James Madison Middle School - A community of involved citizens that empowers all students and prepares them for success in a changing world!

Parent Training for Canvas!

Middle School Parent Technology Training Session, November 12
Live webinar: Learn about navigating Canvas 

Parents, do you need tech help? Join 4J educators for a parent training session to get a better understanding of the technology your middle school student is using for distance learning.

During the live webinar, you will see a demonstration of Canvas, learn how to find important information and support your student’s learning, and have an opportunity to ask questions. Spanish and ASL interpretation will be provided. Technology training webinars are also scheduled for parents of elementary and high school students.

Learn more:
Technology Training Sessions: 4j.lane.edu/parent-technology-training-sessions
Technology Help for Parents and Students: 4j.lane.edu/technology/tech-help

Educación tecnológica para padres, 12 de noviembre

Webinar: Aprenda a navegar por Canvas

Padres, ¿necesitan ayuda técnica para apoyar a su estudiante? Únase a los educadores de 4J en una sesión en línea para padres para comprender mejor la tecnología que su estudiante está usando para el aprendizaje a distancia en la escuela secundaria.

  • jueves, 12 de noviembre, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
  • Enlace al webinar: https://bit.ly/2TAzoYN
    Contraseña (passcode): 141941

Durante la sesión, verá una demostración de Canvas, aprenderá cómo encontrar información importante y apoyar el aprendizaje de su estudiante, y tendrá la oportunidad de hacer preguntas. Se proporcionará interpretación en español y lenguaje de señas. También hay webinars programados para padres de estudiantes de primaria y preparatoria.

Aprenda más:

Webinars de tecnología para padres: 4j.lane.edu/parent-technology-training-sessions

Ayuda tecnológica para familias: 4j.lane.edu/technology/tech-help

Canvas & Student Email Tutorials

Hello Madison Families and Friends,

I sincerely hope this message finds you safe and well.  We are excited to be starting school on Monday September 21st and look forward to once again interacting with your students even though we will not be on campus as usual.  In the meantime, the information below is being shared to ensure a more smooth start to the school year.  Thanks for taking the time to read.

The first thing to be done is make certain your student(s) can log into their 4J email account.  If your student has forgotten their password, or it is not working for whatever reason, please fill out this form.   A staff member will contact you in short order with a temporary password and directions for how to change it to a permanent secure password.  When helping your child reset their password, the template we use is capital first initial and lowercase second initial plus their lunch number (student ID #).  For example, mine would be Pb123456. This year, more so than in previous years, it will be important for students to easily access their district issued email address as the login credentials for that account will also allow students to access Canvas, the district’s Learning Management System.

Once students have verified 4J email access, the next thing students need to do is access their Canvas account.   In order to do so, students will need to navigate to the Canvas Registration page, click on the Canvas for Students app and follow the directions for establishing their Canvas account.  Once established, students should see the classes they are scheduled to take in the coming term.  We understand that some students may need to make schedule changes.  Families should take this opportunity to set up their Canvas accounts as well.  Doing so allows you the ability to more easily track what is happening in the classroom, check on student progress and sign up as an observer.  Parents/Guardians can register as a course observer from the same Canvas Registration page where students registered by clicking on the Canvas for Parents icon.  You can find more information about the role of an observer and additional directions for setting it up by clicking here.

Finally, students should enroll in the Canvas 101 for Students course.  You can do so by navigating to this link and following the instructions.  I would recommend that students and families take the time to go through the course before Tuesday afternoon classes.  It should take two to two and a half hours to complete the entire experience so plan accordingly.  That may seem like a long time but it will be invaluable for your students as they start the year.  The benefit for students is that they will learn to navigate Canvas, explore communication tools we will frequently use, learn how to submit assignments and generally become comfortable with this learning management system.  If students run into problems or become confused, Don’t Worry!   Time will be spent in the initial days of the school year making sure everyone knows what they need to know in order to make the most of their classes.  I would highly recommend that family members providing support to students during comprehensive distance learning, go through the Canvas 101 course as well.  This will ensure you are familiar with the Dashboard, how to navigate to different areas of the system, and generally feel more confident when trying to problem solve and monitor progress over the course of the term.  Teachers will have scheduled office hours to help in the first few weeks of the school year, and those dates/times will be sent to you and your students as time approaches.

We understand many of you justifiably have questions about this school year.  In an effort to answer many frequently asked, and some predicted questions, we have developed a Family Handbook for Distance Learning (on the right side bar here).  More than providing helpful information about Canvas, there is also more general information about attendance expectations, grading, schedules and resources designed to help everyone make the absolute most of the coming trimester.  No doubt there will be questions not answered by the Handbooks.  Please know that we are available to answer your questions whenever they come up.  Please call Madison (541-790-4300) and we will continue to work to help answer your questions.

Peter Barsotti