Electronic parent verification?

EZAnalyze plug-in for Microsoft Excel

Twitter - how do you use it?

Blogs - what do you write about?

Hawkeye 10 schools - scholarship database on GoogleDoc that all schools include (due date, name of scholarship, brief description, where to get application) - counselors add it onto the doc with whatever scholarships come in the mail/email to help share scholarship resources

Infinite Campus - messenger system

SchoolReach through PowerSchool - "all-call" system; text messages too

Flock Notes - goes out to administrators, teachers, parents, counselors, daily bulletin email

Online daily bulletins

Email students in groups by grade level

Parent nights for information

Waukee High School - traditional block is working well with the exception of having students double-up in a content area each year (doing block of math each semester and finishing grad requirements early)

Linn-Mar - traditional block with math/foreign language as single period traditional

Benton - partnering with Kirkwood for additional foreign language to take outside of traditional block

PCM - traditional 8 period day; sometimes forces students into electives as available for grade 9, leaves more room for electives junior/senior year

Boone - 9 period day - 2 periods per week (M/W) teachers meet for PLC, (T/Th) assigned to students with D's and F's as assigned by secretary/assistant principal, (F) traditional extra prep/PLC period

West Branch - re-assessment time M/T/Th 30 minutes at the end of the day

Sioux Center - hour at the end of the day (one day of the week) for re-teaching/re-assessment/library open on shortened day anyways

How do you use it?

How do you advertise it? - online button

Any issues with the credit card part? - Yes, some schools just send paper, some require the credit card anyways. Also, you can send transcripts on the administrative side without requiring the student request.

With paper transcripts, send along a postcard with the institution name, student name, date open with place for college rep signature - pre-stamped - please return to verify that you have received student transcripts.

Lunch vs. class time

Who schedules these in your building? - about 50/50 counselor/secretary

Lunch time or homeroom time

Class time visits will have a sign-up sheet to see them

9:00 AM Channel 1 time - sign-up to see the rep

Morning/afternoon announcements - announce upcoming reps and require sign-up on sheets outside office

GoogleCalendar on website with dates of upcoming reps - also helps the reps

Email teachers with sign-up kids

ASCA Webinars on Members Only part of ISCA website

1:1 Ethical Use - what do you do with students who visit inappropriate websites (not just discipline-wise, but other implications of having a personal computer)

How to reach the hard-to-reach parent/student

At-risk student strategies

Senior Year Plus legislation and guidelines

Student Assistance Teams?

Referral process?

Treynor - met with every student to put in requests with them, encouraged students to enroll in elective courses that were lower in numbers; required every teacher in HS to make a video of their class for PR (1-2 minutes) post on YouTube channel

Shenandoah - homeroom teachers (responsible for 10-15 kids) called families to schedule meetings during spring conferences and input course requests; 8th grade does the four-year plan on paper with parent signature before request period/guideway completion

Fremont-Mills - issues with student requests not matching with parent desires

Nishnabotna - breakdown master schedule for each grade level; keeps parent signature forms to show parents if any questions; schedule changes require teacher permission/parent signature/counselor signature/principal signature to make changes difficult

Something to remember - each new term is a new schedule change time (semesters = 2 times; trimesters = 3 times; quarter blocks = 4 times)

Schedule changes - requiring parent approval or not?

Glogster - a good idea for those PR videos

Cedar Rapids Prairie - 1:1 computer/10-12 building/8 period day traditional schedule - online registrations with counselors in large groups; then meet individually to tweak schedules with students; spring conference with homeroom to review credits, schedule, portfolios, etc. WITH PARENT

Lewis Central - conference with students by GPA groups to encourage different class recommendations

Waukee - advisory/homeroom teacher leads registration process in homeroom groups; counselors train the staff (buy-in is difficult) - SPA (student, parent, advisor) conferences to review requests and sign-off on it and input requests online

PowerSchool - add an icon in PowerSchool and attach iPlan

Infinite Campus - PLP tab with plans

GoogleDocs - share with appropriate teachers

504 re-evals in August with all students to review plans and learn the procedure for reporting concerns

Since we cannot legally limit or create barriers to college level courses, how do you appropriately advise the student who wants to take more college courses than they are capable of, etc?