MPS Summer Technology Updates

July 21, 2021

Dear Maynard families,

Thank you for your support and flexibility as we have worked throughout the pandemic to provide technology to support teaching and learning. Here are some important updates as we plan for the fall.

Replacing Tyler SIS with Aspen - Coming Soon!

The Maynard Public Schools are in the process of shifting from Tyler Student Information System (SIS) to Aspen SIS! Tyler access has been closed and we are in the process of preparing Aspen for teacher, student, and parent access. We will be sending out additional information on how to access Aspen later in the summer. For now, please reach out to school administrators with concerns about scheduling and other issues.

Last fall, a team of teachers, administrators, parents, IT staff, and others evaluated our current system and recommended that we shift to Aspen. There was a broad consensus that it would be a big improvement over what we have now and that despite challenges related to the pandemic, we should make it happen.

Aspen will provide a much better experience for everyone involved - there is a reason why over 100 districts in Massachusetts use this platform! It will be easier to use and to find the information you need.

The past 6 months have been an intense process of designing, configuring, and testing the new system and we are excited to share it with everyone ASAP. If you would like more information about Aspen in the meantime, visit this website.

Expired Chromebooks for Purchase

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We still have a number of older Acer and Dell Chromebooks that are "expiring" this summer and are available for purchase from the district for $30 each. These devices still work but the district license for them has expired so they will not be supported, monitored, or updated by Maynard Public Schools.

If you are interested in purchasing one or more of these devices for home use, please have your child bring a check for $30 per Chromebook made out to Maynard Public Schools to a school technology office or contact Adam Steiner, Technology Director at asteiner@maynard.k12.ma.us

End of Year Return of Chromebooks and Other Equipment

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If you still have any Maynard Public Schools Chromebooks, iPads, chargers, hotspots, or other equipment that has not been checked out for the summer, please feel free to drop it off at any school office.

If a family requires equipment to be picked up due to transportation challenges, please contact Adam Steiner, Technology Director at asteiner@maynard.k12.ma.us