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Welcome back everyone! It has been a busy summer for us with all of the changes in grade configurations, new attendance boundaries, teachers and students changing campuses, new construction, renovations, and setting up a new school. Here are a few of the projects we still have to complete, completed projects, and new projects coming up...
MHS South Campus (and North): We are still in the process of setting up the new phone system and correcting network issues due to outside intervention. ;) We are just about finished with the IP Phone installation that will allow you to call through our network to other campuses without using an outside line. Yes, we will be having a small training (with a handout) soon on how to effectively use your new phones. Once we complete the directory information, I will be sending that information out to all of the campuses. We do have concerns about telephones ringing during instructional time, so we will be covering how to use the "Do not disturb" feature. Please try to refrain from calling room to room unless you know that teacher is available at that time. Our goal is to better
tie our two campuses together and increase your ability to communicate with each other and with parents.
MHS North: Your phones and network should all be in place. I still have to tweak the greeting and call in features of the system. There is some training and handouts coming soon...
Walnut Grove Middle School: We are still waiting on the universal mounts in the ceiling before we begin the projector installations. Overall, most of the installation and set up for that campus has gone well considering we had a late start. ;) Telephones are in place (still need some fine tuning) and learning is taking place as planned... ;)
Access Control: We are adding a second door at every campus except the HS due to on going renovation. They should be completed by the end of next week. This will give you a second door to enter during arrival in the morning. The original door was set up for after hours and weekend access to the building. This second door will allow us to be more secure as a District. Walnut Grove's completion will be the following week.
Computers: Most all of our Mac users should notice that they are running the latest version of OSX, the unix based operating system. There are quite a few new features that you can take advantage of like Dashboard... http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/ You can read about some of the "widgets" available. Expose' is another feature. If you press F9 on your keyboard, your windows will line up and show simultaneously on your screen. Press F9 again, will return your screen to normal. If you click on a window, it will bring it to the forefront. F11 will move your windows on and off of your desktop allowing you to gain quick access to a file or folder hidden by a window... F12 toggles the
Widgets off and on... Pretty neat stuff. Thanks to the Tech Staff. They went around and imaged or loaded the new updated operating system on over 1100 stations this summer. This primarily went on all of the teacher stations. We moved over 600 stations this summer as we made changes to Vitovsky due to the grade configuration changes and a completely new installation at Walnut Grove. Vitovsky was similar to a new campus installation with the computer lab changes and going from a 1 computer classroom to a 4 computer classroom.
Communications: We are in the process of installing a 180 foot communications tower that will be located just behind the administration building. This tower will allow us to gain line of site to all of our campuses for network connectivity and provide for us as we continue to grow and add new campuses. It will also give us other communication opportunities coming in the near future. The City of Midlothian was very helpful in making this happen, and we appreciate their cooperation and continued partnership.
New MISD Web Site: We have had several committee members view our new layout and offer great suggestions for the development of our new MISD Web Site. We are preparing the opportunities of having an "online store" for Point of Sale so that parents can pay online for lunch for their children. We hope to bring the sale of yearbooks, t-shirts, fees, and other items to our store as we progress. We are considering selling small sponsored spaces on certain pages for Midlothian community businesses to advertise. We are working out the details. More to come...
Library Patron Web Access: Every desktop will be able to search the library through the web to see what is available. You can even see most of the book covers of the books you are searching. Cool stuff! The librarians have been working very hard this summer to get everything ready to go for this school year. The Destiny Library Automation System is going to be a great tool for MISD.
Irvin Phone System: Next on our list, we will begin installing new IP based telephones at J. R. Irvin and adding them to our communications network. Needless to say, we are playing catch up right now and we hope to begin work at Irvin starting next week. Soon, you will be able to pick up your phone and dial an extension number to call anyone at the Admin Building, MHS, Walnut Grove, Baxter Elementary, Auxiliary Center, Jenkins (and one other soon to be added campuses) all without using or tying up an outside telephone line.
Frank Seale Middle School: This year, we are planning on adding projectors to every classroom, and you will be getting the new IP Based Phone system that will also include a telephone in every classroom. Frank Seale Middle School has a tradition of embracing technology as a campus and in order to keep pace with the offerings at Walnut Grove, Frank Seale will be outfitted in much the same way. Dr. Kennedy has approved this opportunity, so we are moving forward.
New Instructional Technologists: They are not new to the District, just new to the fact they are free to service more than just one campus. After we get our feet on the ground, you will begin to see them at your campuses with different technology offerings and assistance. They are Margie Nisbett, and Susan Bolgiano. We are expecting great things from these two... :)
Grade Books: It's that time of year again. We are about to begin building everyone's gradebook. We do this as a service to you so that you will not have to go through this tedious process. It seems to be taking us longer each year to complete this task. (It has something to do with our growth... ;)
We appreciate all that you do for the students of MISD. As a parent, I feel very confident that my children are safe at school, and they are getting the best education possible. Not everyone can say that, and it is truly a tribute to the quality teachers here at MISD. I hope everyone has a great year!!!
Kirk Paschall
Director of Technology
Midlothian I. S. D.
100 Walter Stephenson Rd.
Midlothian, TX 76065
voice 972.775.8296
fax 972.775.2126
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