Introducing CANVAS at NHS

(The following is a reprint of a letter sent by Dr. McGee regarding how Neshaminy parents can use this feature)

Dear NHS Parents (and Students),

I hope this email finds you enjoying a successful start of a new school year. In my new position as Director of Secondary Education, I plan to continue working with students, parents, teachers/staff and principals to make certain each student experiences success in school and beyond while leaving the day-to-day operations of NHS to Mr. Staub and the other NHS principals.

To that end, I’m writing to give you an overview of the new Canvas Learning Management System at Neshaminy High School. Canvas is part of a strategic initiative in the district that began at the Middle Level aimed at fostering student success through systemically improving communication between students, parents and teachers.

What is Canvas at NHS?

Canvas is an on-line Learning Management System similar to platforms used in most Colleges/Universities.  At Neshaminy High School, the Canvas Platform will eventually become a student and teacher’s partner in a particular course.   Canvas will organize course content, resources and assignments along with fostering a virtual collaborative/communication system.

 

How will Canvas help parents help their children?

One-stop, mobile access to all student assignments.

No more forgetting what’s due when! Or not remembering about the assignment due at the end of the month.  No more navigating 6 teachers’ different ways of communicating assignments to students/parents. The Canvas Assignment Calendar will be the one-stop source for all such information.   The Calendar will document and remind you (and your child) of things assigned and the due dates in all classes.   And the calendar is accessible anywhere including your mobile devices using the “Canvas Parent App”

Please see the below link for written instructions and an instructional video from Mr. Jim Gosser to Set-up and “pair” the Canvas Parent App with your Child/Children’s account.

         Instructions: www.neshaminy.org/Page/40313

 

Engage your child in discussions about current NHS Course Content.

How many times have you asked, “What did you do in school today?” to get the answer, “Nothing.”  With Canvas, parents will be able to see the topic learned in each class, each day.  After a quick scan of Canvas, parent questions such as “So what are the 5 Ideals of Democracy?” or “How is culture related to human migration?” or “What the heck is a quadratic function?” are easily asked (Insert “Eye Roll Emoji from your Teenager here.) These simple Q&A sessions can have a significant impact on your child’s depth of understanding and retention of essential content over time. Such information is easily obtained using the Canvas Student App.

         Student Log In Page:  https://neshaminy.instructure.com/login/ldap

         Instructions:  https://www.neshaminy.org/Page/40313

 

An organized Course Resource Repository.

What are the topics we need to study for the upcoming test, mid-term or final exam?  Where’s that handout we got in class last week?  What did I miss when I was absent?  Over time as teachers build more thorough content in Canvas, the Course Shell will serve as an on-line, scaffolded resource center for students and parents available 24/7 from any mobile device.  In essence, the Neshaminy course curriculum and classroom instructional activities will be transparent to all to engage.       

One Potential Point of Confusion:

Canvas has a built-in Gradebook component.  Unfortunately, at the present time, the Canvas Gradebook and the Home Access Gradebook (which parents are familiar with using) are not in sync. In most cases, Canvas will label the assignment as ‘Missing” even though it has been turned in and graded in the Home Access Gradebook. Please continue to use Home Access for accurate assignment submission information and up-to-date grades in each course as we work out this technical glitch.

NHS Implementation Timeline:  

We ask for your patience as we roll out this new initiative at NHS as I’m sure there will be a few “hiccups” over the course of the school year.  We have asked teachers at NHS to begin publishing “Topic of the Day” and Assignments by Monday, September 17.

As always, thank you for your support of Neshaminy and our programs.