How do we prepare Flex for the new school year?

Flex rolls over to the new school year on July 1 of the current year.  (Unless an Admin has changed the default rollover date in order to delay this.)  All adults will have access to last year's Flex in the upper lefthand corner of the menu bar where you can see the entire year, export data, and run reports.  You will not be able to edit last year’s information.

Below is a chart that shows what data is carried over to the new school year in Flex:

In the summer and early fall, we offer “Back to School” webinars that will walk you through much of this information.  Go to HELP and look for the “Flex Webinar Schedule” document on the Admin Document Index.  In June, we also publish a “Back to School Checklist” that we will post through an announcement as well as a link on the Admin Document Index.

Here are some things to review and update within your Flex system for the new school year.

• Review Activity Types - keep them simple and use categories that will help with reporting
• Review Priority Levels - remember you can rename and turn off levels (except Plus Add)
• Edit your Flex period(s) - deactivate ones you no longer need, edit start and end dates, name, catchall choice, cutoff time, etc.
• Update special settings related to your flex period(s) - lunch, catchall, & CAP
• Prepare new grade-level groups, catchall files, CAP files, etc.
• Use the Announcement feature to broadcast important information to students and teachers.
• Review System Settings
• Set Excluded Students and Contact Control
• Optional: Turn on student email notifications when ready to start Flex. 
• Any changes in district technology - reach out to our Help Desk with changes to loading users, email domains, etc.

In addition to system updates, here are some tips for preparing your team to use Flex for the new school year.

• Organize a team to manage the Flex period - you can include teachers or support staff. 
• Plan training for Teachers - use the videos, the Five Basic Activity Steps document, and the other resources in the Help section.  
• Plan when and how you will train students - again take advantage of our support videos and materials.
• Communicate Flex expectations to teachers and students.
• Celebrate some of the success stories and unique activities from last year to inspire staff for the new year.
• Recognize power Flex users so that new staff know who they can turn to for extra support.
• Get support staff and admin involved in offering activities.