Lauren Gilchrist

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Lauren Gilchrist

• 10 Ways to Keep Your Data Clean

  Is your data a mess? Think mismatched entries, misplaced records, duplicated names…  Here are 10 tools that can help you clean up your Student and Business Suite data. 

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• 3 Tools You Can Master in 15 Minutes

  Sometimes, just the thought of learning a new tool is a deal-breaker. Here are 3 easy-to-learn resources that are worth every minute. 

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• 4 Surefire Ways to Increase Parent Engagement

  While some parents don’t need prodding to engage in their child’s education, others need some help. Check out these steps to increase parent engagement!

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• 5 Free, Can't-Miss Skyward Resources

  From training sessions to a Spanish toolkit, check out these five resources that will help you get even more from your Skyward experience.

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• 5 Reasons to Attend iCon This Year

  Whether you’re a regular attendee or have never joined us before, check out the top five reasons this year’s iCon is a can’t miss!

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• 5 Tips for a Great User Group Experience

  Step one is complete: You’ve signed up to attend a Skyward user group. But how can you make sure you’re getting the most out of this experience? 

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• 5 Ways to Increase Parent Engagement This School Year

  Don’t leave parent engagement up to your students’ parents! Here are 5 steps you can take to boost engagement this year.

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• 6 Steps to Your Best Fall User Group Experience

  Are you ready to up your Skyward game, expand your education network, and have some fun along the way? Look no further than user groups!

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• 7 Skyward Tools to Make School Safer (SMS 2.0)

  Do you know enough about Skyward's built-in safety features to ensure your school is as secure as it can be? 

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• A Day in the Life of a Qmlativ Migration Project Manager

  Let us introduce you to our Qmlativ migration project managers. If your district will be making the switch from SMS 2.0 to Qmlativ, these experts will be your partners and guides, helping make your transition as smooth as possible. Check out the video!

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• A Day in the Life: Administrative Assistant

  The primary role of the admin assistant is… well, is there one? Check out this video for a sneak peek into life in this multifaceted role. 

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• A Day in the Life: Data Management Coordinator

  Data management coordinators turn ordinary numbers into state reports and decision-making tools. What’s a day like in this role?

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• A Day in the Life: Personnel and Skyward Support Specialist

  People and technology—two very different subjects personnel and support specialists must master. What does a day in their lives look like?

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• A Day in the Life: School Counselor

  School counselors are modern-day superheroes. Watch a Day in the Life video and find out what it takes to tackle the demands of this role with technology and a personal touch.

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• A Skyward Field Trip

  Many school districts are searching for ways to collaborate with local businesses and introduce students to real-world applications. Find out what happened when a group of students visited Skyward to learn about coding and working in a high-tech industry. 

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• Advice from a District Data Expert (Featuring Michigan’s Tim Howard)

  Tim Howard helps districts around the world maximize their use of Skyward. Here he shares his tips for you! 

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• An Ed-Fi Primer

  What is Ed-Fi and how does this standard make managing data easier?

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• Are You a Member of the Skyward Community?

  The Skyward Community connects you to a worldwide network of Qmlativ users who help each other work more efficiently. Find out what awaits you in the Community!   

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• Banish Dual Data Entry with Interoperability in Qmlativ

  When your software programs talk to each other, there’s no need to enter the same information in multiple places. Are you taking advantage of Skyward’s integration capabilities? 

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• Behind the Curtain: The Skyward Development Process

  You’ve heard us say your feedback shapes Skyward, but what does that process look like? Follow an idea, from conception to completion to find out—and don't miss the fairytale-themed video! 

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• Can Kindergartners Learn to Code? (+ Free eBook!)

  Turns out they can! Here's how you can teach your youngest students to love coding, in the classroom or from afar. 

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• Decoding Skyward Lingo

  Do you hear words tossed around like PDC, Toolkit, Qmlativ, or User Research Panel and don’t know what they mean? We’ve got you covered!

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• Education Innovations: Positive Attendance

  When two of our customers came to Skyward independently and asked for an attendance solution that could support their personalized learning objectives, we took a long, hard look at what might be possible. After months of close collaboration, Positive Attendance was born.

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• Eight Budgeting Tools in Qmlativ

  When it comes to budgeting, make Skyward do the heavy lifting for you!

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• Free Templates and Resources for Your Skyward Journey

  From tutorials and templates to branding and PR, let’s dive into the tools you can use to make your life easier.

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• Free Training in the Skyward Academy!

  We can’t send you to Hogwarts or Starfleet Academy, but we can extend an invite to the Skyward Academy—and that’s just what we’d like to do!

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• Free Virtual Spring User Group—You’re Invited!

  We’re just one month away from the virtual spring user group—and you’re invited!

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• From Educators, To Educators: Tips for Better Presentations

  Last month, we shared our own tips on what makes a good presentation. This month, we turned to your peers for their advice! 

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• Global Search: Find Anything in Skyward in a Flash!

  Did you know the Qmlativ search bar can do way more than search for keywords? You can use it to find just about anything in the system. Check out 7 searches that will save you time.

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• Google Classroom Integration

  We partnered with Google for Education to build a grade export between Google Classroom and Skyward’s Gradebook. Are you taking advantage of it?

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• Harness the Power of the Skyward Gradebook

  Designed by teachers and for teachers, the Qmlativ gradebook makes life as a classroom leader a little bit easier. Check out the overview video and two tips to share with teachers!

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• Has Your District Tried This Approach to Discipline?

  More and more schools are turning to positive behavior management and seeing the benefits. Take a look at what it is and how you can use it in Skyward.

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• Help Improve Skyward!

  Software design at Skyward is a team effort. It doesn’t just involve our team—it involves yours too!

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• How Skyward Software is Made

  Check out this article and video for a behind-the-scenes look at how our software is made!

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• How to Translate Skyward into Any Language

  Language barriers can make it nearly impossible for some families to play an impactful role in their student’s learning experience. Here’s how to take this barrier out of the equation.

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• iCon 2025: Your Checklist for Crushing the Conference

  Our annual conference is one month away! Don’t miss this checklist to help attendees prepare. We’ll see you soon!

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• Introducing Skyward Insider

  We are so excited to unveil the re-branded version of Educator Newsletter. It’s your new guide to becoming a Skyward super user.

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• Introducing the Qmlativ Mobile App

  Our Qmlativ mobile app features three portals: Family Access, Teacher Access, and Employee Access. Learn about each of these platforms (and a new one on the way!). 

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• Introducing: Herramientas de Recursos (The Spanish Family Access Toolkit)

  Tenemos buenas noticias: a new version of the Family Access Toolkit is here!

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• Introducing: The Family Access Toolkit

  The lights are dimmed. Excited chatter becomes an anticipation-filled hush. The big moment has arrived. This one is for you, Family Access fans!

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• Join Us for Skyward’s Virtual User Group Conference!

  You’re invited—join us for Skyward’s 2023 virtual user group conference!

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• Know Your Skyward Support Options

  When you need Skyward support, where do you turn? Here’s a quick guide to the Skyward support options available to you.

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• Know Your Skyward Training Options

  Want to work smarter, not harder in Skyward? Here’s a quick overview of the training tools you can use to grow your Skyward knowledge.

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• Level Up Your District Data Protection with the Security Audit Report

  Are you sure your Skyward system settings are meeting security best practices? Now you can be! We’re excited to unveil the new Security Audit Report, a free tool you can use to make sure your system and data are as secure as possible. 

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• Make Your Voice Heard with the Product Ideas Portal

  If you could make a change in Skyward or add something new, what would it be? Let us know in the Product Ideas Portal!

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• Making Friends with the Parent Portal

  We’ve got everything you need to help guardians get on board with the parent portal and reap the benefits of increased engagement. 

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• Mic Drop: 18 Tips for a Brilliant Presentation

  Without the proper presentation skills, the best ideas may fall flat. Learn to engage and inspire your audience with these tips.

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• My First User Group Conference

  You should go to your next user group conference. Seriously. In April, I had an opportunity to see firsthand just how much fun these can be. Based on my experience, here are eight reasons why you should make a habit of attending (bear with me on #7)... 

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• On the Road with Lauren: Hands, Head, and Heart: Educating the Whole Child... Outside!

  Outdoor classes, ukulele lessons, and morning hikes? Join us as we explore a Waldorf-inspired public school!

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• On the Road with Lauren: How a Door County High School Is Putting Jobs Back in the Community

  Go on the road to Door County and see how Sevastopol’s high school machining program is benefiting both Door County students and the community. Check out the video!

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• Once Upon An iCon: A Learning Story

  Once upon an iCon, 323 educators traveled to iCon, the greatest international conference in the land. Find out what happened next!

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• Paid in Full: Collect Your Unpaid Fees (SMS 2.0)

  School districts lose millions of dollars every year in unpaid fees. Here are 5 tips and 3 Skyward tools to help keep your accounts out of the red. 

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• Post-Year-End Processing in the Student Management Suite

  School may be out for summer, but IT administrators are busy as ever. Wrap up your previous year and get ready for the year ahead with this handy checklist.

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Activity Accounting

  Many districts work with tech that isn’t aligned with the way K-12 accounting actually works—but you don’t have to! Separate the accounting for your district’s clubs and make keeping tabs on finances easier.

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Comp Time Processing

  Qmlativ Employee Access now has a built-in comp time solution in Time Tracking! Instead of using a spreadsheet to track how much comp time an employee earns and manually entering that data into Time Off, you can let Skyward handle calculations for you.

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Free Up Your Database by Storing Attachments Externally

  Regulations require school districts to keep a whole lot of data for a very long time. But not every database is equipped to handle this. With this update, your district will have the option to store records in an external location, freeing up your database for records you’re using now.

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Simplified Open Enrollment

  If you use Skyward’s Benefit Management Open Enrollment solution, we have exciting news for you: a new-and-improved version is here!

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: The Skyward Community

  Welcome to the Skyward Community! Let’s take a tour of this new social platform and discuss the ways it can enhance your Skyward experience. 

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Translating Family Access Just Got Easier

  Wish you could make Family Access more accessible to non-native English speakers in your district? Your wish is our command!

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• Qmlativ Spotlight: Travel Reimbursements Just Got Easier

  Most of us haven’t found a way to teleport yet. That means it takes time and money to move from one place to the next. If your district has employees splitting time between buildings, reimbursing their travel just got a whole lot easier.

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• Qmlativ Update: Sending Progress Reports

  The ability for teachers to email Progress Reports directly to guardians was a top request in the Product Ideas Portal. You asked, we built it, and we’re excited to share it with you today!

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• Qmlativ Updates: Benefit Management

  Calling all Qmlativ business suite users! Check out this article to learn about updates to the Benefit Management module.

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• Setting Up A Tardy Kiosk

  When your students show up late to school or class, it not only cuts into their own learning time; it also interrupts the work of office staff and teachers. Not anymore!

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• Skyward Academy—New and Improved!

  Get more from your Skyward experience by taking advantage of these free training sessions!

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• Skyward FAQs: What Can Skyward Help With?

  In this article, we aim to address some of the most frequently asked questions regarding what Skyward can and cannot help your district with.

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• SMS 2.0 Spotlight: Textbook Tracking

  It’s the start of the school year and there’s so much to do: textbooks to hand out, Chromebooks to distribute, Wi-Fi hot spots to give to select students. How on earth do you keep track of it all?

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• SMS 2.0 Updates: Insurance Tracking

  Calling all SMS 2.0 business suite users! Check out this article to learn about updates to the Insurance Tracking module.

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• Speed Up Lunch Lines

  There’s no need to settle for a rush hour experience in the lunchroom. With the right technology in place, you can make overcrowded, slow-moving lines a thing of the past.

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• State & Federal Compliance Resources

  With funding on the line, state & federal reporting is nothing to take lightly. Learn about resources that will make your job easier.

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• Teacher Talks: Want to Retain More Teachers? Here’s How.

  If your district is trying hard to retain teachers, the solution may not require significant process changes or large chunks of cash. It may involve giving your teachers a chance to be learners.

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• Texas Spotlight: Top Tips for PEIMS Coordinators

  We've got a special article for Skyward users in Texas! Check out these tips for PEIMS coordinators. 

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• The Roots of Skyward

  1980. A family garage. That's where it all began. Learn about the history of Skyward and the values we hold strong. 

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• The School District of Beloit Spreads Simple Joy—And You Can Too

  What if you could increase family engagement and bring positivity to your community? Find out how a Wisconsin district did just that!

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• Thinking About Migrating to Qmlativ? Hear From 7 Districts That Did

  Check out videos and resources on how to effectively lead the change.

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• Two Tips to make Teachers’ Lives Easier (Qmlativ)

  Here are two timesaving tools to share with teachers in your district!  

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• Video School: A Digital Alternative to Professional Development

  Check out our first episode of Video School, a series that highlights the many uses of video in education, from the district office to the classroom and beyond! In this video, we travel to P.J. Jacobs Junior High School in Stevens Point to see how their educators and technology support staff use videos to create and consume impactful professional development resources. 

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• Virtual Fall User Groups: You’re Invited!

  Attend a user group from home this fall! Find out what you can expect in a video chat with Sean, an event consultant.

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• Your Guide to Convincing Your Boss to Send You to iCon

  Thinking about going to iCon but need some assistance getting your boss on board? We’re here to help! From a video demonstration to a proposal letter, we’ve got you covered.

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