February 2017

From the Desk of Dr. Cotton

Do you have questions about procedures in the division or the reasons behind decisions that are made? I would like to ensure transparency when it comes to any questions you may have by providing the answers. Website administrators are in the process of creating an FAQ section on the HCPS website's staff page so that you will have access to the information you need most. Share your questions through Let's Talk (anonymously or with your information attached) and we'll respond so that you have the information you need to support student learning in our schools. 


Website Accessibility

Providing your community with a website that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their cognitive or physical abilities, is a top priority at your district.

Over the next month, you'll hear a lot about website accessibility and adjustments that are being made to our web pages. The support team at Blackboard is working to ensure the accessibility of your web pages. Here's a tip from them on how to make your page even easier for the school community to use:

Choosing the right apps for your pages can help you create accessible content. That's why we're bringing you Pro Tip #2!

Start using the Content App rather than the Flex Editor App. The Content App makes it easier to create accessible content by eliminating tags that typically contain content that is not accessible.

Discover how to use the Content App today!

PD Points in One Place

School and division professional development activities are being tracked in the Edivate Catalogs section of the system this year. Users can register for professional learning opportunities offered by the district or their school, track the activities they participated in and monitor the credits they have earned on their Catalog Transcript. 

• Log in to Edivate using your username (SPS email) and password. You can recover your password by clicking Forget Password?

• Click Resources> Learning Targets > Catalogs.

• Click the Catalogs tab on the left.

• Click the Catalog Title  to access the available trainings. The professional learning opportunities available will display in the catalog table, including: type, title, credit (STAR/renewal point) value, and number of seats available.

• Click the training title to view additional training details such as: audience, description, date, and location. Then, click Register to be added to the training unit.  You can also click the Register button for the training unit you want while viewing the full catalog list.

• Catalog training units for which you have already registered for will NO LONGER DISPLAY in the catalog. Click Transcript to view your registered and completed training units. You may also print your full transcript of completed and/or registered units.

• To unregister, click  Resources > Learning Targets > Catalogs > Transcript. Click the Remove button in the status column for the unit from which you want to remove from your transcript or unregister.

Professional Learning Opportunities

Looking for some great PD but don't have lots of time? EdWeb webinars may be just the answer! At one hour each, they offer excellent professional learning. Accumulate five certificates and send them to mhatchet@henry.k12.va.us for PD points to be added to your Edivate transcript for 2016-2017.

In the Community