Monthly Mentions... February

Each month, FastDirect provides a newsletter to help our schools stay on top of all things related to FastDirect. Click any of the headers below to find out more information than what was included in the most recent Monthly Mentions.

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  • Coming Up This Month...

    • Registration is an important part of the school year and FastDirect can help make the process easier. In FastDirect, you can track new student applications, re-registrations of returning students, as well as the charging and depositing of registration fees. Here is some of the information that is tracked in the Registration report:
      • The number of students for each grade level
      • The number of students returning in each grade level
      • The number of new student applications in each grade level
      • An estimated number of spots available in each grade level
      • A breakdown of each existing family and their re-registration status
    • Here are some other features involved in registration through FastDirect:
      • The ability to allow your parents to re-register their child online
      • The finance account for Registration 2012-2013
      • A report showing all families and if they have been charged their registration fees
      • A report showing all families and if they have paid their registration fees
    • WildCards are a good way to keep track of all the required forms and if parents have completed and submitted those forms to the office. Here are other uses for WildCard:
      • Student immunizations
      • State testing scores
      • Protecting God's Children
    • WildCard fields can be created for:
      • Students
      • Parents
      • Staff
    • Here are the steps to create a WildCard field:
      • Click on the 'Defaults' icon
      • Scroll down and click on the line that says 'Add/Change WildCards'
      • In the drop down, select who you are creating the WildCard for: Staff, Parents or Students
      • Type in the name of the WildCard field, such as 'Immunizations'
      • Click 'Create New WildCard'
    • Registering students for next year often means forms and paperwork. With the file upload function, you can add these forms to the Links page, send them as attachments or create links to them on the login screen. Making these forms available online means you won't be spending your time making copies and mailing them out.
    • Additionally, by allowing your parents to upload files, you can have a paperless process! After you have uploaded the forms and made them available online, your parents can fill the forms out electronically and send them back to you through our secure FDmail eMessaging.
    • Here is how to turn on file upload for your parents and ways to help get your parents started:
      • You can activate this feature either for parents or students or both. To do so you'll, go to Settings and click on FDmail in the left hand navigation menu. Check mark the option to Allow Parent File Upload and click 'Save Changes'. To allow students, repeat these steps and check mark the option for Allow Student File Upload.
      • To learn more about file upload, click on your FAQ Icon (the blue question mark), click on the "Look in: All categories" drop-down menu, select File Upload/File Attachment and click "View FAQ".
      • To help teach you parents and/or students how to use the file upload tool, you can point them to the FAQ section under the heading of 'File Upload/File Attachment'.
    • HelpDesk would like to help you get your Registration processes set up in FastDirect. Please send an FDmail message or give HelpDesk a call when you are ready to get started.
    • If your school is approaching the 3rd mid-quarter report, then these functions in FastDirect might need to be addressed.
    • Opening up teacher input for 3rd mid-quarter reports will require:
      • Changing input for 2nd quarter ReportCards from 'Allow Input' to 'Input Complete' in 'ReportCard Input Controls'
      • Confirming the dates for 3rd mid-quarter in 'Grades' then 'Report Card Input Controls'
      • Changing input for 3rd mid-quarter reports from 'Not Yet' to 'Allow Input' in 'Report Card Input Controls'
      • Having teachers go through the 3rd mid-quarter report input process
      • Closing the input process by changing 'Allow Input' to 'Input Complete'

  • Did You Know...for Administrators

    • Getting your parents online can sometimes be a struggle but we've found that parents who routinely log into their FastDirect account will set the stage for a more cohesive school community.
    • Here are some strategies to help get your parents online:
      • Re-registration is a great time to ask your returning families to log-on and update their parent data form. Furthermore, it's a good time for schools to go green with their registration packets, by using the file upload feature. Place registration packets on the login page, Links, Bulletin Boards, or send as an attachment.
      • Increase communications by allowing SMS Text notifications and encourage your parents to choose the auto-notification options in the parent accounts. The more they are aware of messages being sent to them in FastDirect, the more likely they are to log in.
      • Prepare your 7th and 8th graders for high school by giving them their screen name/password for their student account. This will allow them to go onto the system and see their grades, assigments and BulletinBoards.
      • Give your school organizations access to the site (athletic association, PTA/PTO, scouts, fundraising) so they can communicate with the school community too.

  • Did You Know...for Teachers

    • To properly document the messages you send and receive requires some extra steps on your part.
    • To always have a record of the messages you send, you will need to mark those mesages to keep them from being deleted. After sending a message, you will need to mark that message as 'Never Delete'. This means that even if the recipient deletes the message you sent them, you will still have documentation of the message and it's details. Here are the steps to mark a message as 'Never Delete':
      • After sending the message, click the button labeled '(#)Sent Msgs'
      • In the far right column will be a check box. Place a check mark next to any message you would like to save
      • At the top of that far right column are three buttons; click the button labeled 'Never Delete'
      • Now you will always have a record of the message you sent!
    • Here is some information to keep in mind about sent messages:
      • If a message was sent and not marked as 'Never Delete' by the sender, then once a recipient deletes it from their inbox, it will also be deleted from your 'Sent' messages list.
      • Any message not marked as 'Never Delete' by the sender AND marked as 'Deleted' by the recipient will be removed from both lists by the end of the day.
      • 'Archived' messages are messages that have been deleted but are still saved within the FastDirect servers. These messages are not retrievable by the school.
    • For messages that you have received, we recommend saving those messages to folders. The fewer messages you keep in your inbox, the quicker the system will load your Home page. Received messages saved to folders will always be retrievable and categorized in your own, customized folders. Here is some helpful information with regards to saving messages and creating new folders:
      • Messages saved to folders can be returned to your inbox or moved to a different folder.
      • Folders can be deleted or renamed.
      • To learn how to create new folders, click this link.

  • Did You Know...for Parents

    • All parents now have the option to set as a preference to receive an auto-notification of all messages sent to them in FastDirect! The recipient no longer needs to rely on the sender to choose the email notification feature when sending a message. Additionally, parents can choose to receive auto-notifications either as an email or as an SMS text notification - or both!
    • Here are some specifics about the auto-notification feature:
      • This option or preference is available for all parent/guardians.
      • The ability to receive an email auto-notification requires your parents to enter in an email address in their parent account.
      • The ability to receive an SMS Text auto-notification requires your parents to enter in a cell phone number and a cell phone provider in their parent account.
      • If SMS Text Messaging has not been enabled at your school (in Settings), then your parents will not be able to sign up for SMS Text auto-notifications.
      • If a school has not allowed parents to change their data, with the exception of primary data, then the office will need to enter/change this information for the parents.
    • For instructions on how to set this up in a parent account, we have created this sheet to help your parents get started. Contact HelpDesk if you would like this sheet sent to you in an FDmail message.

  • What's New...

    • All parents now have the option to set as a preference to receive an auto-notification of all messages sent to them in FastDirect! The recipient no longer needs to rely on the sender to choose the email notification feature when sending a message. Additionally, parents can choose to receive auto-notifications either as an email or as an SMS text notification - or both!
    • Here are some specifics about the auto-notification feature:
      • This option or preference is available for all parent/guardians.
      • The ability to receive an email auto-notification requires your parents to enter in an email address in their parent account.
      • The ability to receive an SMS Text auto-notification requires your parents to enter in a cell phone number and a cell phone provider in their parent account.
      • If SMS Text Messaging has not been enabled at your school (in Settings), then your parents will not be able to sign up for SMS Text auto-notifications.
      • If a school has not allowed parents to change their data, with the exception of primary data, then the office will need to enter/change this information for the parents.
    • For instructions on how to set this up in a parent account, we have created this sheet to help your parents get started. Contact HelpDesk if you would like this sheet sent to you in an FDmail message.

  • Trimester Schedules

    • Registration is an important part of the school year and FastDirect can help make the process easier. In FastDirect, you can track new student applications, re-registrations of returning students, as well as the charging and depositing of registration fees. Here is some of the information that is tracked in the Registration report:
      • The number of students for each grade level
      • The number of students returning in each grade level
      • The number of new student applications in each grade level
      • An estimated number of spots available in each grade level
      • A breakdown of each existing family and their re-registration status
    • Here are some other features involved in registration through FastDirect:
      • The ability to allow your parents to re-register their child online
      • The finance account for Registration 2012-2013
      • A report showing all families and if they have been charged their registration fees
      • A report showing all families and if they have paid their registration fees
    • WildCards are a good way to keep track of all the required forms and if parents have completed and submitted those forms to the office. Here are other uses for WildCard:
      • Student immunizations
      • State testing scores
      • Protecting God's Children
    • WildCard fields can be created for:
      • Students
      • Parents
      • Staff
    • Here are the steps to create a WildCard field:
      • Click on the 'Defaults' icon
      • Scroll down and click on the line that says 'Add/Change WildCards'
      • In the drop down, select who you are creating the WildCard for: Staff, Parents or Students
      • Type in the name of the WildCard field, such as 'Immunizations'
      • Click 'Create New WildCard'
    • Registering students for next year often means forms and paperwork. With the file upload function, you can add these forms to the Links page, send them as attachments or create links to them on the login screen. Making these forms available online means you won't be spending your time making copies and mailing them out.
    • Additionally, by allowing your parents to upload files, you can have a paperless process! After you have uploaded the forms and made them available online, your parents can fill the forms out electronically and send them back to you through our secure FDmail eMessaging.
    • Here is how to turn on file upload for your parents and ways to help get your parents started:
      • You can activate this feature either for parents or students or both. To do so you'll, go to Settings and click on FDmail in the left hand navigation menu. Check mark the option to Allow Parent File Upload and click 'Save Changes'. To allow students, repeat these steps and check mark the option for Allow Student File Upload.
      • To learn more about file upload, click on your FAQ Icon (the blue question mark), click on the "Look in: All categories" drop-down menu, select File Upload/File Attachment and click "View FAQ".
      • To help teach you parents and/or students how to use the file upload tool, you can point them to the FAQ section under the heading of 'File Upload/File Attachment'.
    • HelpDesk would like to help you get your Registration processes set up in FastDirect. Please send an FDmail message or give HelpDesk a call when you are ready to get started.
    • If your school is approaching the 2nd trimester ReportCard, then these functions in FastDirect might need to be addressed.
    • Opening up teacher input for 2nd trimester ReportCards will require:
      • Changing input for 2nd mid-trimester reports from 'Allow Input' to 'Input Complete' in 'ReportCard Input Controls'
      • Confirming the dates for 2nd trimester in 'Grades' then 'Report Card Input Controls'
      • Changing input for 2nd trimester ReportCards from 'Not Yet' to 'Allow Input' in 'Report Card Input Controls'
      • Having teachers go through the 2nd trimester ReportCard input process
      • Closing the input process by changing 'Allow Input' to 'Input Complete'

  • Archives - Old Monthly Mentions

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