Staffroom creates, supports and implements software solutions and services for schools to use. This means we develop the software, look after the servers, man the phones, train the teachers and help schools set up their systems and more.

The Staffroom Support Team has gathered the most frequently asked questions and complied a how-to guide.

Password Changes

When Staff forget their passwords to login to Staffroom, they can click on the forgot password option under the login screen as indicated below:

This will send them an email requesting them to reset their password and they can then login.

Assign Students to Classes

This is done normally from the Infobase module under the students – lists. Students get assigned to classes at the beginning of the year, but you may have students joining your school at other times in the year.

You go to Infobase – Students – Import/Export (If you have an excel sheet for import)

If the student is already on the system, they are normally marked as future enrolment, and this will show them in the future enrollment list.

You will then see the future enrollment page where you can assign the student to a class.

To assign the student to a class, select the class and then click marked as enrolled.

Assign Students to Assessment Groups

After assigning students to a class, you will need to assign the students to assessment groups in order for them to show in the markbooks.

This is done via the:

• Settings
• Assessment groups option

You will see the following screen below
Select the checkbox next to the title on the left
Then select assign students

You can now add a student or students by name, class or grade.
Once you have done this, select the checkbox at the top of the screen to select all the students.
This will then finalize the assessment group setup.

You will then see the student names in the markbook

Change Term Dates

With COVID 19, we have seen many changes and adaptions to the academic year. One thing that has been necessary is to adjust the term dates.

As per the educational department, the new term dates are set however, in Staffroom these need to be manually adjusted as they have a direct effect on absentees, reports and schedules.

You can edit or amend the term dates from the messenger page by clicking on the date at the left-hand side.

Once you have gained access, you can then edit the term dates.

Emailing of students and parents

You can email reports, correspondence, letters to parents for students directly from our intouch module.

You can also send SMS’s; however, this will require a third-party SMS provider.

For SMS’s, the main accounts setup is SMSWeb, SMSportal and Bulksms.

You will need to contact those providers directly to get an account with a username and password and then we can setup that account in Staffroom.

Once done, you can then start sending SMS to parents who have been marked to receive SMS’s and have a valid Cell phone number.

For Emails, you can start sending immediately as that is an in-house feature.

Make Changes to Markbooks in Staffroom

When you need to make changes to your markbooks be it a title change, weightings, calculations or you need to remove assessments from final calculations, you can do this using the:

• Quick Edit function
• Settings function in the markbook

Quick Edit

Quick edit allows you to edit the title, description, total and weighting for an assessment or in a result set.

Settings

We love working in education and solving our school clients’ problems. We actively and constantly think about how to use technology for the real practical benefits it can bring teachers, parents and students.

Want to know more about Staffroom? 

Source:https://support.mystaffroom.net/what-is-the-infobase/

“There is nothing wrong, with getting it wrong…you learn so much more through the process.” Wendy Horn, Global Teacher Prize Nominee 2018 

Inspiration comes in all shapes and forms. Many of us would agree that we had that one teacher who influenced us to set life goals and achieve our best. That one teacher who made us pursue our tertiary studies or who pushed us to achieve more than we knew we could in school. And for many, Wendy Horn is this teacher. It is therefore no wonder that this school principal and science teacher from Protea Heights Academy, was recently nominated for the Global Teacher Prize (February 2018). This means Wendy Horn is recognised as one of the top 50 teachers in the world! 

Speaking about her passion, Wendy explains that educators can “shape the future.” For Wendy, being a teacher is a calling, “when you stand in front of that class, those children must be your everything.” She adds that “the school, through the innovative use of technology, is preparing learners to be creative problem solvers that will be able to make a positive contribution to society in the future.” As part of their strategy and digital toolkit, Protea Heights Academy uses Staffroom Software. We asked her to share her experience with Staffroom Software: 

How would you explain to a friend what Staffroom Sofware does? 

“It makes data sharing, reporting and communication easy. It also cuts down on the workload of educators and administrators.” 

What were your processes like before using Staffroom Software? 

“Time-consuming and cumbersome. We also found errors creeping into the data and the processing of data was frustrating!” 

How does Staffroom Software improve your processes? 

“The product saves time. We are able to work from any place that has an internet connection. It also speeds up processes, allows us to collaborate and share data seamlessly.” 

Is Staffroom Software worth the investment? 

Yes, we save time! It makes the workload less per educator. We can communicate easily with parents and learners. Staffroom allows us to share data so that we can analyse our performance and suggest suitable intervention strategies.  We also cut down on the use of paper and files and can share information effortlessly. The digital archive allows us to store marks, reports and learner information which means we can share these documents with every staff member, as well as parents. Without Staffroom I would ‘freak out’ – it would be as if we were back in the dark ages and would mean more work!” 

Define teacher and learner success?

Wendy’s approach to teaching is not about imparting knowledge only. Wendy explains, “We are preparing our learners for the fourth Industrial revolution, which means learners will have many jobs as they progress through their lives…” She humbly adds, “Children don’t need teachers for information, for that they have Google. They need us to teach them skills and to guide them.” This is why Wendy believes it is important to teach learners how to problem solve.  

According to Wendy, Staffroom Software adds to the success of her team, “it adds to our brand in that we communicate with parents effectively. It allows educators to work smartly and saves time. The product allows easy and effective data analysis. It just makes the admin a little bit easier – which in turn means we can use our time more efficiently.” 

We are proud to know that Protea Heights Academy has found a digital solution in Staffroom Software! One that makes inspirational teachers like Wendy Horn’s life a little easier!  

Interested in learning more? Contact us for a demo or learn more here. 

One can hardly believe that a simple initiative like doing away with Homework can make page four of the Sunday Times and a lead article in YOU magazine. TV, radio and print media carried this revolutionary story at the end of the year and into the new academic term.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the education is chronically ill in our country. Under funded, under resourced with poorly trained education leaders and ill-equipped teachers presents a dismal picture of our schooling system. In the few “good schools” left, students are finding the going tough. Anxiety levels are high and parents are feeling the pressure to assist with Homework in the evening.

Schools who are committed to quality teaching and learning are committing time to rethinking the function of education. 21st century schools have the added benefit of a neuroscience base. Today we know how the brain learns. We know that the brain is designed to forget anything that is not essential for the body’s survival. Retaining endless lists, names, theorems, algebraic equations, concepts, attitudes and values is not a natural practice. It takes intensive effort by the educator to create the right state for the brain to glue non-survival data into memory banks situated all over the body and in peptides in the blood system. We now know that the ability to be successful is no longer based on IQ, EQ or even talent. Giftedness is a fallacy. These ancient myths continue to permeate backward schools. Angela Duckworth (PhD) and Prof Carol Dweck of Stanford University are now proving that success is rather linked to passion, perseverance and the ability to stick to long term goals. They call it GRIT!

No longer does practise make perfect. In fact, practise makes permanent. Unless you practise in the presence of a master coach, you are wasting your time. And few parents are master coaches.

The master coach is in the classroom. The master coach is the highly qualified educator – not necessarily qualified in the content base – for knowledge changes too quickly to add any value to a specific degree of knowledge mastery, but rather, highly qualified in the ability to teach and coach. Too few teachers in 21st century schools are able to teach.

And because they can’t teach – they send home work that could not be completed in the class. Now teachers gripe about class size, student behaviour and lack of parental support – and these are all real issues. But master coaches are experts at classroom management. Boundaries are clearly set and reflective practices are in place the moment a boundary is crossed. Time on task is a non-negotiable because content is clearly planned and students know the expectations and the annual, termly and weekly planner is available to for all to see. There is no hidden “You better concentrate or you will fail!”

Homework is not necessary if there is good teaching. Good teaching must be supported by good support for teachers. Whole school conscious discipline and interventions must be in place to ensure that everyone feels safe and has a sense of belonging.

The healthy mind platter designed by neuroscientist David Rock (PhD) and medical doctor Daniel Siegel clearly indicates that our day must include the super seven slices: sleep time, exercise time, focus time (school), connection time (being with friends and family), down time (doing nothing), in time (meditation/prayer/yoga) and play time. If we are encouraging our students to sleep for 9 hours a day and attend school for a further seven, 16 hours are already used up. To spread the remaining 8 hours over five slices leaves no time for Homework. When we cram more into the day, we end up with adults who are mentally unstable. The future adult cohort is in our schools today!

School must deliver the curriculum under the supervision of a master coach. School must then end – students must play their sport, rest, chill with friends, surf a few waves – spend time with family over a meal and end up in bed reading a good book.

At Sun Valley, we bartered Homework for Reading. Commit to 20 minutes of reading your favourite novel or graphic novel and we won’t set Homework. And it worked. Teaching time became focused. Class time was useful. Master coaches assessed performance in class.

The Sport field is now corner to corner every afternoon with kids and they are going home fit, passionate about learning and determine to achieve their personal goals with perseverance.

This is 21st Century schooling at its best – and hopefully a more stable future adult cohort!

Gavin Keller

About the blogger, Gavin Keller:

Principal – Sun Valley Primary

CEO: Sun Valley Group of Schools

Education Consultant – EduExcel

Our first Staffroom client, Gavin is a passionate educator and school leader who has used his research in neuro learning and leading to change a school and the community.  He shares the practical application of his studies with schools, corporates and leaders in order to improve performance and the quality of life.   His guidance is simple, humorous, but dynamic, a treat for all!

*** The views reflected in content or links on the Staffroom blog are not necessarily those of Eiffel Corp nor it’s affiliated products. Eiffel Corp expressly disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of any the content provided, or as to the authenticity of the information for any purpose.

The news of the first few COVID-19 positive cases in South Africa set us off on an unprecedented journey for all sectors – but especially the education sector. Parents, teachers and learners alike were thrown into the deep end as schools were closed (indefinitely) in March 2020.

In an attempt to ensure that no learners are left behind, schools had to find innovative ways to accommodate distance learning and online learning – or more of a crisis learning approach. Key to the success of this process has been communication with parents. While this has always been an important part of a successful parent-teacher-child relationship, COVID-19 has highlighted just how important it is.

One of Staffroom’s features exists to facilitate exactly that – communication between the teachers, parents, and learners. The Parent Portal (also known as InTouch Portal) shares information about the relevant family and the school.

What is Parent Portal used for?

Schools can use the Parent Portal to share all the relevant information regarding a school child with families. This includes all school activities, calendars and events. What makes this effective, is the convenience and ease of use to share a variety of information relevant to a particular family and their child. School’s can brand this portal with their own school branding and share unique content with parents.

Information included can relate to, for example:

• School announcements
• Upcoming events
• Calendar and timetable information
• Student & family contact information
• Student journals
• Correspondence sent to the family
• Homework tasks
• Attendance records
• Assessment marks
• Student behaviour
• Copies of term report

In Your School’s Hands:

The InTouch or Parent Portal is completely separate from the Staffroom site. This means the school can control and manage what information they would like to share with their parents and learners on the portal. It is your own, unique site – with its own web address (URL). The site also allows for simple branding, so that the school’s portal reflects relevant brand colours and the logo of the school.

Information that matters:

Families can access information on the Parent Portal that is customised to their family.

This means, parents do not have insight into other children – they would view:

• Information about their children only
• Parents only announcements related to events, grades, classes or any activities that their children participate in
• Learners would only see events and information that relate to their specific grade, class or groups they are part of.

Next steps?

If your school is already using Staffroom, but you are not using Parent Portal, please get in touch with our support team today to assist you.

If you are interested in Staffroom and all its other great features as a school management system, contact us for an obligation free demo.

What do schools think about Staffroom? Shandre Otto, Zwaanswyk High Principal, shares their experience.

Gavin Keller
Principal Sun Valley Primary School
Education Consultant.

Boys and Girls are totally equal, just not the same. In our society, rightly committed to equality, we sometimes confuse equality with sameness. Parents and teachers have to understand that boys and girls are developmentally, psychologically and biologically different. If our goal is to raise and educate successful adults, we have to know how to bring the best out of both of them.

There are many boys and girls who would cope in a Pink or a Blue learning environment. But the majority don’t. This does not imply that single-sex schooling is the answer, because it isn’t. What matters is a knowledge of how the brain embeds memory. Parent and teacher education is at the heart of this success story.

So what do we need to know?

The brain loves DRUGS. Yes, we have a natural pharmacy in our brains. Girls need the calming drug called serotonin. Every time we make our daughters feel unique we produce the good drug. When we compliment them on their dress or hair their brains produce serotonin. Talking, sharing their emotions, doing something with a group of friends, sitting around a table chatting produces serotonin. It is powerful drug that makes a young girl feel that she can face the challenges of life and memory is embedded.

Schools often create PINK learning spaces. PINK teachers get the children into a calm circle to discuss an issue, then send them off into neatly organised smaller groups to produce a product. Many boys find this unrewarding and take every opportunity to misbehave by either throwing an eraser at a friend or distracting a mate. Their product is often displayed alongside the PINK serotonin model highlighting the difference. PINK products are compared with BLUE products and PINK teachers awards recognition for the neat, colourful and impressive detail.

BLUE brains need dopamine. This is the REWARD drug – the “pumping air with fist” drug. “Oh yeah!” Every time a boys exercises, plays sport, skates, cycles, surfs, kicks a ball around the garden his body produces dopamine. It makes him feel as though he is …”The Man!” Competition produces dopamine as does setting a challenge for a boy. One of the biggest sources of dopamine production in the BLUE brain is recognition – specifically recognition from another man. Researchers call this a “charismatic adult – someone who knows my names and smiles in recognition of my value”. Instead boys are often highlighted for failure, for making mistakes or for doing it wrong. Even Dad’s are often annoyed by their sons, sending implied messages that they are not good enough, smart enough or talented enough. When this happens dopamine floods away from the male brain.

When the brain produces cortisol, the stress drug, it shuts down all high order processing and forces the survival brain to react. This reaction is often demonstrated by negative outbursts or a withdrawal into childhood sadness.

Let’s give our PINK and BLUE brains an EQUAL chance. Find activities that feed their brains with both the reward drug and the calming drug. Then the neurotransmitters will transport the information to their Chief Executive Officer and embed memory for long-term mastery. The result, successful adults who value themselves and produce high expectations.

About the blogger, Gavin Keller:

Principal – Sun Valley Primary

CEO: Sun Valley Group of Schools

Education Consultant – EduExcel

Our first Staffroom client, Gavin is a passionate educator and school leader who has used his research in neuro learning and leading to change a school and the community.  He shares the practical application of his studies with schools, corporates and leaders in order to improve performance and the quality of life.   His guidance is simple, humorous, but dynamic, a treat for all!

*** The views reflected in content or links on the Staffroom blog are not necessarily those of Eiffel Corp nor it’s affiliated products. Eiffel Corp expressly disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of any the content provided, or as to the authenticity of the information for any purpose.