MAISD PowerSchool

The MAISD PowerSchool Support Team has created this email newsletter to keep our district contacts and stakeholders updated on current needs, future updates, and tips and tricks to make using PowerSchool more convenient and effective.

Please let us know if someone else should receive this newsletter by emailing Joel Selby at jselby@muskegonisd.org.

• For building secretaries, make sure to verify that your school calendar in PowerSchool is accurate with all holiday breaks and term dates before the season begins. This will ensure attendance records are accurate.
• If you see any date on the Calendar Setup page that shows orphaned attendance records, please submit a PS Helpdesk ticket to have them deleted.

We've made some adjustments to the Student Alerts plugin based on district requests:

• Added English Language Learner (ELL)/WIDA alert with popup that shows student's primary language and most recent WIDA score (if available)
• Added Locker Combination on hover over Locker Number
• Added "(DK/Y5)" in header next to grade level if the student is marked as Developmental Kindergarten on the Compliance > Program Participation page.

We're working on adding more helpful reminders and tools throughout PowerSchool. Here are a few recent additions:

• Improved error checking on Course and Section setup pages for CRDC Distance Education & Virtual Method settings
• Added Room Number column to students' Modify Student Schedule > Available Courses page
• Improved layout and functionality of Extracurricular Activities Setup pages
• Improved warnings for Final Grade/Reporting Term Setup page
• Added indicator to the Configure Parent and Student Access page to show which scheduling terms parents and students have access to
• Added more information to the Set Current Grade Display page to clarify its purpose and direct users to another, similar setting page

New Staff

Be sure to notify the PowerSchool Team when new staff members are hired. New staff will be given a PowerSchool Training account and assigned the appropriate learning path. Learning paths include online courses relevant to the job the staff member will be performing. This will provide a foundation of PowerSchool knowledge. Once the online training has been completed, we suggest scheduling a one-on-one in person or virtual training with a PowerSchool team member to answer any questions and provide further instruction.

Ongoing Training

The PowerSchool Team is available to provide training to staff on an as needed basis. Please contact us to schedule training.

Throughout the School Year

The PowerSchool Team holds annual training sessions throughout the school year for elementary scheduling, beginning of the year, end of the year, and PowerSchool 101. Please contact the PowerSchool Team for dates and times. Training dates are also published in this newsletter.

• Asset Tracking - Allows admin staff/technology departments to track ownership of Chromebooks and/or other devices, as well as keep repair logs.
• Positive Behavior Acknowledgments - Allows teachers and admin staff to acknowledge students' positive behaviors, track data over time, and automatically notify parents and students.
• SWIS Integration - Allows log entries in PowerSchool to be sent to SWIS.
• Enrollment Queue (Registration)/Demographic Update - Online enrollment, yearly forms and demographic info update within the Parent Portal.
• Chronic Absenteeism - Allows districts to quickly view students who have met attendance thresholds, generate attendance letters en masse, track parent meetings, and generate reports as needed.
• Accommodation Log - Allows teachers to enter accommodations offered (accepted and refused) for students with an IEP or 504 plan. The data is stored, reportable, and accessible to parents.
• Other - 31a Reporting, Online Report Cards, among others.

The PowerSchool Team can create automated jobs that integrate the flow of data between PowerSchool and third party software applications, removing the need to compile data and upload it manually.

The PowerSchool Team can write a variety of reports, including data reports, detail reports, analytical reports, and student performance reports (report cards, progress reports, transcripts).

Day to day support, secondary scheduling, standards support, and all things related to PowerSchool!

Submit a PowerSchool Helpdesk Ticket

Bill Smith, SIS Support Specialist

Joel Selby, SIS Support Specialist

Keith Jelinek, SIS Support Specialist

Heidi Strong, SIS Helpdesk

Website: https://www.muskegonisd.org/techservices/ps/
Location: 630 Harvey Street, Muskegon, MI, USA
Phone: (231) 767-0414