Release of MCEETYA Western Australia August Census Update in PCSchool Student Management School Administration Software

PCSchool has added the Western Australian August Census Data Collection format to its MCEETYA formats.

This will enable PCSchool Student Management School Software System to automatically prepare the file for our Western Australian Schools.

This file has the capacity to transfer up to 9 student disabilities along with the other required student data. Disability data will only be transferred if it is coded as below

These are entered into PCSchool via our Special Needs Section. Note that only the matching entries found in the above table will be sent in the file.

In the above Reading Disability would not be transmitted.

The softeare for this capability requires Ver 2011.2 or highter

Document Management Added to Alumni

PCSchool Student Management School Software are pleased to announce that they have now incorporated their Document Management component into their Alumni (Extended School Community) module.
This will enable users to store document, images or any other desired files into Document Management associated with the particular past associate of the school community.

For a pdf document on Document Management with PCSchool Student Management School Administration Software see  http://www.pcschool.net/siteimages/DocMan.pdf

PCSchool Student Management Software important NZ MOE Update

PCSchool School Management School Administration Software have posted a new follow up 2011-2 and associated report files essential for ALL New Zealand schools to implement in preparation for the March Roll Returns and NZQA submissions.

Whats new in this followup:

1.      Currently accredited programs for preparation of the MOE Roll Returns. 

2.      Arrivals Upload to “Enrol” has been updated to cater for the new Schema (Ver 2) released by MOE. This will significantly reduce the errors associated with submissions based on the prior version of the schema which failed to cater for the newer verification documents 

3.      Changes to cater for the release in the latest standard file where the NZQA changed the tags re Numeracy and Literacy. Previously Y/N this was changed to a possible 4 different codes which resulted in errors in PCSchool that was using a checkbox to represent the values (a checkbox can only show true/false) 

4.      Changes to cater for the new xml format for the NZQA upload file which will also cater for the new course accreditations. 

5.      Added NSN support to the Import of csv files into Markbooks. This will enable a file that contains valid NSN files to be imported into the markbook with associated data aligning with the desired student 

6.      Misc bug fixes where identified. 

For other 2011 version changes see http://groups.google.com/group/pcschool_sms/web/changes-for-2011?hl=en

To download and implement this followup Visit 

www.pcschool.net/download/followup2011-2.zip 

or Visit our Web site www.pcschool.net for the most recent followup

Download the file to a known location (eg Desktop) 

Open the compressed file and read the instructions contained therein (See Installation pdf) 
. 
To apply this followup, and you must be currently running Version 2011 or better. To Check your version go to Help About in any module and it should show Ver 2011. (If you are not currently running Ver 2011 contact the Help Desk for 
instructions of updating to 2011) 

Once the process is complete go to the Scholastic Module and view Help About. Your version should be 2011.0.0.475 or higher. There will be no need to have users out of PCSchool to apply this followup however if running off a Terminal Server you will need to have all users out of the PCSchool on that Terminal Server while you copy the contents of the Programs2011 to the \pcschool\programs folder on that Terminal Server to avoid the problem with the programs not 

over-writing because they are in use. 

For the MOE Roll Returns you will also need to update some of your reports. If you are a Non SQL School (if unsure about SQL status do this anyway) Visit 
www.pcschool.net/download/MOERepsNonSQL.zip 

Download this file to a known location (eg Desktop). Open the file and extract its contents to \PCSchool\Reports on the Server (Replace current files when prompted) 

If SQL (If unsure you will have a folder on the server \pcschool \reports\sql Visit 

www.pcschool.net/download/MOERepsSQL.zip 

Download this file to a known location (eg Desktop). Open the file and extract its contents to \PCSchool\Reports\SQL on the Server (Replace current files when prompted) 

If you experience any difficulty performing this followup please call the Help Desk for assistance 

To complement this followup PCSchool will be running some On Line Webex Training Sessions as below. 

1.      Preparing for and Producing MOE Roll Returns  (30 minutes) 

2.      Changes to NZQA inc. New Submission file & Course Accreditations within PCSchool  – an overview (45 minutes) 

3.      Automated processing of Arrivals and Leavers to Enrol (30 minutes) 

For more information on the training contact kate@pcschool.net

PCSchool School Attendance Late Station

PCSchool has released its "Late Station" as an adjunct to its very powerful Attendance suite. Prior to the addition of the Late Station users were able to:

• Record by period attendance via Web Based Roll Marking
• Centrally record absence either individually or to groups of students
• Notify parents via Text or Email in the event of Student Absence
• Review attendance and follow up on unexplained absence
• Produce management summaries to assist in reduction of Truancy
• Expose Attendance Data to Teachers and Parents via PCSchool's Web Portal

The addition of the Late Station enables students to 

• check in when late
• check out if leaving school early
• check back in following a temporary absence from school
• self print Late Slips for presentation to Teacher or for Signature from Care Giver

All this is achieved via a Stand Alone Late Station. This Touch Screen driven computer enables students to locate themselves via scan of an ID card or by navigating to their class and self selecting their image. The student must identify the reason for their lateness or early departure. Once complete their information, including image, will appear on another computer within the school office. The operator is alerted to the request. They validate the student's identity by cross-checking the image on their screen with the student operating the Late Station outside the office. If approval is forthcoming then the student is notified via the Late Station and an appropriate slip is printed on the adjacent printer.

The data collected via the Late Station is immediately transferred to the attendance system and the appropriate rolls or attendance data are modified automatically.

Example:

1. A student is marked as present for the morning via Classroom Roll Marking.
2. The student then reports to the Late Station for Early Departure at 10am
3. Departure is Approved
4. The roll record will be altered to show the student as Absent from 10am

For a video of "Late Station" see Video on PCSchool Late Station