FLORENCE, SC, August 14, 2006— Parish Data System® (http://www.parishdata.com) (PDS) strengthens its PDS School Office software line by introducing the online component to its powerful school management software, PDS School Office Online. This application makes it possible for parents to connect and communicate with teachers and administrators by harnessing the power of the Internet. Designed to assist parents in staying well-informed regarding their child’s grades, attendance, fees and behavior, PDS School Office Online offers true advantages that not only improve communication, but also reduces administration for parents and schools.
“PDS realized that parents, who depend on ‘backpack mail’ to receive progress reports and attendance information, often receive this information too late or not at all,” comments Cal Moreau, School Suite Product Manager for ACS Technologies and PDS. “We recognized that parents needed to know promptly if their child was having difficulty in a certain class or was accumulating too many tardies or absences. It is imperative that parents are informed of tuition changes and payment statuses immediately. With PDS School Office Online, they can stay better informed.”
PDS School Office Online seeks to be a helpmate to parents, giving them the assistance they need to do a great job at monitoring their children’s performance in school, providing access to academic progress reporting, providing detailed disciplinary reports and even offering tools to review tuition and fees online.
“Posting attendance, Sacramental information, and assessing family or student fees are simple processes that take only minutes with PDS School Office,” says Susie Barnes, School Business Manager for St. Andrew Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. “We are excited about the possibilities that the online enhancements will provide and are looking forward to providing secure access for parents to view the grades and attendance for each of their children—especially their financial records. PDS School Office Online will be an invaluable addition to our school!”
With PDS School Office Online, traditional face-to-face or phone communications between parents and teachers can be greatly enhanced. Online communication is not meant to take the place of in person communication methods or parent-teacher conferences; access to children’s educational information online is meant to be an alternate method of communication for parents, enabling them to keep abreast of their children at any time of the day or night, from any Internet connection. For routine business such as monitoring tuition and lunch accounts, or for reviewing homework assignments, the Internet is a real solution to alleviate roadblocks in the parent-teacher communication relationship, saving time and energy on both ends.
PDS School Office Online provides 24/7 secure, password protected, Internet access to grade, attendance, and financial information that is reported from the PDS School Office application. Schools that use PDS School Office as their student information and tuition management system provide access to selected information to authorized teachers and parents, making it a secure system whereby no one can access personal information about your child unless they are first authorized by the school administration. Other benefits of the online application include the viewing of cafeteria balances online, the ability to email teachers directly, the ability to view status of tuition payments and much more.
For more details on PDS School Office Online, visit www.parishdata.com/schooloffice, call 800-892-5202 or email sales@parishdata.com today!
About Parish Data System
Since 1978, Parish Data System (PDS) (www.parishdata.com) has been creating quality software programs for Catholic organizations. PDS has gained Catholic market leadership through providing software and services to over 10,000 parishes, schools and dioceses worldwide. Products include: PDS Church Office, Formation Office, School Office, Ledger, Ledger/Payroll, and Facility Scheduler. PDS and ACS Technologies’ combined strengths and staff provide the industry's best support and training and offer the broadest line of software solutions. PDS software is used by the majority of parishes in the majority of dioceses in the United States, making it the industry leader in Catholic management software and services. The PDS vision is to continue to be the "standard" for information systems solutions for Catholic churches, schools and dioceses.
