This year’s district focus is “Listen to Learn. Listen to Lead,” represented by Bears Ears.
When we needed a bear mascot that connected our theme with learning, Linden brought the idea to life through 3D printing.
He created a prototype, listened to feedback, made revisions and produced the final design. He has since printed bears for administrative teams and directors across the district.
Linden, your talent, work ethic and willingness to listen reflect the qualities of the San Juan Portrait of a Graduate. We are proud to recognize you as San Juan Ready!
Blanding Elementary School Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Today’s community ribbon-cutting and tour marked a major milestone for San Juan County. Medicine man Nathan Brady led a traditional house blessing to honor the land and community.
During remarks, Dr. Christine Fitzgerald noted the building features more than 170 doors, a fitting metaphor for students because when one door closes, another always opens.
The new 87,000-square-foot facility replaces a building from 1955.
Highlights of the new school:
Cultural awareness embedded in the layout and a color palette inspired by San Juan County nature.
Dedicated spaces for preschool through fifth grade, special education, and STEM learning.
A large gymnasium with seating for 600.
Separate, safer drop-off loops for parents and buses.
Thank you to everyone who made this $47 million project possible, including a $20 million state appropriation. Students start classes soon.
For your reference, the timeline for the eclipse (Mountain Daylight Time) is as follows:
* 7:23 p.m. – 7:43 p.m.: Penumbral eclipse begins
* 8:33 p.m.: Partial eclipse phase begins
* 10:12 p.m.: Maximum/Greatest eclipse
* 11:51 p.m.: Partial eclipse ends
* 1:01 a.m. (August 28): Penumbral eclipse ends
The deep partial lunar eclipse takes place on Thursday night, August 27, 2026, into the early morning of Friday, August 28, visible across Utah and Time and Date.Eclipse Timeline (Mountain Daylight Time)7:23 p.m. – 7:43 p.m.: Penumbral eclipse begins (subtle shading starts, around moonrise).8:33 p.m.: Partial eclipse phase begins (dark "bite" visible on the Moon).10:12 p.m.: Maximum/Greatest eclipse (roughly 96% of the Moon is covered by Earth's umbral shadow, turning a copper-red hue).11:51 p.m.: Partial eclipse ends.1:01 a.m. (Aug. 28): Penumbral eclipse ends.
Utah Attorney General’s Student Advisory Council: Applications Open
San Juan School District juniors and seniors have an opportunity to make sure the voices of our communities are heard at the state level.
The Office of the Utah Attorney General is accepting applications for its 2026–27 Student Advisory Council.
Council members meet monthly to:
• Share student perspectives on issues facing the Attorney General’s Office
• Hear from state leaders and legal professionals
• Learn how to make an impact in their schools and communities
Distance is not a barrier. Students from San Juan County can participate in meetings virtually.
We would love to see students from our district and communities represented on the council.
Applications are open to juniors and seniors and close Friday, September 4.
Learn more and apply:
Mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate! Our 33rd Annual Heritage Language Conference is happening at Whitehorse High School on November 20th, 2026. Stay tuned for the agenda!
Canvas recently notified San Juan School District that no SJSD data was compromised.
You are receiving this important security notice because our records indicate you, or a student for whom you are or were listed as a custodial contact, currently or previously had a Canvas account within the San Juan School District's Tenant.
Important Security Notice Regarding the Canvas Platform
Instructure, the vendor for Canvas, recently experienced a security incident involving unauthorized activity that resulted in data exfiltration. San Juan School District (SJSD) was notified that its data was impacted.
Data Believed to Be Compromised
Based on the investigation, potentially impacted data includes:
Names
Email addresses
Student identification numbers
Messages exchanged within the Canvas platform
Instructure found no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers (such as Social Security numbers), or financial information were involved.
Recommendations
Because the potentially compromised data includes names and email addresses, we urge all affected individuals to be extremely vigilant against targeted phishing attacks, as this type of information is frequently leveraged for that purpose.
Next Steps and Notifications
Canvas has stated that they will individually contact users whose specific data is found to have been exfiltrated once their data review is complete.
For further details and frequently asked questions, please visit Instructure’s dedicated incident update page:
Instructure Incident Update
Canvas recently experienced a security breach, and while the full details are still being reviewed, San Juan School District is taking proactive steps to protect student data.
As a precaution, the district has temporarily paused the automatic sharing of information between Canvas and Aspire until required security updates can be completed.
What students should do:
✅ Continue using Canvas as usual
✅ Complete and submit assignments in Canvas
✅ Check grades and feedback directly in Canvas
During this time:
New students may not appear in Canvas immediately
Grades from Canvas may not transfer to Aspire right away
No student work or grades are lost
This temporary pause allows us to update security protections and ensure student information remains safe. Once updates are completed, syncing will resume automatically.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we prioritize the safety of student data.
Urgent Alert: Due to a power shutoff at MVHS, both MVHS and TES will dismiss early today, March 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM. Please make arrangements for student pickup or arrival. Busing will begin at noon.
Exciting news! Our 32nd Annual SJSD Heritage Language Conference is coming up soon. Please register and mark your calendars. It will be held on October 24, 2025, at the USU-Blanding Events Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Register soon!
San Juan School District is dedicated to fostering educational environments where differing ideas are welcome and respectful disagreement is possible. We appreciate the amazing young people and their families who support our vision of Unite, Educate, and Empower. Governor Cox's Message to Utah Students
Hello Parents,
Due to a brief power outage last night, our phone service is currently experiencing a disruption. Our IT department is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, please reach out via email or other available communication channels if you need assistance. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Thank you
