Reminders and Such

Team,

Happy Thursday!  Couple of quick things for your reading pleasure.  First, all signs point toward a successful transition to Google.  If you're stuck in a bad place, please see or email Brian Goolsby.  One related request, please be sure to check your  BPS mail regularly.  A couple of parents and outside partners have shared that they sent emails via the BHS website (which has your BPS email) and received no response.  Thanks for your help there.

Some good news, thus far, nearly 50 seniors have already taken the Accuplacer and we're expecting another 30 or so this afternoon.  Even better, there appears to be some excitement around taking courses via Bunker Hill.  More on that soon.

A special kudos to Ms. Snyder, Nurses Bishop, DuJour, and Nowicki and the HOSA (Health Occupations Student Association) team for an awesome Health Fair.  If you missed this year, make it a plan to visit next year.  You'll learn plenty, validate the the efforts of your colleagues, and, potentially, see Ms. Parham lead a Zumba session like no other. 

Lastly, two reminders:

1. Dec. 19th is the deadline for submitting progress report grades.  Those who cannot access Aspen should see John Splaine.
2. Those who are on one-year plans evaluation plans or less, your formative evaluation must be complete by January 13th.  Accordingly, please be sure upload artifacts on or before January 3rd to allow the advisor time to review.

Michele Lavorgna sent along this really inspirational talk from Ted Talks.  It's entertaining on one level, but extremely substantive.  When you have time, take a gander.

Best,

Pat

************

Celeste Gutierrez sent along this interesting event.  She is planning to attend.  Interested?   See the RSVP info below. 

Dear colleague, 

I'd like to extend to you a personal invite to the Student Immigrant Movement's (SIM) 1st Annual Dare to Dream Conference on December 14. 

SIM, the largest youth-led immigrant rights organization in Massachusetts, is fighting for education equity, access and excellence for undocumented and immigrant youth through its Dare to Dream campaign. Through its local and regional organizing chapters and teams, SIM is changing schools from the inside out, creating institutional change in high schools, school districts, colleges and universities, with the ultimate goal of establishing a network of DREAM schools, schools that are committed to and actively working toward inclusive and supportive spaces for immigrant youth. 

Building on the on-the-ground work that SIM organizers and leaders have laid out throughout November, Immigrant youth and schools will come together on December 14 to figure out what DREAM schools can look like in Massachusetts and how we can build a sustainable roadmap together to get us there. What does college access look like? What wraparound supports and community engagement strategies do immigrant youth most benefit from? How can schools provide specialized financial aid and admissions assistance to immigrant youth applicants facing status-based barriers? How do we retain immigrant youth once they enroll? 

The conference will take place on Saturday, December 14 from 8AM (registration and breakfast 8AM- conference starts at 9AM) to 6PM, in the Ryan Lounge at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. 

Here is the registration link: Please RSVP so you can be guaranteed space and food! 

Going Google FAQ's

Team,

Out friends at OIIT sent along this this helpful FAQ list in preparation for the switch to Google on Monday.  Take a gander.  Please make sure you have changed your password in the Hub today.  As is noted below, some 3000 folks have yet to do so.  You will not be able to access your BPS Gmail account if you have not done so. 

Also, by way of reminder, Brian Goolsby, our resident tech specialist, is offering email help sessions in the College and Career Center on the dates and times below.  These sessions are for folks who need help getting going in Gmail.  Feel free to email Brian with specific questions prior to a meeting session. 

• Dec 9th and 10th - 2, 3, 4 blocks
• Dec 12th and 13th - 5 & 6 blocks

Best,
Pat

FAQ's

When is the official cutover to Google?

Friday night, around 6 PM, we'll be cutting off Exchange (the old email system) and officially switching over to Gmail. It is critical that you and your staff have reset your BPS password and have tested your login to your Gmail account BEFORE you leave for the weekend to ensure that you can access your email through Gmail this weekend.

How do I test my Google account? 

Go to www.gmail.com and login with your full email address (jdoe@bostonpublicschools.org) and your new BPS password. If you can login successfully, you're ready for the switch. Please test your login before you leave for the weekend!

What should I do to get ready?

We've prepared a checklist of things to do during your first few days in Google, including instructions for setting up your iPhone and training materials and videos. You can access the checklist here: https://sites.google.com/a/boston.gov/going-google/your-first-days

Do I have to change anything on my phone?

Yes, your old email settings will not work and you'll need to follow these directions to setup Gmail on your phone. https://sites.google.com/a/boston.gov/going-google/webinar-training/resources/mobile-setup/ms-iphone

Will my old email already be in Gmail?

We have been migrating email over to Gmail behind the scenes for the last few weeks and most staff members will login to their Gmail account with their email already there. The migration process will continue through the weekend and most people will have their email fully migrated over by Monday morning but there may be some users who still see emails trickling in through next week.

What about my archive in Outlook or Entourage?

Recent email that is on the server will be migrated automatically but local archives will need to be manually uploaded. OIIT staff will be assisting any user with a local archive to migrate those into Gmail. We'll have instructions to help you and you can also call the help desk. It may take a few days or weeks to get everybody's archive migrated but we'll get everything into Gmail for you!

What will be the top issues that I hear on Monday morning?

1. Password resets. We still have over 3000 people that need to reset their passwords so this will be an issue on Monday. Please direct staff to reset their password as soon as possible.

2. Login issues. Remind staff to login to www.gmail.com with your full address (jdoe@bostonpublicschools.org) instead of your BPS ID number after Friday; many staff members will try to login to the old system and not realize the switch to Gmail.

3. Missing emails. The email servers will be migrating emails 24/7 to get all emails into Gmail so some people may experience an empty mailbox when they first login. We have already migrating 2.9 million emails but we still have a lot more to go so some staff members may see emails migrating over through the week.

On the Good News Front...

Team,

A couple pieces of good news for you reading pleasure... As it happens, both are on the athletics front.  As I am sure you all know by now, the mighty Bengals prevailed on Thanksgiving Day, making them the true Boston city champions this year.  Kudos to the team!  Relatedly, one member, Jalen Applewhite, has been named to the 2013 Boston Herald ALL-SCHOLASTIC FOOTBALL TEAM. This marks the 3rd Brighton QB selected to this exclusive team in the past six seasons. Jalen threw for over 2000 yards and 26 Touchdowns this season and his career touchdown record stands at 39 total touchdowns.  This is all good, but can he beat me in a foot race?  (Probably).  Congrats to Jalen.

We need your help!  Caroline Correa and Juliet Parry are actively trying to launch the Brighton High variety of Tech Goes Home (follow this link for a description).  Bottom line, we're trying to get technology in the hands of deserving students.  Tech Goes Home requires that schools attempting this the way we are to have a minimum of 15 families signed up to participate. We currently have 13.  We really need to be around 20+.  Your help in informing students whom you believe will engage is greatly appreciated.  Copies of the flier are in the main office.  The deadline is December 18th.  Contact Caroline with questions.  

Lastly, Caroline and Dewitt will hold the PULSE information session for BIO on Monday, December 9th during 6th period. The prep program will be held Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and will begin Tuesday December 10. Bio information session passes will be in HR teachers' mailbox on Friday for distribution on Monday.  Just an fyi.

Be well.

-Pat

Notices:

The next new teacher orientation is on Tuesday, December 10th at 2:15pm (room 121).  This one has a holiday celebratory theme to it.