November Digital Citizenship

Adapting. Balancing. Collaborating.

Each month, we will share with families a Digital Citizenship newsletter. We would like to share with you information around the technology being used in Mentor Schools along with resources to support your child's education. Please reach out with topics you would find helpful in this newsletter.

Current Operating Systems

MacBook - 12.6.1

ChromeBook - 105

iPad - 15.7

Keeping your Device Updated

Data security continues to be a top priority for our district. Over the last few years, additional measures have been taken to make sure our district data is secure. Some of these measures are outlined in the graphic to the left. One way that parents and students can help in our efforts is to make sure your district device is up to date with regards to operating system. You will see a new box in the upper right hand corner of this newsletter. This box will appear in every newsletter moving forward and it will contain the operating system version the device should be currently running when the newsletter goes out. Good news for Chromebooks, this process takes place automatically. We will still put the version in this box just in case there is something wrong with the management of the device and it stops updating. For MacBooks, please check the operating system first by going to the upper left hand corner of the computer and clicking on the Apple / About this Mac. If this reads 12.6.1 this month, you are good to go!

Below is a video on how to check the operating system for each device:

Checking your Operating Systems on a Mentor Schools device

Family Resource Corner

Tech to Help Support Kids and Families at Home

Finding the right community resource when we need it can be tough, especially if our situation is urgent. Housing or food instability, a sudden medical issue, or any other major challenge can quickly cause us to feel alone and overwhelmed. Fortunately, there are some great digital resources to help us find local support for ourselves and our families.That means we’re able to connect with services when and where we need them. Here are a few:

Does your family have a specific tech need? A resource that you love?

Let me know about it!

Contributed by: Tricia Zeedrich, Mentor Schools Parent Mentor & Family Engagement Coordinator

zeedrich@mentorschools.org 440.974.5359

Technology Used to Support Learning

Read and Write for Google Chrome is an extension that all of our students can access. For MacBooks and Chromebooks, students will see an icon that matches the one to the right in their Chrome toolbar. Students using iPads can download the app from self service. They will use their sign in with Google school credentials to link them to our district paid account. On the iPad, Read and Write has an excellent Tutorial Video on enabling the keyboard and using Read and Write. This video will load automatically on first use or can be found by clicking on Setup Wizard. It is important to watch this video!

Read and Write has a range of tools that helps students gain confidence with reading and writing. These tools include text to speech, speech to text and text and picture dictionaries. These tools work great in Google Docs and can also be used in a number of other programs such as assisting with reading websites or PDFs.

Parets Guide to SnapChat

There are so many different social media apps and platforms available for children to access and use. As parents and educators, having knowledge about these apps and talking to kids about proper use can help make their experiences more positive if they are using them. Over the next few months, we will use this section to provide resources to learn a little more about specific apps. This month we focus on Snapchat. Visit this Common Sense Media site to learn everything you want to know about this Social Media platform. Make sure to visit the section "How do I monitor Snapchat and use the settings".

As a district, all social media sites / apps are blocked on student devices. We still want to provide our families this information as we know many students also have personal devices or phones.

Mentor Public Schools

6451 Center Street

Mentor, Ohio 44060

Phone 440.255.4444

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