Discover Principalm

 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

•  New Principalm Release

•  Transitioning from SASIxp: Using Principalm with other SIS Bridges

•  Win an iPOD Nano: Complete our Survey

•  Top 5 Things to Know about Principalm 

•  Introducing OneCall Now

•  Coming Soon:  Next Generation Principalm

•  Win an iPOD Shuffle: Referral Program

Telephone Everyone Instantly with...
Discovery Software has partnered with OneCall Now to give you more services, more efficiently. 

OneCall Now is a telephone message broadcast system which allows you to leave a message and gather responses from all your groups -- parents, PTA, sports team, band, and more -- in an instant!

It’s great for …
•  Emergencies:
Inform parents of emergency closures, early dismissals and lockdowns in minutes.
•  Confirming Attendance: Automatically notify parents when students are absent or tardy, without using valuable staff time.
•  Event Notification:
Inform families about parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, state tests, activities and more.
•  Schedule Changes:
Inform parents and students about schedule changes, such as unexpected school bus delays.

LEARN MORE.

Next Generation Principalm!
We are currently planning for the next generation of Principalm that will expand support for other handheld operating systems.

If your school staff currently have Blackberry or iPhone handhelds, or are considering making a change from your Palm or Windows Mobile handhelds, we want to hear from you!  Email us at . 

Win an iPod Shuffle through our Principalm Referral program
Tell your neighboring school colleagues about the benefits you gain from using Principalm.

As our thanks to you for the referral, we will give you a free 1GB iPOD Shuffle (valued at $49 US).  Deadline for this offer is January 31, 2009.

As part of this referral program, you can also give your colleagues a coupon for $100. LEARN MORE. 

Get In Gear for the New School Year

If you have received a Principalm license, but have not yet activated it, now is the best time to get up and running.  With a school full of new students, having Principalm on hand is more vital than ever. 

For most people, setting up Principalm is as easy as 1, 2, 3... Contact support at 1-888-569-7711 Ext 2308  to get set up. Our Support team is available to assist you between 7am PST and 4:30pm PST Monday to Friday.  

New Release! 
Principalm v7.2.4 is now available.
This new version of Principalm has lots of additional features:

• More Ways to Track Students: Search students by classroom, homeroom, bus number, parking permit, State ID, and more.
• NameGame (formerly LearnFaces) is back by popular demand.   Improve school connectedness with this fun name and face recognition game.
• Better Medical Histories:  Get more information on medical conditions and histories, faster.
• More Discipline and Security Details:  Now you can view — and search — more information on incidents (like smoking or truancy) and outcomes (like detention or expelled).

Principalm also has a number of functional improvements:

• More Devices: Principalm is now functional with a larger variety of Palm and Windows handheld devices, including the SmartPhone 2005 and Motorola Q. 
• More Students/Schools: Principalm can now also support up to 100 schools and 90,000 students on a single SD card.

To upgrade to Principalm 7.2.4, click to access Download page. This upgrade is FREE for those on our maintenance and support program.  Make sure you check out the Release Notes.

To learn more about Principalm 7.2.4, go to http://www.discoverysoftware.com/principalm/blog/principalm_v724_release and contact Discovery Software Ltd. for a LIVE ONLINE DEMONSTRATION: 888-569-7711 ext. 2287.

Transitioning from SASIxp:  Using Principalm with other Student Information System Bridges

Over the next two years, Pearson will be migrating SASIxp customers over to PowerSchool Premier under what they are calling the “SASI Customer First Program”. Read their press release here.

Discovery Software also supports PowerSchool Premier with an SIS bridge.  Whether you want to use PowerSchool Premier or some other Student Information System, licensed Principalm users can download any bridge free of charge.  

Download the bridge you need.  Discovery supports most Student Information Systems in the market.  View all of our supported bridges here.

Win an iPod Nano! Complete our Satisfaction Survey  
Tell us what you think about Principalm. Complete this short questionnaire and enter to win an 8GB iPOD Nano (valued at $149 US).  Please complete by January 31, 2009.  We will announce the winner in the next newsletter.

If you manage the TECHNICAL side of Principalm, such as installation, uploading lists, and handing out passkeys, then CLICK HERE. 

If you are a Principal or other staff member that USES Principalm, CLICK HERE.

If you would prefer to complete your survey via the telephone, please call Customer Care at 1-888-569-7711 x 2240.

Linda's Top 5 Things You Should Know

Linda, and her little canine friend Tia, make up part of our Customer Support Team who are on hand to help you get more out of your Principalm Software.  Let us help you.  Call us or check out our Knowledge Base anytime.

1. New School Year – New School Year Data! Make sure your SIS data extracts are completed for the new school year, prior to Principalm card updates. This eliminates the confusion of outdated data. Download your SIS Bridge here.
   
   
2. Forgot your password? Update your card! If you forget your password to access Principalm, don’t worry. Simply update your card and set up a new one! Update your card in Principalm Connect.
   
   
3. Can’t locate your Principalm Activation File (.paf)?  This .paf file has been sent to you via email with your new school license.  Check your previous messages and be sure to check your filtered mail as well! 
   
   If you received your Principalm license from Lifetouch, then this .paf file should be in your installation package, and pre-loaded onto the memory card provided. There is no need to open this file; simply save this to your desktop.
   
   If you still can’t locate this file, then email Support at
   
   
4. Need a new handheld? Not sure which handheld is compatible with Principalm? Please see our Knowledge Base for Operating System compatibility.
   
   
5. Have questions on how to use Principalm? There is a help feature directly in Principalm. Choose -> Help -> Overview from within Principalm to view the help. Help features are also available in our Knowledge Base, under "Using Principalm"

Further support inquires that need answers? Please take the time to search through our Knowledge Base articles.