Technology

Technology is an integral component of educating our students in the 21st Century. The goal of the GVSD Technology Department is to create and support technology-rich learning environments for the students of Great Valley. The department is dedicated to supporting the district's vision of student learning through the seamless implementation and integration of technology.

The Technology Department plans, implements, and maintains the network infrastructure for the six schools located in the Great Valley School District. In addition, the department designs professional development and assists teachers with integrating technology tools into the curriculum.

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Online Tools/Resources

Canvas

All students in grades 6-12 use Canvas to access resources from their courses.

Student Dashboard Overview

The Canvas App for Parents

As part of the One-to-One program, all middle school and high school students in grades 6-12 at Great Valley School District use a resource called Canvas. Canvas is a Learning Management System (LMS) that allows teachers to create interactive, curriculum-related content for students. It is our goal to provide you with the tools and resources that you need to successfully partner with Great Valley School District to support your child's learning. Therefore, we encourage you all to download the Canvas Parent app to follow your child's academic progress. Follow the steps below to set up your account:

Setting Up the Canvas Parent App

Step 1: Download the Canvas Parent app for IOS or Android.

Step 2: Use the pairing code to create an account

Step 3: Learn more about what the Canvas Parent app can offer.

Need help? Please reach out to Instructional-Technology@gvsd.org.

Creating an Account and Generating a Pairing Code

Pairing Codes: Frequently Asked Questions

ClassLink

ClassLink is a single sign-on platform that will allow teachers and students to access all online resources related to teaching and learning in one place. ClassLink also securely stores passwords to online instructional tools and resources, saving students time in the classroom and at home.

ClassLink is a secure way for students to connect to their applications and files. As part of our commitment to student data privacy, ClassLink’s software does not collect or share any personal student information.

ClassLink Student Logins

K - 3 Quickcards (QR codes)
4th - 12th student username/password
7th - 12th grade Multi Factor Authenticator (MFA) student PIN

For information about how to access and use ClassLink, please see the family letters below.

ClassLinkParentLetter/ Queridas Familias de Great Valley

Common Sense Media Family Resources

Devices

Digital Citizenship

With increased opportunities for our students to learn new skills through technology, there comes a responsibility to help our families better understand and manage students’ use.

Supervised Teams Chat for Grades K-5
Teachers will initiate a Teams chat with each student. All chats will be facilitated by the teacher who will then have access to the chat.

Teams Calls for Grades K – 2
Students may not initiate a Teams call, preventing private chats with another student.

Reduced Access to the Internet through Relay/Lightspeed
While students may have their iPads at home overnight to complete assignments, review content, or access resources, their access to the internet will be restricted on the school-provided device to ensure students have an opportunity to unplug from technology.

Grades K- 3 (internet access will be turned off from 8 p.m. - 7 a.m.)
Grades 4 –5 (internet access will be turned off from 10 p.m. - 6 a.m.)

Relay/Lightspeed Parent Portal
Families may turn off their students’ internet at any time using the Relay/Lightspeed parent portal. The Relay/Lightspeed parent portal will allow parents to view student information and receive weekly email communication about their student’s internet usage. In addition, families may turn off social media, i.e. YouTube, after school hours.

iPad Usage Grades K - 5
Teachers will foster classroom communities while teaching social skills of respect and kindness during the first 6-day cycle of the school year. Therefore, students will utilize their iPads beginning with the second 6-day cycle at the beginning of the school year.

Digital Citizenship Integration Grades 3 – 5
Students will continue to utilize the GVSD instructional technology resources to enhance learning opportunities in the classroom. Our goal as a district is to ensure students acquire the essentials of speaking and listening - for stimulating powerful conversations, the knowledge and skills regarding digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology to learn, create, and participate in a world within and beyond their K-12 experience.

Dreambox

Dreambox is an interactive, online learning tool that uses a video format to reinforce the math concepts students are learning in school. Students can access Dreambox both in school and at home, strengthening the home-school connection. Because Dreambox adapts to the individual student, the online software challenges students to improve their math skills. The software supports conceptual understanding, fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Students log into their individual Dreambox account to access activities that are tied to the math standards in their curriculum. You will need your child's specific login information (username and password). If you do not remember it, please contact your child's teacher for assistance. (During the summer months, parents may call the school office for help.)

Accessing Dreambox on the iPad

How Students Log in to Dreambox on an iPad (School Account)

School Codes for the Dreambox App (iPad):

Search for DreamBox Math in the App Store.
Install DreamBox Math.
When prompted in the app, enter your school code (See below for the appropriate code for your child’s school).
Be sure to enable the automatic update function on your devices to ensure your students receive the most current experience throughout the year.

Charlestown Elementary School: mvmd/sky4
General Wayne Elementary School: mvmd/vwr3
K.D. Markley Elementary School: mvmd/r8fz
Sugartown Elementary School: mvmd/czvv
Great Valley Middle School: mvmd/smaz
Great Valley High School: mvmd/c9k2

Accessing Dreambox on a Computer

Access to Dreambox on a computer is specific to your child’s school. Please use the link below that corresponds to the school your child attends.

How Students Log in to DreamBox on a Computer (School Account)

Charlestown Elementary School: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/sky4
General Wayne Elementary School: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/vwr3
K.D. Markley Elementary School: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/r8fz
Sugartown Elementary School: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/czvv
GVMS: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/smaz
GVHS: https://play.dreambox.com/login/mvmd/c9k2

Dreambox Support

If you have any Dreambox program-specific or technical questions, please contact Dreambox Client Care by calling them at 877-451-7845 (weekdays 7am to 5pm, Pacific Time), or email support@dreambox.com

For additional information about Dreambox, including information about parent access, please see the Setup Questions and Answers.

Microsoft 365

One Note

Relay

In response to our parents’ requests to have more control over students’ use of district-provided technology, we are happy to share that you will now have access to the Relay Parent Portal. Relay is the school district’s content filter for your student’s district-issued device.

In order to use the Relay Parent Portal, you must set up an account. Please see the instructions or watch the video.

The Relay Parent Portal will:

Send two primary guardians a weekly email that includes a list of websites your student visited during the previous week (see the sample report).
Allow these two primary guardians the ability to temporarily disable internet access on the student’s district-issued device.

GVSD is happy to partner with our families in students’ use of technology, and we hope that the Relay Parent Portal will provide those parents who choose to use it with helpful information. Additionally, because our families’ preferences about student use of the internet vary, we hope that the Relay portal will be a helpful tool to those families who would like to limit students’ internet use at home.

Seesaw

Students in grades K-5 use Seesaw to share work and complete activities. It is a place for students to document their learning and be creative.

Seesaw for Families allows parents/guardians of elementary students to stay connected with their student's learning experience.

Seesaw Family App - Your teacher will send you instructions on how to connect to their class at the beginning of the school year. Seesaw Family can be accessed from any web browser, but if you are using an iOS or Android device please download the free app. You will need to download the Seesaw Family app and not the Seesaw Class app.

Skylert

The Great Valley School District uses the Skylert system to notify parents about news, upcoming events, emergencies, and school closings. This system allows parents to be notified via phone call, email, and/or text. Notifications are sent from the individual school for school-related news, or from the District Office for district-wide events.

Our notification system allows parents to check and modify their contact information (phone and email), and to set preferences for how they would like to be contacted according to the type of notification. When messages are sent from the school or the district, they are categorized in the following ways:

Emergency - Used to communicate only emergencies (i.e. evacuations, fire, bomb threats, etc.)
Attendance - Used for communications about students’ attendance
Information Sharing - Used for general announcements (i.e. meetings, test scores, curriculum information, etc.)
Lunch Account Balance - Used to communicate a low lunch account balance
Schedule Changes - Used to communicate late openings, closings, and early dismissals related to snow or other factors; also used to communicate time changes related to meetings or special events.

Parents may customize how they receive each type of notification. For example, a receiver may opt to get texts and no phone calls, or emails and phone calls, etc. Customization is available for each type of notification.

Please use these instructions to update contact information and preferences.

Utilice estas instrucciones para actualizar la información de contacto y las preferencias.

Skyward Family Access

Click here to access Skyward Family Access.

Skyward Family Access

Skyward Family Access is a way to view your child's class schedule, grades, daily attendance, contact information, and more. If we have your email address in our system, you may request a Skyward Family Access login or reset a forgotten password for an existing account as instructed below. This email address is the one you would have provided at registration or when you completed your child's yearly emergency health card.

Need Help Accessing Your Skyward Account?

Skyward Family Access Log-In Information

Student Information Update

Parents are asked annually to complete a Student Information Update. This update cannot be completed in the Skyward Family access app. Please use an internet browser.

Note that families may only complete this update online at designated times of the school year. Families are sent an email asking them to complete the update, and are asked to respond promptly within the update window. Changes to a family's address may not be made online at any time. If you need to update your address, please call the school in which your child is enrolled. If updates to other information are necessary throughout the year and outside of the update window, please call the school office.

Titles: Building Technician

Locations: GVMS

Email: