Q:What is
PowerSchool?
A: With PowerSchool, parents will be
able to access vital information about their children quickly and accurately.
They can see the results of tests and assignments as soon as they are recorded,
enabling them to intervene quickly and communicate with guidance counselors and
teachers, if necessary. Day in and day out, PowerSchool will help parents help
their children achieve their potential. PowerSchool is a comprehensive student
information system that will enable the
Q: What can I see on the
PowerSchool site?
A: Parents and students can access the following information:
• Grades for current
classes, as well as the assignments that make up those grades
• Attendance for the past two weeks or for the whole quarter, including a
legend of attendance codes used by the school
• Teacher comments / Discipline Log
• Reports via Email, which allow parents to request daily, weekly, or monthly
reports to be sent via email
• Daily School Bulletin
Q: How does
PowerSchool help parents, students and teachers?
A: Students and parents can keep track of their grades and
attendance. A student sometimes does not know he/she is in trouble in certain
classes, until it is too late. Progress Reports given out in the old system, had
old information by the time it got home to the parent or given to the student.
Now a student knows where they stand and can do something about it before that
grade goes to a report card. PowerSchool provides access to parents and
guardians to enable them to communicate with teachers and monitor grades,
attendance, and homework assignments in real time from home or the office or
ANYWHERE there is an internet connection.
Teachers use a program
called PowerGrade. It is the grade-keeping portion of PowerSchool. Teachers use
PowerGrade in the classroom to record grades, take attendance, create log
entries, and make notes for themselves and for parents. PowerGrade sends data
to the PowerSchool server every time teachers save their work. Teachers can
take attendance in PowerSchool or PowerGrade. Remember the old days of.. “Can
someone take this ATTENDANCE SHEET to the office?” Those days are gone. Once a
teacher submits the attendance, the attendance secretary in the office can view
it immediately. For that matter, so can students and parents.
Q: What is required for a parent to connect to the
PowerSchool Server?
A: Users need the following to connect:
• A computer with a
connection to the Internet
• Safari, Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 5.0, Firefox 1.5 or more recent (i.e.,a
browser capable of 128-bit encryption)
• A login username and password supplied by Stephenson Area Schools
Q: How does one get a login username and password for
PowerSchool?
A: Attend ONE ½ - ¾ hour training
that is good for all of your children attending the
Q: If I have attended
a training class, how can I receive a login and password for all of my children?
A: Email jimb@stephenson.k12.mi.us with your
name and your children’s names and schools. For security reasons, please also
include the last 2 characters of the password for the child for which you
already have access. If all information is correct, the ID and password for
your other child will be emailed to you.
Q: Are Passwords case sensitive?
A: In general, no. It may depend on the browser you are using as well as
the platform and operating system of the computer you are using to access the
site. If all lower case does not work, we recommend that you try the login and
password with the case as shown on your information sheet. For some IDs and
passwords, it is hard to know whether to use 0 (zero) or O (capital o, the
letter). We recommend that you try both. If you still can't log in, please
email jimb@stephenson.k12.mi.us
Q: Can other people see my son’s/daughter’s grades?
A: As long as YOU protect your password, only you and school district
employees associated with your child will be able to see your child’s grades.
If for any reason you believe your ID and password has been breached, email jimb@stephenson.k12.mi.us requesting
that the ID and password be changed by correctly submitting the current ID and
Password.
Q: What do I do if I forget or lose
my PowerSchool password?
A: Login ID and password is key to the security of your
student’s private ACADEMIC information. If you have lost your ID or password,
you will need to visit Stephenson high school office and present photo
identification to receive a new ID and password.
Q: Can I change my ID and Password?
A: It is not possible for you to change your ID and password. Keep it
confidential. You should treat it as you would an ATM card or credit card.
Q: Do parents and students see the same information in
Powerschool?
A: When students and parents access the PowerSchool server, they see the
same information with one exception; only parents have the ability to request
automatic progress reports via email.
Q: Is it possible to lose this privilege of
PowerSchool parent access for a period of time?
A: Stephenson
Q: Can I print what I see in PowerSchool?
A: The best way to print is to use the Print Page icon located at the
bottom of the pages in PowerSchool.
Q: Why does it take such a long time for PowerSchool to
load in my web browser?
A: The speed at which your web browser can display a specific website
depends on the speed of your own internet connection. Naturally, if you are
using dial-up, it will be slower than using DSL or cable modem.
Q: Do I need to log out of PowerSchool? Can I simply exit
or close my browser window?
A: Logging out is the only way to ensure no other users can access the
information you have securely logged in to view. Please make sure you Logout
when you are finished with PowerSchool.
Q: I know "My
Calendars" works with iCal a Macintosh computer, but how do I make it work
with my Windows computer?
A: Before we get started subscribing to the calendars,
you must have a specific piece of software
downloaded to your computer. On a Macintosh computer, you must have iCal and on
a
Windows machine, you must download Sunbird. These directions will show you how
to download the software and subscribe to the PowerSchool calendars: *This option is currently unavailable*
"How
to use My Calendars