OCEANSIDE: New program helps teachers connect with parents

Grades, homework go online in Carlsbad, Oceanside

By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Monday, November 17, 2008 11:33 AM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Some local schools in Carlsbad and Oceanside have begun using a new Internet program that give parents, teachers and students a way to keep in touch online.

The School Loop program allows parents to log onto Web sites for their children's schools and get a variety of information, including grades, assignments and schedules. The Vista Unified School District uses a similar program called Parent Portal.

"It keeps me connected to the school and what my kids are doing," said Pam Turell, who has two children attending Carlsbad High School. Turell said she uses the School Loop site daily.

It also helps teachers give parents updates more often and easily, said Jeff Brandmeyer, a Carlsbad High teacher. Nearly all of the schools in Carlsbad are using School Loop in one form or another.

"It's been a real positive experience for all of us," Brandmeyer said. "We love the program."

The amount of information on each teacher's site can vary depending on involved he or she is. District officials said they hope to get more teachers using the program over time.

Carlsbad Unified School District started using the program last year in its middle and high schools. Carlsbad Unified pays about $22,000 a year for it.

The next step will be to include attendance information online, said Devin Vodicka, director of curriculum and instruction for the Carlsbad district.

"This whole effort is about trying to find ways to improve school learning," he said.

School Loop is an educational software company that a former high school teacher started in 2004. Oceanside Unified School District started using the program this year at Oceanside High School and King Middle School.

This year, Carlsbad Unified also started using a free service from the company for its elementary schools. That service helps teachers and administrators at each school design their own Web pages. The company offered the free service to Carlsbad Unified because the district was already a customer, said Brooke MacDonald, a spokeswoman for the company.

Officials in the Oceanside Unified School District also hope to expand the program in the future, said Juli Coleman, curriculum coordinator at Oceanside High School.

It was more important to start the program at the middle and high schools because it's often more difficult for parents to follow what's going on in their children's class in those grades, she said.

"As students get older, they don't always want their parents at campus, and there are more teachers to keep track of," Coleman said. "You don't have to rely anymore on the students pulling their work out of their backpacks. It's all on the Web."

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.

On the Web

School Loop: www.schoolloop.com

Carlsbad School Loop: www.cusd.ca.schoolloop.com

Oceanside School Loop: www.ousd.ca.schoolloop.com