FREQUENTLY ASKED TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 FREQUENTLY ASKED TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS txconnect (Gradebook) Accelerated Reader (AR) Notifications (General) School Messenger (phone calls) MySchoolAccount (Lunch) General Technology Questions txconnect (Gradebook) Can I view my child(ren) s grades and attendance on line? Where do I begin to get a txconnect account so that I may view my child(ren) s grades and attendance? We are new to Salado ISD, how do I gain access to view my child(ren) s grades on line? I am not receiving alerts to triggers I created in txconnect. I have an active account in txconnect but my youngest child just started attending school this year, how do I add him to my txconnect account? I forgot my txconnect password. I cannot access txconnect from work but can do so from home. Why? About txconnect SchoolMessenger (phone calls) I am not receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls. I wish to stop receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls. I am receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls but have no children attending Salado ISD. About SchoolMessenger Accelerated Reader (AR) How do I sign up to view my child(ren) s AR points and progress?

2 I have difficulty seeing parts of my child s progress in AR? About AR MySchoolAccount (Lunch) Can I view my child(ren) s cafeteria charges on line? I do not know my child s student number. How do I get this information? Can I make payments towards my child s caferia account? How do I sign up to view my child(ren) s cafeteria account balance. About MySchoolAccount Notifications (General) I want to receive s from Salado ISD regarding my children. I want to stop receiving from Salado ISD. Whom do I contact to change my address on file? How many address systems does Salado ISD have? I am not receiving from one of my child s campus but I am receiving s from another campus. About General Technology Questions I have tried to contact my child s teacher and have received no response? Who should I contact next? What other tools are available to me as a parent? Can I view my child(ren) s grades and attendance on line?

3 Answer Yes, you may view attendance and grades on line via txconnect. Can I view my child(ren) s cafeteria charges on line? Answer Yes, parents may view their child(ren) s eating and buying habits for the past 30 days as well as make payments towards their child(ren) s lunch room account balance using the web based program called myschoolaccount.com. To create this account, you need to know what your child s student number is? I do not know my child s student number. How do I get this information? Answer Your child s student number is a random sequential local identification number assigned to your child at enrollment. This number is a 4 or 5 digit number and is the number your child uses in all aspects at school. This number is used in the cafeteria, on the computers, in the library, in accelerated reader etc. If you do not know your child s number, simply ask him/her what they use in the cafeteria or on the PC. If your child is too young to remember, simply call your campus and they will be able to provide that information to you. Can I make payments towards my child s caferia account? Answer Yes. Parents may make payments through myschoolaccount.com. Salado ISD prefers to use a cashless lunchroom system as it improves serving time, reduces mistakes as well as the potential for children to lose money prior to lunch. I want to receive s from Salado ISD regarding my children. Answer Salado ISD attempts to use the address on file via your child s registration card but this process is very manual, labor intensive and prone to mistakes. The fastest and most reliable way to get yourself added to the district distribution list is to visit the following link and complete the information completely. Your request will normally be processed within 48 hours. To request to be added to the distribution list, please visit I want to stop receiving from Salado ISD.

4 Answer Simply visit and complete the form. Your request will normally be processed within 48 hours. Whom do I contact to change my address on file? Answer There are 2 methods to change your address on file. The 1 st is to visit and complete the form. The 2 nd option is to ebragg@saladoisd.org and request a change. Please be as specific as possible to make the change. Information needed is old address, new address, your name and your child(ren) s name. This changes your address in the district s distribution list. To change an address on file in txconnect, simply log in to your account and change your address. How many address systems does Salado ISD have? Answer That is a tricky question. Big picture, you can receive from 5 sources at Salado ISD. The 1 st source is the parent distribution list that is maintained by IT internally. This address is typically on file from the registration card of your children and is kept in the student management system. This information is checked manually 2ce a year and is not the most reliable way to receive as it is prone to mistakes, omissions and is extremely time consuming. The better solution is to complete the form at and request to be added. The 2 nd source is through txconnect. This area allows you to create an account, set an address and view your child(ren) s grades and attendance. Parent s are responsible for keeping this address current as it is the address you create and have access to. The 3 rd source is via myschoolaccount.com and this account is also controlled by you, the parent. The 4 th source is through School Messenger. This is the address we keep on file when we send telephone messages. The address originates from the student management system, which contains the address of the registration card you completed on your child. Finally, the 5 th system is from individual lists teachers and administrators may receive or have on file personally. These personnel maintain their own lists and on occasion, will have an address not reflected elsewhere in the district. I am not receiving from one of my child s campus but I am receiving s from another campus. Answer Likely one of your children just entered the system or they left and returned to Salado ISD. Simply ebragg@saladoisd.org and list the issue, your name, and your children s names and grade and the issue will be corrected.

5 How do I sign up to view my child(ren) s cafeteria account balance. Answer Simply read the letter found at Directions on creating an account are outlined in this letter to parents. Where do I begin to get a txconnect account so that I may view my child(ren) s grades and attendance? Answer This is a 2 step process. 1 st Request your child(ren) s portal key. This request form is located at Give Salado personnel 3 5 business days to verify the information and for you to receive the information back. Next, sign up with an account you create by visiting Use the portal key information your were provided and follow the directions on line. I have an active account in txconnect but my youngest child just started attending school this year, how do I add him to my txconnect account? Answer ebragg@saladoisd.org and request the Portal ID for your new child. In the , please include your name, your account information and the children names already on your account so that this information can be verified. I am not receiving alerts to triggers I created in txconnect. Answer There are several possible reasons you are not receiving alerts. The 1 st and most likely reason is that you did not set up the alerts correctly. Please visit and look at the triggers section to set up your triggers. A 2 nd reason you are not receiving s triggers is that your address on file in txconnect is old or outdated. Please verify that the address on file is correct. Another reason you may not be receiving triggers is that there is a SMTP relay issue within Salado ISD. If your address is valid and the triggers are set correctly, simply ebragg@saladoisd.org and notify him of the issue you are having. I am not receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls. Answer The phone number used by Salado ISD is dependent upon several factors and the logic to decide which phone number to use for your child is based upon the information you provide on the registration card, your family situation, cell number vs home number etc. If you would like to change the number we use, simply notify your child s campus and the changes will be made in the system.

6 Within 24 hours, these changes will propagate to the rest of the systems in Salado ISD, including school messenger. We are new to Salado ISD, how do I gain access to view my child(ren) s grades on line? Answer See Where do I begin to get a txconnect account so that I may view my child(ren) s grades and attendance? I have tried to contact my child s teacher and have received no response? Who should I contact next? Answer If you have ed and called your child s teacher and have received no response within 48 hours, we ask that you try once again. It is possible the teacher is in training or sick. If you receive no response after the 2 nd attempt, we encourage you to contact the campus principal. What other tools are available to me as a parent? Answer This is a broad question and is dependent upon the type of service you request. As is, important services to you, the parent, can be located on the web site under Parent section. As additional services are added, you will find information for them there. I forgot my txconnect password? Answer Visit and click Forgot User name and password. You will be prompted to answer your user id and a hint question before you can create a new password. I cannot access txconnect from work but can do so from home. Why? Answer Salado ISD uses additional port numbers to publish web sites other than the standard ports normally used for the world wide web. You will notice that the site address is part of the address you need to access the ParentConnect portal. The 7000 behind the site name denotes the port number used. If you cannot access the web site from work but can from home, the issue is your IT department has blocked port 7000 traffic. Simply talk to

7 your IT group and ask them to open port 7000 for you. In the future, Salado ISD may revert back to using standard ports only but that is dependent upon several other factors. I wish to stop receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls. Answer This is not a recommended solution as SchoolMessenger is used 1 st and foremost as a notification system to Alert you of safety and security issues that may occur. If you decide to opt out, please ebragg@saladoisd.org and under the subject header in the , please type opt out of school messenger notifications. In the body of the , please include your name, your child(ren) s names and their grades. Programmatic changes will then be made to remove you from the call list permanently. Please be aware that opting out will remove you from all automated calls made regardless of the scope and severity of the situation. It will not remove you from receiving calls from the office regarding your child. I am receiving SchoolMessenger phone calls but have no children attending Salado ISD. Answer Please ebragg@saladoisd.org and in the subject line type wrong contact information. In the body of the , please write a short description of messages you have recently received and if they pertained to a student, what the student s name was. Also, please ensure you list the phone number (including area code) of the number that received the call and a phone number where you may be reached should we have questions. How do I sign up to view my child(ren) s AR points and progress? Answer Visit and sign up. Please allow 3 5 business days for your request to be processed. I have difficulty seeing parts of my child s progress in AR? Answer Make sure the computer you are using has the latest version of Adobe Flash player and Java being used. You can download and install the free version of Adobe Flash at and Sun Java at About txconnect txconnect is an online gradebook that allows you to see your child(ren) s grades, attendance and overall academic progress during the school year. You can create triggers where you

8 receive alerts when your child is absent, receives a poor score and so forth. You create the account using a valid address, user name and password. The system is not designed to allow others to reset your password or alter your account settings so you are encouraged to write down your user name and password in the event you forget it. It is also your responsibility to keep up with your address as any changes will not be seen in this program unless you do it after you log in. About SchoolMessenger SchoolMessenger is an automated telephone system that Salado ISD uses 1 st and foremost, to notify you in the event of an emergency or an alert. Each campus as well as athletics also use this system to notify their parents of activities or events that will occur that they want to make you aware of. Salado ISD also uses this system to notify you of your child(ren) s lunch balance when their account balance falls below zero dollars. Use of this system is minimal but it is 1 st and foremost an emergency notification system. About AR Accelerated Reader is a reading program that grades K 8 children use as part of their academics. Teachers use AR to monitor reading progress, comprehension and to encourage all Salado ISD children to become great readers. About MySchoolAccount MySchoolAccount is a program that Salado ISD uses that tie into the student cafeteria management system used by Salado ISD. With MySchoolAccount, you can view your child(ren) s eating and purchasing history for the last 30 days, deposit money into their account as well as shift money between your children. About Salado ISD uses normal messages to notify parents of school activities and events. Administrators, coaches and teachers all use this system to communicate directly to parents, to a group of parents or to the community as a whole. This has been and still is the best communication method used here, and how most district and campus notifications are delivered.