Technology Times

This is just another reminder that parents and students can now view their results from the 2023 3-8 NYS Math, ELA, and Science assessments. We've also recently uploaded our first Aimsweb+ benchmark reports for each student. These are all available in Porfolio+ through PowerSchool.

To access these documents in Portfolio + you will need to log into the parent/student portal through a browser like Edge, Chrome, or Safari. You can use the button on our district website or click this link. Here are some detailed Portfolio + instructions

***If you need assistance setting up your parent portal, please contact the main office of your child's school.

These days we are on information overload. Communication can be overwhelming and confusing at times. I'm experiencing this with my own children right now. The more activities they do, the more communication I have to keep track of.

My goal here is to try to help you prioritize your efforts when trying to locate important information specific information.

1. School Website: The school website should be considered your primary source of information. If you're looking for it, it can most likely be found here. Some common items of interest include:

• Superintendent's Weekly Communications
• Principal's Newsletters
• School Announcements
• Parent/Student Resources
• District Calendar
• Athletics Schedules and Information
• Lunch Menus
• Contact Information
• Various Forms
• Board of Education Information
• ...and much more!

I have included a video below to help you understand the overall structure and organization of the website so you can easily locate the information that you're looking for.

2. Mass Communication:

• Blackboard (Parent Link): Every district-wide and building-wide communication goes through Blackboard (which has parentlink in the address). These messages are actively pushed to you because they contain "need to know" information.
• Every message will be sent via email, text, and in the Lew-Port app. When appropriate, these messages will also be posted on Twitter (X) and Facebook as well. They will also be posted on the website.
• It is extremely important that you have up-to-date email address and phone numbers in PowerSchool. If you don't you will miss vital information.

• SeeSaw: While SeeSaw is still being used by the teachers in the PEC, major building-wide communications will come through via Blackboard to be consistent with all the other buildings.

3. Social Media: The district maintains multiple social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. All these feeds are available for viewing through our Lew-Port app. You will have the option to select the feeds you're interested in following and see them all in one place. Of course you may still view them directly in your favorite social media platforms as well.

4. Remind and Team Snap: Students participating in clubs and athletics will generally rely on these two platforms: Remind and Team Snap (for athletics). These platforms allow for quick, timely communications that only need to go to relatively small groups of students. You will get information about schedule changes, practices, etc. Make sure if your child participates in a club or sport that you inquire about these communication methods. Some teachers will also use Google Classroom for this purpose. If you're signed up for guardian summaries, this information will come to you directly.

The following contains information for PEC Parents (K-2) only.

As we approach the beginning of November, we need to ensure that all students have the ability to participate in virtual learning experiences in the event of an emergency school closing.

We understand that some parents are NOT interested in taking on the responsibility of having a device come home every night with their young child just for this purpose. We also understand that some parents will require this device if their child is going to be able to participate in virtual learning if/when that occurs.

With that in mind, we will allow parents the opportunity to request or decline an iPad based on their needs and preferences. Please keep an eye out for this letter that will be coming home with your child. Please fill it out and return it to the teacher as soon as possible.

• If you accept the iPad, it will be sent home nightly just in case there is an emergency closing the following day. It will NOT be sent with a charger since iPads are capable of holding a charge for about 10 hours of use and for weeks while in standby. It will have more than enough charge to get you through up to 2 consecutive snow days. We need to keep the chargers in school so the iPads can be charged for class.
• If you decline the iPad, just make sure that you have any device at home that is capable of connecting to the internet where the student can access Google Meet, SeeSaw, etc. PCs, Macs, most tablets, chromebooks, or even smart phones are capable of getting a student through one of these days. Your child will still maintain their assigned iPad but it will stay in school.

Considerations for the iPad: If your child is bringing home an iPad nightly please consider the following:

• Avoid packing the iPad AND a water bottle in your child's backpack. It will likely spill and damage the iPad.
• Avoid using up the charge on the iPad when not required. This could impact your ability for the child to have a charged battery if there is an unexpected school closing. It is best to just leave it in their backpack with the power off.
• Avoid entering any of your personal information or accounts into the iPad. Only students' school accounts should be on the iPad. We can not guarantee your privacy and security if you do this.
• Do everything that you can to ensure the iPad is kept out of harms way. We've seen iPads that were left on the floor or on chairs get cracked when someone accidentally steps on them or sits on them.
• If your device is damaged, please let us know as soon as possible. We will do our best to work with you to alleviate some of the cost of repair.

Director of Technology & Data

Lewiston-Porter Central Schools

Email: nhill@lew-port.com
Website: www.lew-port.com/technology_services
Phone: (716) 286-7295
Facebook: Facebook.com/LewistonPorterCentralSchools/
Twitter: @lewportcsd