Students need to be registered in online system
By Donnie A. Lucas
Online registration is continuing for both school campuses this week with a number of students still not signed up to the upcoming school year.
At the end of the first of two in-person registration sessions held Monday and Tuesday, almost 70 percent of secondary students had registered, while the elementary numbers were just over half.
“It seems to be going well at our campus,” secondary principal Glen Hill said on Tuesday. “We have had several new students come in and things were really busy on Monday.”
Parents of all students are asked to register their students using the online Ascender Portal that can be found on the Albany ISD website.
Secondary students entering grades 7-12 can come to the school office after they have completed registration to pick up their schedules for the year, as well as their laptops. A $25 laptop fee is due before a student can get a copy of his or her schedule or pick up a computer.
“We still have several returning students who need to come by, but they need to make sure they have the $25 fee with them,” Hill said.
One of the reasons that registration is being conducted online this year is so parents can sign off on a number of required forms that have been sent home in the past. All the forms are online this year.
Hill pointed out that when registering, a parent should be sure to select their cell phone as the preferred contact number.
“Parents need to make sure to select and provide their cell number,” he said. “We will using a new notification program this year that will send out text messages to parents, so a land line will not work.”
Leigh Lowe, coordinator of student services for the district, reported at the end of the day on Monday that a total of 160 secondary students were enrolled, which represents 68 percent. The number of elementary students was 124 on Monday, which represents 52 percent.
Elementary principal John Gallagher said parents are urged to register online, but if they encounter a problem, they can call the NSES office at 325-762-3384.
“We have already registered several new students, which we are excited about,” he said.
Online Details
Parents of returning students can log in to the Parent Portal if they already have an account they used to check grades last year.
However, the link found on the school’s website should be used.
Parents of anyone new to the district or those who did not have a parent portal account last year should create a new account.
“Once a new account is reviewed, we will assign a student ID number and email the parent further instructions to complete the registration,” Lowe said.
She noted that staff members will begin meetings and training next week, so anyone needing help should check at either school office before just showing up to ensure someone is available to help them.
