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DCSD Technology |
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 Adobe Photoshop Tip
     Google Tip of the Month When creating an event, start by choosing “More Options” so you can see all the options available. There will be a paper clip icon in the description box menu. You can add a file directly from Google Drive or upload a file. If you select a Drive file, you will be prompted to share it with the event guests if it hasn’t already been shared with them. It’s super convenient! You can use this when creating an invitation to a virtual meeting – to share the agenda or other relevant documents. It can also be used to add notes, presentation slides, YouTube videos, and more. It’s a fabulous way to have all the information you need right at your fingertips. No wasting time searching for the info you need!   Free Professional Development Adobe offers some wonderful opportunities for professional development, also you can apply to be a campus leader with Adobe. We are also excited about some licensing changes coming soon that will be great for us all. We will let you know about them soon. Mistakes in Learning
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Use Google Drive to turn a photo of text into editable text!
Step 1: Take a photo of a page of text with your phone or camera.
Step 2: Drag the photo into your Google Drive. Then right mouse click or control click on the photo and choose "Open with with - Google Docs."
Step 3: Google docs will open your image, and also do OCR (optical character recognition) on the photo and put editable text below the image. It's not always 100% accurate, but its pretty close.
A Powerful Tool That You All Have Access to, EXCEL
I have purchased a couple of programs to help track my family's expenses. The first one was a Microsoft program and I really liked it, but they discounted the program. Then I switched to another program, but it tried to help me too much and didn't let me control things the way I wanted. Since then I have tried some other free online options and they too are good, but not what I wanted. So, recently I built my own spreadsheet and set things up the way I wanted them to go. I will continue to modify it to meet my needs and wants.
This is why I like Excel, and I also feel that it is an underused program. I thought I might share some tools to help you all learn to use it some more.
Are you pushing your student's to seize their day? Are you pushing them to reach their greatest potential, or are we stuck pushing them through a system? As the year is coming to an end I challenge us all to reach out to our students and help them see their potential and strive to seize it.
Classroom is an iOS app designed for the iPad which allows teachers to view, remote control, and transfer files to students in their classes. The app is designed as a companion for Schoolwork, which allows teachers to assign activities to students. If you would like to learn how to use the Classroom app or Schoolwork app in your class please fill out the form below.
Here is a cool idea I thought I would share with you all. You will have to ignore the items he paints, but the way he does his painting is cool.
Keyboard Shortcuts for the Different Computer Types   Word Clouds are a type of graph or image composed of words used in a specific text or subject. The size of the word indicates its frequency and importance. The bigger and more bold the word is the more important it is and the smaller words are those that are of less importance and also show up less frequently. Teachers can use word clouds to compare and contrast pre-reading to post-reading, as an idea generator, as a cover for a book read in class, or as a word map. Below is a list of word cloud generator tools. Enjoy!  Computers are here, and they are becoming a larger part of our everyday life. They are in our cars, TVs, appliances, and jobs. Careers in the computer science field are growing. Have you ever thought about how coding could help your students learn your curriculum? Have you been afraid that you don't know anything about coding, and how could you teach it to your students? Well, I challenge you to take a course from CodeHS and learn it yourself. This is a simple to use, web-based learning platform. There are videos explaining the steps you are going to learn. Questions to see if you understand what you have watched, and practice to try what you have learned. When you have completed a course stop and think about how you could use this in your curriculum. Let's help our students find their passions for life.  CS First is a coding curriculum provided by Google. It uses a program called scratch to teach students how to code. Even if your not familiar with coding you can teach and learn along with your students. CS First has a step by step guide with instruction and activities that allows almost anyone to add coding into their classes. The CS First kit includes lesson plans and solution sheets for the teacher, as well as fun passports and stickers for the students. Check out what its all about at CS First.  Jamboard is a digital collaborative whiteboard app that integrates with everything in a google apps for education account. You can access the web version by going to www.jamboard.com, or download the iOS app from the app store. The iOS app has a bit more features and functionality then the web version. Through the iOS app a teacher can import google drive files and folders, and import pictures and videos. You can also use the app's drawing features which are not included in the web version. Whatever you put on the iPad will sync directly to the app on the web. It's easy to share a Jam with students so that groups or whole classes can collaborate together. Check out the videos below!
 This is a chrome extension that allows you to insert instructional content into any webpage. You start by going to almost any web page, then highlight text, add notes, and embed your own questions—either multiple-choice or open-ended—that students answer right on the page. You can also embed other content like YouTube videos, ThingLink images, flashcards from Quizlet, mind maps from Coggle, even your own recorded videos. Once a lesson is created, assign it to a class of students with a special code or through Google Classroom, and student responses are sent to a teacher dashboard, where you can grade them right inside the app. You can also share lessons with other teachers, so they can copy and edit them for their own use. Easily monitor student responses and annotations during class. TO get started go to the chrome webstore to download the extension. I've included a short tutorial below. BunceeThis is a Buncee presentation I created just to try it out.
Jessica Evans shared this site with us, and Tom and I felt that it is a great resource for teachers. This is a source that provides pictures that students can use, and not worry about the other junk that comes with other search engines. It is pretty safe, I tried to search for common things that I have seen student search for that brought up inappropriate stuff. I couldn't with Kiddle. However, not all of the pictures are great works of art either. The best thing is that you can have your kids search and be safe. Google Sheets to Google CalendarSheets2Gcal is a Google sheets add-on that allows you to put several calendar events into a spreadsheet and then quickly add them to your Google Calendar saving you time from adding the events individually. Just follow the video tutorial below. Standards Based GradingHere are two good articles I recently read that I enjoyed reading about SBG. I wanted to share them with you.
 As this has been a long cold winter I felt a little reminder of what is coming soon would be fun. Also can you ever go wrong with the King? I hope you enjoy this clip.  LastPass Tired of keeping track of all your passwords? Do you want to ensure security for all your data? LastPass password manager lets you create one masterpassword and autofills unique passwords for all other sites. LastPass works across all devices including mac and pc. Also add the chrome, safari, and firefox extension to keep all your passwords in sync no matter what browser your using. Click on the LastPass icon to check it out.  In the "Real World"I recently found this article on a website called "Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler". Some interesting food for thought. Click on the link at the end of the article if you have any ideas to add. I am going to be honest; I get a little annoyed at this idea that we have to be harsh with students in order to prepare them for the “real world.” First, we teach kids. We don’t need to bring down the harshness of the world upon them. Plenty of time for them to learn that. Secondly, much of what we say is the “real world” really is not. School does not mimic the real world. So how exactly does that prepare them for the real world? I’ve recently been going back and forth with some people on Twitter about students having a pencil. Truth, most of the time when I need a pencil I do not have one and I have to ask to borrow one. The number of times as an adult that I have had consequences over not having a pencil or a pen = 0. If we want to stand on the idea that “in the real world…. ” and use that as an excuse to break down relationships with students rather than build kids up, here are some real world truths. In the real world, we look things up on Google. In the real world, YouTube is one of the most popular tools for learning. In the real world, collaborating is not cheating. In the real world, finding information on the internet is a resource. In the real world, my job does not ask me things I can Google. I need to use critical thinking. In the real world, a lot of people show me a lot of mercy. I have forgotten my keys at home a million times and the secretary just let me in. I have forgotten to charge my laptop and my pay was not deducted. I have been late to school, and I did not get detention, the principal kindly covered my class. In the real world… there is a lot of MERCY! In the real world, I use my phone for everything. In the real world, I have choices. In the real world, knowing spreadsheets is an important skill. In the real world, I need to know how to clearly communicate ideas, not how to regurgitate information. In the real world, I can use EasyBib for citations and Google Translate. In the real world, not all adults do work work at home every night. In fact most adults I know, do not take their work home with them. What are some examples of “in the real world” that contradict common school practices? Contribute them here. In the Real World.... - Teacher Tech"In The Real World.... - Teacher Tech." Teacher Tech. N. p., 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2019.  Metaverse is an augmented reality platform that allows students to create AR experiences and then view them on the Metaverse app available on iOS, Android, and Chromebooks or on their website. Students and teachers can create AR experiences for any subject and grade level. Examples include scavenger hunts, virtual field trips, AR quizzes, games, and interactive stories. Check out this short tutorial below.  Attach a file to an event in Calendar
  Logging Into iBoss For those you who have Managed Software Center installed on your Macintosh computer, there is a new program to have you install. If you will just open Managed Software Center click on the update icon at the top. This program will then download and install the software you need. You don't need to worry about needing a password to install. This new program is to help you with iBoss. Security 101Enjoy this safety advice on how to avoid being ripped off.
 Managed Software Center
Why Technology?Google Tip of the Month Google Appswww.loom.com Loom is a new and free screencasting tool made by Google. It is currently a google chrome extension. Loom will help teachers communicate quickly through instantly shareable videos. Best of all there is no limit to how long the videos can be. Check out the video below on how to use Loom. Google Canvas Chrome canvas is a sketch/drawing app which allows users to draw, write down notes, doodle, etc. The app has four different drawing tools as well as a large variety of colors the user can select from. A great bonus to the app is that it is free! The app is very easy to access. In fact, users do not even need to download it. Rather, users login to their Google account and all of their work will automatically be saved. The following video will guide new users through how to access Chrome Canvas as well as provide more information. Explore what this app has to offer. Backup your Photos with the Google Photos! The Google Photos app, Backup and Sync is a great way to store all of your photos. The best part is its free! This short video tutorial will walk you through how to set up the app and how to sync it with your phone and computer. It will also sync with apple photos as well. Apple iPad App of the Month: |
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 | If your looking for a fun, easy app to learn or teach coding, than this app is for you. Google Grasshopper is a free app that features quick lessons and fun games that help you learn programming skills and code writing. Features like levels, unlockable achievements, and real-time feedback make the app even more enjoyable to use. Check out the demo at https://grasshopper.codes/demo/ If you would like this app pushed out to your ipads send an email to tfelkins@dcsd.org. |
Riddles
1. ) In a contest, four fruits (an apple, a banana, an orange, and a pear) have been placed in four closed boxes (one fruit per box). People may guess which fruit is in which box. 123 people participate in the contest. When the boxes are opened, it turns out that 43 people have guessed none of the fruits correctly, 39 people have guessed one fruit correctly, and 31 people have guessed two fruits correctly.
The Question: How many people have guessed three fruits correctly, and how many people have guessed four fruits correctly?
2.) I am slim and tall,
Many find me desirable and appealing.
They touch me and I give a false good feeling.
Once I shine in splendor,
But only once and then no more.
For many I am "to die for".
What am I?
“Riddles.” Riddles.com, www.riddles.com/.
The Question: How many people have guessed three fruits correctly, and how many people have guessed four fruits correctly?
2.) I am slim and tall,
Many find me desirable and appealing.
They touch me and I give a false good feeling.
Once I shine in splendor,
But only once and then no more.
For many I am "to die for".
What am I?
“Riddles.” Riddles.com, www.riddles.com/.
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A little motivation to help get you through the rest of the school year.
iPad App of the Week
Toontastic 3D for Android and iOs lets students draw, annotate, and narrate your own cartoons. Toontastic will record your voice and compile the animation into a 3D video. Students have many options to choose from to create their own adventure story including many characters and built in audio soundtracks. Best of all its free.
PADAGOGY Wheel
"My desire to help teachers make good decisions as to how to make the pedagogy drive the technology, and not the other way around, that led to the birth of the Padagogy Wheel." ("The Padagogy Wheel - It's Not About The Apps, It's About The Pedagogy -", 2018)
Jessica Evans shared this wheel with me and suggested I share it in this month's newsletter. I am grateful to her for sharing this with me. It caused me to do more research and learning about this wheel, the philosophy behind it. I think that it goes along with everything that we are working to do here in Duchesne County School District. I encourage you to take some time to look at the information presented here and fit it into your teacher's toolbox.
Jessica Evans shared this wheel with me and suggested I share it in this month's newsletter. I am grateful to her for sharing this with me. It caused me to do more research and learning about this wheel, the philosophy behind it. I think that it goes along with everything that we are working to do here in Duchesne County School District. I encourage you to take some time to look at the information presented here and fit it into your teacher's toolbox.
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‘Twas the night before Christmas and up in her house, A teacher sat staring, exhausted, at her spouse. Her work clothes were hung in a closet without care, In hopes that just sweatpants for two weeks she’d wear.
The children were all sent home with knowledge well-fed, While worries about final grades danced in their heads. And me in my sweatpants, my grading pen I capped. And settled my brain in for its vacation nap.
When suddenly from the phone arose such a clatter, I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter. Away to my Android I flew like a flash, The tea I’d been drinking hit the ground with a crash. The screen of my phone with its ever-shining glow, A whole world of worry in front of me did show.
For what to my terrified eyes should appear, A list of school emails whose contents caused fear. Those notifications, so loud and so quick! I felt in a moment that I might be sick. More rapid than eagles those emails they came. They dinged and they binged and they shouted my name. “Hey teacher! Hey you there! Hey Missus! Hey Miss! I have a paper, a late work, a somethings-amiss! You must change my grade, you must change it now! If you don’t I’ll be grounded and my parents will scowl!”
And thus in a twinkling, incontrovertible proof, That exasperation is created by a teacher’s dear youth. My head in my hands, I sat the phone on the table, A whole break of begging? Would I be able?
‘Twas then that I saw the solution before me – Keeping my sanity would require ignoring. I unlinked my email and smiled with glee. That pleading and begging…good luck finding me!
My eyes how they twinkled! My dimples how merry! To work-proof the whole house! I flew like a fairy! I hid all the textbooks, tossed my pens in the trash. No papers! No lesson plans! Down the hallway I dashed!
And once I had finished my work-proofing spree, I settled on my couch, quite happy and free. I poured a glass of wine, so smooth and so red. “No more work for me,” so gleefully I said.
Then I spoke not a word, though my face held a smirk. This winter vacation, my goodness, what a perk! And laying my finger aside of my nose, The peace of no worries for vacation I chose.
To teachers near and far, a wink and a whistle. May your break be merry, a stress-free dismissal. I raised my glass in a toast, the wine faded from sight. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
The children were all sent home with knowledge well-fed, While worries about final grades danced in their heads. And me in my sweatpants, my grading pen I capped. And settled my brain in for its vacation nap.
When suddenly from the phone arose such a clatter, I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter. Away to my Android I flew like a flash, The tea I’d been drinking hit the ground with a crash. The screen of my phone with its ever-shining glow, A whole world of worry in front of me did show.
For what to my terrified eyes should appear, A list of school emails whose contents caused fear. Those notifications, so loud and so quick! I felt in a moment that I might be sick. More rapid than eagles those emails they came. They dinged and they binged and they shouted my name. “Hey teacher! Hey you there! Hey Missus! Hey Miss! I have a paper, a late work, a somethings-amiss! You must change my grade, you must change it now! If you don’t I’ll be grounded and my parents will scowl!”
And thus in a twinkling, incontrovertible proof, That exasperation is created by a teacher’s dear youth. My head in my hands, I sat the phone on the table, A whole break of begging? Would I be able?
‘Twas then that I saw the solution before me – Keeping my sanity would require ignoring. I unlinked my email and smiled with glee. That pleading and begging…good luck finding me!
My eyes how they twinkled! My dimples how merry! To work-proof the whole house! I flew like a fairy! I hid all the textbooks, tossed my pens in the trash. No papers! No lesson plans! Down the hallway I dashed!
And once I had finished my work-proofing spree, I settled on my couch, quite happy and free. I poured a glass of wine, so smooth and so red. “No more work for me,” so gleefully I said.
Then I spoke not a word, though my face held a smirk. This winter vacation, my goodness, what a perk! And laying my finger aside of my nose, The peace of no worries for vacation I chose.
To teachers near and far, a wink and a whistle. May your break be merry, a stress-free dismissal. I raised my glass in a toast, the wine faded from sight. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Governor's Office of Energy Award
Can You Find All 5 Turkeys In This Picture.
There are five turkeys hidden in this picture. See if you can find them. The one in the attic doesn't count.
Special Offer For All
| school_district_shopping_rates.pdf |
"So I can offer you’re school district the State Per Diem rate of $85.00 at the Fairfield Inn. Your rate here at the Hampton Inn is $95.00.
Also, for the next two months we are offering a shopping special for all your district employees."
Fairfield Inn by Marriott $75.00 per night!
Hampton Inn by Hilton $85.00 per night!
Teachers and Staff, this is from Terri Killian and if you could use this what a great deal for us all.
Also, for the next two months we are offering a shopping special for all your district employees."
Fairfield Inn by Marriott $75.00 per night!
Hampton Inn by Hilton $85.00 per night!
Teachers and Staff, this is from Terri Killian and if you could use this what a great deal for us all.
Smart Response Clickers
Teachers I have recently come across two complete sets of SmartResponse Clickers. I have tested them a little. They seem to work. If you are interested in a set for your class, let me know.
jsasser@dcsd.org
jsasser@dcsd.org
On-Line Questioning Tool
| | Kahoot, is an amazing online questioning tool for teachers. However, there are other options and they have some advantages that you should consider. First is https://www.mentimeter.com/ this is a tool that can be free or paid for. It also has more question types than Kahoot and more data collection capabilities. It also allows for the creation of presentations and mixing of questions into it. Another options is https://www.quizalize.com. It works like Kahoot, but allows for collecting of results. It is set up for teachers to use in their classroom. You can also use it with Google Classroom. |
Randall's Tip
If you need to create a quick Google Doc, Sheet, Slide there is a simple solution.
"type in the address bar doc.new, sheet.new, and slides.new to open a brand new document in your drive without going into drive to create a new document."
"type in the address bar doc.new, sheet.new, and slides.new to open a brand new document in your drive without going into drive to create a new document."
25 Things you didn't know Google Slides could do!
Google slide add-on of the week:
Unsplash
Insert free, HD photos from Unsplash easily in any Slides presentation.Insert free, HD photos from Unsplash easily in any Slides presentation.Open a new slides presentation then click on Add-ons in the top menu and select get add-ons. Search for Unsplash and add to your account. Search for photos in the sidebar to the right of your slides document.
Teacher Tools
This summer the Teacher Tools page was added to the District home page under the header "District Information". On this page are links to resources you may find useful, including various sites for Formative Assessments, Media Creation, Class Management, Science, Math, Arts Integration, and Digital Citizenship. There are many more possibilities but this is a starting point with the potential to expand into a hub of digital resources for a range of grades, subjects, and content areas.
Thank you to Jessica Evans for building this page for us.
 | October's Newsletter |
Community Matters ConferenceTeachers, for those of us who need to relicense this year, here is a chance to get some points. Please, come join us on November 7, 2018 this free event. For more information you can visit the District website. |  |
Teacher Clarity
 | "Teacher clarity is critical. Eminent educators, Dylan Wiliam and John Hattie agree that you must be very clear about what you want your students to learn. You need to know exactly what you want them to understand and what you want them to be able to do. More importantly, you need to ensure that your students are equally clear about what they must learn and how they can prove they have learnt it." (Killian, et al., 2017) www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/teacher-clarity/ |
WordSift.org
 | WordSift is a tool that can do the following:
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Teachers this I believe could be a great tool for determining if a text is too hard for our students. I remember giving reading assignments and then wondering why so many kids struggled to understand what they read. The truth was the text was too difficult for them.
Also with the ability to analyze the text and determine which words the kids may not understand or struggle with. You can be proactive and help them before hand. So try this site out, and best of all it's free.
https://wordsift.org/
Also with the ability to analyze the text and determine which words the kids may not understand or struggle with. You can be proactive and help them before hand. So try this site out, and best of all it's free.
https://wordsift.org/
Make Beliefs Comix
This is a web site for allowing you and your students to be creative. Comics, greeting cards, ebooks, and other items.
Google Tip of the Day:
Apple Teacher--Classroom App
Apple's Classroom App turns your iPad into a powerful classroom management tool. Teachers can guide student work, share work, and manage student devices all in one place. Facilitate individual, group, and whole-class activities with just a few taps.
To find more resouces about how to use the Classroom App go to https://appleteacher.apple.com and sign in using your apple ID, then click on the links for the Classroom App. If you would like training or help in getting Apple Classroom setup contact Tom or James.
To find more resouces about how to use the Classroom App go to https://appleteacher.apple.com and sign in using your apple ID, then click on the links for the Classroom App. If you would like training or help in getting Apple Classroom setup contact Tom or James.
Smithsonian Learning Lab
The Smithsonian Lab is a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources. Users can create, share, discover, and learn content with it's online tools. Login with a free account and make your own collections to share with your students. This is an amazing free resource with topics in all subject areas.
Submitting a Tech Help Ticket
If you need help from the tech department. This is were you need to go to submit a ticket for us, Help Ticket. Once you are at the help ticket site you need to click on the active directory button.
Also when you submit a ticket the more information you can give us the better. So fill in all of the boxes.
Also when you submit a ticket the more information you can give us the better. So fill in all of the boxes.
For all you do
Welcome Back Teachers and Staffs
Using Launchpad On Your Mac
| 1.Classroom Screen  | 2. YellKey  | 3. Noisli  | 4. OneTab  | 5.PodCasts  |
Google Drive Tip of the Day
 | To create a google Doc go to Google Drive hold down the Shift key and press T. |
Click on the box to learn more.
Managed Software Center
Managed Software Center is coming to a computer near you. This software will allow you to update your computer on your time and schedule. So be watching for this icon on your computer and in the labs. By combining it with Mosyle we hope to give you a great computer experience.
This app allows teachers to control the school-issued iPads that students use in their classes in various ways. See what all your students are doing in an instant. Control what apps a student can use and where they can go while on the internet. Install the app only on the teacher's device, make sure bluetooth is turned on for the student ipads, then give your class code to the students and have them sign in. If you would like a demonstration or training call or email Tom or James. It does require the ipad to be on iOS 10.3.
Sesame Assessment Platform
for iOS
Sesame makes it easy to assess student skills with visual evidence. Students of all ages independently capture their learning in any form as it happens. Teachers give instant feedback with checklists, rubrics or comments, and tag
curriculum standards to demonstrate skills.
Create snaps with photos, videos, audios, Google Docs, links or PDFs as evidence of learning.
- For younger learners, sign in on shared devices with QR codes instead of passwords. Otherwise, use Google Apps for Education or email/password sign in.
- Import directly from 100's of your favorite apps to show off learning in one place.
- Assess with comments, rubrics, checklist or score tools that become instantly visible to students
- Build trust and respect with families by inviting them to view updates in each student’s portfolio.
- Teachers always have control of who can see what.
-Tag local curriculum standards to student artifacts and assessments.
- Gradebook export and student portfolio options
- Showcase students by their skills rather than test scores.
curriculum standards to demonstrate skills.
Create snaps with photos, videos, audios, Google Docs, links or PDFs as evidence of learning.
- For younger learners, sign in on shared devices with QR codes instead of passwords. Otherwise, use Google Apps for Education or email/password sign in.
- Import directly from 100's of your favorite apps to show off learning in one place.
- Assess with comments, rubrics, checklist or score tools that become instantly visible to students
- Build trust and respect with families by inviting them to view updates in each student’s portfolio.
- Teachers always have control of who can see what.
-Tag local curriculum standards to student artifacts and assessments.
- Gradebook export and student portfolio options
- Showcase students by their skills rather than test scores.
Annenberg Learner
Interactives
This is a great interactive website with hundreds of activities in all subject areas. You can search the interactives by grade, by discipline, by audience (teacher or student), and by required software to run the interactives you choose. Here are two examples, click on each to check it out or go here to explore. www.learner.org/interactives/
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Do you like art and culture, then let me recommend this extension. Google art and culture extension allows your Chrome browser to have its screen be famous pieces of art. You can set it to change daily or to change your artwork with every new tab you open.
What to do with your tech equipment if your leaving or retiring
| turning_in_ipad_and_mac_laptop.docx |
Surplus Pick Up
Next week May 22, 2018 the tech department will be coming around to pick up surplus items. Please have them ready to go. Please bring any surplus to the location listed below for your school.
AES - Faculty Room
AHS- Data closet near cafeteria
Con amore - old workroom
KPES - old faculty room
NES - Library
UHS - Library
MES - Library
DHS - Library
DES - Faculty Room
RJHS - Faculty Room
EES - Stage
CES - Faculty Room
MES - Library
AES - Faculty Room
AHS- Data closet near cafeteria
Con amore - old workroom
KPES - old faculty room
NES - Library
UHS - Library
MES - Library
DHS - Library
DES - Faculty Room
RJHS - Faculty Room
EES - Stage
CES - Faculty Room
MES - Library
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