Staff Website Guide

CS 129 John H. Finley · 11 slides · Print-ready

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CS 129 John H. Finley Campus School

Staff Website Guide

A step-by-step manual for teachers and staff

2025–2026 School Year

SLIDE 1

Getting Started – Logging In

  • Go to the school website in your browser.
  • Click "Log In" in the top-right corner of the navigation bar.
  • Enter your school email and password.
  • If it's your first time, click "Sign Up" and use your school email.
  • After logging in, you will be asked to select your role.
  • Enter the access code for your role to confirm your identity (see below).
  • Teacher Code – grants access to the Teacher Dashboard, Document Center, and class tools.
  • Parent Code – grants access to the Parent Portal, class pages, and progress reports.
  • Admin/Principal Code – grants full administrative access including the Admin Dashboard.
  • You will be automatically redirected to the Home page once your role is confirmed.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Access codes are managed by your principal. Contact your school admin if you don't have your code. Each role has a separate unique code.

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SLIDE 2

Navigating the Site

  • The navigation bar at the top provides links to all main sections.
  • Home – School news, upcoming events, and spotlights.
  • News – Full list of school announcements and articles.
  • Calendar – View all school events by month.
  • Classes – Browse and manage classroom pages.
  • Staff Directory – View all staff members by department.
  • Parent Resources – Documents and links for families.
  • Parent Portal – A private space for parents to track their child's progress.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: On mobile devices, tap the ☰ menu icon in the top-right corner to open the navigation.

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SLIDE 3

Teacher Dashboard

  • Click your name in the top-right corner, then select "My Classes" to access the Teacher Dashboard.
  • My Classes – Create and manage your classroom page, add photos, videos, and announcements.
  • Students – View the roster of students assigned to your class.
  • Progress Reports – Write and submit academic progress reports for each student.
  • Attendance – Record daily attendance for your class.
  • Events – View upcoming school events relevant to your grade level.
  • Messages – Send and receive messages from parents.
  • Staff Chat – Send messages to all staff or individual colleagues.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Keep your classroom page updated with announcements so parents stay informed through the Parent Portal.

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SLIDE 4

Document Center

  • Access via your name menu → "Document Center" (available to teachers, principals, and admins).
  • View and download all shared staff documents, lesson plans, and media.
  • Use the Search bar to find documents by name or keyword.
  • Filter by Category (e.g., Curriculum, Professional Development, Forms) or Type (Document, Image, Video, YouTube).
  • Click "View" on any document card to open it directly in the browser.
  • Click the Upload button (top right) to add new files.
  • You can upload multiple files at once — each file's title can be edited before submitting.
  • Supported file types: PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel, images, and video files.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Files are automatically named after their filename. You can edit the title before uploading to make it easier to find later.

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SLIDE 5

Uploading to the Document Center

  • Click the gold "Upload" button in the Document Center header.
  • Select the type of file you are uploading: Document, Image, Video, or YouTube link.
  • Choose a Category that best fits the content (e.g., Curriculum, Professional Development).
  • Click the upload area or drag-and-drop your files. Multiple files can be selected at once.
  • Each file will appear in a list with an editable title field — update the title if needed.
  • Click the Upload button to submit all files. A progress indicator shows each file's status.
  • For YouTube videos, paste the full YouTube URL and enter a title, then click "Upload".

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Principals and Admins can delete documents. Teachers can upload but cannot delete.

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SLIDE 6

Managing Your Classroom Page

  • Go to Teacher Dashboard → "My Classes" tab.
  • Click "Create Class" if you haven't set one up yet, or click "Edit" on your existing class.
  • Fill in your grade, class name, a description, and a banner image URL.
  • Add classroom photos by pasting image URLs into the photo gallery section.
  • Add video links with a title, URL, and optional thumbnail.
  • Write current announcements to keep parents informed.
  • Toggle the class to Published when you are ready for parents to view it.
  • Parents access your class page by entering a classroom code you provide to them.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: You can find your classroom code in the class settings. Share this code with parents at the start of the school year.

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SLIDE 7

Communicating with Parents

  • Go to Teacher Dashboard → "Messages" tab to view parent messages.
  • Parents can send you messages through the Parent Portal under their child's class page.
  • Messages are categorized automatically by topic (Academic, Behavioral, Attendance, General).
  • Click on a message thread to read and reply.
  • Use the "Staff Chat" tab to send messages to fellow teachers or broadcast to all staff.
  • For urgent school-wide announcements, contact an admin to post a Banner or School Closing Alert.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Check your messages regularly — parents expect timely responses. Unread messages are marked with a badge.

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SLIDE 8

For Principals & Admins Only

  • Access the Admin Dashboard via your name menu → "Admin Dashboard".
  • Manage News Posts, Events, Classes, and Staff Directory entries.
  • Send School-Wide Banners and Newsletters to all subscribers.
  • Post School Closing Alerts that appear prominently on the homepage.
  • Manage Access Codes for each staff role (Teacher, Principal, Admin, Parent).
  • Control which sections of the Staff Directory are visible to the public.
  • Manage Editor Permissions to give specific staff members access to content tabs.
  • Delete documents in the Document Center that are outdated or incorrect.

💡 Pro Tip

Tip: Only users with the Admin role can see the Admin Dashboard. Editors see a limited version called the Editor Dashboard.

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SLIDE 9 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I forgot my password.

A: Click 'Log In' and use the 'Forgot Password' option on the login page.

Q: My role shows as 'user' and I can't access the Teacher Dashboard.

A: Log out, log back in, and enter your Teacher access code on the Role Setup page. Contact your principal for the code.

Q: I uploaded the wrong file. How do I remove it?

A: Ask your principal or admin to delete it from the Document Center. Teachers cannot delete files.

Q: Parents say they can't find my classroom page.

A: Make sure your class is set to 'Published' and that you've shared the classroom code with parents.

Q: The site looks different on my phone.

A: The site is fully mobile-friendly. Tap the ☰ menu icon to navigate on smaller screens.

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Need Help?

Contact your school's technology coordinator or admin for assistance.

📞 (212) 690-5966

📍 425 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027

🌐 CS 129 John H. Finley Campus School

Thank you for using the CS 129 Staff Website!

2025–2026 School Year · Home of the Panthers 🐾