Admin Users Notes

Admin Home Page

Note that users with Admin permissions get taken to the Admin home page upon login, whereas parents and all other users get taken to the normal Service Hours home page.

Event chairpersons: View your special section
Office staff: View your special section

Viewing and Printing Reports

All Admin Users can view and print reports.

To see your report the first time: Reports will open a new pop-up window or tab in your browser. The first time you request a report, you may get a message at the top of your browser indicating that a pop-up window has been blocked. If so, click on the message and choose the option to always allow pop-ups from the Newark Catholic website. Then go back and request your report again and it should work as expected. You should not see this pop-up warning in the future.
To print your report: All of these reports are formatted as .pdf files to make them suitable for printing. Your browser will provide you with standard .pdf options for printing the report. Most browsers also allow you to zoom in or out also.
Saving a report to a file: Your browser will give you an option for saving this .pdf file, in case you want to save a report or email it, etc.

Event Chairpersons

How to Validate Hours

You must log in and validate the hours worked for all workers, after a shift date has passed.

Go to the Event Chairpersons page
Choose the Validate Hours worked option to see all the shifts and workers that need your validation
For the Normal Case, just click “Validate OK” on each person you want to validate normally
To Decline a validation (e.g. if the person didn’t show up):
- Click the Validate / Update / Decline with Comment button
- Enter 0 for the Actual Hours Worked and type a brief Comment. Note that this comment will be sent to the worker in an email and will also show up in their service hours report.
To Update the Actual Hours worked (e.g. someone worked extra, or left early):
- Click the Validate / Update / Decline with Comment button
- Enter the Actual Hours Worked and type a brief Comment. Note that this comment will be sent to the worker in an email and will also show up in their service hours report
Note that you can validate all or some of the workers at any one time. Click “Submit Validations” at the bottom when you’re done.

How to Print a Worker Schedule for a given Event / Date / Shift

Log in as an event chair and go tot he Parents Service Hours Home page
Go to the Event and Shift / Date you want to print
As an Admin user, you’ll see an extra column on the right for printing a schedule.

How to Cancel or Change / Update a User’s Sign-Up

This is for canceling or changing an existing worker sign-up. This is needed if someone needs to cancel a sign-up but can’t because the date is too near, or for any number of other reasons you need to update or cancel a sign-up.

Log in as an event chair and go to the Parents Service Hours Home page
Navigate to the specific Event / Date / Shift that shows all the sign-ups
As an Event Chair, you will see an extra column at the right for Editing a sign-up.
Click Edit for the slot you want to change.
You may CANCEL a sign-up, which will free the slot for someone else to sign up
You may CHANGE which worker is signed up. There is a pull-down pick list of workers to choose from.
You can also edit information about an Alternate Worker

Note that Parents can also edit their own sign-ups in this same way, with two differences: a) Parents cannot change the primary user that is signed up (it is always themselves), and b) they cannot cancel a sign-up if the date is too close.

How to Sign Up a Registered User into a Shift/Task Slot

Log is as an Event Chair
Go to the Parents Service Hours Home page and navigate to the event shift details page
Click on the shift for which you want to sign up a user
As an Event Chair, you’ll be asked to Select a User to be signed up.
If you need to specify an alternate worker for that User, you can do that as well on this page

How to Record Hours for Misc. Work Performed

This is to record service hours for a parent, not related to a specific shift / task. For example, if a parent spends two hours fixing the bingo machine, you may choose to record that and give them service hours credit.

Go to the Event Chairpersons page
Choose the Record misc. service hours option
Choose the Parent who performed the task (or to whom the hours will be credited), click on the calendar icon and select the Date the work was performed, and fill in the Number of Hours worked (note that decimals are allowed if needed, e.g. 2.5 or 1.25)
Enter a Description of the work performed. Note that this will be sent in an email to the parent and will also show up in their service hours report.

How to Sign up a Non-User (e.g. alumnus) into a Shift/Task

For this case, it is important to show a shift/task slot as being filled, but there may be no particular family to which service hours credit is needed. This is simply volunteer work by a friend of the school, but it must be recorded so that other parents don’t sign up for the filled slot.

Log in as an event chair and go to the Parents Service Hours Home page
Click on the shift for which you want to sign up a user
As an Event Chair, you’ll be asked to Select a User to be signed up. Select AA-NC-Parent, Placeholder.
Check the box to specify the actual worker and provide the contact information for the actual worker

This will result in the schedule showing the Actual Worker in that slot, and in reports and the printed worker schedule, will show that person as working on behalf of the NC Placeholder household.

How to Add, Change or Delete Events, Shifts, Tasks and Task Definitions

As the Event Chairperson or Office user, you can:

Add a new Event, change info for an existing Event, or delete an Event;
Add one or more new Shifts to an Event, change info for a Shift, or delete a Shift;
Add one or more new Tasks to a Shift, change info for a Task, or delete a Task;
Add one or more new Task Definitions for an Event, change info for a Task Definition, or delete a Task Definition.

To create data for sign-up Events, Shifts, and Tasks, there are two tools provided:

A one-at-a-time tool, manually creating each shift and specifying the number of each type of task volunteer needed. This is best for one-time Events such as the Parish Festival. This is described in more detail below.
A batch-mode tool that automatically creates the Shifts and Tasks for recurring events throughout the year. This greatly simplifies the process for recurring Events such as Cafeteria Helpers or Library Aids.

See more information about he batch-mode tool in these how-to instructions (click here).

Example Scenarios for using the Event/Shift/Task update tools

Creating a “Service Hours Category” Event, not intended for online sign-ups:

Use the One-at-a-time tool to define the Event

These events can later be updated or deleted as needed.

Creating an Event with Recurring Identical Shifts with Tasks, for online sign-up:

Use the One-at-a-time tool to:

Create a new Event (leave it in Draft Mode until you’re ready to publish it)
Create Task Definitions for the volunteer tasks to be used for sign-up

Use the Batch-mode tool to:

Create recurring Shifts for this Event, providing a start and end date for this batch, defining how many of each task are needed each shift, what days of the week, etc.
(as needed) Delete Shifts during school vacations, if the initial batch dates spanned across vacation periods

Make any needed exception updates:

For example, no cafeteria helpers are needed on school days off for teacher-in-service days, etc. Both the one-at-a-time and the batch-mode tools work fine for this. If there are exceptions needed EVERY week (e.g. an extra helper every Thursday), the Batch Mode tool can be used to do that in one simple step.

These Shifts can later be updated or deleted as needed, using either the batch mode or the one-at-a-time tools.

Creating an Event with specific Shift dates and needs:

Use the One-at-a-time tool to:

Create a new Event
Create Task Definitions for the volunteer tasks to be used for sign-up
Create a Shift
Add Tasks into the Shift, however many of each Task are needed

When this first Shift definition is completed, another next Shift can be created. This can be done either manually, or if the Shift will be just like a previous one that was created, then the shift clone feature can be used, which automatically adds the same Tasks and times as a previously defined Shift.

These Shifts can later be updated or deleted as needed.

All ready? Then you can go back into the Event edit tool and change the state to Published, so that your Event becomes visible for Parents to start signing up.

More details about the One-at-a-Time Tool

EVENTS – To add, change or delete an Event:

Go to the Admin Menu;
Click on Event Chairpersons or Office Staff from the left-side menu (as appropriate for your login);
Click on Update or create new Events, Shifts, and/or Tasks at the bottom of the page, and click Next. A list of existing Events will be displayed.
To ADD an Event:
- Click on the ADD EVENT link above the list of Events. The entry screen to add a new Event will be displayed;
- Fill in the requested information;
- Click Submit.
To CHANGE an Event:
- Click on the Event Name in the left-hand column, and the info for that Event will be displayed;
- Make the desired changes;
- Click Submit.
To DELETE an Event:
- Click on the Event Name in the left-hand column, and the info for that Event will be displayed;
- Click on Yes, DELETE this Event;
- Click Submit.
- DON’T delete Events from earlier in this school year. Leave them there till the end of the school year, so that the records of all the volunteers are intact throughout the entire year.

SHIFTS – To add, change or delete a Shift:

Go to the Admin Menu;
Click on Event Chairpersons or Office Staff from the left-side menu (as appropriate for your login);
Click on Update or create new Events, Shifts, and/or Tasks at the bottom of the page, and click Next. A list of existing Events will be displayed.
Click on Display SHIFTS in the right-hand column for your desired Event. A list of Shifts for this Event will be displayed
To ADD a Shift:
- Click on the ADD SHIFT link above the list of Shifts. The entry screen to add a new Shift will be displayed;
- Fill in the requested information;
- If you would like to CLONE (Duplicate) Tasks from an existing Shift, click on the Yes, select Shift to clone, and then select a Shift from the drop-down list.
- Click Submit.
To CHANGE a Shift:
- Click on the Shift Name in the left-hand column, and the info for that Shift will be displayed;
- Make the desired changes;
- Click Submit.
To DELETE a Shift:
- Click on the Shift Name in the left-hand column for the desired Shift, and the info for that Shift will be displayed;
- Click on Yes, DELETE this Shift;
- Click Submit.

TASK DEFINITIONS – To add, change or delete a Task Definition:

Go to the Admin Menu;
Click on Event Chairpersons or Office Staff from the left-side menu (as appropriate for your login);
Click on Update or create new Events, Shifts, and/or Tasks at the bottom of the page, and click Next. A list of existing Events will be displayed.
Click on Display SHIFTS in the right-hand column for your desired Event. A list of Shifts for this Event will be displayed
Click on Display TASK DEFINITIONS for this Event to the right above the list of Shifts. A list of Task Definitions for this Event will be displayed
To ADD a Task Definition:
- Click on the ADD Task Definition link above the list of Task Definitions. The entry screen to add a new Task Definition will be displayed;
- Fill in the requested information;
- Click Submit.
To CHANGE a Task Definition:
- Click on the Task Definition Name in the left-hand column, and the info for that Task Definition will be displayed;
- Make the desired changes;
- Click Submit.

TASKS – To add, change or delete a Task:

Go to the Admin Menu;
Click on Event Chairpersons or Office Staff from the left-side menu (as appropriate for your login);
Click on Update or create new Events, Shifts, and/or Tasks at the bottom of the page, and click Next. A list of existing Events will be displayed.
Click on Display SHIFTS in the right-hand column for your desired Event. A list of Shifts for this Event will be displayed
Click on Display TASKS in the right-hand column for your desired Shift. A list of Tasks for this Shift will be displayed
To ADD a Task:
- Click on the ADD TASK link above the list of Tasks. The entry screen to add a new Task will be displayed;
- Fill in the requested information;
- Click Submit.
To CHANGE a Task:
- Click on the Task Name in the left-hand column, and the info for that Task will be displayed;
- Make the desired changes;
- Click Submit.
To DELETE a Task:
- Click on the Task Definition Name in the left-hand column for the desired Task Definition, and the info for that Task Definition will be displayed;
- Click on Yes, DELETE this Task Definition;
- Click Submit.

If you need to delete a Task (e.g. need one less Admissions worker), the Display Tasks will display which ones are already signed up and which ones not. Only delete tasks not yet signed up, if possible. If you must delete one that is already signed up, clicking on that Task (to do the delete) will display the name of the signed-up volunteer, so that they can be contacted.

Office Staff

Helping Parents

The NC Office Staff may receive calls for help for a number of reasons — login troubles, trouble creating new accounts and linking to their child/student, questions about other users who are also linked to their household account, and more.

The Office Staff menu item contains several commands intended to help parents. Click on the desired task and click “Next” and these pages should be self-explanatory.

How to Sign Up a Registered User into a Shift/Task Slot

Log in with your normal login, as an office staff member
Go to the Parents Service Hours Home page and navigate to the event shift details page
Click on the shift for which you want to sign up a user
As an Office Staff person, you’ll be asked to Select a User to be signed up.
If you need to specify an alternate worker for that User, you can do that as well on this page

How to Sign up a Non-User (e.g. alumnus) into a Shift/Task

Log in as an event chair and go to the Parents Service Hours Home page
Click on the shift for which you want to sign up a user
As an Office Staff login, you’ll be asked to Select a User to be signed up. Select AA-NC-Parent, Placeholder.
Check the box to specify the actual worker and provide the contact information for the actual worker

This will result in the schedule showing the Actual Worker in that slot, and in reports and the printed worker schedule, will show that person as working on behalf of the NC Placeholder household. Later in the year, you could choose to transfer hours from this Placeholder household into a real NC family household.

How to Update the Number of Hours Worked by a Parent

Office Staff may update the service hours worked by a parent for any given validated work shift.

On the Office Staff page, select Update the number of Hours Worked
Select the parent whose hours you want to update
You’ll then see a list of all their signed-ups shifts, along with any comments from the Event Chairperson
You can update the hours worked for any validated shift. Before you are allowed to change any of these hours, the Event Chairperson first has to validate them, and enter in any special comments

How to Grant Misc. Service Hours Credit

Office Staff may grant service hours credit to a family at any time, for whatever reason the office deems appropriate.

On the Office Staff page, select Grant service hours credit
Select the parent / worker to whom the service hours will be credited
Select the event, or if not associated with any standard event, select Miscellaneous Hours
Click on the calendar to enter the date, then enter the number of hours of credit
Enter a comment to describe the work performed or the reason credit is being given.
The user will receive an email of these hours and they will appear on their “View My Hours” report, along with the comment that you entered.
Note that these hours are automatically validated.

How to Transfer Service Hours from One Family to a Different Family

Office Staff may transfer validated service hours credit from one family to a different family. Note that only validated service hours are eligible to be transferred. Future hours or not-yet-validated hours are not eligible to be transferred.

On the Office Staff page, select Transfer hours
Select the family from whom hours will be transferred, as well as the family to whom the hours will be given
You will be shown the number of validated hours in both households.
Select the number of hours you want to transfer and enter a comment describing why this transfer is being done
This comment, along with the hours of transfer, will be included in an email sent to both households and will also appear in their “View My Hours” reports

Taking Action on Logins / Accounts

One important action unique to the office staff is approving other Admin accounts. Because of the special privileges of Admin users, new account requests must be specifically approved before they become active.

Office Staff have special commands for suspending a user’s account if there is suspicion of a security or other type of issue. The staff can also re-activate an inactive or suspended account.

The Office Staff menu item contains a few different commands/pages for taking action on logins and accounts.

How to Cancel or Change / Update a User’s Sign-Up

Log in as an Office member and go to the Parents Service Hours Home page
Navigate to the specific Event / Date / Shift that shows all the sign-ups
As an Office member, you will see an extra column at the right for Editing a sign-up.
Click Edit for the slot you want to change.
You may CANCEL a sign-up, which will free the slot for someone else to sign up
You may CHANGE which worker is signed up. There is a pull-down pick list of workers to choose from.
You can also edit information about an Alternate Worker

Keeping Student Data Current

Initially, all students are pre-loaded into the Service Hours Online Tool database. As tuition contracts come in and families choose to pay full tuition and not participate in the Service Hours program, those students need to be removed from the database. There is a simple command / page for doing that. This is important, because otherwise those families may get automated emails about not having enough service hours, which would not be appropriate for them.

Similarly, there is a command for adding a new student into the database. This is primarily for new enrollments that occur after the initial student data is pre-loaded before the start of the year.

Audit Report

Office Staff can run an audit report at any time, specifying parameters of the minimum number of hours that families would typically be expected to have worked or signed-up, if they are on track for completing their service hours by the end of the year. For example, half-way into the year, perhaps families that have completed or signed-up for less than one-third of their hours may warrant a friendly reminder email.

The audit report can be run as a standard report, with an option at the end for sending an automated email to those families who were highlighted in the audit report as falling below the typical expected complete rate.