Creating a Chronicle Entry

Creating a Chronicle Entry

Overview

The Student Chronicle appears as a feed on the right-hand side of each student's profile in Compass. It can be used for a variety of purposes, but schools often use it for recording incidents that occur on campus, giving students a detention, indicating if students are out of uniform, suspending students, and notifying parents and students of exemplary work or actions.
     

Each school sets up their own templates, or restructures the basic Compass templates, so the options available within your portal may differ from these listed uses.

Entries are displayed in chronological order of date entered and can be reviewed across the student's time at the school. This allows for a comprehensive account to be compiled across areas of interest, faculties and year levels for every student. Entries can be commented on by other staff at the school, as well as marked as 'Resolved', allowing for conversations and followup to be easily recorded and viewed at a later date, all within Compass.

You can create a Chronicle observation from any student profile and from any class roll in Compass. Template options available are based on your level of permission access to Chronicle.   Template access is controlled by your school's administration.

For details on accessing Chronicle via the Compass School Manager App, please refer to 'Chronicle in App' article from our Knowledge Base.

For details on Sickbay related Chronicle entries, please refer to the 'Sickbay' article.

Steps to Creating a Chronicle Entry

  1. Go to either the student's profile page or the roll and select the option to add an entry
  2. On the Details tab, select the applicable Template you need for this entry
  3. Complete the applicable fields for the entry
  4. Add any attachments for the entry if applicable
  5. Pin the entry if applicable
  6. Check the Notification Chain for the entry if applicable
  7. Click to the Communications Tab to review any associated Communications where applicable
  8. Click 'Save and Close' to complete the entry

Step 1 - Create a new Chronicle Entry

Via the Student Profile Page:

You can create a Chronicle entry from a student's profile in one of two ways:

  1. Clicking the 'Add Chronicle Entry' button available at the top of the Student Chronicle section, which takes up the right half of the page. 
  2. Hovering over the '+ Add' button and selecting 'Chronicle Entry' from the drop-down menu.
Both of these options are highlighted below.

     

 

Via the Roll

From any Roll in Compass there are two options to use to create a Chronicle entry.

  • Individual option -  To add an entry with a specific student selected, click the 'Add Chronicle Entry' icon immediately to the left of the three attendance status options. Clicking this icon will open the Chronicle Entry screen.     


Group option - At the top of every Compass Roll there is an 'Add Chronicle Entry for...' option. This allows you to create an observation for students based on their attendance status on the current roll. Clicking one of these options will open the Chronicle Entry screen and automatically add the students based on their attendance status on the roll.
     

 

Step 2 - Select the applicable Template

You need to select the applicable template for the type of entry you are creating.  Template options will be based on the templates your school has created for use and also your Chronicle permission level.
     


Step 3 - Complete the Fields

Once you have selected the Template, complete the fields on the 'Details' tab.  Fields vary from template to template.  Fields that are mandatory are marked with a small red star icon.  Some fields will be preset with information that may or may not be editable.  This information is set at the Template level by staff at your school who administrate the Chronicle module (please see the 'Security' section further below in this article for more details).
     

Students
This section shows the student or students that the entry is being created for. 

You can add additional students in bulk by clicking 'Add Students'.

     

You can assign appropriate 'Roles' to Students when adding multiple Students to a Chronicle Entry. You can define each role of the Student by the following options:

  1. Involved
  2. Witness
  3. Perpetrator
  4. Victim

The role you have assigned to the Student will appear on the relevant Chronicle Entry on their Student Profile.

You can also create separate Chronicle entries for Students when creating a single Chronicle entry by ticking the tick box below the list of Students added. This will allow any future comments or observations made on the post on a particular student's profile to only apply to the entry on that specific student, and not all students with the entry. 

Also please keep in mind that if the Chronicle entry has any points attributed to it (positive or negative), or automatic enrolment in a group activity (e.g. detention), this will apply to all students on the entry, regardless of whether they're the victim, perpetrator, witness or involved.



Step 4 - Add Attachments (if applicable)

You can upload any related documentation to be stored with the entry for future reference in the Attachments section on the Details tab.
     


Step 5 - Pin the entry (if applicable)

Chronicle entries can be 'pinned', which means that they will display on rolls and in the Chronicle Summary at the top of the student's Chronicle section on their profile page (provided this setting has been enabled for the Category that the entry type falls within). This is useful when the observation may need to be easily referenced, for example an Individual Learning Plan, a leadership position, or an injury or illness affecting class participation (e.g. 'Henry has a broken arm and will need more time in exams as he is writing with his non-dominant hand').

Pinned entries on the student's profile page - 

     


Pinned entries on a Roll - 
Pinned Entries display as a blue circle with a white number. The number indicates the number of currently pinned entries for that student. 
     



By clicking on the student's name in the roll you can see a Chronicle summary.  You will see the notation of the pinned entry (or entries if the student has multiple current pins).  Click the notation and a pop-up will open displaying the full details of the entry.


    


If you need to 'pin' the entry you are creating, click the pin icon next to the student.  If you do not need to pin your entry, move to 'Step 6'.


     

To 'pin' the entry indefinitely, click 'Pin' on the pop-up that displays.  To 'pin' for a certain time, firstly select the expiry date/time and then click 'Pin'.  When you set an expiry, when that date/time occurs, the entry will remain on the student's record but no longer be pinned.

    


Step 6 - Review the Notification Chain (if applicable)

If the template you selected has a pre-set notification chain, the applicable staff will be listed in the Notification Chain section on the 'Details' tab.

     

This chain relates to any communication that is to be issued to a student's parent in regards to this entry.  If there is intended communication (email, sms, letter), the communication will not be issued (or accessible for downloading in the case of letters) until the staff in the chain have approved the entry.
If there is no Notification Chain, any associated Communications for this entry will be issued as soon as 'Save' or 'Save and Close' is clicked. 

For information on entry Communications, please refer to the 'Step 7' section below in the article.

This chain also relates to any points that are associated to the entry; the student will not have the assigned points contribute to a linked trigger tally (nor will they be reflected in the graph totals on a student's profile page) until the entry is fully approved by those in the chain.

Please note, the Notification Chain has no bearing on the entry being created and displayed on a student's profile for staff.  However, if the entry is set to be visible to parents/students, and it has a Notification Chain, it will not become visible to parents/students until the entry is fully approved.

If you need to add any other staff to the Notification Chain for this entry, you can click to the 'Notification Chain' tab at the top of the entry to do so.

If you do not need to edit the Notification Chain for your entry, proceed to 'Step 7'.

     

Type in the staff member's name in the 'Add Staff member' field and click enter to add them to the list.

Putting the added staff into numbered groups means that when the Notification Chain is triggered for the entry, any staff in Group 1, who are set to 'Notify +Approve' will have the option to approve; once one of them does, the others in that Group will no longer be required to approve and the entry will move down the chain into the next Group.  When it reaches the last Group, and a staff member in that Group approves the entry, the associated Communications for the entry will be issued.

Staff who are listed in the chain as 'Notify Only' will not be requested to approve but will be notified of the entry once the entry arrives at their Group level in the chain process.

Example:



When the entry is saved, Cuthbert and Argus, who are Group 1, will receive a notification that there is an entry requiring their approval. 

Dashboard Notification - 
     


Email - 
     


When either one clicks the link, opens the entry and approves, the entry will move to those in Group 2. 
     


Bathsheda will receive a notification (dashboard and email) that there is an entry requiring approval and Septima will just receive a notification (email only) of the entry.

When Bathsheda approves the entry, the associated Communications will be issued.
     


Note: If the staff member who is creating the entry is also the first person listed to approve the entry in the Notification Chain, when the entry is completed and saved, the staff member's approval will be automatically completed at the same time.  If there are further staff listed who are required to approve, the next person in the order will receive a notification to approve the entry; if no further approvals are required, the associated communication for this entry will automatically be issued.

Step 7 - Review any association Communications (if applicable)

The 'Communications' tab will appear for any chronicle template where communications can potentially be generated. 

Communication options for Chronicle entries include letter, parent/student email, parent/student  SMS and where applicable, Thermal Printing.  These are set at the template level so the communication options available for your entry will be based on the template. 

It may only have one of the types available and it may also have the content of the communication pre-filled (placeholders are used to pull the specific student/parent details from the entry into the communication).  The ability for you to edit the communication content is also dependant on settings made at the template level.

We recommend checking the Communication tab of your entry so that you are aware of what is potentially being issued.  If the content is editable you can make any changes you need.

     


Please Note: When an entry is submitted for approval, those with approval settings in the notification chain will have the option to 'Decline' the entry and provide a reason for the decline.  When declined, no communications are issued for the entry and the staff member who created the entry will receive an email notification advising them of the declined approval.  They can then adjust the entry where required and re-submitted for approval.


Step 8 - Click Save to Complete the Entry 

Once you click 'Save' or 'Save and Close' for the entry it will be added to the student's profile. 
     


The associated Communications for the entry will also be triggered per the below.

Entry Communication Issue Process when 'Save' OR 'Save and Close' is clicked:
 

Entry has no Approval ChainEntry has Approval Chain
LetterThe option to download a pdf of the letter will be accessible on the Communication Letter tab in the entry.The entry will go through the approval chain process.  When the final approver has approved the entry, the option to download a pdf of the letter will be accessible on the 'Communication' >' Letter' tab in the entry.
*Parent EmailThe email will be sent immediately to the applicable parent/parents.The entry will go through the approval chain process.  When the final approver has approved the entry, the email will automatically be issued to the applicable parent/parents.
Student EmailThe email will be sent immediately to the applicable student.The entry will go through the approval chain process.  When the final approver has approved the entry, the email will automatically be issued to the applicable student.
*Parent SMSThe sms will be sent immediately to the applicable parent/parents.The entry will go through the approval chain process.  When the final approver has approved the entry, the sms will automatically be issued to the applicable parent/parents.
Student SMSThe sms will be sent immediately to the applicable student.The entry will go through the approval chain process.  When the final approver has approved the entry, the sms will automatically be issued to the applicable student.
*Thermal PrintingYou will be prompted with the option to print a pass.
Please note, this option will only be available if the school has a thermal printer registered as a device in Compass AND if the entry type was set to have this option at the Template level.		You will be prompted with the option to print a pass.
Please note, this option will only be available if the school has a thermal printer registered as a device in Compass AND if the entry type was set to have this option at the Template level.

*Parent Email and Parent SMS are configured at the template level for who they are issued to in relation to the student.  There are four possible options:
  1. Primary Parent, Primary Household
  2. Primary Parent, All Households
  3. All Parents, All Households
  4. All Parents, Primary Household  
Tip: To view if email or sms communication has been issued for the entry, click into the entry and onto the 'Communication' tab.  You can then access the  'Communication Log' sub-tab to view details.

     

Thermal Printing: Where the option to print a slip was available, when viewing the saved entry there will be an option to reprint the slip if required.


Security

Some settings for an entry are pre-set at the template level.  Depending on your level of security access, you may or may not have the ability to adjust some of the default settings for this entry.

To view the security settings for this entry, click to the 'Security' tab.

     

Here you will see a list of which staff, or groups of staff, can interact with this template to generate Chronicle entries and how they can interact i.e. some staff or groups listed may be able to access the template to create entries of this nature but NOT make any edits to the default settings.  

Staff/Groups
This column will show any individual staff members who have been given access to this template;  it will also show any groups of staff who have been given access to this template.  Group types can include any of the three specific Chronicle access permission groups (i.e. ChronicleL2,  ChronicleL1 etc) or any of the available Permission Role Groups (i.e. CompassSponsor, CompassStaff etc) 

Please refer to the table below to determine the behaviour of each setting.


Enabled (green tick icon)Disabled (grey cross icon)
Can ViewAny entries made from this template will be viewable to this user/group.Any entries made from this template will not be viewable to this user/group (other than any that the individual made themselves; you will always see any entries you created).
Can EditAny entries made from this template will be editable by this user/group.Any entries made from this template will not be editable by this user/group. 
Change SharingThis user/group can change the Sharing setting for the entry i.e. Our School Only or Whole Ancestry.This user/group cannot change the Sharing setting for the entry i.e. Our School Only or Whole Ancestry.
Change RatingThis user/group can change the rating type for the entry.This user/group cannot change the rating type for the entry.
Change PointsThis user/group can change the points allocated for the entry.This user/group cannot change the points allocated for the entry.
Change VisibilityThis user/group can change the parent/student visibility setting for the entry.This user/group cannot change the parent/student visibility setting for the entry.


     


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