Important Notes
Testing season is upon us, yet again.
- Statewide Readiness Test for ISTEP will take place on January 19, 2017. This test will allow the state to gauge whether their servers are ready for ISTEP. The test itself does not count for anything.
- ISTEP Part 1 will follow February 28 through the first week of March. This part will be completed on Pencil and Paper.
- NWEA will take place the three weeks before Spring Break from March 7-March 23. More details will be posted on the school website on our calendar. This test is on the iPad.
- ISTEP Part 2 will take place the week of April 24. This test is on the iPad.
Taking Care of your Device during Testing Season
It is very important to take extra care of your devices during testing season. Make sure you charge regularly and maintain a healthy charge of your device. Turn the device off if you are not using it for extended periods of time. If you have issues, please fill out support tickets so we may help you. If your device suffers a cracked screen, it is important you fill out an insurance claim quickly so we can get it taken care. Once your deductible is paid, we will have a device in your hands the same day or the next morning.
If you are currently running iOS 10, it is important you update to iOS 10.2 so your device may be used for ISTEP Part 2. Failure to do so will result in your inability to take the test.
Support Ticket Breakdown
Total Tickets August 280
Total Tickets September 63
Total Tickets October 66
Total Tickets November 38
Total Tickets December 28
December was a slow month for support tickets, as is expected. Despite this, we experienced three broken laptops that needed to be replaced. The highest categories were PowerSchool resets, iPad Display/Hardware, and Apps. The iPad Display/Hardware tickets were all related to iPads not turning on. In each case, the iPad was severely dead and needed to charge. Please remember you need to give it time to charge if it has not charged in a while. Using the iPad while it is charging will still use battery. It is also important to remember to fully charge your iPad. Keeping it charged to a lower percentage all the time will only weaken the battery and lessen its life.
Insurance Claims
Insurance claims totaled at five in December. All were for broken screens. Please remember to receive a replacement iPad, you must pay the deductible on your device. All deductibles are $50 and you will receive an iPad the same day as payment or the next morning if paid after school.
Lost iPads
We had a large number of lost iPads this month at six, when you take into consideration we were on break for one week during December. These were spread across the board. All six were located, though one was not recovered until January 10. Please follow procedures when losing an iPad: Notify teacher who will then send out staff email. Retrace your steps! We have not had a single iPad go unrecovered in the past three school years now.
Other Notes
- Please remember to fill out a support ticket when needing support. We receive too many emails a day to sort through support emails. Support tickets go into a spreadsheet for us making it easier to stay organized.
- If you have a broken iPad, please pay your deductible to receive a replacement. Payments should be given to Mr. Dennis Small in the main office. You will need your device to take NWEA and/or ISTEP, as well as to complete your school work.