Technology FAQs & Help

St. Pius X is a Google school.

We have implemented a 1:1 program

Increase student engagement with technology integrated content.
Shared devices are limited and there is a greater need for access to technology among our students.
Reinforce keyboarding and technology literacy skills daily.
Increase individual access to online versions of school textbooks with enhanced content.

Why Chromebooks?

Reasonably priced: Chromebooks cost about ½ of what a traditional laptop costs.
Integrated with the Google platform.
Students quickly become comfortable and productive on Chromebooks due to their simple approach to computers.
Capability for the school to control the administration rights of the device using required school installed management software.

Students in Grades K-5 will be provided with a Chromebook to use in the classroom. These will remain at school.

Students in Grades 6-8 are required to bring their own Chromebook which will allow them to take the device home for homework and have easy access to on-line textbooks. In order for this Chromebook to be used at St. Pius X, the school will purchase a management software license for the device, so that it can be linked to our network. The Chromebook will be configured such that only school accounts may be used during the school day. It will not control what content the student can access off campus, at home, or on other Wi-Fi networks. That is all set up through your household security and with your family’s rules and expectations.

Students are welcome to bring any model Chromebook that works for their family, the only requirement being that it is a Chromebook. If you do not currently own a Chromebook, many options are available, online or from a brick and mortar retailer. The current school base model is a CTL NL7 with an Intel Apollo Lake N3350 Processor and 4GB RAM.

Troubleshooting & Frequently Asked Questions

I'm having connection issues.

Try powering down the Chromebook and restarting. It's a good idea to do this every night to help clear the cache and install any updates.

Some keys are not working, or the camera is not found.

Hardware reset: Turn off (power down) the Chromebook. Press and hold the refresh key (above the 4). Tap the power button, and when the Chromebook starts up again, release the refresh key.

Chromebook reset: Log off. Press and hold (in order) Shift+Ctrl+Alt+r. Release and the Chromebook will reset to factory settings. You will need to enter your email and password to log back in.

If neither of those fix the problem, please contact techhelp@stpiusdocs.org

What is my password?

For security reasons, we will not email passwords to students. In general, your password for most applications is the same as your Google password. During school hours, contact Mrs. Sussex or and she will help you.

Can I add a mouse or external monitor to a Chromebook at home?

Absolutely. Depending on the model Chromebook that you are using, you may need an adaptor to add an external monitor. Please be sure to remove the mouse USB receiver before returning the Chromebook.

Where can I find shortcuts and features?

Ctrl + Alt + ? will take you to a screen with more help.

Some common shortcuts are:

Ctrl + c : Copy

Ctrl + v : Paste

Ctrl + a: Select all

Ctrl + f : Find text

Turn off/off Caps Lock : Search + Alt

Alt + [ : Dock a window on the left

Alt + ] : Dock a window on the right

What do the keys on the top of the keyboard do?

Google Classroom Questions

Does Classroom keep my student's information safe?

Yes. Every account issued by St. Pius X is protected by privacy and security requirements. As long as students are using their school account, Google will not collect any information about the student. For more information, see https://edu.google.com/why-google/privacy-security/

As a parent, how can I see more information about my child's Google Classroom?

You can ask your student's teacher or techhelp@stpiusdocs.org to be added as a guardian on their account. You will not see the classroom stream, other people or grades, but you will receive an email summary about missing and upcoming work in your student's account. If you need to see exactly what the student is seeing, you will need to login as the student.

I'm getting too many emails from Google Classroom OR I'm not receiving any notifications.

Go to Google Classroom and click the 3 bars in the top left corner. Scroll to the bottom and choose "Settings". Choose which notifications you want to receive. If you turn them all off, or if you turn off "Receive email notifications", you won't receive any, which may result in missing important information.

I'm having trouble with the camera on my Chromebook. Can I submit work with my phone?

Yes. You will need to install the Google Classroom app on your phone or tablet and login to your account. Then you can take a photo and upload it directly to your Google Classroom. Please only use the phone or tablet for this and not for regular Meets or classwork.

My account is showing a class from last year. Can I remove it?

Yes. Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the class tile and choose "Unenroll". Please be careful not to unenroll from current classes. If you do so, please contact your teacher or techhelp@stpiusdocs.org to be added back in.

Google Meet Questions

I can't see everyone on my screen.

In Meet, go to the 3-dot kabob in the bottom right corner of the screen and choose

Choose "Tiled" and slide the Tile bar on the bottom to the right to add more tiles to your view.

I need the instruction screen to be bigger.

Hover over the image you want and click the pin to make it your main view. Unpin to return to grid view.

I can't hear (or see) anyone else on the Meet.

Click the lock icon on the left of the address bar to make sure that all of the settings are set to "Allow". If you've verified that your sound is on in another tab, try leaving the Meet and rejoining.

How to I add or remove myself from the grid?

Hover over the small image of yourself in the upper right corner. Click the grid icon to add or remove yourself from the larger grid view.

I'm on a phone or tablet because I can't use my Chromebook right now. Why can't I see the Classroom Meet link?

The Meet app must also be installed on the device. In classroom, you will then see a video camera icon on the top right instead of the link you usually see on the Chromebook. Please return to using your Chromebook as soon as possible.

Can I have a meet with someone outside of St. Pius X School?

Teachers may invite external users such as a guest speaker to a Classroom Meet. The teacher must admit them to the room, just as if they were physically visiting a classroom. Students may not admit guest users. After school hours, and with parental permission, students may use personal gmail accounts to meet with outside users.

My student would like to have a Meet with his/her friends after school, can we do this?

Our safety requirements are that only teachers can create Meeting rooms, so they can monitor any use of school accounts. Students are free to use a personal gmail account to socialize with their friends after school hours with the understanding that parents are responsible for monitoring those interactions.

Email Questions

Why students email their parents?

For safety reasons, only school accounts can correspond with student email accounts with the few exceptions of approved sites (Khan Acadmemy, our JDO partners for 6th grade, etc.) We encourage parents to know their students' usernames and passwords so that they can supervise any use of technology.