Week of March 1st

 AUTO-TRANSLATED sCHOOL <> hOME cOMMUNICATION

Did you know?.....

• Remind is a PAID resource available for all TTSD staff (teachers, FPAs, coaches, club advisors, etc.) to be used for classroom/group communication.
• Remind is a communication tool available to ALL CLASSROOM teachers
• Remind is automatically set up with your classroom roster(s) from Synergy
• Remind is accessible through Clever, using your Google Login.
• Remind uses the students "correspondence language" in Synergy to auto-translate messages to their preferred language when you send your message in English (or any language) -- WITH NO EXTRA STEPS
• Families can RESPOND to your messages in their preferred language and it AUTO translates to your preferred language (by default staff preferred language = English)
• For students over 13 yrs old, Remind is set to use the student's cell phone (in Synergy) to send/receive text messages.

HELPFUL ("KB") ARTICLES ON USING REMIND @ TTSD.

• Remind Overview for Staff
• Top 10 ways schools use Remind
• Create Custom Class
• Adding a Second Teacher to your Group/Class

 DOWN DAY WEEKEND - SUNDAY, March 5, 2022

The first Sunday of EACH month is reserved for the IT Department to perform disruptive (but necessary) maintenance on our networks systems.  With 24/7 access to online resources for our staff and students, we have reserved the FIRST Sunday of each month to perform this work.

Please note Sunday there will likely be disruption to various systems that may impact your access to: TTSD accounts, network resources (wifi), internet filter and Mac/iPad "Self Service"

"KB" = TTSD Knowledgebase (http://kb.ttsd.k12.or.us)

Week of February 5th - Down Day Feb 12th

DOWN DAY WEEKEND - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

The first Sunday of EACH month is reserved for the IT Department to perform disruptive (but necessary) maintenance on our networks systems.  With 24/7 access to online resources for our staff and students, we have reserved the FIRST Sunday of each month to perform this work.

Please note Sunday there will likely be disruption to various systems that may impact your access to: TTSD accounts, network resources (wifi), internet filter and Mac/iPad "Self Service"

Week of February 5, 2023

 

End of Term: Synergy TeacherVUE Tips to Post Report Card Grades:

• Elementary Teachers:
• Using the Grade book? 
• Posting Marks Overview - Homeroom
• Elementary - Entering Grades By Class
• Posting Marks - Music, PE, and ELL
• Using The Elementary Report Card Comment Bank
• Secondary Teachers:
• Posting Grades for Middle and High School Classes

New Term: Synergy and Canvas Setup Tips:

As we begin QT3 / SM2, here are some helpful tips to get you started with success:

• Make sure you are truly "seeing" your students by using their preferred name ("Nickname") on reports, seating charts, attendance lists.  Students have the option to update their preferred name through the office/counseling office, to use the correct name for students in TeacherVUE, you'll want to ensure you are using the TeacherVUE "Nickname" in seating charts, etc. to use student's preferred name. 
• For secondary teachers, make sure you have "Nightly Sync" set to ON for Canvas assignments to automatically flow to TeacherVUE. 
• Canvas Grade Passback Nightly Sync
•  ** Your school MTSS team relies on your Synergy grades to be current
• ALL TTSD students should have the opportunity to build technology skills (ISTE standards) and using Canvas for digital workflow, missed assignments & opportunities to demonstrate proficiency one consistent way across all classrooms to support these necessary skills.
• 2022-23 Canvas Course Setup Checklist - Secondary Teachers

Week of November 28, 2022

Protect Yourself, Your Data & Your Students' Data

'Tis The Season....for giving and sharing.  However, it's also a high season for theft and scammers.  Please review the following to ensure you are protected 

@ TTSD...

1. Long-term (24hrs+) storage of student and staff data should be limited to TTSD file servers or TTSD Google Drive. Student and staff data on your TTSD laptop for longer than 24 hrs is not permitted....this includes your downloads folder.  
1. TIPS:
1. Develop a habit of emptying your "Downloads" every few days.
2. After downloading student (Synergy) or staff (IV) data on your laptop, use it immediately and delete it OR upload it to Google Drive and then delete it from your laptop.
2. Only use TTSD approved apps and software with students.  Using Google to log in to an online resource is not safe unless the vendor has signed a Data Privacy Agreement (check here to view TTSD approved apps if the apps you use are safe...please STOP using any that are not listed and place a tech request to seek guidance on getting the vendor to sign a Data Privacy Agreement.
3. Do not leave your laptop in your car.

@ HOME... 

1. Use secure passwords and a password manager like Bitwarden to help you manage your passwords.
1. Sign up for Bitwarden HERE (free version)
2. Install Bitwarden extension for Chrome HERE
3. Bitwarden Tutorial 
2. Do not use the same password for your bank, email, Google, Facebook, etc. Using Bitwarden (or another password manager) allows you to remember ONE main password and let the password manager provide unique passwords for each site you use. 
3. Be EXTRA cautious of "great deals" you find on an unknown website or through an email that sounds too good to be true.  

📌  BE SAFE; THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!   

    

Down Day Weekend - Sunday, December 4, 2022

The first Sunday of EACH month is reserved for the IT Department to perform disruptive (but necessary) maintenance on our networks systems.  With 24/7 access to online resources for our staff and students, we have reserved the FIRST Sunday of each month to perform this work.

Please note Sunday there will likely be disruption to various systems that may impact your access to: TTSD accounts, network resources (wifi), internet filter and Mac/iPad "Self Service"

 

Week of October 31, 2022

Update Your Computer - Internet Filter & Mac OS

It's important that you complete a few necessary steps to ensure this weekend's work will be successful for you on Monday, Nov 7th.

If you have a TTSD Mac (Macbook laptop or iMac lab for your program), please follow these 2 steps by Friday Nov 3.  NOTE: Both steps below will restart the computer. Staff is advised to save all their work before attempting either action.

STEP 1: Upgrade LightSpeed Internet Filter

1. Open Self Service application.   
   
   
2. Click "Install" on "Lightspeed 2.0.2" 
   
   
   
   
3. Your computer will need to be restarted (please note you will need to know your to login after restart)

STEP 2: Upgrade your Mac to MacOS 12.6.1 (remember the importance of this from your recent 2022 Cybersecurity Canvas course training...)

1. Click the Apple icon (upper right corner) --> select System Preferences.                
2. Find and click "Software Update" 
3. Verify the update says Monterey 12.6.1, after doing so, click "Update Now".     
   
4. Your computer will restart (please note you will need to know your TTSD account to password after restart)

Update Your Computer - Internet Filter on Windows Computers

If you have a TTSD Windows (laptop or lab for your program), please follow the steps below when prompted on your device.

1. Your TTSD computer will prompt you to update your "LightSpeed" internet filter software in the coming days.  Please note this is a valid software update.  Please accept this prompt/update.  You will want to makes sure you have any open files saved as this will likely restart your computer on its own - if not please restart your computer after the installation is complete. (please note you will need to know your TTSD account to password after restart)

Down Day Weekend - Sunday, November 6, 2022

The first Sunday of EACH month is reserved for the IT Department to perform disruptive (but necessary) maintenance on our networks systems.  With 24/7 access to online resources for our staff and students, we have reserved the FIRST Sunday of each month to perform this work.

Please note THIS Sunday there will likely be disruption to various systems that may impact your access to: TTSD phone system, network resources (wifi), internet filter and Mac/iPad "Self Service"

Week of September 26th

 Down Day Weekend - Sunday, October 2, 2022

The first Sunday of EACH month is reserved for the IT Department to perform disruptive (but necessary) maintenance on our networks systems.  With 24/7 access to online resources for our staff and students, we have reserved the FIRST Sunday of each month to perform this work.

Please note Sunday there will likely be disruption to various systems that may impact your access to: TTSD phone system, network resources (wifi), internet filter and Mac/iPad "Self Service"

OCTOBER is Cyber Security Month 

Please be on the lookout for TTSD's own Cyber Security Course (invitation coming through Canvas - https://canvas.ttsdschools.org).  Please complete this class between Oct 3 and 14th.

Other useful resources to learn more about Cybersecurity Month:

• Teach Others How to Stay Safe Online
• Be A Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion

Week of September 19th

Digital Resources for Students at TTSD:

As we have launched into the 2022-23 school year, there have been many requests about apps that our staff and students use on a daily basis.  Here at TTSD we take the protection of student and staff data very seriously.  Student and staff data should not be shared to an outside vendor without approval.  See below for how to request this for new apps/resources. Below are some highlights of the current TTSD approved apps in use, how to access them, and how to request something new:

1. What are the current approved TTSD apps for students?  Click HERE for a full list!
2. How do students access these apps?  Most TTSD approved apps are available either through Clever sign in/or ipad app OR Canvas (like Edgems, or the new Comprehensive Health Curriculum for secondary)
3. Found a new educational app that requires students to sign in?  Please complete the App Request form before using any digital resources/apps that require a student to log in.  IT will work with the vendor to sign the Oregon data confidentiality agreement to ensure our student data is safe.

Google Docs, Sheets & eMail Tips & Tricks

TTSD has been a Google Apps for Education district for over a decade.  However, every day there is something new we learn to do in Google Docs.  Here are a few fun tips and tricks:

• 
  Did you know in Google Docs...
• You can insert special characters using Insert >> Special Characters menu item? You can then search for the character or DRAW it to find a match.
• You can turn on speech to text to create your document using the Tools menu > Voice Typing?

• Did you know in Google Sheets...
• By highlighting the column header of the sheet after you have filtered, you will get a count of how many rows are remaining?

• 
  Did you know in GMail....
• You can learn a staff member's job title and phone extension by hovering over their name after entering it in the To: field on an email?

• Did you know in Google Calendar....
• You can enter the people you want to meet with in the "Meet With" box on the left and it will show you your schedule on top of their free/busy schedule to find the best time to meet. You can then click and drag the time slot you want and it will create an event with all of those listed in "Meet With" already invited.

And... How to Type Special Characters on a Mac: