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Student Handbook

Joel P. Jensen

Student Handbook

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!

Hello students and families! We are so excited to welcome you to a new year at Joel P. Jensen Middle School. We're happy to have you with us and want to make sure you have a fun place to learn. We can't wait to see how much you will grow and what great things you will do this year!

At our school, we have three important values:

  • Relationships: We make friends, fix problems, and stay connected.
  • Learning: Everyone can learn new things and get better.
  • Perseverance: We keep trying, even when it's hard.

Everything we do at school is to help us learn and become good citizens. This year, we have new plans to make learning more engaging and to help you grow as a person. One thing that you can do to prepare for success is to memorize your student number. You will need it in the front office, the cafeteria, and the library.

Family involvement is very important for students to do well. Our community center is adding new things to help, like classes for adults to learn English. We would love for you to join us and help as we grow!

Sincerely,

Aaron Hunter, Principal

Karen Moore, Assistant Principal  (A-M)

Russell Stephenson, Assistant Principal (N-Z)

 

Table of Contents

  1. School Contact Information
  2. Academic Policies and Procedures
  3. Attendance and Tardy Policies
  4. Electronic Device Policies and Procedures/Chromebook Usage
  5. Student Rewards
  6. Discipline
  7. Dress Code
  8. Student Activities and Opportunities for Leadership
  9. School Safety

Section 1: School Contact Information

Section 2: Academic Policies and Procedures

At Joel P. Jensen, we use a special grading system, to make sure everyone can succeed. This means:

  • You can redo your work to get a better grade.
  • You can turn in work late, but it has to be before a certain time.

Grading Practices:

  • Your grades are based on how well you understand the main topics.
  • Practice work is 20% of your grade. Tests are 80% of your grade.
  • Teachers try to grade work on time, but late work might take longer to grade.

Academic Integrity:

  • If you use someone else's work, you’ll have a chance to redo it and turn in your own work. If not, there might be consequences.

Questions about Grades:

  • Check Skyward: Click on your grade to see details.
  • Check Canvas: Make sure your work was submitted correctly.
  • Talk to Your Teacher: Send an email or have a chat. We are all here to help you!

Section 3: Attendance and Tardy Policies

Attendance:

  • Coming to school helps you do well. If you're going to be absent, a guardian needs to call the attendance office to excuse you.

Skipping Class:

  • We need to be in class to learn. Not going to class means there will be consequences, like after-school detention.

Tardies:

  • Being late to class has consequences too. Here's what happens if you're tardy:
Number of Tardies Consequence
1 Warning
2 One lunch detention
3 Two lunch detentions
4 Two lunch detentions and a parent call
5 - 6 Thirty-minute after-school detention
7 One-hour after-school detention + parent meeting
8 Two hours after-school detention
9 Five lunch detentions
10 One day in-school suspension
11 One day out-of-school detention
12+ Alternate between ISS and OSS

1st Period Tardies:

  • If you're late in the morning, your family can call or write a note to excuse it. For students to be excused from any consequences, calls, messages, or notes, must be received by 9:30 Monday-Thursday, or 11:30 on Fridays. Also add a note stressing for the parents to leave a message as they do follow up on those and rely on those due to the influx of calls in the mornings.

Tardies During the Day:

  • If you are late, you need to get a tardy slip from the attendance office before your teacher can let you into class.

Check-ins/Check-outs:

When you get to school after classes have started, you need to come with a parent or have a note from home saying it's okay. The note must have the time at which you should arrive at school. If you don't have a note, you'll be marked as "unexcused" for the classes you missed and late for school. To leave school early, the person picking you up has to be listed in Skyward and show their picture ID. Also, for check out, the parent can call ahead (only from a number that can be verified through Skyward) and we can have the student waiting in the office at the Indicated time.

Section 4: Electronic Device Policies and Procedures/Chromebook Usage

To keep classes distraction-free, we have rules about electronic devices. These rules are from Utah State Law and the Jordan District Policy Manuel. No exceptions will be made.

Policy:

  • No electronic devices like earbuds, phones, or smartwatches during class.
  • You can use them during lunch or after school.
  • If you need to contact someone, use the attendance office phone (you can't text or call your parents during class time from your phone).

Consequences:

  • First time: Device taken and can be picked up after school.
  • Each time after that: Device will be taken and must be picked up by a parent. This is state law. There are no exceptions.

Expectations for General Usage of Chromebook:

  • Students will follow the Jordan School District Student Information Network Acceptable Use Policy-AA445
  • All documents and other usage of Chromebooks is monitored by the District. No chat or shared document is private.
  • Use of the Chromebook is for academic purposes only. Students will use their Chromebooks at school and at home to complete academic tasks and further their education. 
  • Students will not use the Chromebook webcam to photograph any other student, teacher, or person unless for academic purposes, and only with the other person’s consent.  
  • Students will not use the Chromebook microphone to record any other student, teacher, or person unless for academic purposes, and only with the other person’s consent. 
  • Students are not permitted to download any content onto the Chromebook, other than class assignments, without permission from the school. 
  • Sound should be muted while using the Chromebook during school hours unless given alternative directions from the teacher. 
  • You may not stream any music (Pandora, Spotify etc.) or play any games on the Chromebook. 
  • Students must keep their passwords and usernames secure and they should not be shared. 
  • Students are to only use their assigned Chromebook. 
  • Inappropriate use of the Chromebooks will result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, JPJ taking back the device. 
  • If you damage or lose your Chromebook you may be charged up to $300.

Section 5: Student Rewards

Students who show good behavior and  effort to grow and become better can earn rewards: 

  • PROWL Cards: Earn these for good behavior and use them to buy fun stuff.
  • Birthday Wishes: Get a treat on your birthday!
  • Trading Cards: For going above and beyond,
  • you can earn these and then trade them in for special prizes.
  • Citizenship Activities: Join fun activities if you're being a good citizen in your classes (SEE CITIZENSHIP).
  • Panther of the Week/Quarter: Special recognition and prizes for being outstanding!

Section 6: Discipline

Discipline helps make our school a safe and fun place to learn. We work together to fix problems and learn from our mistakes.

  • Hallways: Walk in the hallways. Do not run, push, or play fight. There are many students in the hallways, so we want everyone to be safe. Students who play fight or are too rough will have to stay after school for 30 minutes as a consequence.
  • Classrooms: Each teacher has their own rules. You must follow these rules. You cannot leave the classroom without a hall pass. If you don't have a pass, an adult will take you to the restroom. Remember, the electronics rules are the same in every class and apply to hallways and bathrooms as well during class time.
  • Restrooms: Only one student should be in a stall at a time. If more than one student is in a stall, all students present are subject to a no-contact search by administration. Use the restroom during breaks so you don’t miss class. Do not write or draw on mirrors or walls.
  • Cafeteria: You can go outside during lunch, but you must eat your food in the cafeteria. The rule about no play fighting in the hallways also applies here, with the same consequence.
  • Consequences: If rules are broken, here are some possible consequences:
    • Talk with a teacher or principal
    • Call home to parents
    • Lunch detention
    • After-school detention
    • In-school suspension
    • Out-of-school suspension

If you have questions, you can ask Mr. Stephenson or Ms. Moore.

Section 7: Dress Code

Wearing the right clothes helps us all focus on learning and keeps us safe.

  • Guidelines:
    • Clothes must cover underwear.
    • Shirts cannot have words or pictures about things that are not allowed in school like alcohol, sexual language, tobacco, or drugs.
    • Hats are okay if they don’t have inappropriate words or pictures.
    • No hoods allowed because they hide your face.
    • Pants should be worn around your waist. No "sagging".
    • No tube tops, halter tops, or crop tops.

If you break the dress code, you can call home for different clothes or borrow some from school. School leaders decide what's okay to wear. See the graphic below for more information.

Section 8: Student Activities and Leadership Opportunities

We want you to join activities and become a leader!

  • After-school Activities:
    • We have activities after school from Monday to Friday, 3:10 PM - 4:00 PM. You don’t need to sign up; just come and have fun! All activities are free.
    • If you want to start a new club, find an adult to help, a meeting place, and fill out a form from Ms. Moore.
  • Night Events:
    • We have fun events at night like community nights and performances. You must follow school rules at these events. If you don’t, you will be asked to leave.
  • Student Leadership Opportunities:
    • If you want to be a leader, you can join these groups:
      • Student Body Officers
      • STRIVE
      • LIA
      • Peer Tutors
      • Club Leaders
      • Theater, choir, stage crew, or band
      • National Jr. Honor Society

We hope you find something you love and get involved!

Section 9: School Safety

The safety of every student and adult in our school is our top priority. Students play a vital role in keeping the school safe by reporting any behavior or issues to a trusted school adult, like a teacher or administrator. These reports can be made in person at school, by email, or through the SafeUT app or website. Also, to help ensure everyone's safety students, we want to remind everyone of the following school and district policies:

No possession, use, or sharing of any kind of:

  • illegal / controlled substances and other drug paraphernalia
  • tobacco / alcohol products
  • dangerous materials such as any kind of combustibles (lighters), explosives (fireworks or pop-its), chemicals, and harmful sprays
  • weapons or fake weapons of any kind
  • no more than an 8 hour dose of any prescribed or over the counter medication

Do not participate in any of the following activities: 

  • physical aggression or violence (real or play)
  • recording, or appearance of recording physical altercations.
  • creation or sharing of illicit and/or pornographic content