TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The Family Calendar Screen
  • Gradebook Assignment Display
  • Class / Course Messages and Message Display
• Enabling the Family Calendar Screen for Parent/Student Users
• Enabling Class Messages in Gradebook and Lesson Planner
  • Enabling Class Messages in the Gradebook
  • Accessing Class Messages in the Gradebook
  • Enabling Class Messages in the Lesson Planner
  • Accessing Class Messages in the Lesson Planner
• Managing Class Messages in the Gradebook
• Managing Course Messages in the Lesson Planner
  • Editing and Deleting Messages
• Messages and Course Pages
• Messages in the Parent Module

The Family Calendar Screen

A new "Family Calendar" has been added to the portal.  This displays all Gradebook Assignments assigned or due for every student attached to the account, as well as "Messages" entered either in the Gradebook or the Lesson Planner for the express purpose of appearing on a specified date on the Family Calendar. 

Assignments appear on the Family Calendar in yellow and Class/Course Messages appear in green.

Gradebook Assignment Display

Assignments set to display in the Parent/Student Web Access Portal appear on their "Assigned" date but in their "Due date" and remain visible unless unshared by the teacher.  That is, they first show up on the "assigned date" but they appear in the "due date".

All assignments that are ungraded or past their due date appear with the status "Not Completed".  All assignments that are graded or marked "collected" appear with the status "Completed".  "Not Completed" and "Completed" are the only two status' that appear on the Family Calendar screen.

Teachers have a new "Collected" status they can apply to a student's assignment in lieu of an assignment grade.   The "collected" status changes the Assignment's status on the Family Calendar from "Not Completed" to "Completed".

Class / Course Messages and Message Display

"Class Messages" from the Gradebook, called "Course Messages" in the Lesson Planner, are a new feature added to the system with the Family Calendar screen.  Messages are entered for a specific course section or subject either in the Gradebook directly or in the Lesson Planner.   Messages are a separate item separate from both Gradebook Assignments and Daily Lesson Plans (or Unit Plans).

Enabling the Family Calendar Screen for Parent/Student Users

The Family Screen has been turned on automatically for all existing Parent Access Roles.   That is, the "Family Calendar" permission has been turned on (i.e. checked) for all existing Roles.   You only need to adjust Roles if you wish to turn off the Family Calendar screen for any school or students.

To either enable or disable the Family Calendar screen for a Role, do the following:

1. Go to the Parents->Security->Roles screen.
2. Locate a Role to which you wish to either add or remove the permission for the Family Calendar screen.
3. Edit the Role.
4. Locate the "Family Calendar" permission:   
   1. Uncheck it to remove access for the Family Screen
   2. Check 'Family Calendar' to give access for the Family Screen.
5. Click the save button to save your updates
6. Repeat this for all other Roles you wish to alter - either to add or remove access for the Family Screen

Once the Show Family Calendar parameter is set to "Yes", the screen will appear in the Parent/Student Module as long as a student's Role has the "Gradebook" permission (Family Calendar is considered to be part of the Gradebook set of screens).

Enabling Class Messages in Gradebook and Lesson Planner

No changes to Role permissions are required to provide access to Message features (there are no new Securable Locations).  Access is controlled exclusively, on a school by school basis, by the parameters described below.

Enabling Class Messages in the Gradebook

By default, the ability to send messages is not enabled and teachers do not see any references to Messages.

To enable the Class Message facility in the Gradebook, do the following:

1. In the Genesis screen header, elect the School you want to enable Messages for.  This must be done separately for each school.
2. Go to the Gradebook->School Setup->Maintenance screen.
3. Check the "Allow teachers to create Class Messages" in the "Gradebook Configuration Options" section.
4. Save your updates.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for additional schools.

Accessing/Using Class Messages in the Gradebook

Once Class Messages have been enabled, a new "Messages" screen appears for teachers under the "Gradebook->Gradebook" tab.    Messages can be created, modified and deleted on this screen.

In addition, a new "Create Class Message" quick link appears in the Quick Links drop down.  This allows teachers to create Class Messages - but not edit or delete them - directly from the Gradebook->Gradebook spreadsheet screen.

Class Messages are always associated with a course section (i.e. a subject in elementary schools) and a specific date.

Enabling Class Messages in the Lesson Planner

To enable Class Messages in the Lesson Planner, do the following:

1. In the Genesis screen header, elect the School you want to enable Messages for.  This must be done separately for each school.
2. Go to the Lesson Planner->Setup->Admin Tools screen.
3. Check the "Allow teachers to create Class Messages" parameter in the "General Settings" section.
4. Save your updates.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for additional schools.

Accessing/Using Class Messages in the Lesson Planner

Once Class Messages have been enabled in the Lesson Planner, a "Messages" screen will appear for teachers under their Lesson Planner->My Books tab.    Messages can be created, modified and deleted on this screen.

In addition, on the Lesson Planner->Calendar screen, when it is in the "Calendar by Book" mode, a "Message" link appears for each day on the Calendar.   This allows the teacher to create a new message for that specific day for the selected "Lesson Book".  Editing and deleting messages can take place on the Lesson Planner->My Books->Messages screen.  - or on the Lesson Planner->Calendar screen:  messages will appear on the Calendar screen on their selected date.

Managing Class Messages in the Gradebook

The Messages screen in the Gradebook (Gradebook->Gradebook->Messages) allows you to directly create a message, edit an existing message or delete a message.

The Create Message button brings up a simple "Create Message" dialog:

A message is always for a particular day of a particular Course Section.

Managing Course Messages in the Lesson Planner

In the Lesson Planner, messages are called "Course Messages" and are the same as Class Messages in the Gradebook.

The Messages tab and screen in the Lesson Planner appears under the Lesson Planner->Lesson Books tab:

Messages can be created directly here.  To create a message, click on the "Create Message" button.  This brings up the "Create Message" dialog.  Note that the "Select Lesson Book" drop down specifies the Lesson Book in which the Message will be created.

Select the date on which the Message is to appear (it will always be visible, but it will be located in the selected date), enter the message text and click "Save Message" to save and create the message.

Editing and Deleting Messages

To edit a message, click the edit icon:
 This brings up the edit dialog:

From this dialog you can update the date of the message, alter the text and even delete the message entirely.

To update the date, the message text or both, simply make your updates and click "Save Message".   To delete your message from here, click Delete Message.

You can also delete the message from the "Messages" screen directly, by clicking its  delete button.

Messages and Course Pages

"Course Pages" are the web pages that can be managed from the Gradebook.   "Class Messages" in the Gradebook and "Course Messages" in the Lesson Planner also automatically appear on the "Course Page" for their Course Section.    This is built-in behavior and cannot be turned off.  The individual Course Pages do have to be 'published' to the Parent Access module - and are not visible on the Course Pages screen unless published.

Messages in the Parent Module

Once a message has been created, it appears directly in the Calendar day it was dated for on the Family Calendar screen in the Portal.