Student Password Reset

As a reminder, if students have forgotten their password, all teachers have the ability to reset them from our new identity management portal.  To access this, look for the "Student Password Reset" button under "Technology" on our ASD Staff Links page.

If you need further information, see our handy guide to Student Password Information:

Securly Home

For families who may be having challenges with students using Chromebooks responsibly at home, we have an app called Securly Home that can be used to control the devices.  Families can:

• Restrict websites

• Monitor where students are browsing

• Set a "bed time" for the Chromebook

For more information, see our Securly for Families page:

Robot Spotlight - Indi

Beginning Level | Screen-free | K-2

Sphero Indi is a very engaging and hands-on beginning robot for students that uses silicone tiles for programming. It is completely device-free, but you can level up the usage with Sphero Edu Jr app.

This is ideal for first-time coders who are learning computational thinking to problem-solve in the real world.  Activities can also be story based, and there are many ready-made activities for Indi that connect to subject standards.

To check out a kit, put in a helpdesk ticket.  You can see our ASD Robot Kits page for all the available devices.

Accessibility Tip: Don't Put "Click Here"

Screen reader users often navigate a page or document using links. The screen reader will read out the links on a page, but not the text surrounding it. This means the link text needs to clearly say where the link is going. 

Linking words like "click here" or "read more" don’t make sense on their own. You should link text that describes where the link is going. The link needs to make sense when taken out of context.

For more information, see the Accessibility Made Easy site:

Seesaw - Family Access

One of the most powerful features of Seesaw is allowing families to view their student's journal directly and comment on their work. At the moment, we only have 100 families regularly engaging with their students' work, and solidifying that school to home connection.  (Shout out to Willow Crest Elementary for having the highest number of active family users!)

To get started: 

1. Tap on the Wrench Icon to open Class Settings.

2. Select Invite Families. Tap Share an Invite Link.

3. Copy this link into a ParentSquare message and send it out to your families.

For more information on family access, see the Seesaw for Families guide:

New Screen Time Advice and Research

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have recently released new guidelines and research on screen time for children and young adults.

For the first time, the organisation recognises a difference in types of screen time -- creating a presentation for school is very different to scrolling on TikTok -- and compiles a wealth of studies on technology and mental health into clear advice for families and students.

As a reminder, there are lessons about Media Balance in all of our Digital Citizenship curricula (Elementary, Middle, and High) that can help to reinforce some of these guidelines.

• Elementary Digital Citizenship Plans

• Middle School Digital Citizenship Lessons

• High School Digital Citizenship Lessons

Secondary Grade Changes for Semester 1

All Semester 1 grade changes will be done by teachers from within the Skyward gradebook. A paper grade change form is not required; however, all grade change requests must be approved by an administrator.

• Example: Student was absent for finals and ended with a 55% - E grade.  They return during the 1st week of 2nd semester and take the final and receive a C.  Their final grade changes to a C-.

Note: After Semester 2 starts prior gradebooks and withdrawn students may be hidden. Review the instructions document for details on how to view.

Once the grade and assignment/test score adjustments are made in gradebook, and then approved, they will reflect on the individual student record in Skyward.