Defining day patterns and Special Days

A day pattern is a cycle of days on which a school operates. The pattern offers the administrator a set of discrete days, typically four or five, which occur in order each of which can have a separate bell schedule. This enables the administrator to specify which classes are offered on particular days in the pattern.

A school can employ only one day pattern for the active schedule (although, for trial purposes, the administrator can employ a different day pattern for each planning schedule [>>]). Two types of day patterns are available for use at a school: a Days-of-the-Week Pattern which cycles through the fives days of the week (Monday to Friday), or a Relative-Days Pattern which cycle through a number of days, such as four (days 1, 2, 3, and 4, then back to 1 again) [>>].

For additional scheduling flexibility, a School Administrator can set up one or more Special Days [>>]. A Special Day has its own bell schedule for its specific purpose. Examples of Special Day include parent-teacher interview day, professional development day, early dismissal day, and sports day. A School Administrator can schedule a Special Day as a one-off or have it recur, such as every 10 days. Also, if necessary, a School Administrator can have a specific day in a Relative-Days Pattern start on a specific date [>>].

A Special Day can enable a School Administrator to apply a shorter Relative-Days Pattern while still accommodating Special Days that have a different schedule. For example, an administrator could apply a four-day pattern and have an early dismissal Special Day once a month (this would be instead of applying a 30-day Relative-Days Pattern wherein the 30th day would have a bell schedule suitable for early dismissal).

Note: Data mapping [>>] does not support Special Days. Use the same day schedule for all days in the day pattern. You can create different meeting patterns based on the bell schedule to accommodate different class types. The administrator can apply a Relative-Days Pattern to a specific date and have PowerSchool SMS begin using that relative day on that date. For example, if the school was unexpectedly closed due to heavy snow on Day 2, you can apply Day 2 to the following day.

To apply a day pattern to a school:

[SA]

For a Days-of-the-Week Pattern, a School Administrator can adjust the length of the week to include a day such as a Saturday. For an additional day of the week to be available, an administrator must set it up as a normal school day in the Day Types setup list.

To adjust a Days-of-the-Week Pattern:

[SA]

Setting up a Relative-Days Pattern

To employ a Relative-Days Pattern at a school, the School Administrator must set it up in advance.

To set up a Relative-Days Pattern:

[SA]

Setting up and applying a Special Day

To set up a Special Day:

To define a bell schedule for the Special Day:

[SA]

To assign a day type to the Special Day:

[SA]

To assign the Special Day to a calendar date:

[SA]

Starting a Relative-Days Pattern

Once a Relative-Days Pattern is set up (typically in the Planning Calendar [>>]), a School Administrator can apply it. To do so, the administrator must specify the date on which the pattern's first day begins. Note: You can apply a Relative-Days Pattern only to dates for which attendance has not been taken [>>], except future dates, where PowerSchool SMS deletes the attendance for those dates when a pattern is applied. In these circumstances, PowerSchool SMS also deletes attendance codes assigned by student behavior actions [>>]. However, student behavior attendance codes are reassigned on a day-by-day basis when the day is initialized .

To have a specific day in a Relative-Days Pattern start on a specific date, the administrator must be working in the Active Calendar [>>]. For example, if a school unexpectedly closed due to heavy snow on Day 2, the School Administrator could have Day 2 start on the following day. You must complete this step in the Active Calendar.

To apply a Relative-Days Pattern:

[SA]