Adobe Acrobat Reader fix- your action required

Due to a combination of some bad plugins and more of an attempt to get every computer to be setup as similarly as possible, we created a new install routine for Adobe Acrobat Reader. Beginning about 2:00 p.m. yesterday, an automated process removed all versions of Reader older than the current update (version 9.1.3).

To install version 9.1.3, please close any web browsers you have open (Internet Explorer and/or Firefox), then go to the COMMON APPS menu, then click on Adobe Reader. This will install the reader and correct plug-ins. This will be a one-time process, the script only removes versions older than 9.1.3

PowerTeacher training handouts

All teachers should have already received an email with their PowerTeacher password. Teachers of grades 5-12 also received the date, time, and location of their PowerTeacher training session. If you did not receive this information, please contact Jon Tanner right away (x4024).

Two handouts will be distributed at the training. If you want to access the handouts ahead of them, they are available on the district's PowerTeacher support site at http://sites.google.com/a/oregonsd.net/technology-integration-tool/Home/powerschool/powerteacher-gradebook
(Note: Staff login is required to access this page.)

PowerGrade not accessible until after registration

This is a reminder to teachers that, as in years past, you will not have access to PowerSchool until after district-wide registration. District registration occurs August 13 and 18, after which all the updated student data must be processed and imported into PowerSchool. Given the scheduling complexities reported this year, my estimate is that teachers will have access to PowerSchool not earlier than August 21.

Clarification on email newsletters

I need to clarify a statement I made back in the spring regarding email newsletters. Here is what I said:

If you want to create an email newsletter for parents, community members, students, or anybody else, we have instructions for how to do it at http://sites.google.com/a/oregonsd.net/technology/support/creating-a-public-email-newsletter

The "parent mass mailer" will be used only for high priority, non-optional communication to parents. Why? Some parents have complained about the number of emails they get from the district, and ask to be removed, or to have us send to a different address. Our mass mailer doesn't allow us to do that because it pulls information directly from PowerSchool.

Understandably, some teachers understood this to mean that I was saying, "You can't send out weekly email newsletters to parents anymore." But that's not what I meant. Classroom weekly email newsletters are great; I actually encourage this form of regular, timely communication. Plus, they are "opt-in," by which I mean that each parent can tell the teacher what email address to use, or if they prefer not to receive it.

What I am trying to curtail are the massive email "blasts" of non-critical information that get sent to all parents from a school with no way for them to opt out of receiving them. This would include school newsletters, community ed newsletters, technology news for parents, etc.

So feel free to keep sending your own class newsletters!

If, however, you want to send messages to a large number of parents who are not giving you their email address for a specific purpose, then you really need to set up a blog newsletter as described here.

Planned power outage Monday, August 3, 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Alliant Energy has informed us that they will be cutting off electrical power to the District Services Office today, Monday, August 3, at 5:30 PM. The outage will last approximately ninety minutes.

We do not anticipate any disruption of technology services to other buildings, thanks to our emergency generator.