Staying Connected From the District

The School District of Somerset is no exception when it comes to the risk of cyber attacks which are an ever present threat and need to be taken seriously. The District has done just that and implemented changes this past school year to help mitigate these risks. Our elementary students were given enhanced passwords and login procedures to make their accounts more secure. We are currently in the process of rolling out 2 factor authentication to all staff. The staff are being trained and tested on cyber security and phishing so that they can spot attempts to compromise our systems. This will better secure our district data against malicious activity.

Seesaw was implemented as our communication tool and learning management system for all elementary school students and parents, including Junior Kindergarten. Seesaw allows our teachers to easily communicate with families as well as organize digital content for our students. Google Classroom has been utilized in the middle and high school for these purposes over the last several years.

Students will have access to resources during the summer! All their favorite educational games and programs will be available through Classlink. To access Classlink, have your child click the blue and white cloud icon in the upper right corner of the district homepage. Use their student number and new enhanced password to login. If a password is needed, elementary students should contact the elementary school office, middle and high school students should use the “Help, I forgot my password” link.

The School District of Somerset continued the virtual learning program for the 2021-22 school year. First semester saw 5 students join the program full time and we will end the year with 16 full time students. The program allows the district to offer our students an alternative education path and stay competitive with the districts around us. The district will offer the virtual program to 6th through 12th grade students for the 2022-2023 school year. Application for enrollment into the program is required and will be open July 1st to July 31st. For questions, please consult the Somerset Virtual Program website or email Brandon Berrey.

2021-2022 saw the 2nd year of our newly created Virtual Learning Coordinator. In his role, Brandon Berrey, not only administrates the virtual program, but also serves as the district’s technology integrator. As the demand for the virtual program dropped, it allowed for more time helping teachers with technology in the classroom. Brandon spends time in the high school health class teaching about digital citizenship which includes digital footprint, internet safety, and cyberbullying. Students are also taught how to create and edit videos to demonstrate their knowledge of various topics in various subjects. The main goal is to help teachers use technology to save time, improve student engagement, and allow students to better demonstrate their knowledge of various topics.