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SIS 2000+ Track Editor

Step 3, Set Calendars 

There are four calendars associated with a track: the Events Calendar, the Cycle Days Calendar, Bell Schedule Calendar, and Notes Calendar. These calendars must be set up and then maintained throughout the school year for proper functioning of Scheduling and Attendance programs.

3.1 Click on Calendar information screen
The view will default to the Events Calendar (Fig. 43), with the focus on the first day of the school year.

Fig. 43
 

Navigating Calendars
A calendar can be navigated by scrolling forward or backwards through the months with the small, single VCR buttons below the calendar.



Use the double left VCR buttons to jump to the beginning of the school year or the double right VCR buttons to jump to the end of the school year. Click on the Today command button to restore the calendar to today's date (system date):

Navigation Shortcut
Calendar data can also be viewed in a read-only list format by clicking on the Show List command button. Double click on an entry in the list to go directly to that date in the calendar view or click on the Show Calendar command button to restore the previous calendar view.

3.2 Add Events
Colored date markers must be placed on important track "events" in the Events Calendar, such as the beginning and ending of a term (mandatory), and the start and finish dates of monthly attendance periods, legal holidays, teacher inservice days, and other non-attendance days.

At minimum, the term markers must be defined properly in this procedure before a new track can be saved. Furthermore, if the school site is defined as "counting months" then the month markers must also be defined properly before a track can be saved.

Fig. 44 - sample Events markers

Event markers that have the same date will be superimposed on the calendar as one color. A specific day's events can be viewed by clicking on the date until it is bordered in black (or white). The events that have been assigned to that day will appear in the Events list to the right. In the example above (Fig. 44), September 2nd has been selected for viewing. The Events list indicates that three event markers have been placed on that date: Year Begin, Term Begin, and Month Begin.

3.2.1 Verify First Day and Last Day of school year
These two days are marked in the Events Calendar automatically after they are set in the General screen (Step 4). The First Day of School Year is represented by the Year Begin marker (Fig. 45) and the Last Day of School Year is represented by the End Year marker (Fig. 46).
 

Fig. 45

Fig. 46

Before proceeding any further, verify the accuracy of these dates. These markers can only be changed in the General screen by resetting the First Day and Last Day fields (Step 1.4). If necessary, go back to the General screen to correct the dates, and then return to the Events Calendar. Then click on the Recalc Calendar command button to reset the date markers.

3.2.2 Add Term Markers
Each term must have one pair of calendar markers, Term Begin and Term End, for correct functioning of the database.

• Use the VCR buttons on the Events Calendar to view the target month that includes the first day of the first term. This date will normally be the same as the Year Begin date.
• Click on the target date until it is highlighted in a black border.
• Select Term Begin from the drop-down list in the Add Event field (Fig. 47). This action places a marker on the selected date and displays its description in the Events list (Fig.48).


Fig. 47


Fig. 48
 

• Set a marker for the last day of the first term in the same manner as above, selecting Term End.
• Set Term Begin and Term End markers for subsequent terms in the same manner as above, making sure the date ranges do not overlap.
• Term markers may be removed by selecting the date and then selecting the marker to be removed from the drop-down list in the Remove Event field (Fig. 49).


Fig. 49
 

• After all markers are set, click on the Validate Events command button to check validity of event markers. This command will check for proper order of markers and for date range overlaps. Make corrections if necessary.
 

Caution: Do not set the first and last days of a term on a non-school day (such as a holiday). If this is done the non-school day may be counted for attendance purposes.

3.2.3 Add Month markers
A schools site's attributes are defined in School Editor program. If the site is checked as "Count Monthly Attendance" in the School Editor, then each month must have one pair of calendar markers, Month Begin and Month End, in the Track Editor/Events Calendar for correct functioning of the database. (See School Editor, Step 3, Add a School)
• Use the VCR buttons on the Events Calendar to view the target month that includes the first attendance day of the first attendance month. This date will normally be the same as the Year Begin date.
• Click on the target date until it is highlighted in a black border.
• Select Month Begin from the drop-down list in the Add Event field (Fig. 50). This action places a marker on the selected date and displays its description in the Events list (Fig.51).


Fig. 50


Fig. 51
 

• Set a marker for the last attendance day of the first attendance month in the same manner as above, selecting Month End.
• Set Month Begin and Month End markers for subsequent months in the same manner as above, making sure the date ranges do not overlap.
• Month markers may be removed by selecting the date and then selecting the marker to be removed from the drop-down list in the Remove Event field.
• After all markers are set, click on the Validate Events command button to check validity of event markers. This command will check for proper order of markers and for date range overlaps.
 

Caution: Do not set the first and last days of a monthly attendance period on a non-school day (such as a holiday). If this is done the non-school day may be counted for attendance purposes.

3.2.4 Add Other Event Markers
This procedure will define non-school days and non-attendance days. Typical non-school day selections will be legal holidays, pupil holidays, term breaks, etc. A typical non-attendance day would be a teacher inservice day. (Saturdays and Sundays are automatically skipped by the Events Calendar unless manually overridden in the Cycle Days Calendar)
• Use the small VCR buttons on the Events Calendar to view the target month.
• Click on the date of the non-attendance day, until it is highlighted.
• In the Add Event field, select a non-attendance day marker (Scroll down, if necessary, to view the entire list). This action places a marker on the selected date.
• Set subsequent non-attendance days in the same manner as above.
• Markers may be removed by selecting the date and then selecting the event to be removed from the Remove Event field.
3.2.5 Save Track Data (optional)
This is the earliest stage where a new track can be saved properly. The save is executed by clicking the Save command button. If saved, the rest of the parameters can be accessed later via the edit mode (See Step 4).
 
 

3.3.1 View the Cycle Days Calendar
Click on the Cycle Days sub-screen (Fig. 52). By default, the first cycle day starts on the first day of the school year. Subsequent cycle days (if applicable) will be calculated and marked in the Cycle Days Calendar in a cyclical pattern for the rest of the attendance days in a linear succession, automatically skipping weekends, non-attendance days and non-school days set up in previous steps. Each cycle day is distinguished by its color-code defined in the Definitions screen in previous steps. To verify the cycle day of a specific date, click on the date in the Calendar. The corresponding cycle day description will be displayed in the Cycle Days field on the right. In the example below, September 11th is selected and the name of its assigned cycle day is displayed on the right.


Fig. 52

Carefully observe the cycle day markers in the calendar. If all is satisfactory, skip to Step 3.4. If modifications are necessary, continue as follows:

3.3.2 Double-Lock a cycle day
A cycle day assignment can be overridden on any specified date without affecting the rest of the calendar by using a double-lock procedure. This procedure effectively isolates the target date from being affected by previous cycle day calculations, and at the same time prevents new assignment from influencing subsequent cycle day calculations.

• Use the small VCR buttons on the Cycle Days Calendar to view the target month.
• Click on the date to be changed, until it is highlighted.
• Select a different cycle day from the drop-down field to the right. This action places a new cycle day marker on the selected date and automatically "locks" the new assignment, indicated by the check mark that appears in the Lock Cycle Day field.


 

• Click on the next attendance day immediately following the date that was changed, until it is highlighted.
• Put a check mark in the Lock Cycle Day field (do not change the cycle day). This will prevent the Calendar from recalculating the cycle day assignments beyond the day that was reassigned.
• Click on the Recalc Calendar command button to view the new cycle day assignments, without saving them.
3.3.3 Restart cycle days
Cycle days alternate in a cyclical pattern beginning with the first cycle day on the first day of the school year. This pattern may be restarted at any point in the Calendar. For instance, if there is an unforeseen non-school day due to snow, the cycle day assignments can be restarted from where they left off; beginning with the day the school reopens. Or, cycle days can be programmed to restart at the beginning of every monthly attendance period, and so on.
• Use the small VCR buttons on the Cycle Days Calendar to view the target month.
• Click on the date for restarting, until it is highlighted.
• In the drop-down list to the right, select the desired cycle day to from which to restart the assignment pattern.
• This action places a new cycle day marker on the selected date and automatically "locks" it, indicated by the check mark that appears in the Lock Cycle Day field.


 

• Click on the Recalc Calendar command button to recalculate the cycle days pattern of the subsequent school days.

 
 
3.3.4 Increment on non-attendance days
All non-attendance days, such as teacher inservice days, can be counted in the cycle days incrementing process by putting a check in the Inc. on non-attendance days box.



3.3.5 Increment on non-school days
All non-school days, such as holidays, can be counted in the cycle days incrementing process by putting a check in the Inc. on non-school days box.


 
 

3.4.1 View Bell Schedule Calendar
Click on the Bell Sched sub-screen (Fig. 53) The Bell Schedule Calendar is calculated on the basis of the links set up in the Definitions screen (Steps 2.5.6 - 2.5.7) between cycle days and bell schedules. Therefore, the Bell Schedule Calendar will match the pattern of the cycle days set in the Cycle Days Calendar. The color code assigned to each bell schedule will appear as colored markers on the dates of the Bell Schedule Calendar.


Fig. 53

The Bell Schedule Calendar is accessed by Attendance programs when calculating total minutes attended. Carefully observe the bell schedule markers that have been calculated in the calendar. If all is satisfactory continue to Step 3.5. If modifications are necessary, proceed as follows:

3.4.2 Lock a bell schedule
Since bell schedules are linked to cycle days, the bell schedule pattern will match the pattern of cycle days in the Cycle Day Calendar. In some circumstances the bell schedule for a specific day may need to be changed from its default assignment. A bell schedule assignment can be overridden in the Bell Schedule Calendar without making changes in the Cycle Days Calendar by using the following lock procedure:

• Use the small VCR buttons on the Bell Schedule Calendar to view the target month.
• Click on the date to be changed, until it is highlighted. In Fig. 54 September 12th is selected.
• Select the desired bell schedule from the drop-down list to the right. In the illustration below September 12th has been changed from Regular Day (green) to Short Day (violet)


Fig. 54
 

• This action places a new bell schedule marker on the target date and "locks" it in place, indicated by the check mark that will automatically appear in the Lock Bell Schedule field (Fig. 55). When a Bell Schedule is locked it will not be affected by any changes in the Cycle Days Definitions or Cycle Days Calendar.


Fig. 55
 

• To unlock a locked Bell Schedule, select the target date in the Bell Schedule Calendar until it is highlighted. Then deselect the check mark in the Lock Bell Schedule box. Click on Recalc Calendar command button to see modified Bell Schedules.

 

3.5.1 View Notes Calendar
Click on the Notes sub-screen (Fig. 56)


Fig. 56

3.5.2 Select a day
Use the VCR buttons at the bottom of the Calendar to go to the target month. Select the target day until it is highlighted with a black border.

3.5.3 Enter text
Enter a note in the text memo field to the right.

3.5.4 Continue
Continue with the same procedure until all notes are entered. Dates containing notes will turn from gray to yellow.