
NOACSC Newsletter
4th Quarter - Fall 2023
NOACSC Community,
I hope everyone has gotten off to a great start to the school year!
We are doing our best to engage our districts and support their needs. I have been visiting with all of the new superintendents of our member districts. We have also brought in all the new technology coordinators to our office to connect with them and provide resources to ensure their success.
I want to invite you to our membership meeting. Last fall, NOACSC held its first membership meeting since 2018. We received positive feedback about it so we are once again hosting a great event. Last year was a great time to connect with all of our member districts. We are again focusing our meeting on the topic of Cybersecurity and Insurance but are also adding a speaker for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education. I have received many calls for information regarding this topic so we have added it to our agenda. We have a great morning planned for you, including breakfast sponsored by Stolly Insurance and the Ohio School Plan. We hope you will join us at the Old Barn on Wednesday, November 8 for this great event!
Finally, once every 5 years, each ITC undergoes a site review from the Ohio Education Computer Network (OECN). This winter NOACSC will be undergoing a site review. During the process, the OECN will be asking for feedback from the districts we serve. We will be inviting you to provide your feedback about our service to you. The review is scheduled for December 11-12. Look for more information to come soon.
Have an amazing fall!
Ben Thaxton
NOACSC Executive Director
NOACSC Membership Meeting
Join us on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 from 8:15-12:00 at the Old Barn Restaurant & Grill in Lima.
- 8:15-8:45 - Registration and breakfast sponsored by Stolly Insurance and Ohio School Plan
- 8:45-11:45 - NOACSC Membership Meeting
Meeting topics include:
- NOACSC updates
- Cybersecurity and Cyber Insurance
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education
The target audience is superintendents, treasurers, tech coordinators and any other staff whom districts feel would benefit from these topics.
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023, 08:15 PM
3175 West Elm Street, Lima, OH, USA
Product Updates
Attendance K12
NOACSC now offers a new product, Attendance K12. Attendance K12 is an Ohio-based product developed by an Ohio school principal to help monitor attendance and maintain compliance with HB410. Attendance K12 is designed to:
- Reduce chronic absentee rates
- Increase parent communication
- Automate communication
- Fully integrate with ProgressBook
A district had this to say about Attendance K12, "I feel like I really know the program well now and we are loving it as a district. There is a lot that the program can offer. I think you are going to have more and more districts that are going to want to use the program once they hear about it."
For more information regarding Attendance K12, visit https://attendancek12.com/ or reach out to Ben.
🍁🍂Team Updates🍂🍁
🏫Student Services
Quarter 1 Reporting
The end of the quarter is quickly approaching, and there are a lot of pieces involved in getting your report cards printed and/or published to ParentAccess. As a reminder, ALL report cards can be published to ParentAccess. This is a great way for parents to access your students’ report cards, even if you choose to also print them.
Quick Tips:
· Honor Rolls: We have an Honor Roll List in Newspaper Format page on our NOACSC website that can be used to generate your honor roll lists for your newspaper. Instructions are located on the page.
· ParentAccess Report Cards: Report cards can be published to the ParentAccess site through the R700 screen using the Load Settings tab. Elementary GradeBook report cards can be published to ParentAccess by running these through the “Final” option.
· Marks Dashboard: The Harmony Marks Dashboard is a great page to see marks distribution by quarter, teacher and/or mark. The application for the Harmony Marks Dashboard is located within Harmony.
SIS Mobile APP
The updated ProgressBook user interface can be difficult to navigate on a mobile device. If you frequently view ProgressBook student data on a mobile device, we recommend trying the SIS Mobile App. The SIS Admin Mobile App allows admins to view essential student information on a mobile device, such as: important profile information, student’s contact information, transportation information, student’s class schedule, student’s discipline incidents, and student’s course grades.
The ProgressBook SIS Admin MobileApp is a free application that can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Download the app from:
· Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/progressbook-sis-admin/id1133686392?mt=8
· Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.progressbook.mobile.SISAdmin&h l=en
Upcoming Trainings
· Medical Refresher – Zoom Session: October 18th, 9:00 am
· Student Services User Group: October 18th, 1:30 pm
· Graduation Points Training: November 1st, 9:00 am
· Harmony Training: December 5th, 9:00 am
Registration for all trainings is available on our NOACSC website under Upcoming Events.
Distribution Lists
If anyone in your building needs added to any of our Student Services email distribution lists you can self-subscribe at https://listsignup.noacsc.org/
📊EMIS Services
Boy, has it been busy in the EMIS World! We have been busy with trainings and beginning of the year items. Here is an updated list of our upcoming EMIS trainings.
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EMIS User Check-In – in person at NOACSC
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
We plan to use this time as an open forum type of discussion to give you the opportunity to network and talk with other EMIS coordinators as well as address any issues you may be having with open collections. There was a survey sent out asking for any specific talking points that you would like to hear about. Please complete that survey.
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CrossCheck Check-In – in person at NOACSC
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The new CrossCheck Check-In meeting we have scheduled will also be an open forum type of discussion. If we have districts not currently using CrossCheck and would like a demonstration feel free to reach out to the EMIS team and we can get something scheduled.
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Troubleshooting Federal Child Count Reports – in person at NOACSC
Thursday, November 9, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Troubleshooting Federal Child Count Reports – Zoom Webinar
Friday, November 10, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
ODE EMIS General Training – Stacy & Kelli
Week of November 13th – 16th
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New EMIS User Check-In – in person at NOACSC
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
If you’re a new EMIS coordinator and haven’t signed-up for our New EMIS User Check-In scheduled for Tuesday, November 14, 2023, we’d like to encourage you to do so. (“New” usually means having 3 years or less EMIS experience.) We plan to use this time as an open forum type of discussion to give you the opportunity to network and talk with other new EMIS coordinators as well as address any issues you may be having with open collections.
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OAEP Fall Conference – Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center
Friday, November 17, 2023
https://www.oaep.net/page/FallConf
EMIS User Check-In – in person at NOACSC
Thursday, December 14, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to emis.support@noacsc.org for any open lab sessions.
💵Fiscal Services
NOACSC Annual Invoices will be sent via email the first part of October. Please verify for accuracy. Estimates were sent in July.
In the past quarter everyone has been wrapping up STRS Advance for another fiscal year. Have you checked your STRS reported amount to make sure you withheld the correct amount and sent it to STRS?
Reminder: At the bottom of the Payroll Report, there is a total that is STRS advance specific called ‘Payroll Item Strs Advancement.’ This value should be $0.00.
NOACSC will be holding a User Group Meeting October 26th. If you haven’t signed-up please do so. The agenda will cover:
- EMIS Period L Checklist
- Mass Load/Mass Changes
- ODE Report Card and how EMIS relates.
- Data Collector Demo
- Any walk-on topics or questions from the participants
The EMIS Period L deadline is not until January, however it is recommended each district submits early.
The Calendar Year-End is quickly approaching – if you are new to your district, do you have a TCC code to file 1099’s? Does someone in your office have access with the SSA to file your districts W2’s? Calendar Year-End Meetings will be November 29th & 30th.
A new option this year will be printing W2’s and 1099’s straight from USAS/USPS. More to come on this option.
Additional Features:
Employee Onboarding is an option in USPS and multiple users have implemented it and like using this feature in USPS.
The workflow option is a newer option in USAS. For NOACSC, we have set up workflows and use it for requisition approval. The advantage of using it is the user doesn’t have to log into a separate application to access the requisition workflow process. All requisitions needing approval show directly on the home screen in USAS.
As Always: Our support email is: fiscal.support@noacsc.org, our phone number is: 419 228-7417 option 3 is for fiscal.
💻Network Services
October is recognized as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. It's an opportunity for us to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that we're all taking steps to stay safe online both at school and at home.
Cybersecurity is not just the responsibility of the IT staff, but it's a shared responsibility among all of us. Here are a few key points to remember:
- **Be cautious of suspicious emails and links**: Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. They could potentially be phishing attempts.
- **Use strong, unique passwords**: Make sure your passwords are complex and unique for each account.
- **Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)**: 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring two types of identification before you can access your accounts. It's one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase security.
- **Keep your devices updated**: Regularly update your devices and applications to protect against the latest security threats.
- **Secure your Wi-Fi**: Make sure your home Wi-Fi network is secured with a strong password and encryption.
- **Backup important data**: Regularly backup important data and ensure that it can be restored in case of a cyber-attack.
Remember, the most effective defense against cyber threats is a cyber-savvy user. Let's all do our part in creating a safer digital environment for everyone.
Personalized Training
NOACSC is known for providing quality training of all types. We will train individuals, small groups or large groups either in person and online as needed. We will even present to your entire staff as requested!
Here's Eric teaching on cybersecurity practices for teachers at the Hancock County county-wide professional development day!
📅Important Dates
- October 17 - NOACSC Tech Advisory Meeting
- November 7 - NOACSC Board of Directors Meeting
- November 8 - Membership Meeting at Old Barn, Lima
- November 23-24 - Office closed for Thanksgiving
- December 11-12 - MCOECN Site Review
- December 25-26 - Office closed for Christmas