New Portal Helps Parents Stay Informed

Just before school began, Newtown parents received a letter introducing a new district wide tool, the Power School Parent Portal. Despite the space age name, it is basically a way for parents to view their child's grades and attendance record online, and it will be used in place of interim reports.

While a few kinks are still being worked out, so far the reviews are favorable.

"I think the Parent Portal will motivate kids to get their assignments done on time just knowing at any time a parent can see all of their grades and if anything is missing," said Nancy Anastasi, a Newtown parent who also teaches in the Bethel Public School system.

Newtown parent and secretary of the Newtown Middle School Parent-Teacher Association, Denise Tramposch added, "I'm excited to have the ability to check in on their grades periodically. It will make it easier to identify if your child is having trouble in a particular subject so that you can ask for extra help early enough to keep the grades from becoming permanently low."  

Audrey Locorotondo, who has a sophomore at the high school, said she is thrilled with the new program. She said at the high school level a parent rarely sees their child's grades.

"It will be so much better to find out if your student needs help in a subject right away rather than wait until weeks later," she said.

Locorotondo has encouraged her son to access the portal on his own to make sure he is not missing any assignments. Many high school parents agreed that by the time the interim reports made it home, it was often too late.

Dr. Janet Robinson, superintendent of Newtown Schools said the Parent Portal is "in line with the main goals we have for the district. The goals are to have more open communication with the parents and to improve academic achievement."

Robinson said parents have been asking for a similar tool for quite some time.

Heidi Brisson, a Reed Intermediate School mother, was told at the school's open house that the Parent Portal was not yet fully up and running.

But Robinson said the portal is in place at the Newtown High, Middle and Reed Intermediate schools, though she acknowledged that some quirks were still being worked out and asked that parents be patient.

As far as the elementary schools are concerned, Robinson said they are graded on an entirely different report card and adjustments must be made before the portal could be implemented there. Plans are in place for the work to be done sometime next year, she said.