We are trying to improve our procedures on maintaining the information in our database. Specifically, we’ve noticed that not all parents inform us when important contact information has changed such as address, phone numbers, and emails. We’d like to send home an annual letter showing parent’s what information we currently have in the system and ask them to update it if anything has changed and send it back to us. Do any other schools do this or is there a better way to gather this information? What’s the best way to get the current data that we have to the parents? Our first thought is to create a query with the necessary information and export it into Excel. Then we were going to create a form letter in Word and merge the information from Excel. Does anyone have a letter like this that they could share? Or, is there a more efficient way to do this? Tara Tatasciore Registrar/Math Teacher Archmere Academy Claymont DE 19801 [Email Removed]

We encounter the same issues each year as well. Although, we have tied the completion and return of the data verification sheet as part of our enrollment contract process. (In other words, the contract is not complete and the student can't be enrolled until we get the completed form.) The downside of our data verification form is that it is a "fill-in-the-blanks" form which means we have to manually compare the old with the (possible) new info. So I would be very interested in hearing from other schools on how to automate and improve this process.

Tara We do a mailing in July to all enrolled families that includes a SI (Student Information) sheet. We ask families to check this and make changes in an ink color other than black. It is a form that I have created in Crystal Reports and I export all the families' info from the database directly to the SI. I could forward the form to you. If you do not have Crystal Reports, I can PDF the form and forward it you. Barbara Estivo Admissions and Communications Office Wichita Collegiat School [Email Removed]

We have a form as well created in Access, I run a query, import the info into the Access Database, the form must be returned by a specific date, sign a gazillion times by parents and students, if it is not returned they can not attend class if you would like it I would be happy to share the info Peg Goolsby [Email Removed] [i]--- Edited at 4/26/2007 10:36:15 AM by Peg Goolsby[/i]

When enrollment and re-enrollment contracts go out, we export, and do a Word Merge to a Form letter asking for changed and new information for our directory and for our internal records. It's nearly a 2 step process. I can send you a copy of our letter if you'd like.

We got tired of sending a blank Student Information Form and the parents got real tired of filling in the blanks "once again". We looked at sending a "filled in" form, but still did not want to have to enter all their changes by hand. :-( So, we went with InfoSnap. They took our SIF and turned it into webpages. They exported our EE data and prepopulated those webpages. We get the information out of InfoSnap and use their tool to approve and merge the changes back into EE. We also require parents to print and sign a form to return to the school prior to the student coming the first day of class. InfoSnap's techie taught me things about EE I never even knew existed (ok, so I'm a lightweight :-). Good luck! -- Gray Huggins Director of Technology Bishop Lynch High School

We had our webmaster create PDF SIF forms that we put on our school website during the summer. This way the parents can fill them in online, print them out, sign them, and bring them to registration. If they don't do this ahead of time they can use a computer in the library to do it during registration. Norm Dunkin Director of Information Services Landmark Christian School [Email Removed]

It sounds like there are a lot of samples to share. I wonder if there is way that everyone who is willing to share their documents/forms can post them here so we can all have access?

Greetings, Another option, if you have the module, use NetClassroom and give parents a window of time to update the contact info. This is a data input time saver.

We thought about just using Netclassroom, but then how would the emergency cards, parent clubs, booster club and other committees receive this updated info. Currently I assigned someone to handle changes from all 3 of our schools. I set up a word merge and an email distribution list, and she merges the info, then sends the info out.

Is there a way to have NetClassroom available to update more than address and phone number? That's all our parents can update. I don't see a place to change that. We would need parents to be able to update email, and all phone numbers (home, cell, business, pager).

Unfortunately that is not available on Net Classroom. I understand that they are supposed to be doing some beta testing on a newer version of Net Classroom. I would put it in as a "stong" suggestion. We created a very extensive Crystal Report that we have set up in Custom Reports for this. In addition, when we re-enroll students, this info sheet is added as part of a series of re-enrollment checklist items. These checkist items show in Admissions and we can run tracking reports to make sure we have received updated information. You can even re-enroll with a changed status and then when the checklist item is completed it will change the status. The status can be set to allow for scheduling so it does not interrupt that process.