Goals of this Session: Strategize as to how/why/who to promote ParentConnect … create a goal of over 50% of parents active and onboard … how can that happen? Confirm: Your admin world will be forever positively changed if parents are online – it is a total win-win! Talk about StudentConnect – who would use and why? PC/SC Connect

Best statement ever: On Facebook from a Seven Oaks Kid: Quote: Whoever came up with ParentConnect is a god damned dirty asshole!’ PC/SC Connect

If you are not using ParentConnect: You have to rely on your school public website (no membership required), teacher websites, teacher selected gradebooks, and things like Facebook to communicate. This strategy will take significantly more work on everyone’s part and is problematic: –inconsistent, –no passwords (or have to manage manually), –difficult for parents to identify with (not a one-stop shop)! PC/SC Connect

Bulletin Web Form This yr Parent Connect This yr Images Added This yr (not REP) Calendar SD72 42 / 055, High Schls DELTA 227 / 57519, %605 Schls SD22 64/3201, ,0004 Schls SD83 7 / 355, ,000None MLAKE 7 / None S OAKS 12 / None83, HC Avery RETSD None / None33, Schls Student Features Used at Districts No other Web features can be successful Until we get Parents onboard!

Parent Connect versus StudentConnect Students should not be using ParentConnect. Our goal is to be able to trust that it is Parents using it only so we can offer additional features: –Eg: Approving their child’s absences by adding/updating reasons! Wouldn’t this eliminate tons of calls and signed papers …. Do not promote ParentConnect as something students should be signing into. PC/SC Connect

Features that will politely force Parents to be active: Online course requests starting at feeder school! What a great way to introduce incoming students and parents! eFile Report Cards, printed copy only upon request Online web form responses for all that paper that has to get signed Online webform for student verification form Access to student progress from teacher gradebook application (HUGE) PC/SC Connect

Features that will keep them active: Access to student absence, schedule information View/maintain demographic information. Maintain additional emergency release & contact information. All audited in STU.190/STU.290. Ensure that STU.324 family = Y not L Access to student folder Bulletin Board messaging Send Message/communication with Teachers School Calendar PC/SC Connect

Ideas in reaching well over 50% happy PCs onboard: Know the product fully yourself and commit to it! Market PC always as being a positive offering for parents – more timely and accurate information, access, reduced paper, better communication – and ‘green’ Offer one-to-one assistance at all public events Do big screen demonstrations in any/all public events. Also discuss at the PAC and other committee meetings to inform/show them in a positive fashion. Create great documentation and if given out must be followed up over and over across the year to Ensure that you force their interest in selecting from the force list and frequently (not just once a year for course requests) Ensure that you keep their interest – use the extra’s to know that those onboard must sign in every few weeks for something. PC/SC Connect

Tracking who is online Visible in AC,TC, STU.255 … But currently if a parent signs in as one child, flips to another - we are not recording this on the second student **Need to! Report STU.557 or PARENTCOBC.. Both consider all guardians. PC/SC Connect

Parent Connect Authorization: If you create a STU.324 blank school, blank district – CIMS will not remove the ParentConnect IDs when a student withdraws meaning parent will have access longterm/forever (Delta SD doing this) Feel strongly that districts need to move to random password strategy – current strategy is not secure! –Encourage all current users to change their password –One time change all pwds that have not been changed –All future adds – random password PC/SC Connect

Parent Connect Authorization Reminder: Forgot my password is a fabulous tool for parents to know/get their password Reminder: CIMS does all of the work. You have STU.255 to manage passwords but each night CIMS will take away and provide passwords based on enrollment. –Students moving between schools will retain their password PC/SC Connect

Setup – STU.324 PC/SC Connect Random passwords: do not change To ‘Y’ without proper planning! Add this to your yearend/yearstart notes if you want to eliminate things like showing homeroom over the summer

StudentConnect CIMS can auto-generate userid/passwords nightly or upload nightly from an IT file. GOAL: There is only one userid and pwd for kids – For SC and for network. Having that info on CIMS is excellent as it is available to AC,TC, CIMS Core and reportable …. HUGE !! Very similar view as PC.. Reasons to be on SC –Can edit Cell Phone and EXCELLENT for TC Communication. Teachers LOVE if they could have these details –Can add their own course selections (can still add PC authorization) –Teacher Gradebook is being used – huge potential for SC PC/SC Connect