Hello Staff, Students, and Parents,
This summer was another busy summer for the IT department at HAST. While not everything we have done this summer will be up front and visible, all will make life easier for staff and students.
Internet Speed
Once again we increased our Internet speeds throughout the school. Last year we were at 500Mbps and this year we are at 750Mbps. This includes both download and upload speeds. As time goes on, more and more data is consumed. Staying current with high speed internet is very important in order to stay ahead and provide state of the art technology at HAST.
New Projectors
Over the last couple years we began replacing all the original classroom projectors. This summer we completed this task by installing 10 new projectors in classrooms throughout the building. The new projectors are brighter and have a much crisper display than previous ones.
New Bell System
Our outdated bell and PA system were replaced over the summer. The new PA system allows Dr. Egan to make announcements through his office, to page a specific classroom, or to page a specific part of the building. Additionally, the new bell system replaces an older system that began failing to ring last year. If the volume in a particular classroom needs to be adjusted, teachers should notify Mr. Funchion so he can adjust the volume knob.
Patch Panels
Mr. Dupras and I spent one week reorganizing patch panels in the Main IT closet and the upstairs IT closet. These patches control what ports are open throughout the building including PoE (Power over Ethernet) phone lines, access points, ethernet ports, cameras, and entry system. When the building opened in 2010, we had thousands of ports open throughout the school. This is completely unnecessary since students and staff connect through wifi, not through a wired connection. Over time, these panels became very disorganized. Every time a line failed, it was required to run a different wire to the same port. The problem was the thousands of wires running through the racks causing a very messy patch panel. We mapped out each port needing to be used throughout the building before unplugging everything and rewiring from the patch panels to the switches. The panels are now organized, color coded, and very easy to get cable to, making life easier when needing to run new line or open a port.
PowerSchool University
This summer Mr. Dupras attended PowerSchool University where he started his PowerSchool certification. He learned many of the inner workings of PowerSchool as well as how to implement many aspects of our Student Information System we haven’t used in the past. He is very excited to share his knowledge and implement many new things this year as he moves completely out of the classroom and into a full time PowerSchool administrator.
Phone Server
Our phone server is going to be replaced in the next couple of weeks. The hope is our new server will allow us to slowly upgrade classroom phones as well as increase the quality of service. Last year we began experiencing some outside phone calls sounding like the phone was underwater. After numerous techs looked at the outside and inside lines, they determined there was no issue. This leaves only the server as the possible culprit. We hope this will fix the issue.
New 8th Grade iPad Cases
This summer we replaced all iPad Air 2 cases for 8th grade with new ones. The old cases were falling apart and not protecting the iPads the way they should have been. The new cases are OttorBox Defender series and are much more durable. This should assist with preventing iPad breaks this year.
Screen Protectors
Due to the success of the 8th grade screen protector pilot program last year, we have decided to give every student a screen protector this year. This should severely limit the amount of iPad screen cracks we get. The screen protectors absorb the shock of any and all drops or falls. We ask teachers and students to keep an eye on screen protector cracks to make sure it is the screen protector and not the screen itself. Additionally, we will not replace screen protectors for small cracks. If the crack hinders the integrity of the screen protection, then we will replace it.
Final Notes
- iPads are distributed during week 1. Students can take iPads home once they have paid iPad insurance and signed the AUP.
- iPad insurance payments go to Mr. Small and signed AUP goes to classroom teachers
- Please remember to fill out support tickets and follow proper procedures
- We look forward to having a great year and hope to continue improving the technology here at HAST!