Contacts in PowerTeacher

PowerSchool is going through a transition from static and limited contact fields to an unlimited contact model. The problem is many areas of PowerSchool still access the legacy contact fields. There are ways to connect new contact data to some of the legacy fields but it is awkward and perpetuates the use of the legacy fields. 

In the previous post two blank spreadsheet reports were developed and made available to PowerTeacher. Two additional reports have been added; Class Roster Contact 1 and Class Roster Contact 2. These reports list the students first and second custodial contacts respectively. The reports include the student name, contact name, relationship, email address, and phone number. Access these reports the same way as the Blank Spreadsheet reports in the previous post.

We have also added a Plug-in that makes all student contacts available in PowerTeacher Pro. You will see essentially the same information as the office staff.

To access individual student contact information:

• Open PowerTeacher Pro
• Select a Student
• On the right side of  the drop down next to the students name select Contacts

This will display all of the contacts for the student as entered by the office

Custom PowerTeacher Reports

During a recent PowerTeacher training a request was made to create a spreadsheet like class roster. This report has been created and published to PowerTeacher in two formats. Blank Spreadsheet - 32 will display up to 32 students and Blank Spreadsheet - 40 will handle up to 40 students.

To access these reports from PowerTeacher:

• Select the printer icon for the class you want to print a spreadsheet roster

• From the "Which report would you like to print?" drop down select the desired report.
• Choose any additional options and click on the Submit button
• The Reports Queue will be displayed
• When the report is complete the View link will be displayed
• Click on the View link to open a PDF of the report

                     

• Right-click to print the report

The report has alternating shaded row with student names and blank columns for your use.

If there are other custom reports you would find useful submit a help desk ticket to get it on the report development list.

PowerTeacher Support

Starting a new school year is full of challenges and this year we have an abundance with the implementation of PowerSchool and it's supporting applications. This post is an effort to provide information and consolidate some resources so you can find the help you need quickly.

PowerSchool has several primary components:

• PowerSchool (Admin) - The admin side of PowerSchool used by office staff and other to manage or access student data.
• PowerTeacher - This is the Teacher portal into PowerSchool. It provides teacher access to their class rosters, student data, taking attendance, communications, and reports.
• PowerTeacher Pro (PTP) - This is the PowerSchool grade book for tracking assignments, analyzing student progress, and posting final grades. PTP is launched from PowerTeacher.
• Parent/Student Portal - This is where parents access student information and where students login to see their own data.

Use the following URL's to access the different components of PowerSchool. Note: you may not need access to all of the components.

• PowerSchool (Admin) - https://powerschool.calschools.org/admin
  
• PowerTeacher - https://powerschool.calschools.org/teachers
  
• Parent/Student Portal - https://powerschool.calschools.org/public

Use your network credentials to access all areas of PowerSchool except the Parent Portal. Parents create their own username and password when they setup their portal account. However, students will use their network credentials to access the student portal.

Here are some resources that you may find useful:

The ISD has developed a series of short videos that you may find useful. See the following for links to the videos: Step-by-Step Guides

The following knowledge base article has an organized list of PowerSource videos that may also be useful: PowerTeacher Video Tutorials

We also put together a quick video on Taking Attendance and using School Messenger.

There is a resource page on our website that was developed for community support. You might find some of the information useful. Especially the PowerSchool and School Messenger Apps.

Please note, if you get an error when accessing the knowledge base just click on one of the tabs and then the link should work. You may need to logon to your Caledonia YouTube account to view the knowledge base videos.

I have a feeling PowerSchool will be an ongoing topic for Caledonia Technology News Articles.