Tech Tips for February

Gala, Our Trusty, Hard-Working Server

The server that syncs and backs up all school faculty and student data is at 84% of its maximum. Everyone can help reduce this number by deleting old files that are no longer needed or used.

To make sure you don't repopulate your home directory with deleted files, you must:
1. Empty your trash after you delete your files.
2. Make sure your sync your computer right after you have deleted your files while you are still on campus.

Remember a file includes any document, photo, video, or graphic.

If you have any trouble deleting or syncing files, please let me know.

Future Note: Faculty Computer Replacement

Next year, all staff that currently has a computer will get a new computer. Between now and then, it would be a good idea to begin to delete redundant files. You will also need to put any personal and school photos and videos on an external storage device such as a flash drive or an external hard drive before you turn in your old computer.

Deleting and Adding Printers and Applications

Your computers are no longer set up to add printers or applications. If you want to add a school printer or an application to your computer, you will add it through Managed Software Updates. The Software Update under the Black Apple menu in the upper left hand corner of your screen no longer works. Let Dave know if you want to add a school printer or an application and he will configure it so that it can be accessed through Managed Software Updates which is stored under Applications or Utilities. By managing printers and software this way, we can make sure that defunct printers don't show up in your choices and that all pieces of a software application get installed properly which will minimize your issues with using the application.

Looking for photos appropriate for student use in the Public Domain.

When your students are looking for photos that are copyright friendly and child friendly, one great resource is Pics4Learning. It isn't as robust as Google Images but you won't run into undesirable images either. The photos have been contributed mostly by teachers. Be sure to preview the pictures in a category first as they may not be catalogued correctly. For example, I searched for images of Nevada and found pictures of Yosemite included.

pics4learning.com


As always, if you have any questions, please send your questions to ACS Help Desk.

Thanks, Mary Beth and Dave

February Blog

Thanks to everyone for a successful Enrollment Open House in January. Applications for the first round of decisions closed on February 7 with 75 applications to process before the Admissions Committee meets in early March. During the family interviews one of the most frequent comments we get is how welcoming and friendly our students are to shadows. I know you help our students learn those skills and want you to know what a positive impression they make on prospective families. We will continue to hold weekday open houses once a month for preschool and kindergarten prospects as long as we have capacity. Janet

Patriotic Assembly

Just a reminder that the Patriotic Assembly is coming up the week after our Presidents’ Week break. The title is Go USA and the theme is Healthy Individuals.

The assembly is on Thursday morning. There will be practice times on Tuesday and Wednesdaywhen you will be able to get into the auditorium and work with your class on stage. I will send an email out this week about this, and will have the sign up sheet in the faculty room.

New Drapes

Hopefully, you have noticed the new drapes hanging in the Apple Orchard, Elizabeth Pombo’s room, and the Elementary Science room. Many thanks to Veronica for making this happen.

Elementary teachers, please take a look at the drapes in the Science room and think about whether you would like something like that for your room.

Emergency Cards

A big “thank you” to Helen Herr for creating our first set of emergency cards. These are cards with each student’s medical and emergency information as well as pick up permissions. She has put them in plastic holders that hang on students’ necks. These are kept in the emergency shed and will be invaluable in an emergency. We will use them as a way to check attendance, to be sure of who we can release them to, and to have medical information at hand.

These cards are also being created for faculty and staff as well. To make them viable, we will need to get more detailed emergency information from many of you, such as your provider, conditions, and emergency contacts. We will request that at some point this spring.