Technology

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: 

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

Step 2: Use the pairing code to create an account

• How do I generate a pairing code? 
• How do I link additional students to my account in the Canvas Parent app?

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

• Canvas Parent App Video
• Canvas Parent App Guide

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

Creating an Account and Generating a Pairing Code 

Pairing Codes: Frequently Asked Questions

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

Resources to support healthy media and tech use at home. Visit https://www.commonsense.org/education/toolkit/family-engagement-resources for valuable tips, advice, and recommendations for families on issues related to kids' digital lives.

The District's 1:1 initiative provides each student with an iPad. 

Relay is a parent portal that allows families to support their student's learning with online activity reports. Click here to access the Lightspeed Parent Portal.

Please email the technology department at technology@gvsd.gofmx.com or call 610-889-2125, ext. 52130, with any questions.   

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. 

Teams Chat for Grades K-6  
Students in kindergarten through second grade do not have access to Teams chat. Teachers in third through sixth grade will initiate a Teams chat with each student at the beginning of the school year. All chats will be facilitated by the teacher who will then have access to the chat. Our goal is to ensure the district-issued iPad is used for school-related collaboration conversations ONLY!

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 –6 (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. Families also have the ability to block YouTube while the internet remains accessible to students on the district-issued iPad. Access to all other social media sites is automatically blocked by the District. Note that any disabled service will be restored when the student returns to school the next day. These settings must be made daily.

iPad Usage Grades K - 6 
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 – 6  
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):

1. Search for DreamBox Math in the App Store.
2. Install DreamBox Math. 
3. When prompted in the app, enter your school code (See below for the appropriate code for your child’s school).
4. 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 is available for students in grades K-12. Microsoft 365 makes it easy for educators and students to keep organized, collaborate, and demonstrate understanding through Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams and several other office apps. 

OneNote is a digital notebook used by students in grades 3-12. OneNote Class Notebooks have a personal workspace for every student, a content library for handouts, and a collaboration space for lessons and creative activities.

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. Families may turn off their students’ internet access on the district-issued iPad at any time using the Relay/Lightspeed parent portal. The Relay/Lightspeed parent portal also allows parents to view their students' internet activity and to receive weekly email communication about their students’ internet usage.

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

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.

Families also have the ability to block YouTube while the internet remains accessible to students on the district-issued iPad. Access to all other social media sites is automatically blocked by the district.

Note that any disabled service will be restored when the student returns to school the next day. These settings must be made daily.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Please use these directions to update family and medical information in Skyward Family Access.

Actualización de la Información Familiar & Médica en SkywardFamily Access (Acceso Familiar).