Sippican School Principal Evelyn Rivet wants to fully utilize the capabilities of an electronic student information-tracking program for parents.

At the Nov. 2 Marion School Committee meeting, Rivet said PowerSchool, which allows parents to login and view their child's grades, attendance history, teacher comments and more, could be even more effective at the elementary school level because the online forum allows for open communication between the student’s family and the schools.

The program is in place at all the schools in the district, but according to committee member Christine Winters, it can also be used standards-based reporting for grades K-3 and assignment-based reporting for grades 4-6. Each standard is specifically designed for reporting on the skill level of the students, which parents will be able to see online and see which areas their children may need work on at home. PowerSchool can also track delinquency reports for the schools as well as maintain real-time grades and scores.

Committee member Christine Winters said that implementing such uses of technology in the district is something the board should make the time and the resources available.  She said learning these programs at the elementary level would be beneficial in tracking a student’s development and in determining which areas they may need work on.

“Where the kids are learning those foundations at the elementary level, I think, makes for a much richer experience for the children,” she said.

The committee members asked Rivet to have a “go-live” date in mind for the next meeting, as well as projected costs for training before they make a ruling.

Click the link below to view a step-by-step guide of the PowerSchool program.

In other business:

District Food Service Director Caitlin Meagher reported decreased expenses in school lunches from $12,372 in 2010 to this year’s $9,779.  Meagher said the money was saved from cutting paper costs, organizing spreadsheets of vendor prices and from raising the price of school lunches.  Meagher added that with better participation among the districts, the school’s food budget deficit may be reduced from the current $21,000 to $13,000.

Committee member Christine Winters said that based on recommendations from parents, the board should reconsider the dress code for students.  Winters said this would mean a more enforced dress code but not uniforms.  The committee will rely on surveys to be distributed to by the school’s subcommittees to parents and community members.  The surveys will be presented in front of the school committee during their next session on Dec. 6.