October 2009                                           CRS Advanced Technology IN THIS ISSUE BONNEVILLE JOINT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 93 SUBFINDER 5.9 HAS ARRIVED i3 TO FUND 'CUTTING EDGE' SCHOOL REFORMS MEET A CRS EMPLOYEE 8 WAYS GADGETS HAVE GONE GREEN   QUICK LINKS CRS WEBSITE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE SUBFINDER MEET MAXX Welcome to the October edition of InTouch Online! The fall decorations are coming out, and so are the tricks and treats for the much anticipated Halloween holiday! Fall is favored by many with the cooler temperatures and a love of football. It is a seasonable, relaxing month before the craziness of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We hope you enjoyed a day of rest on Columbus Day, and commemorated the historical landing in 1492, some 500 years ago! As always, we have a lot in store for you this month. One of our customers, Bonneville Joint School District No. 93, shared with us how SubFinder has helped them for the past five years; we have some exciting news about the upcoming release of SubFinder 5.9; and last, but definitely NOT least, CRS is coming to YOU! Find out when and where by reading on. Enjoy!      Customer Highlight: Bonneville Joint School District No. 93, ID Achieving Potential with Help from SubFinder   Interview by: Corinne McLaughlin, Marketing Coordinator Interview with: Rosha Adams, SubFinder Operator       A promised commitment to provide the finest educational opportunities for both their employees and students, Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 operates with its vision as top priority, “Achieving Each Individual’s Highest Potential”. Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 is located in both Bingham and Bonneville counties in Idaho. It has the 7th largest school population in the state, consisting of twelve elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools, as well as an alternative school for both middle and high school. The district is consistently growing, currently having a population of 9,500 students, and employing over 1,200 people, of whom almost 500 are certified personnel. The Bonneville Joint School District is committed to its community, ensuring that everyone achieves his or her highest potential. Bonneville sponsors a school at the local Behavioral Health Center, as well as providing services for a comprehensive special education program. And most recently, Bonneville introduced the Bonneville District Virtual Academy which provides the most comprehensive, integrated and engaging curriculum available for learning at home. All of their schools and programs are fully accredited. With such a strong vision in providing the highest quality education to its students, as well as offering the best working environment for the employees, it is not a surprise that Bonneville and SubFinder would work together so well. I had the pleasure to briefly talk with Rosha Adams, SubFinder Operator, about Bonneville, and how SubFinder has been a part of such a successful environment.   The month of October marks the 5th year that Bonneville has used SubFinder. How long have you been the SubFinder operator, and how have the changes to SubFinder helped Bonneville over the past half-decade?   I have been the SubFinder operator since the district started using SubFinder. Every year we find that we utilize more and more features of the SubFinder system. Currently the Leave Control feature and exporting our information to payroll are probably the items that help us the most.   Besides being the SubFinder operator, what other duties do you tend to on a daily basis? How has SubFinder helped you in your job?   I am also a human resources specialist so I have a variety of HR duties that I perform on a daily basis. The reports that can be generated from SubFinder are helpful in so many aspects for my job such as tracking leave by our certified staff, to doing quick checks on teacher credentials.   How does SubFinder help your staff and administration? How does it help your substitutes?   SubFinder is so user-friendly. It really walks a person through everything they need to know in order to enter an absence, request a substitute, and check on the status of their absence. The school secretaries in our district absolutely love SubFinder. It has relieved them of the huge responsibility of finding substitutes and keeping track of employee absences. Our substitutes like the fact they can access SubFinder 24/7 and have the ability to “shop” for jobs. It lets them plan their working days in advance, and review open positions that best suit their teaching interests.   Does Bonneville utilize SubCast? What do you find most useful about SubCast, and who receives these reports?   Yes, our district utilizes SubCast. The reports generated and sent out by SubCast are waiting for the school secretaries and administrators when they arrive at their schools in the morning. They can see at a glance the number of absences, leave reasons, and have a quick check-in reference sheet for the substitutes who will be working in their location that day. The time the reports are sent are customized to fit each site’s needs.   How has integrating SubFinder and payroll helped the payroll process?   Prior to SubFinder, timecards and absence information had to be manually entered into our payroll system. Being able to automatically import this information saves countless hours for me, and the payroll department. We all love it!   What is your favorite SubFinder feature?   It’s hard for me to pick one feature that I like the best. SubFinder is just terrific. It is easy to operate for myself, the staff, and the substitutes. It gets the job done with minimal effort for anyone. The reports are invaluable. The system will generate a report for just about any question posed to me about absences and substitute usage.   How do you feel about the customer support CRS provides?   The customer support at CRS is great! I have never encountered a time when I didn’t feel as if CRS treated my problem as a top priority and that everything possible was being done to remedy the situation or answer my question. Our representative, Joelle Armanda, is so helpful and knowledgeable. I can’t express in words just how much the care and support that CRS provides for SubFinder means to me and our district. On behalf of myself, and CRS, I would like to thank Rosha for taking time to participate in this month’s Customer Highlight. She exemplifies the vision of Bonneville Joint School District No. 93. Thank you! Back to Top SubFinder 5.9 Has Arrived You Ask and You Shall Receive   We have added new enhancements to the existing SubFinder product…   File Attachments   SubFinder 5.9 will allow administrators and employees to attach Word, PDF, Rich Text, and Simple Text files to Special Instructions when adding or editing an absence or supplementary assignment. This means that substitutes can simply download these personal instructions from available and assigned jobs. Because of this additional feature, you can ensure the highest quality of education is being provided in the classroom with proper instruction.   Email Notification   This feature provides administrators, employees, and substitutes with absence and job status updates via their email.   Custom Exports   The custom export writing tool allows system operators and district-level administrators to create customized exports in several quick and easy steps. Users can select data related to: absence, jobs, employees, substitutes, and verification. This feature gives system managers the ability to pull a broad range of information from SubFinder based upon their specific needs and criteria.   20+ New Exports and Reports   Over twenty new exports and reports have been added to SubFinder 5.9, providing users with 600+ export and report options.   Qualitative Substitute Analysis   A variety of programming changes to our Qualitative Substitute Analysis means that substitute selection is enhanced to further ensure that the very best substitute is accepting the job every time. An additional series of checks have been put in place to qualify substitutes based on qualifications, certifications, availability, and many more points of selection criteria. If you are interested in learning more about SubFinder, and our latest version, please contact us at 800.782.3463.     Back to Top i3 To Fund 'Cutting Edge' School Reforms by: David Nagle, executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters   The United States Department of Education has proposed its funding priorities and selection criteria for the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund, also known as i3, a program that was introduced as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The competitive grant program is open to individual school districts, cooperatives, and non-profit organizations in partnership with schools. The program is designed to encourage and reward innovations in education that close achievement gaps, improve proficiency levels, improve graduation rates, or work to recruit and retain "high-quality teachers and principals." To read this article, please go to:  http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/10/06/i3-to-fund-cutting-edge-school-reforms.aspx   Back to Top Meet a CRS Employee Pete Lupacchino – General Manager / Vice President Full Name: Pete Lupacchino Position: General Manager / Vice President How long have you been working for CRS: Technically 29 years and 2 months with Brodart and 1 year and 5 months with CRS for a total of 30 years and 7 months Are you a fan of Halloween? What is your favorite Halloween memory: I enjoy Halloween but would not consider myself a fan of it. I like to watch other individuals that really enjoy the spirit of the day. My favorite part of Halloween is seeing my grandchildren dressed up. It brings back memories of my children when they were very young, and how excited they got trick-or-treating. If you had to choose a scary movie to watch, what would it be: Tough choice here since I've never watched the Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween series, nor do I enjoy that genre of movies…I would have to say it’s between Silence of the Lambs or The Shining. What is your favorite thing to do in the fall: Ride my motorcycle or play golf; neither of which I do as frequently as I’d like to. What do you consider your hobby(s): Same as above, as well as volunteering for the Little League World Series, going to auctions and traveling. What are your thoughts of CRS from the past, present, and future: Since I have been here from the beginning of CRS, I have seen the company grow from the 35 accounts in 1992 to where we are today. There have been many changes from DOS to Windows, and from IVR only to including the Internet. What has always remained a constant is the quality of our employees. I am always amazed at the bond that is formed between our staff and our customers. We don’t consider our customers as accounts, but as friends who we truly enjoy working with. I am very excited about the future of CRS. We are working hard to make strides with our current suite of products, and there are some very exciting programs that we are introducing. We are also energized about the release of 5.9 and the new features that are included with this release. I am very proud of the accomplishments that CRS has made through the years and continues to make, and I am extremely proud of our staff. I am truly fortunate that I have two families that I am very proud to watch grow and mature: my personal family and my CRS family. Not very many people are lucky enough to have that experience, and I am honestly thankful for that.   Back to Top 8 Ways Gadgets Have Gone Green   By: Corinne McLaughlin, Marketing Coordinator (article referenced from http://earth911.com, written by Amanda Willis)     Technology is something that is used consistently throughout everyone’s life. Imagine where we are now in comparison to twenty years ago. Major advances in manufacturing electronics have been a cause for debate since the life-span of past electrical equipment is starting to haunt us through environmental concerns. We need technology, that is a given. But, being the green society that we are, the electronic industry is always coming up with new ways to green gadgets! Here are 8 of the latest ways that I found from the article, 8 Ways Gadgets Have Gone Green on Earth911.com. A little green goes a long way!   1.    Recycled Materials Are Abundant – Many cell phones are made from valuable resources. Samsung’s Reclaim is the first cell phone in the U.S. to be made in part from bioplastic, a material that’s uncommon in the electronics industry. It is made from 80% recyclable materials!   2.    It’s Electric! – Hybrid vehicles have been a hit the past couple years, thanks to the eco-friendly celebs that made it a fashion statement! Many automotive companies are jumping on the trend since the biofuel debate seems to be an ongoing concern.   3.    Solar Is Taking Charge – Solar is not just for roof tops anymore! Electronics such as cell phone chargers, iPods, and other DC-powered objects can now be charged with the use of solar paneling.   4.    Seriously Slimmed Packaging – According to a recent study by Pike Research, it is estimated that the worldwide marketing for packaging is currently valued at $429 billion and is expected to top $500 billion in the next five years. Many companies are trying to use limited packaging, as well as recycled material. Companies such as T-Mobile pay-as-you-go phone implemented new packaging that has cut its plastic packaging by 45%.   5.    Companies Are More Responsible – The term "corporate social responsibility" is becoming more important as many consumers look for companies that are ecologically and socially responsible. Technological companies that promote that they support green practices are looked upon as showing respect not only for their environment, but also for their consumers, employees, and community.   6.    Gadgets With a Mind of Their Own – Electronics can now sense your presence! In order to save on energy, many electronic gadgets will dim or shut-down after a certain amount of time without affecting work. The Philips LCD computer display can actually detect if you are at your desk! If you are not, it will dim, saving energy.   7.    They Have Standards – How do you measure the environmental impact of your PC? The EPEAT system helps consumers evaluate, compare and select electronics based on the environmental attributes.   8.    Disposal is Top-Priority – Currently there’s no federal law against sending e-waste to dealers overseas; however, companies are making an effort to ensure their products are being disposed of properly. Dell recently became the first manufacturer to ban all e-waste exports to developing nations. Other manufacturers partnered with the EPA in its Plug-Into eCycling campaign to encourage responsible recycling of electronics at the end of life.   To get more information about greening gadgets and for other ways to reduce your impact, reuse what you’ve got, and recycle your trash, go to http://earth911.com.     Back to Top CRS Would Like to Congratulate     Congratulations, Greg Utecht!   The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) named Mr. Utecht its winner of the 2009 Withrow Chief Technology Officer Award for effectively integrating technology into curricula, classrooms, and schools for almost 40 years.   Greg Utecht is the Coordinator of Technology, Information, and Media Services at Lakeville Area Public Schools in Minnesota, a SubFinder customer since 2005!   Read the article about Greg Utecht in the September issue of District Administration.   Would you like to receive SubFinder product information?   Complete the request form and a CRS Representative will be in contact with you soon!   We hope you have a wonderful October, and enjoy all the tricks and treats that come your way! We’ll talk turkey next month!     Take care,   The CRS Advanced Technology Team