Information Technology Update – June 8, 2016

June 8, 2016

Online Safety Parent Information Evening

On July 25 there will be a Online Safety Parent Information Evening at 7:00 pm in the College Pavilion -“ please mark this night in your calendar. All parents are invited to attend this information session where respected educator and online safety authority Mr Ray Nasher will present information on the latest trends in internet use, online behaviour and strategies we as parents can use to help support our children in the safe and responsible use of the internet and devices. Mr Nasher will also be presenting to the students and the staff on the day. More information on this parent night will follow.

Parent Access Module (PAM)

The college is committed to engaging parents in their son’s education and two ways ICT can support this is engagement is through the Parent Access Module and the App4 online student diary.

The Parent Access Module (PAM) provides parents online access to a range of information specific to their son(s) including his timetable, attendance records, daily messages, the College calendar, the student assessment area and Learning Areas. This guide outlines the steps to access the various sections of PAM.

For best results, it is recommended that you access PAM from a computer with a broadband (ADSL, Cable, Fibre) connection and use an up-to-date web browser.

Open your web browser, and type in the address http://pam.stpats.vic.edu.au into the address

You will then be presented with the PAM log-in screen for St Patrick’s College (as shown below). Enter your PAM Username and PAM Password as provided to you in the letter previously sent to parents regarding PAM access.

Parents requiring further assistance with their username and password are asked to phone 5331 1688 or email the College (adminsupport@stpats.vic.edu.au ) to arrange this.

More information on the PAM module including a link and user guide can be found on the Parent iPad Support web site http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/parent-access-module-pam.html

App4 Parent Login

The other key way parents can engage in the son’s education at the College is by monitoring their homework and assignments and any notes from their teacher through the App4 app and portal

The App4 for Students eDiary app is installed on all student iPads and is accessible through a browser on the Year 10 notebooks and has a number of excellent features. The eDiary allows students to check their timetable, homework, assignments and any notes that may have been sent to them by their teacher. The eDiary also allows the boys to have quick access to official school documents such as various agreements the boys have signed off on. The -‘Info’ tab provides the boys with access to a variety of information previously found in the -‘hard copy’ diary on a variety of topics such as College uniform, Homework policy and bell times. Parents can access all of this information three different ways:

You can download a Quick Start Guide which covers the main features of App4 from http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/app4.html There is also more information for parents at the App4 website at http://www.app4software.com.au/app4parents.php

Creating an App4 Parent Access Code/Password

To access your son’s homework using the App4 for Parents app on your own iPad you will first need to create a Parent Access Code/password. This can be created a couple of ways. One way is by using the App4 app on your son’s iPad. Simply open App 4 and click on the -‘About Me’ link on the home page and access the -‘Parent’ tab where you can create the parent access code. It is important that the parent access code you create is complex and difficult to guess. Once the parent access code is created you will be able check and even sign-off on your son’s homework. Instructions on how to create the parent access code/password and setting up the App4 for Parents app on your own iPad can be found on http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/app4.html

Alternatively, you can go to the App4 Parent login page http://stpats.app4.ws/parent/index.php and create a new parent login code. You will need to ask your son to enter their student username and password and you will be able to create your own password to login.

Checking your son’s Homework on App4

Accessing and checking your son’s homework using the App4 app is quite easy to do. Again, you can do this using the App4 app on your son’s iPad, the App4 for Parents app on your iPad or smart phone or the App4 Parent Portal. When working on their homework, your son is able to click -‘Start’ when each piece of homework is commenced. Once the homework is completed they can click the -‘Completed’ button. This helps organise their homework into -‘Current’ and -‘Completed’ categories. Once you access the app, you can check your son’s current, completed and signed-off homework. To sign-off on your son’s homework you will be asked to enter your parent access code which is discussed above. Instructions on accessing your son’s homework through App4 can be downloaded from http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/app4.html

App4 available through Web Portal

Parents can also access their son’s App4 iPad eDiary though a web portal on any device that has a browser by going to this URL http://stpats.app4.ws/parent/index.php

However, it is recommended that you do not use the Internet Explorer browser as there are some issues accessing the site with this browser. To access the App4 parent web portal you will need to have setup your Parent Access Code/password first. Instructions on how to do this can be found at http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/app4.html or you can create a login at http://stpats.app4.ws/parent

For instructions on using the App4 parent web portal go to http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/app4.html

App4 Login Details

To login to App4 you will need to supply three things:

School Identifier: stpats

Username: Student ID Number

Password: Parent Access Code/Password

You will need to know the ID of your son which is the username for their eDiary. The school identifier is always -‘stpats’ for all students and parents.

Switching App4 for multiple Sons

You are able to use App4 to check on all of your children at the College. You will need to create a Parent Access Code/password for each son so that you can switch between your son’s diaries. It is a good idea to perhaps use the same Parent Access Code/password for each son for ease of switching. You will also need to know the College ID for each of your sons to enter at the login screen.

Mr Mark Holland

Director of ICT