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LAPTOP DISTRIBUTION REMINDER
August 17, 2020
Dear SCMS Families-
As we prepare for a virtual start to the school year, technology access is key to a smooth and equitable start. As we shared in two previous emails, each student will be issued a laptop for the 2020-2021 school year. Here are the details to the SCMS distribution plan.
We ask that you provide a printed and signed copy of the forms listed in the box below when you come to school to pick up your child’s laptop on the designated pick-up day. Please refer to the laptop plan sent out as an eNotify message on August 5th, posted on our web page (https://southcountyms.fcps.edu/) or see the mini version at the end of this News You Choose communication.
Form
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Information
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Emergency Care Form
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Form required for all students. Completed via weCare.*
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Health Form
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Only for students with medical concerns.
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Computer Opt Out Form:
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Only for students who are not taking a school computer.
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Software Parental Consent Form:
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FCPS will be collecting electronic submissions. Link coming soon.
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*Please note, to access WeCare you will need to access your SIS Parent account. If you need help setting one up, please email Ms. Sherri Perper for assistance at SLPerper@fcps.edu If you are locked out of your SIS parent SIS account please click on https://sisparent.fcps.edu/PVUE/PXP2_Login_Parent_OVR.aspx?regenerateSessionId=True and Choose the “forgot password” option (or other options) from the dropdown menu.
Distribution Schedule:
Laptops will be distributed to students by last name. If you are unable to make your assigned time slot, please email the appropriate assistant principal; 8th grade- Mr. Mitchell (jshaltermanm@fcps.edu) or 7th grade- Ms. Hendershot (MEHendershot@fcps.edu).
- Tuesday 8/18 from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM: last names A-Boykin
- Tuesday 8/18 from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM: last names Bracey-D
- Friday 8/21 from 8:30 AM-11:30 AM: last names E-Hashem
- Friday 8/21 from 1:00PM-4:00 PM: last names Hebert-K
- Monday 8/24 from 8:30 AM-11:30 AM: last names L-M
- Monday 8/24 from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM: last names N-Q
- Monday 8/31 from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM: last names R-S
- Monday 8/31 from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM: last names T-Z
Distribution - drive through plan:
- Rising 7th grade students will queue in their cars in the Kiss and Ride loop. Devices will be distributed near door 1 (Main entrance). We ask that 7th grade families approach SCMS from the South County HS side of Laurel Crest Road.
- Rising 8th grade students will queue in their cars in the bus loop. Devices will be distributed near door 1 (Main entrance). We ask that 8th grade families approach SCMS from the traffic circle side of Laurel Crest.
- Once greeted by an SCMS staff member, it will take approximately 10 minutes to log on the device and cache it for your student’s use. The entire process will take place in your car while accessing the school’s WiFi network.
FCPSOn Password Information:
FCPS network passwords will be reset to a generic password in order to expedite the checkout process. Students will use the temporary password in order to generate a new password of their choice. Please come prepared with a new password. As a reminder, this password will be the same password your student will use to log into their FCPSOn laptop, FCPS 24-7 Blackboard, Google fcpsschools.net, and SIS StudentVUE accounts.
- FCPS Password Requirements
- Never used before
- Has at least one number
- Has at least one upper case letter
- Between 8-10 characters
- Cannot use first name, last name or student ID
- Cannot use any previous FCPS passwords
Fee to Support FCPSOn:
FCPSOn provides equitable access to technology and to instructional practices that support students' development of Portrait of a Graduate attributes
As part of the initiative, all middle and high school students will be issued a laptop for learning. An annual technology support fee of $50 will be charged to middle and high school students. This fee will help ensure students have access to the technology they need by defraying the cost to repair and replace equipment, ensuring all students have the necessary laptops for testing, and providing back-up laptops as a substitute as needed. All students will need access to the same software, which might not be compatible with personally-owned laptops. (Please see the website link below for FAQs.) The technology support fee is included in the superintendent’s FY 2021 Approved Budget. Elementary students will be receiving laptops for virtual learning this year, due to the pandemic. These laptops are not a part of the FCPSOn initiative and elementary students will not be assessed the fee.
Students who have Free and Reduced status and have given consent to share their FRM status for a waiver or reduction of the technology support fee will be charged $25 for Reduced status; the fee will be waived for Free status. Some special education students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) require assistive technology services or accommodations. In those instances, no fee will be charged.
Parents will be invoiced for the technology support fee in October 2020 via Myschoolbucks.com. If you do not have a Myschoolbucks.com account yet, please create one now. It only takes a few minutes, and it’s easy to use. Special arrangements can be made for parents who would prefer to pay the fee in person.
Please visit the FCPSOn webpage for more about FCPSOn.
Opting Out of FCPSOn:
Students who wish to provide their own laptop in place of an FCPS issued laptop will complete and return a signed Opt-Out Form by September 30, to their school’s technology team. A personally owned laptop must have a keyboard and be compatible with Google Apps for Education and Microsoft Office and must be compatible with the school Wi-Fi. Smartphones are not an acceptable substitution. School tech support will not be available for personally owned laptops. FCPS instructional applications are not licensed for installation on personally owned laptops.
We encourage you to visit our school website frequently for updates and announcements. For more detailed information on all school matters, please visit our website at http://www.fcps.edu/southcountyms/
To update or modify your News You Choose preferences, please visit https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new?qsp=VAEDUFCPS_1
Parents of FCPS students may update contact information online through weCare@School http://www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.shtml a feature of FCPS Learning (Blackboard) or by contacting the Student Information Office at SCMS to have the contact information updated in the student information system.
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