Technology Support

Haiku/PowerSchool Learning is being “deprecated,” a tech term meaning that the product will no longer be available, and discontinuing its use is recommended. Schoology is an upgrade of service from PowerSchool Learning, the same vendor that provided Haiku.

Schoology facilitates better communication and student engagement with content.  Specific benefits include a stronger integration with Google, a “Groups” feature that will be utilized to improve internal communication, and an easy to use interface for all grade levels. Schoology, like Haiku, is being used primarily as a tool for teachers and students to communicate. Teachers can post information, assignments, assessments, web links, video links, and manage discussion boards and more for students to complete either in class, in a lab environment, or at home depending on the needs of the student and the class. Students can upload completed projects and documents to Schoology for their teachers' review and grading, much like they did with Haiku. 

Upper and Middle School students have received Schoology onboarding and training and are already actively using the system with success. Students in Grades 3 and 4 will be onboarded and trained during the coming weeks. All students will continue to receive instruction from their teachers on how to access their assignments and other resources via Schoology.  

As with all new tools, a goal is to make sure that all teachers are using Schoology in a streamlined fashion. We have created templates for each division, but also know that different teachers are using Schoology at different levels and with different styles. We are encouraging innovation, while also making sure that students can predictably find what they need. User feedback will be integral to our process and at the end of the first trimester/quarter, we will seek feedback from students and families and continue to adjust processes and expectations for both students and teachers.

Parents/Guardians of students in Grade 3 through 8 have the ability to create a Parent Account in Schoology, which allows parents/guardians to log into the LMS and see the information that teachers are providing, including but not limited to class events, special requests, assignments, homework, and student resources. Parents/Guardians can access Schoology training materials using the button above.

As was the practice with Haiku, Upper School parents/guardians will not have separate parent accounts for Schoology. We work to train students to be more independent at this stage in their academic careers. Parents of Upper Schoolers are encouraged to ask their students questions about their work, but will not have their own view of their portal.

Students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 2 will use the learning application Seesaw to practice grade-level skills, document their learning, and receive feedback from teachers whether they are in school or learning remotely. Students can post photos, videos, drawings, or notes directly to their digital journal in Seesaw. Parent communication for these grade levels happens through emails from the homeroom teacher.  

All RCDS Employees and students in Grades 5 – 12 have access to Gmail using their Google Workspace credentials.

Gmail integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, the primary communication and collaboration tool used between employees and with students. Gmail has more robust communication features, particularly the integrated calendar. Gmail also features an excellent spam filter.

Students in Grades 7 – 12 received Gmail training during orientation. Students Grades 5 and 6 will be onboarded in the coming weeks. The student training materials for Gmail can be viewed here.

No, RCDS email addresses did not change. Student and adult email addresses will remain in their previous format: firstName_lastName@ryecountryday.org.  

For privacy reasons, RCDS will only share Zoom meeting links and passwords via email or Schoology. See the table below for aa snapshot of where specific Zoom links are shared.

 The School will automatically push updates to Zoom for all school-issued devices (Pre-K - Gr. 6).  If your family is using a non-school device, it is important to periodically update your Zoom app to make sure that your student is able to fully participate in class.

Zoom help article: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362233-Upgrade-update-to-the-latest-version

No. They can join meetings without having accounts by clicking on the invitation link from their teacher. We do, however, recommend downloading the Zoom app. 

Please visit the Zoom Help Center if you have questions for using Zoom: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us

• Reach out to the teacher directly.  Only the person who created the Zoom meeting is able to let a student in.  
• In the Lower School, Zoom meetings will be locked after ten minutes to ensure student safety.

In this case, students should always click the button to “return to the main meeting.”

• Go to https://www.speedtest.net/ and 
• Run a speedtest
• Make sure that the results of your speedtest are close to the plan that you are paying for
• If your results show that you are not getting the results you are paying for, call your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

• Make sure that your family device has the family name
  • On a computer: 
    • If using the meeting ID and password: Click “Join a Meeting,” enter the meeting ID, and then on the line below, put in the correct name (not the device name). If you are using a link provided by the teacher, then input your name when the “Join a Meeting” screen pops up. In both cases, check the “Remember my name for future meetings” option after changing the name.
  • On an iPad:
    • Before using the link provided by the teacher, open the Zoom app and click  the “Join a Meeting” button. Enter the meeting ID and input your name in the line below the meeting ID. 

*After you have installed the Zoom app*

Please make sure to give Zoom access to your Apple laptop's camera and microphone:

• Click the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen.
• Click System Preferences.
• Click Security & Privacy.

• Click the lock icon at the bottom left corner of the Security & Privacy window.

• Enter your OS administrator username and password.
• Click Unlock.
• Click the permission that you need to change: Camera and then Microphone.

• Click the checkbox next to zoom.us.  (Zoom Rooms is not used)
• Once you've allowed all necessary permissions, click Quit Now.
• Reopen Zoom and you should now have full access.

Our Remote Learning Policy has been updated to define a clear process for obtaining permission from the Health Office to Zoom into classes.