ride to Jordan PREP and a ride home. And if they didn't, we tap into the village and find them a ride to PREP and a ride home. They also have to encourage the students to make sure that their work is done and make sure that they are loving and supporting them and encouraging them to stay up on their work. In addition, a lot of students need to take care of their little brothers and sisters during the summer. That means that the responsibility is back on parents to find additional support for those little brothers and sisters.

    Now, with it being online, the parents need to provide a quiet environment. We did provide heads headphones with microphones for each student, but the distractions can be great. The parents have been wonderful at eliminating those distractions. We've had grandmothers sit in their classes with their students all day long. It's been absolutely beautiful to watch that, you know, a grandma of one of our Polynesian students just learning right alongside of him and enjoying the program right alongside of him. It's been absolutely beautiful. So the parents are critical part of PREP.

    And when we have the unfortunate situation where we have to put a student on probation and encourage them to catch up and continue to be a part of the program, it's the parents that come and say, thank you. We support you. We understand you're not going to lower those standards and we don't want you to. So we've had phenomenal support, even in those difficult situations from our parents. They're just amazing.

    We've had mothers go back to school and finish their high school degree because their children are in PREP and they want to show their children that they want to go learn, and they want to be better themselves to encourage their students to continue and be an example to them. So it's kind of a full circle situation with parents. Believe it or not, a full circle where the students are doing something really hard encourages their parents to go do something really hard and makes their students proud of them.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    The impact can be immediate, in a lot of ways.

    Stacy:

    It really can. It absolutely can.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    When you presented to the Board, there were some stunning statistics that you cited about what happens when someone goes into the PREP program. And I'm not going to ask you to come up with those off the top of your head, but really, students who would have very little chance statistically of graduating from college, suddenly going through this program have a very high chance of graduating from college and well beyond.

    Stacy:

    Oh, absolutely. I actually, I can  quote those too. With the population that we serve, of over 50% minority, over 50% girls, 71% are on free lunch. So they are low income. And 68% of the students do not have a parent who either graduated from high school or went to college. That's our demographics. So with that demographic, you would expect 15% of these students to go to college and less than 5% of them to actually graduate. The PREP program did not start with Jordan PREP. It started 40 years ago in Texas, and they've gathered those statistics. It turns out that the kids willing to invest their summers are not losing their skills over the summer. They're gaining mathematical ability. 90% of PREP students go to college.  From that 90% that go to college, 68% graduate from college and from that 68%, 64% actually take the difficult path in my opinion, which is to graduate in a STEM career.

    Now of that 68%, 57% are minority and 64% are girls. So, if you think about this 40 years ago, girls pursuing degrees in STEM, that's unheard of. The statistics statistics are what drew me to this program. I spent six months studying STEM programs out there, deciding if I wanted to join an existing program, which is always better because you don't spend the money creating it, or start a new program. There was no reason to start a new program. This program had the success statistics. That made sense. That  is what I wanted to be a part of.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It's staggering, how this reverses the pattern and changes lives that we know otherwise may not have access to the resources that they now see as something that is within their grasp.

    Stacy:

    Absolutely. So the second they joined the program, these kids know what they're a part of and what they're a part of is a path to success. And that is probably why we have only lost one student from our third year class. All the students that joined us the first year, we've only lost one student, and that was because of extracurricular activities. They just decided, and that's the beautiful, right, that extracurricular activities would not allow them to focus enough on the program to be successful in both. And that's totally understandable, totally supportive of that student's decision. But students want to better their futures and they want to better the futures of their family. They know that this program has all of the key components to help them.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Are there specific stories you could tell us about individual students?

    Stacy:

    Oh, absolutely. Our first year, and I get so teary eyed every time I tell this, a student lost her father and we only allow three absences in the summer. We always tell the students that you can always go to school, but you can't always be a part of PREP. You can miss three times, that's it. So if you feel like you need to go out for a week, this isn't the program for you because you're not going to be able to come back. After that week long vacation, we just cover too much material every single day. But, the first year, we had a little girl who lost her father from brain cancer. And, of course, we told her that she is more than welcome to miss as long as she needed to miss in order to help her through that time.

    But two days later, not three but two days later, she was back and  as one of our strongest students. And she's still with us today. There are so many stories of the resilience of these students and their commitment to this program and their ability to bounce back. Some from things that I could never have bounced back from at that age. We had a student that left because of medical reasons to go back to Taiwan for medical treatment for a year, she came back this year and she's on her way, moving to South Carolina. But every morning her parents wait until PREP is over and then they get back on the road. The next morning, they're in a different hotel and they wait until PREP is over and they're back on the road. So she didn't just say, I'm sorry, I'm moving to South Carolina. She made sure and her parents made sure that she could continue to be successful in our program. So, true resilience from these kids. They touch my heart every single day.

    Superintendent Godfrey

    It just, it's impossible for me to describe how proud I am of the work that you're doing and how thrilled I am to have you in Jordan District.

    Stacy:

    Well, we couldn't do it without your support. So thank you so much for being supportive  of a program that is my dream come true and is definitely changing the lives of our students.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    When I first met you, our students in Jordan PREP made so much progress in the program. There wasn't anywhere for them to go next. They go back into regular programs and there wasn't a next step. Isn't that true?

    Stacy:

    That is so true. And so now we're so grateful that last year, after our closing ceremony, that you came to and we're so grateful that you were there, the head of the Engineering Department at Salt Lake Community College was also in attendance. I had been courting him for four years when I came to work for Jordan School District. I wanted to start the program with Salt Lake Community College because that's the natural fit. Sure. They were in flux of leadership at that time and it didn't work out. But after he sat through that closing ceremony and looked into the faces of our students and saw the diversity and the population of our students and the families, and really got to feel our tribe, he came back and said, "Let's write a grant together for National Science Foundation and extend this through high school."

    Without that ladder for the kids to climb, there's a possibility we'd lose a few. There is always a possibility we'll lose a few. So we wrote a grant with Salt Lake Community College, and believe it or not, the first day of online PREP, we found out that we had received that grant with Salt Lake Community College. Now our students will extend to a fourth year in the summer and do a Capstone Pro Project of their choosing. And then their junior and senior years, there'll be over on the Salt Lake Community College Campus, taking college classes and graduating with at least their certification, if not their Associates degree in Engineering Technology. And that particular degree feeds into Weber State University, manufacturing and engineering seamless. They'll also graduate with a small scholarship to help them continue their education and the ability to make money, decent money while they're going to college. So, it's a beautiful transition we have now.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So how many students are currently involved?

    Stacy:

    We have 96 students online this summer.  We had to pay for a Zoom, professional license that will handle 500 because there's 100 to 500, all online. They are all on their cameras. We see their beautiful faces every single day. And with my staff and with the speakers, we're well over a hundred. Four our closing ceremony, we'll invite grandparents, we'll invite aunts and uncles, and we hope to use all 500 spots for our closing ceremony.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, please reserve one for me.

    Stacy:

    You got it. Of course.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I would love to be a part of that again. I don't think I'll ever miss it again.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, thank you so much. We don't ever want to miss it again. Tell me what was the transition to doing this online like?

    Stacy:

    Oh, it was very interesting. Every single PREP Program in the Nation, did their own thing. We had a choice and I felt very privileged that I had been able to do online teaching prior to making the decision of what PREP would look like. And so, as an online teacher, I taught a normal class three times a day, once during the time slot I was allotted and two in the evening for those students that had to go to work. What I found is that I had students that were coming to all three classes, even though they knew the answers, the very first class of the day, and they were doing it for the social interaction. So I knew that we had to keep that component in PREP. What we do is online teaching live for 30 minutes, and then we have a social engagement for 30 minutes and then back to online teaching for 30 minutes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So what happens during the social engagement?

    Stacy:

    They'll bring their pets to school, have Spirit Days where they have funky hats or funky socks, or we say, "I spy with my little eye", something in your background that helps us get to know you better. So the social engagement and the building of the tribe is still in effect and building those relationships because they don't come from one school. They come from all of our Title I schools and so we have to be able to build those relationships and then learn. And they say that you learn 75% faster if you're actually having fun. So that's the fun component of PREP that we've been able to maintain. And then on Fridays, we go on virtual field trips because we can't go on real field trips. We go on virtual field trips with the component of our program. There is gratitude. We write thank you notes to our speakers. They can also write thank you notes to their family or to one of the teachers or TA's. So, we've kept the component of gratitude alive. And then we do robots. We built robots the rest of the time and they struggle building those robots and they learn through that struggle. So we've kept all of the components of PREP, the hard work, the inspiration, the fun, the building of the tribe and the gratitude all alive.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What an incredible program. That's fantastic. Maybe you could read the sentence what you have posted up behind you, of learning things about you from your background, the mathematics quote strikes me there.

    Stacy:

    I could click search and then I select quotes for them to decorate my classroom the first year that I was a teacher. And I thought, even on those bad days, I can look at these pictures of nature and these inspirational quotes and I'll be okay. One says, "Mathematics is not only for solving numbers. It's for dividing sorrows, subtracting sadness, adding happiness and multiplying love and forgiveness".

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I think that's a great summary of what happens in Jordan PREP.

    Stacy:

    I do too.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hey, Stacy, I've heard tell of a Swag Wagon. Tell me about that.

    Stacy:

    Well, industry is very kind to us, as well as businesses. Once you tell them the story of Jordan PREP, they've been incredibly generous and we always have a Swag Table and we reward kindness. We reward our Student of the Week. We reward the best note taking for the week, but this year we can't have a swag table. So I made my car into a Swag Wagon and every window of my car has words, such as PREP Strong. So our logo this year, our slogan is PREP Strong because it's difficult to go to PREP online. And instead of little gears, we have little COVID viruses on our T shirts and on my car. It says,  Jordan's Wagon. It says PREP Strong. It says, Believe in Yourself. It says Computer Science, Statistics, Physics. Every window is decorated. I drive up to the houses and I interrupt the students from class. And those students that have been selected by their TAs and their teachers come out and select something from the swag in the Jordan Wagon. It's a lot of fun to visit those students at home. In fact, you should come some day. It is a treat to visit their homes and see how much pride their parents have and their brothers and sisters have. They all run out of the house and there's three doors worth of swag that they have to weed through and select what it is that they want. I had one student, yesterday, who would not leave class. His brother kept saying somebody at the door for you.  And he would not leave class, he's the Student of the Week. This wagon has been just a lot of fun.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's amazing. I would love to join the Swag Wagon. Let me know. I'll hit the road with you. Thank you so much for spending time with us and for the wonderful things you do for our kids.

    Stacy:

    Well, thank you and thank you for your support. And I'm grateful to my amazing staff and my amazing students.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Please thank everyone for me. And I will definitely be there for graduation.

    Stacy:

    Perfect. I'll send you an invite right away.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today, even though it's summer, we'll see out there.

    34 min
  • Episode 43: The Plan for Deep Cleaning, Sanitizing and Meal Service in Schools

    An enormous amount of work is underway as we prepare to reopen after schools were dismissed last March due to the pandemic. On this episode of the Supercast, hear about the unique and unprecedented plan for meal service, deep cleaning and sanitizing in our schools as we make every effort to keep everyone as safe as possible.

    Audio Transcription

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today, we're talking about the enormous amount of work that is underway as we prepare to reopen schools this fall, after they were dismissed last March due to the pandemic. We know that there is a lot yet to be decided, but we would like parents, students, and employees to know about the unique and unprecedented plan for deep cleaning, sanitizing and providing meal service in our schools, as we make every effort to keep students, teachers, and staff as safe as possible. We're going to start by speaking with the Director of Custodial and Energy Services, Steve Peart. Steve, welcome.

    Steve:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent:

    You've been on the show before.  We have asked you come on one more time. You're considered a friend of the show. So welcome.

    I know that you're doing a lot of work preparing for the fall, and we just want to talk with you about some of the cleaning and disinfecting procedures that will be in place and some of the equipment that we've purchased to help keep schools as clean as possible in the fall. I would note that in the spring there was the ability. while students were not in school. to do a lot of the deep cleaning that normally would happen over the summer. From my understanding, we've been able to catch up on a lot of work orders during that time. Is that correct?

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes, it is. We've done relatively two extra months of summer cleaning that is totally summer cleaning because there were still people occupying the buildings. It still gave us a time to go through  the classrooms with additional thoroughness in the cleaning and disinfecting, all the desks and stuff were cleaned and disinfected. We were able to use that time for getting ready to come back to school. There was a lot to do, but there was also some additional time to take some things off the to-do list.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. Tell us about the equipment that has been purchased for the fall. The Board approved some additional equipment for each building.

    Steve:

    Okay. We have purchased some sprayers that will enable us to go through and spray each area down. Those can be used after school. They're not necessarily for during the day or for when students are present. You may have heard that they're called "misters". They've also been called "foggers". It's just a way of dispensing disinfectant and being able to get into areas that you couldn't normally get into with hand wiping,

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I was in a Zoom focus group meeting with fifth graders, and I described how we have a machine that uses fog to clean playground equipment because they wanted to be sure they were able to still go out to recess. And one fifth grader asked, "So does it create a fog around the whole playground that just kind of stays there? So we'd be playing in the fog?" And I explained to him that, no, it just sends the cleaner around the surfaces. And I'm really excited about having that equipment. That means that we would have one per school. Is that correct?

    Steve

    Yeah, there would be at least one per school. Once all the equipment arrives, there should be at least one per school. Some of the larger buildings are going to have mobile pieces of equipment because they are going to need to clean sports equipment in between uses. Some of those kinds of things will need to be done multiple times a day. This will also enable a head custodian or somebody to go into a restroom, (which, in the past, the restrooms have been cleaned and disinfected after school, which will continue to happen), but there might be times where they need to go in multiple times and just do a quick disinfectant for the restroom during the day.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That will increase the efficiency with which custodians can disinfect surfaces, even during the day.

    Steve:

    Correct. An example of that is, if you were to go and completely wipe down a restroom with a Reagan, that it might take you a 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the restroom. If you go in and spray, you can cover the area in just a few minutes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now I understand that we are looking at using a disinfectant that you don't necessarily wipe away, but that you spray on and it stays on the surface and actually can last for quite a long time.

    Steve:

    We are in the process of acquiring that particular disinfectant. It is in the process of getting an EPA number. That's a huge process they have to go through to get certified by the EPA saying that it'll be specific dwell times for how long for what type of surfaces it's good for, what type of viruses or bacteria is that it's good for. They're in the process of getting that and that should be happening in the next week or so

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Am I correct that this is supposed to last up to 30 days?

    Steve:

    That's what the company and the chemists are saying ,that it will last up to 30 days. I'm hoping that the EPA comes out and agrees with them because if that's the case, then that will also help.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    It would make surfaces a less hospitable environment for the virus too?

    Steve:

    Yes, I'm assuming that when we get the EPA approval on this, our initial plan is to go through and mist all of the classrooms and all the schools once a week for the first month, then every other week for the second month. And then we will go to once a month later on.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I love that you're looking for additional ways to disinfect beyond the normal routine that we will continue to keep in place. Now Steve, I've visited the warehouse. I've seen the tall shelves and the big boxes. We have lots of paper towels, lots of disinfectant, lots of supplies.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yes. We have ordered truckloads of those supplies. We're anticipating accelerated use as people start to clean desks more often, as they wash their hands more. We are planning on going through additional paper towels and so we purchased much more this year compared to a normal year.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, you guys work very hard to be behind the scenes and not to disrupt what's going on during the day. Many people may not realize just how much cleaning is going on in the building.

    Steve:

    True, the best time to clean is when people aren't in the building. So we come in after school and clean, so we're not disrupting classes. It's hard to run to vacuum around a class. So you do that after, when nobody's around. Same with restrooms. The best time to clean is when people aren't aren't around.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And, additional disinfecting cleaning that will be going on during the day as well. They may see more of the custodian during the day, but it's just a good reminder that there's a lot going on behind the scenes that we may not be aware of.

    Steve:

    Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now the schedule we will be on in the fall was not designed around Custodial Services. It was designed around providing time for teachers to structure individual learning for students on Fridays, without students in the building on Fridays. That does create some additional space for custodians to either catch up on some of the maintenance work that may need to be done, that they had to put off because of disinfecting that they did during the week when students are there. But, at the very least, it allows some space for a deep clean and just for some other things to happen at a custodial level.

    Steve:

    Yeah, we're planning on using Fridays for maintenance and for doing a deep clean. One of the drawbacks of using a lot of disinfectant is it can have a buildup and become sticky. That needs to be removed so we can start fresh for the next week and we don't end up with this sticky disinfectant all over. That's all stuff that we'll be doing on these Fridays.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Great. Well, thanks for everything you're doing to prepare. I know you've been very hard at work, nonstop for a while. You're always hard at work, but especially ever since this started. I just really appreciate your expertise and support in preparing our schools for the fall.

    Steve:

    Okay. Well, thank you. I appreciate that and appreciate everything that the school administration does.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, we wanted to talk with some custodians out in the field about what they're seeing and doing. We're speaking now with Mark Nelson, the head custodian for the building here at the District Office. So, Mark and I get to see each other on a regular basis, or we used to much less. So now, with  the soft dismissal, how are you doing Mark?

    Mark:

    I'm doing great today. How about you Superintendent?

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I'm doing great. Thanks for joining us here. We're still social distancing for this interview over Google Meet. Tell us, you have been a custodian in the dDistrict for how long? Well, if you count my sweeper years, this is my 33rd year.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    So Cindy Lopper was topping the charts when you started with Jordan School District.

    Mark:

    Probably had her in my Walkman and as I did my route each night, yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, within your years of experience, have you ever seen anything like this from a cleaning and preparation standpoint?

    Mark:

    No, this is as intense as it gets. We love these kids. We love our staffs. They're family, friends, and neighbors, you know, to be a custodian you've got to care.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I know you're also very aware of what's happening out in the schools because your staff helps out in schools when there's a shortage, when we need some additional coverage.

    Mark:

    Yes, yes. So we're always doing what we can and lending staff.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Tell me some of the things that you have seen that are being done to increase the level of cleaning and disinfecting that's happening in building.

    Mark:

    I think we do a great job. We train the same. Every school has the same training. All the things that we doin one building would be done the same in another building because of the training. But as COVID took over, we've had to up that. I'm here at the District Office. I've always cleaned restrooms every two hours because we do not have enough restrooms for all the public and staff that come and use our restrooms. Now we check them hourly to make sure things are getting done. Touch points are crazy. Anywhere you can think, someone touches. If someone stands at your door, they're putting their hands on your doorframe. We wash doorframes, we hit the handles, the drinking fountains, the front doors. It's almost like I could just pop them open and leave them open all day because that's just something we have to hit all day long. That's something that many people may not realize, just how well a custodian gets to know the building and how familiar they become with those touch points. They know where it gets dirty. They know where people's hands are and they're able to focus on those areas to be sure that they're disinfecting.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Yeah.

    Mark:

    And then, behind the scenes, we're changing filters more regularly. Jordan has an amazing HPAC staff. The guys over there have helped us with so many things, but we maintain a higher level of filtration on our HVAC units throughout our District. We're making sure filters are changed more often over the last 32 years. I'll tell you, custodial work has gone from whatever you feel like cleaning and how you used to do it from learning from your grandmother or your mother or whoever. Now there are best practices. It's a very structured environment we work in. We want people to feel safe in our buildings. We want everyone to feel like where they have to spend their day and work and deal with the public and help the public is clean and safe.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That it is, a good location to be, and they feel safe. Thanks for everything you do, Mark. You're a great support here. And I know, to the schools you and your staff work to support them as well.

    We're speaking now with Jared Sprague. I've known Jared for a long time and members of his family for a long time. It seems his whole family works for Jordan School District. We did the earlier Supercast with your brother who let me ride the Zamboni and clean the floors. It's a fun mission as a fun machine. Hey, thanks for joining us today. I know you're really busy. We just want to talk about some of the additional measures that custodians are taking in our schools. First of all, how long have you been a custodian and Jordan School District?

    Jared:

    I'm going on my 20th year with Jordan School District and enjoyed every minute of it.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, we love having you and we love having your family as part of Jordan District. Have you ever seen anything like this?

    Jared:

    I haven't. This is a different challenge, different openings for us to look at what we should do and where we should go with that. I have not seen anything like this in the Jordan District or anywhere I've been.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Can you describe for parents and employees who are listening some of the enhanced cleaning and disinfecting that will be happening in the fall?

    Jared:

    We were one of the fortunate schools to have before this whole thing hit the ground, to have one of those electrostatic guns that we have looked at, that the Board has approved to purchase to help us out. Those electrostatic guns we used to go in daily, a couple times and did some disinfecting. But now that our assault pandemic has hit, we are doing more. We've got our high schools where they are dealing with all the sports and these sporting activities and so the kids  can get back. We're getting ready for their games and activities, and they've enhanced the cleaning in the restrooms to hourly and more frequently, if needed.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Those are sometimes referred to as misters or foggers that distribute the disinfectant in a way that wraps around the surface that is being disinfected.

    Jared:

    Yes. Yes. They're great.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    What are some of the other things that are being done and we'll be done in the fall to help make sure that things are cleaned and disinfected for students, once we get everybody back in the building,

    Jared:

    We are taking measures to go in the restrooms hourly and disinfect them with the electrostatic. Again, in our restrooms, we have gone and we are starting to look at measures to cut down the traffic by every other urinal and brush toilets in the bathrooms. We are going into classrooms and we will be disinfecting more frequently throughout the day. Keeping teachers stocked with chemicals and towels, chemicals and stuff that they need to have. It's a little bit of everything. It sounds like we might look into keeping lockers disinfected more frequently throughout the day with those MREs, lunch rooms, constantly keeping those clean and walking behind kids and find our problem areas and focusing on those. It's a big responsibility, bigger than ever.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    How does it feel to have that responsibility for all of the employees and students in that building?

    Jared:

    You know, I think a lot of us custodians take a lot of pride in what we do. We enjoy being around the kids and the staff and the patrons, you know, we look to protect them in health and safety and even more so in this day, in this time. It's what we live for and it's why are where we are. I just really enjoy doing what I do and try to protect them as if it were one of our own kids. You know, my kid in Jordan School District and it worries me every day. So, I treat it as if it is my kid I'm taking care of.

    And so, it makes me feel good to know that things are being taken care of and cleaned up. And the she'll be safe when she returns to school.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, I sincerely appreciate the efforts that you and custodians throughout the district are making. I have a high level of confidence in your work and just how conscientious you are and how much you care about taking care of everybody in the building. Thank you.

    We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, find out what meal service will look like in our schools. This fall,

    Steve Hall:

    I'm Steven Hall, Director of Jordan Education Foundation. In today's challenging and uncertain times, it is more important than ever before to support one another. Here at the Jordan Education Foundation, we invite you to join us in making sure children are not going hungry. Your $10 donation to the Foundation will help us feed one student for a weekend. When food and meals may be very scarce for some, with food and hygiene supplies and the principal's pantries at Jordan School District being depleted and in higher demand than ever before. Every financial contribution made will help us to keep the pantries filled for students who would otherwise go without. The Jordan Education Foundation exists due to the generosity of people who care about kids. If you would like to donate to help children from going hungry, please visit joraneducationfoundation.org, or contact the Foundation at (801) 567-8125. Thank you. Together, we can make a difference.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    With us now on the Supercast is Jana Cruz, the Director of Nutrition Services. Jana, welcome.

    Jana:

    Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I know a lot of people are asking questions about what things will look like in the fall. Can you tell us a little bit about some of the changes? I've read over your plan and I know that you've thought through every detail, as usual, about what this will look like and what will need to be done to provide lunch safely and in a way that works for the conditions we'll be working under in the fall.

    Jana:

    Yes. You know our efforts will, of course, continue to ensure safe and healthy meals that meet the needs of our students. All of our meals, we'll start up this year having all the meals be self contained. So they'll also be grab and go, breakfast in a sack. All the lunches will be in a self contained ,styrofoam container with a closed lid. First and foremost, they'll be grab and go to ensure student safety. All they have to do is pick up a meal, not touch anything else. Secondly, it will also free up some of our teams out in the schools so that those team members can be assisting in other ways, with assuring that students sanitize their hands, as they enter lunch service lines, and as they leave the cafeterias, helping assist with the overall efficiency of the flow of lines, assist with some social distancing that will need to take place.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    And that's been a question for some people. How are you going to maintain social distancing and not have the line go a mile down the road?

    Jana:

    Part of it is that we'll be able to move kids through more rapidly because of the way you've structured a meal distribution. We believe with the grab and go meals, it will be an extremely efficient process. All the students will do is enter the line. The lines will be marked clearly, with signs, social distancing markers on the floor. Then they'll just need to pick up a styrofoam container. When they go by the point of sale, they will just have their student ID card out and it will be scanned quickly by a lunch clerk or a cashier so that there's no contact, no touching key pads. And yes, we believe the lines will flow very efficiently.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Grab your meal, scan your card. Yes. Have a seat. Then head out to the playground or head back to class, whichever. Oh, we forgot. Sanitize your hands one more time before you head back to the classroom or out to the playground.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    On your way in and on your way out.

    Jana:

    Yes. Yes.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, what about some of the salad bar options? The self-serve options are the changes being made there.

    Jana:

    We will open up again with only self-contained meals, no salad bars or no buffet type meal service at all. And then, as soon as we move forward, we kind of had thought in our own department, we will revisit or be prepared for around Thanksgiving time to make decisions that are applicable for what is happening around us.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Right. We're going to have to adjust these plans throughout the year. And I think part of the stress is just anticipating the school year coming. We don't know exactly what it will be like. This is something we've never done before. It's another phase. And so I'm actually very eager to see how things go and then make adjustments as necessary. But I appreciate how thorough and in depth you've been in preparing for this.

    Jana:

    Thank you. I work with a wonderful team and I agree with you. I think, as always, the greatest stress in all this is the worrying and the planning. It will be nice to move forward and just get the job done in the best way we all know how.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I really have thought of every detail when I read over the plan. We talked about the self serve and the buffet style and salad bars not being in place in the same way they were. You're even going to be handing a milk to a student.  I'm putting it on their containers so they aren't reaching in for their own milk. And what are the milk choices? Just for those listening, who may not know.

    Jana:

    There's white milk to start out, they'll just be white and chocolate. We'll probably take strawberry off the menu just to kind of streamline things, knowing that it will go back on the menu as soon as we can reasonably do that.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Adjusting to the "grab and go" format like you had to in the spring. Are there any new menu items that, students can expect to see? And are there any old favorites that may have to wait to return to the menu?

    Jana:

    Well, the menus will look very similar to what we always do. There will be some ala carte type items still, of course, a favorites, chicken nuggets, chicken ring things, fries, but there will, of course be a lot of our totally homemade options that students are used to is lasagna, mashed potatoes and gravy and Turkey. So the only thing that will change due to the efficiency and the speed that these lines need to flow. Secondary schools that normally run anywhere from seven to nine lines. We will cut those lines down to four choices and those choices, at each site will choose from patterns that we offer them to include what they feel are the best four choices each day for their student body. And we're doing that again. So we know that we need to pull some of those staff members that would normally run lines off to do other tasks, to assure students are sanitizing correctly, to assure some social persistency, to keep in stock, you know, with the meal containers. So we believe we can run in the secondaries three to four lines, depending on the size of the school, and do so efficiently.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I love the way you're restructuring things. It makes a lot of sense. Now, let me go back. Are the chicken ring things, the actual technical term?

    Jana:

    It is, that's actually what's on the purchase order and it's a Tyson product, very popular.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Well, when I get the chance, I'm going to go out and try some chicken rings because they sound like something. I'm thrilled with the hard work you've put into planning for the fall. I have total confidence in the work that you and your staff are doing. AndI know that students are looking forward to coming back and having those great meals in the cafeteria and seeing their friends and nutrition services.

    Jana:

    Thank you. Thank you very much.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Stay with us when we come back, we'll talk about the lengths Jordan School District is going to, to purchase personal protective equipment for employees.

    Sandra Reisgraf:

    Do you want to know what's going on in Jordan School District, get updates on the latest information that could impact you and your child, or just find an uplifting story about the good things happening in schools throughout the district, check out our website at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at JordanDistrict. Let's connect.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    This segment of the Supercast. We're happy to welcome our Director of Purchasing Kurt Prusse. Thanks for joining us.

    Kurt:

    My pleasure. Good to be here.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    We're buying a lot of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employees to get ready for the fall and Kurt, as Director of Purchasing, you have been at the center of that. Tell us about some of the things that have been purchased all of this, of course, under Board direction, because of the volume that we're buying.

    Kurt:

    You know, under the direction of a great Superintendent and the Board, they're very cognizant of Personal Protective Equipment. And so they've allocated those funds for things like cloth masks for the employees, having a couple three to them each. Hand sanitizer is another important item that they've invested in, all sorts of hand sanitizer, anywhere from a gallon to half gallon to 16 ounce containers that can be put up the teacher's desk or people's individual workplaces. Face shields for those that don't want to have a mask, but not to be able to communicate with students or the public. Plexiglass shields, both portable, all have been authorized. We've been looking into those different options and  learning a lot about the difference between a polypropylene plexiglass and other types of plastic materials. So, it's been a learning experience for all of us here in Purchasing for a lot of those items.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    I do want to get in a little bit so that people understand the process. We are starting off with a gallon of hand sanitizer in every office, in every classroom. What were some of the specs that you use to determine what hand sanitizer you would purchase?

    Kurt:

    The CDC has a requirement and I think maybe it's even the FDA, but the Health Departments require a 70% alcohol, an isopropyl alcohol content or a 60% minimum of ethanol alcohol and that's part of the requirements. And so,  we had to meet those minimum requirements, and we also didn't want to have any perfumed or scented hand sanitizer.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Now, how many gallons have we ordered?

    Kurt:

    The Board authorized us to do 5,000 gallons. That would cover almost every classroom and office space and have a little bit left over.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Okay. So we'll cover every classroom, every office space, and we have some other sizes that will be available. Now, the plexiglass. There are two different types of plexiglass that we are ordering. Tell us about those two different types.

    Kurt:

    There are 4' x 4' plexiglass sheets that are intended to hang from the ceiling tiles. They are intended for office spaces. For teachers' desks they are given, an option. The teacher has that option of something that is stationary and in place or a three sided and molded, about 30" x 34". And then 8.5 or 6.5 inch six sides that are molded to sit onto a desk that can be moved from place to place pretty easily and gives them a little more flexibility, but offers them enough protection so that they can work with the student one-on-one, if they need to. And these are the type of plexiglass structures that you might see sitting on the counter at a doctor or dentist office or at a retail outlet.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Exactly.

    Kurt:

    And we gave teachers the choice of having one or the other or both, depending on their classroom setup and their level of comfort. And so we've ordered accordingly to whatever requests came back from the teachers in the schools and what they needed.

    So we have quite a few of each and actually, the molded ones were more popular than the sheets, which surprised me, because it gives some flexibility. People can move that around the classroom as needed, and assistants can use them when they're working with students.

    The face shields allow for some flexibility, if there's instruction, particularly in the younger grades, but throughout school, when it's important to be able to see a teacher's mouth and see how they're mouthing out words and sounding things out. So the face shield will allow some flexibility there.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    That's correct. Well, thanks for the thorough process, getting the best value and the best products out there and in very large quantities. So thanks for all your work Kurt.

    Kurt:

    You're welcome. Thank you.

    Superintendent Godfrey:

    Thank you for joining us on the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see out there.

    35 min

About Jordan Supercast

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The Jordan School District Podcast Starring Superintendent Anthony Godfrey

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