⬇️ The Download- May 2026

Welcome to the May edition of the Tech Coach Newsletter, our final issue for the 2025–2026 school year! As we wrap up another busy and successful year, we are excited to share practical tips, helpful updates, and resources to support teachers and staff through the end of the school year and into summer.

In this issue, you will find end-of-year technology reminders and resources, including Google Takeout for staff leaving the district, tips for closing out technology in your classroom, and guidance for archiving Google Classrooms. We are also highlighting new Gemini file generation features along with optional summer learning opportunities through Zearn and Lexia to help students continue building skills over the break.

As we close out the school year, we also want to recognize and celebrate two incredible members of our Tech Coach team, Karen Hodson and Kay Milkie, who are retiring at the end of this year. Karen has served as a Tech Leader since 2018, and both Karen and Kay have been Tech Coaches since the current coaching model began in 2019. Their dedication, knowledge, patience, and support have made a lasting impact on staff and students across the district. We are deeply grateful for all they have done and wish them the very best in retirement.

Whether you are teaching, supporting, or leading, we hope this month’s edition helps you work smarter, stay connected, and maybe even try something new.

- Your CH-UH Tech Coaches

Open Now: End of Year Technology Survey

Fri, May 15 - Fri, May 29: Quarter 4 Report Card Window

Wed, May 20: Online ELA OST Results

Mon, June 15: Grade 3 ELA Paper OST Results

Mon, June 22: Remaining Paper OST Results

Free Summer Professional Learning Opportunities

Mon, June 15- Google Certified Educator Workshop (NEOnet)

Tues, June 16 AM- Google Gemini Certified Workshop (NEOnet)

Tues, June 16 PM- Tech-mas in July (NEOnet)

Tues, July 14-Wed, July 15- Lumio Palozza 2026

Voluntary & Compensated In-District Professional Learning

All session hosted at Delisle Options Center

Wed, Aug 5- Thur Aug 6- C & I Collaboration Days

Mon, Aug 10, 10:30-12:30pm: Back to School Tech Time

Everyday tech tips to help you stay organized, connected, and confident.

Are you retiring, graduating, or leaving the district for your next adventure?Don’t leave behind all the incredible work you’ve created—or the valuable files shared with you—during your time in CH-UH.

Once you leave the district, your Google account will be disabled and you will lose access to the files stored there. Fortunately, Google Takeout allows you to download andsave them to a personal account—quickly, easily, and for free.

Getting Started

1. Visit: https://takeout.google.com
2. Select the data you would like to include in your download
   • By default, all Google products are selected
   • Uncheck anything you do not want to export
   • Some products include additional format or advanced settings
3. Click Next
4. Choose how you would like to receive your export
   • Email download link
   • Add to Drive, Dropbox, or Box
5. Select the export frequency, file type, and file size
6. Click Create Export

When your export is ready, Google will send you an email with a download link. Depending on the size of your export, this process may take a few hours or several days.

💡 Good to Know: Download links typically expire after one week. If you have trouble opening your export, try again using fewer products or a smaller file size.

Adding a hyperlink and don’t want to search for the little chain icon or dig through menus? Try this quick shortcut instead.

Highlight the word or phrase you want to turn into a hyperlink, then press Ctrl and K to instantly open the link window and add your URL.

On a Mac, use Command and K.

💡 Try This: Highlight a word in a Google Doc, Slide, or email and press Ctrl and K to quickly add a link without touching your mouse.

Easy AI wins to boost your day in a big way.

As a Google-based district, Gemini is the recommended AI tool for our schools. Gemini recently added a powerful new feature called File Generation, which allows you to quickly create or convert files directly from your Gemini conversations.

Need to turn research notes into a Google Doc or Slides presentation? Just ask Gemini. Want to create a PDF, spreadsheet template, or organized notes from a conversation? Gemini can help with that too. You can even upload a picture of handwritten notes and ask Gemini to turn them into a supported document type.

Supported File Types

• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
• PDF files
• Microsoft Word (.docx)
• Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)
• CSV files (.csv)
• Plain Text (.txt)
• Rich Text Format (.rtf)
• Markdown (.md)
• LaTeX (.tex)

💡 Try This: Upload meeting notes or brainstorm ideas into Gemini and ask it to create a polished Google Doc, presentation, or spreadsheet template for you.

When using AI, please follow these guidelines:

• Use the minimum amount of data needed.

• Remove all student names.

• Remove identifying information (grade level, class, letter grade).

• Double-check the work you enter into AI before hitting enter.

Hello Tiger Nation! In this final edition of CTRL+ALT+DELIGHT, we will be discussing some technology housekeeping before summer vacation. 🌞

SmartBoards: If you have any classroom presentations, files or slides that are saved to the SMARTboard only, please make sure to upload them to your Lumio library so that you have them for next school year. Completely power down your SMARTboard. In the summer, IT cleans and factory resets your classroom SMARTboard, meaning that all data saved to just the SMARTboard is erased.

Accessories: Please make sure that you bag and turn in all SMARTboard accessories. Your main office staff will be distributing this form to you. Please put all SMARTboard accessories into a bag or oversized envelope, and staple the form above to it. Turn in the bag of accessories to the main office so that you can collect them for next year.

Chromebook Carts: If you have a class set of devices, please make sure that all classroom chromebooks are collected and returned to the cart. After, lock the Chromebook cart. Turn in the key to your Chromebook cart with your SMARTboard accessories for next year.

Take Home Chromebooks: If a parent or guardian does not want their student to have their district issued Chromebook over the summer, please direct them to visit the IT department at Door #7 at Delisle Options Center. The IT department will hold the student’s Chromebook over the summer, and it can be picked up at the start of the next school year.

Withdrawn Student Devices: If a parent or guardian tries to return a withdrawn student’s Chromebook to your building, please direct them to the IT department.

Have a Wonderful Summer!

Why archive Google Classrooms?
Archiving your Google Classroom is an essential end-of-year task. It helps with:

• Organization – Removes old classes from your main page, so only current ones are front and center.

• Preservation – Keeps all class materials, assignments, student work, and posts safely stored for future reference.

• Student Access – Stops students from making changes while still allowing them to view class content.

How to archive your Google Classrooms:
Follow these step-by-step instructions to archive your classes in just a few clicks.

How to archive your Seesaw classroom:

1. Tap your profile icon and select the class you want to archive.

2. Tap the wrench (top right) and choose Class Settings.

3. Scroll down and tap Archive Class. Tap again to confirm.

As summer approaches, some families may be looking for optional ways to help students keep skills fresh during the break. Both Lexia and Zearn provide opportunities for students to continue practicing and building skills over the summer in a flexible, self-paced way. A Family Letter with Login Directions is linked and can be shared with families. Teachers in grades K–3 may also wish to print and send home Clever Badges with the family letter to help younger students log in more easily.

📖 Lexia

No additional setup is needed for Lexia. Students can continue working on their personalized learning path throughout the summer using the same login information and access they currently use during the school year.

➕ Zearn

For Zearn, we recommend re-assigning students to specific missions. These summer learning recommendations focus on essential math concepts that help build a strong foundation for the upcoming school year.

These missions were selected to reinforce key “big ideas” in their current math and help students build confidence heading into the fall. This Summer Work Tracker is available to help encourage and organize optional summer learning.

Students will continue to have access to their current classes and assignments until approximately August 6, when classes will roll over for the new school year.

Optional summer practice can help students maintain routines, strengthen foundational skills, and build confidence heading into the fall.

Looking to get organized and feel confident heading into the new school year? We’ve got two great opportunities for you this August!

💻 Back to School Tech Time

Monday, August 10 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM at Delisle SDC
Mark your calendars! Join the CH-UH Tech Coaches for Back to School Tech Time—a dedicated drop-in session to set up your digital tools for the school year.

Whether it’s Google Classroom, Clever, GoGuardian, or Infinite Campus, this is your chance to get tech-ready with support right at your fingertips.

✅ No registration required
💻 Bring your charged district laptop and headphones
🧑‍🏫 Voluntary & compensated

🗓️ Collaboration Days

Wednesday, August 5 & Thursday, August 6 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Delisle

Want time to work on aligning your instruction to your curricular tools? Looking to collaborate with your team or explore new resources?

Join us for Collaboration Days—designed to give you time and space to do what matters most to you, with support available when you need it.

✅ No registration required

👥 Members of Curriculum & Instruction, Data, Research and Assessment, and a Tech Coach will be on-site to support you

🧑‍🏫 Voluntary & compensated

Visit our Technology Support site for quick access to help documents, tutorials, and an archive of all previous Tech Coach newsletters.

📎 tinyurl.com/CHUHtechcoaches

Whether you're troubleshooting a tool or catching up on tips, this is your go-to hub for all things tech in CH-UH!