Top Five Tech Things You Need To Know

The NPS tech department hopes you've been able to unplug and enjoy time away from electronics this summer. Our team has been busy preparing for the new school year for students and staff. Here are the Top Five tech things you need to know as you prepare for the new school year:

1. Incoming grade 6 students and new to NMS students will receive their school issued chromebooks during the first week of school in their homerooms. 

2. Incoming grade 9 students and new to NHS students will receive their school issued chromebooks during orientation on Monday, August 26th. If students are unable to attend, they will receive their devices during the first week of school in the NHS library. 

3. Any NPS student who has a chromebook that is in need of repair, should drop it off at the Superintendent's office between the hours of 8am-3pm. This will allow the tech department time to fix devices prior to school starting in a few weeks. 

4. BIG NEWS! Norton Public Schools will have a new student information system this year: goodbye Schoolbrains and hello Powerschool! The District has been working for over a year to transition to the new system which will allow for greater functionality and a streamlined user interface. Parents & guardians of students in grades 6 and up will receive more information about the app and the community portal once we're back in the fall. Students at NMS and NHS should check their school email in the coming weeks for information on how to access the online portal which will provide their schedules for the new school year. Elementary families will not be impacted by the change in systems at this time. We will share more specific information regarding PowerSchool for parents/guardians in the weeks ahead. 

5. With the move from Schoolbrains to Powerschool, please be patient and kind to NPS staff as they learn the new system. It is a huge undertaking transferring data, configuring reports, navigating a new platform, and learning the ins and outs of a system after using something for 9 years. Training will be ongoing and we'll be learning new things daily. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to supporting families navigate this new resource to ensure your child's/children's success in Norton. 

Reach out to Karen Winsper, Director of Instructional Technology, kwinsper@norton.k12.ma.us 508-285-0100 with any questions or concerns. Have a fantastic final few weeks of summer!