At a recent Virtual Town Hall, Damien Barrett, Systems Administrator and Ed Tech Integrator at Montclair Kimberley Academy in New Jersey, shared his philosophy for working with stressed colleagues and students as we all get through the challenges of this pandemic year. He shares more insights on this topic in this guest blog post. -- SD [10 minute read]

Guest Blogger: Damien Barrett 

When either my wife Alise or I have an obviously bad day, we have agreed to ask each other one simple, but powerful question: Are you seeking sympathy or solutions? 

The following is a guest blog from an ATLIS vendor partner, FACTS.  Courtney Haindel, FACTS SIS Product Manager, shares new product updates and features.

In January 2020, FACTS doubled down on its commitment to school enrollment. We assembled a brand-new development team solely dedicated to streamlining your school’s entire admissions process into one central, easy-to-use system. Now the time has come to unveil our new features.

Evaluating software solutions for your school can be a daunting task. What are requirements versus nice-to-haves? Who should be involved? Where should I begin? Developing an RFP (Request for Proposal) can help provide structure for the process. Below are 9 suggestions based on our experience responding to customer RFPs.

1. You may not need an RFP

Some schools submit 100-page RFPs but don’t have a process established for vetting proposals once they are received. Other schools do not use an RFP but have a process that is organized, efficient, and managed well. The most important thing is to know what your school needs and ensure that vendors meet those needs. If you do decide to use an RFP, the format doesn’t matter—just clearly articulate your needs, timeline, and requirements for the vendor. Speaking of which...

In Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi, Piscine Molitor, or “Pi” survives for months in a lifeboat with a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and Bengal tiger. When Pi drifts ashore and tells his story, he’s confronted by doubters. How could a boy survive out at sea with wild animals? Pi’s response is simple – just because you’ve never seen a boy survive in a raft with a Bengal tiger doesn’t mean it’s not possible.

Although Life of Pi is a work of fiction, many schools are currently operating in this paradigm – just because we’ve never done something before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Whether your school is in person and planning for potential remote/hybrid scenarios, or if your students are currently virtual, learning from home introduces new cybersecurity risks to your community. We’ve listed 6 low-cost, high-impact things you can do today to improve the security at your school.

ATLIS Corporate Member Wyebot offers the following best practices for analyzing and updating your campus wifi systems. Whether you are installing new hardware, running diagnostics, or conducting security audits, maintaining effective wifi services is a mainstay of independent school technology department work. -- SD

[10-minute read]