Helpful Hints for PTO Manager Users to make your PowerSchool upload successful:

 

•Close your system to any new registrations (PTO Manager quick start guide, page 5)

 

•Download your student record report to Excel (quick start guide, page 21; advanced guide, page 4)

 

•Merge all PowerSchool files into one Excel file if it hasn’t already been done.  Use the attached sample file or your school’s download as a source file.  Remember to save the file as Excel 2003 or earlier ( xls format, NOT xlsx). (advanced guide, page 5-6)

 

Sample_of_PTO_Manager_Import_file_0803.xls

 

•Review the duplication removal conventions in PTO Manager (advanced guide, page 7)

 

•Compare data between the student report and the PowerSchool if maintaining historical data.  Remember, PTOManager stores information by the individual not child or family.  (This can be potentially automated via database software such as Access.)

 

•Enter current home room or teacher data to match your school’s PowerSchool data to PTO Manager.  (quick start guide, page 7) ◦You will need to convert the PowerSchool data into the format that you have set up in your PTO Manager database.  For example, if you are using the HS graduation year as the class, you will need to convert the PowerSchool data and replace it with the appropriate year.  If you are using the teacher and grade, please check the user guide for the correct way to list this information.  (advanced guide, page 6)

 

•Review the file conventions and insert or delete columns as needed to match the upload criteria (advanced guide, page 5-6).  All columns should be present for a successful upload.  The VB ID column should be blank if it’s a new record. (advanced guide, page 6)

 

•Upload the new file. (advanced guide, page 4)

 

•Verify the bounce back email address is one that can be accessed.  Ideally this should be an organization email and not an officer’s email. (quick start guide, page 5)

 

•Re-open your database to new registrants (quick start guide, page 5)

 

PTO Manager is a one way upload.  Current data will be over ridden with a new file upload.

 

Smaller scale additions can either be done by repeating the above process and uploading a new file or manual data entry.

 

 

General Hints about Data Files:

 

•There are 6 reports from the school.  Four of them can be combined into 1 file to cover personal information for parents 1, 2, 3 and 4.  Please note, each child can have up to 4 parents listed in PowerSchool.  The other reports are PTO Interest and School Directory.

 

•You will likely receive contact information for all parents; however, you many use information you have been given permission to utilize.

 

•Each student is listed on all the reports whether or not they have a parent in that “position” i.e. parent 2, 3 or 4.

 

•The 4 parent reports should be combined into one report, removing records for kids with blank information.

 

•The parent reports contain 2 information columns – “do not email me” and “do not include me in the School Directory” in addition to the individual parent’s contact information.  The no is a double negative meaning they indicated yes when asked to share the information with PTO or for publication.

 

•You should receive a supplementary “PTO Interest” report clarifying the email and publication results with a yes columns correctly marked.

 

•You should receive a supplementary “Student Directory interest” report clarifying the email and publication results with a yes columns correctly marked.

 

Tips for Using Group Vine in Parent Communications

 

If you are currently using PTOManager/GroupVine to send communications to your parent community, and want to use the district information from Power School each year to update your database with accurate information, here are a few helpful hints.

 

At the beginning of the school year (once registration is complete) ask the office manager at your school to give you a list of all parents who opted IN to providing PTCO their data for communications from their Power School database.

 

Copy the old PTOManager database and save it in another file, then delete it from the system so you are now able to upload new data. Take the new data provided by Power School and format the Excel spreadsheet columns in the same order as PTOManager requires to insure a smooth upload.