| A MESSAGE TO PARENTS FROM TEACHERS ABOUT THE PARENT PORTAL |
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Dear Parent,
As always, we welcome any opportunity to communicate with parents. The opening of the Parent Portal creates yet another avenue of communication for parents and teachers. Used appropriately, it can provide valuable information about a student’s academic progress in his/her classes. As a parent using this system, you can expect to find entries in every class for midterm and quarter averages. Some teachers will choose to use this program as their regular grade book, and in those classes you will also find entries for individual assignments. Please keep in mind that grades are works in progress until they are recorded by the district at the end of each term. The grade in progress on any given day may or may not accurately reflect the anticipated grade at the end of the term. There are many factors that could significantly change a student’s average very quickly such as the completion of make up work or the entry of long-term assignments/projects that are recorded as a single major grade. Also keep in mind that grades only present part of the picture of your student’s progress in school. If you have questions about your student’s grades, please discuss them with your student first. Of course, you should always feel free to contact the teacher if you wish to discuss your student’s grades, behavior, or overall progress in a class. District 228 Teachers
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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1. What kind of computer equipment do I need to view PowerSchool?
2. I can't seem to access the site with the provided login and password. 3. What can I see on the PowerSchool site? 4. I have a question about my student's grade. Whom should I call? 5. Can other people see my child's information? 6. I try to log on to the site, but I keep getting an error message, 'login has expired' or ' cannot access site'. What is wrong? 7. My child's grades don't seem to add up right. 8. I'm not getting my e-mail updates at all or on a regular basis. 9. Why can't I see my student's GPA any more? |
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| 1. "What kind of computer equipment do I need to view PowerSchool?" Almost any computer with an internet connection can access the system. It is recommended that you use Internet Explorer version 5 or above. Those folks with modems slower than 56K need not worry, as the site has smaller graphics, and load times are rather snappy. |
| 2. "I can't seem to access the site with the provided login and password." Make sure your caps lock key is set properly. Your login and password may be a combination of letters and numbers. If your student is new to the school, contact the PPS Secretary at the High School. Bremen - Judy Robinson Hillcrest - Vicki Intoe Oak Forest - Karen Krestan Tinley Park - Claudia Alred |
| 4. I have a question about my student's grade. Whom should I call?
It's recommended that you contact the teacher directly using the handy e-mail link in PowerSchool. Here is a list of the individuals or departments that can help you with specific requests: Grading/Assignment questions: E-Mail or call the teacher. Schedule questions: Bremen - Mr. Ed Lipowski Hillcrest - Ms. Beatrice Haynes Oak Forest - Mrs. Jane Dempsey Tinley Park - Mrs. Rhonda Cracco Report Card and Official Transcripts: Bremen - Sharlene Innocenti Hillcrest - Debbie Woods Oak Forest - Debbie Bolek Tinley Park - Patti Grover Technical issues:(NON-PASSWORD Related issues only) Curtiss Strietelmeier Director of Educational Technology 389-1175 Ext. 2023 |
| 5. "Can other people see my child's information?" Not unless they have your login and password. If you think it has been compromised, please call the school as soon as possible. As for general Internet intrusions, the system itself uses the latest and best security protocols available. Also, all access is logged, showing the source of all access attempts. |
| 6. "I try to log on to the site, but I keep getting an error message, 'login has expired' or ' cannot access site'. What is wrong?" All browsers are not created equal, and some refuse to give up what they have in their cache. In Internet Explorer, make sure pages are set to update "always" (Under "Internet Options"). If that doesn't work, empty your cache. |
| 7. "My child's grades don't seem to add up right." The only requirement, based on board-authorized procedure, is that a semester grade is made up of 40% of the two quarters, and 20% of the exam grade. Computations for grading within the quarter are up to the teachers, who may have various methods. For instance, one teacher may weight a test much higher than homework, where another might make no distinction. Please contact the child's teacher if you have any grading questions. There is a handy link on your login page, just click on the teacher's name. |
| 8. "I'm not getting my e-mail updates at all or on a regular basis." Every day the PowerSchool server searches for those parents who asked for an update to be sent out via e-mail, and they are sent at midnight. There could be a few things holding up mail: a. The mailbox of the recipient is full. b. There is a filter in place on either the client server or their e-mail client that is dropping or re-directing the mail by identifying it as "junk" or "spam". c. The e-mail address is entered wrong. d. The server is "off" or "down" at the time of send. |
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9. "Why can't I see my student's GPA any more? "We normally show GPA's at semester's end". |
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