⬇️ The Download- October 2026

Happy fall, CH-UH! As we head into the second quarter, thank you for the energy and care you bring to our students and schools every day. This month, we’re focused on staying safe and thinking smart in a world full of technology and AI. Looking ahead, your Tech Coaches are excited to host sessions for all staff at the November 3rd PD day, so watch for the full lineup in the PD booklet! We’re also launching a new Tech Spotlight section, and we want to feature you and your colleagues. Recommend yourself or a colleague here!

- Your CH-UH Tech Coaches

Interims Window Mon, Oct. 5- Thurs, Oct. 22

Grade 3 Math Interim Window: Mon, Oct. 26-Fri, Oct. 30

Quarter 1 Grades Window: Mon, Oct. 19- Fri, Oct. 23

Records: K-5: Thurs, Oct. 23 AM; 6-12: Fri, Oct. 24 PM

Grade Level Team Meetings: K-5: Fri, Oct. 24 PM;; 6-12: Fri, Oct 24 AM

Conferences: K-5 Thurs, Oct. 23 & Fri, Oct 24; 6-8: Thurs Nov. 5; 9-12: Wed, Nov 4

Quarter 2 Progress Window: Fri, Nov 14- Tues Nov 25

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

Schools are a top target for cybercriminals. About half of U.S. school districts reported a cybersecurity incident in 2025, and attackers go after people more often than they go after systems. That means every one of us, in every role, is part of keeping our students, families, and colleagues safe. Here are three habits to practice this month and all year.

• Stop. Look. Think. Slow down when a message feels urgent, asks for money or gift cards, or wants you to log in through a link.

• Check the sender’s actual email address, and hover over links to see where they really go before you click.
  
  

How to report a suspicious email with the Phish Alert Button:

1. Select the suspicious email in your CH-UH Gmail.

2. Click the orange fish hook icon .

3. The email goes to the IT Department for analysis and is removed from your inbox. Reported a real email by mistake? Restore it from your Trash.

💡 Tip: Use the Phish Alert Button for phishing, scams, impersonation, or suspicious links and attachments. Do not use it for spam or marketing emails. If you’re getting a lot of those, contact the IT Department.

• Aim for at least 16 characters. A passphrase of 4 or more unrelated words is strong and easy to remember.

• Use a different password for every account, especially your district account.

How to protect your passwords with a password manager:

1. Consider a standalone password manager. Saving passwords in your browser is better than sticky notes, but if someone gets into your school Google account through a phishing email, they could reach every password saved there. A separate password manager keeps your passwords in their own protected vault. Bitwarden and Proton Pass both offer free versions.

2. Create one strong master password. This is the only password you’ll need to remember, so make it a long passphrase and turn on multifactor authentication for extra protection.

3. Let it do the work. Your password manager will create strong passwords, fill them in when you log in, and warn you about reused passwords. It also won’t fill in your password on a fake website, even if the site fools you.

💡 Tip: Start with your most important personal accounts, like banking, healthcare, and email.

• Updates fix security holes that attackers already know about.

• When your computer asks to restart for an update, do it instead of postponing. Restarting is often what actually installs the update.

How to check for updates on your Windows computer:

1. Click the search box next to the Start button and type “check for updates.” (No search box? Click Start and just start typing.)

2. Select Check for updates from the results.

3. Click Check for updates. If updates are ready, click Download and install or Restart now.

💡 Tip: Your phone, home computer, and apps need updates too. Turn on automatic updates wherever you can.

Small habits make a big difference. Pick one of these three to work on this week, and help keep CH-UH cybersafe!

Working in Chrome? Try Split View

If both things you need are Chrome tabs, like a Google Doc and a website, you can split them inside one Chrome window without snapping anything.

1. Open both tabs in the same Chrome window.
2. Right-click one of the tabs and select Add tab to new split view.
3. Choose the second tab to place beside it. Drag the divider in the middle to resize each side.

To go back to regular tabs, click the split view icon on the left of the address bar and select Separate views.

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

The 80/20 framework isn’t about replacing people; it’s about maximizing your efficiency. As we navigate the 2026-2027 school year, AI can take on about 80% of routine, time-consuming tasks, like drafting emails, creating resources, and summarizing information. That protects the critical 20% of your energy for what technology can never replicate: human connection, professional judgment, and the magic you bring to our schools. Your 20% comes at both ends: thinking clearly before you ask and checking carefully before you share.

Before You Prompt: Think First

1. Picture the finished product. Who is it for, what should it say, and how long should it be?

2. Give AI the background. Tell it who you are, who your audience is, and what makes CH-UH unique, like our black and yellow colors or Tiger Nation pride.

3. Be specific. The more detail you give, the closer the first draft will be to what you need.

Instead of: “Make a flyer for family night.”

Try: “Create a flyer for a Tiger Nation family math night at our elementary school on November 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Use a friendly tone for families and our school colors, black and yellow.”

What the 80/20 Rule Looks Like in Every Role

• Office staff: “Write a friendly reminder email to Canterbury families that picture day is Friday, September 18, and make-up day is Monday, November 9. Keep it under 100 words.” Then check the dates and details against the school calendar.

• Teachers: “Here is tomorrow’s Into Math lesson on comparing fractions. Suggest sentence frames that help 4th graders explain their thinking during the partner discussion.” Then make sure the frames match the lesson’s vocabulary and fit your students.

• Support staff: “Summarize this attendance policy in five bullet points for new paraprofessionals, focusing on what they need to do day to day.” Then compare the summary to the original before sharing it.

• Administrators: “Draft a Tiger Nation family newsletter for November using these events and dates: [list]. Use a warm, upbeat tone.” Then confirm every name, event, and deadline.

After AI Drafts: Your 20% Checklist

1. Check the facts. AI tools sound confident even when they’re wrong. Verify every date, number, name, and link with a trusted source.

2. Correct the mistakes. Read the whole thing, not just the first few lines. Errors often hide in the middle or end.

3. Personalize it. Add the details and tone that make it sound like you and fit your audience.

4. Get a second look. Before sending something to a large audience, like a whole school, all families, or the public, ask an accountability buddy to review it. A fresh set of eyes catches what you missed.

💡 Tip: Never put student or staff names, grades, or other personal information into an AI tool. Use placeholders like “Student A” and fill in the real details yourself afterward.

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.

AI-generated content is everywhere, from search results to social media feeds. That makes it more important than ever to help students think for themselves. This year’s free Digital Citizenship Week lessons from Common Sense Education focus on critical thinking: checking information before believing it, questioning what they see online, and making thoughtful choices about technology. It’s not too late to join in! Each activity takes about 20 to 40 minutes, so you can fit one in before Friday or combine them into a single lesson. The lessons work any time of year, too.

AI Literacy Belongs in Every Grade, With or Without AI Tools

AI literacy isn’t just for high school, and it doesn’t require students to use AI. Students of every age are already seeing AI in search results, videos, and apps. Many of this year’s lessons build AI awareness through discussion, stories, and hands-on activities, without students ever opening a chatbot.

• K–2: Using Tech to Learn New Things is a printable storybook that teaches students to check information before they believe it. Exploring Search Results helps them notice the AI summaries that now appear at the top of search pages.

• 3–5: Slicing Up Media with P.I.E. teaches students that all media, including AI-generated content, is made to persuade, inform, or entertain. S.I.F.T. for Sources gives them a four-step strategy for checking whether information is trustworthy.

• 6–8: AI Algorithms: How Well Do They Know You? helps students think about how apps decide what to show them. Telephone Trouble uses a twist on the classic game to show how false information spreads.

• 9–12: How Does AI Learn? lets students train a simple image recognition model to see how the data an AI learns from shapes what it can do. Is AI a Choice or a Necessity? helps them decide when and how to use AI on purpose.

Explore all of this year’s lessons by grade band.

Want to Learn More?

Join the free webinar Think Critically, Connect Humanely: AI Literacy and Student Well-Being tonight, Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

💡 Tip: Digital citizenship doesn’t stop after one week. Visit CH-UH’s Digital Citizenship page for our year-round lessons by grade band, and share Common Sense’s family game, Two Truths and AI, to keep the conversation going at home.

Protecting student data privacy is a key part of the District’s technology strategy. In partnership with the Department of Teaching and Learning, software requests go through a thorough approval process. This process evaluates technology compatibility, data privacy concerns, alignment with educational goals, and possible duplication of existing software.

Before using a new tool, check the list of approved District software. The list has multiple pages, so scroll to the bottom to see them all.

Don’t see the tool you want? Complete the Technology Purchase Request Form to request that it be reviewed and added.

Have questions about Ohio’s student data privacy law? Read the SB29 FAQ.

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

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