Backpack Mail
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

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General Questions
Technical Support
Future Enhancements

General Questions

• Why are you switching to this format?
  We’ll save over 83,000 pieces of paper each year ($) as well as 400 volunteer hours and help the environment.
  
  
• What do I have to do?
  Families with students in Neil Cummins Elementary School will automatically be sent an email each week. Just click the link and you are reading backpack mail in the convenience of your home.  Remember - your email information comes directly from our student information system (PowerSchool).  
  
  
• How do I add or make changes to my email address?
  If you have any changes to your email address you, please either contact the school secretary at 927-6965 with the updated information or email the information to emailupdates@neilcummins.org. If you choose to email your changes please include the names of all of your children attending Neil Cummins so we can make sure to update all records. Once submitted to the school office it will be updated in our communication system (Connect-Ed).
  

  
  
• How many email addresses can you send this to?
  You are allowed up to two email addresses per student.
  
  
• What will be included in backpack mail?
  Each week the backpack mail will include the Pink Section as well as the Community Page, and Firm Fair & Consistent when available. It might look different on different weeks - as we begin to include FORMS, FLYERS, etc. Our goal is to make this your one stop for school communications!
  
  
• What if I want a paper copy?
  You can print out a copy from home and read it the same way you usually do. (Hard copies of the backpack mail will be available only to those who do not have email at all.)
  
  
• Can I opt out of receiving this weekly email?
  Connect Ed is our school and district wide communication tool.  It is impossible to remove you from this system.  The information provided through this system will always be relevant and important.  

Technical Support

• What software do I need to open the new backpack mail format?
  If you are using a Mac you can view the documents with preview (which comes preloaded on a Mac) or Adobe Reader. If you are on a PC you may use Adobe Reader as well. If you do not have a copy of Adobe Reader installed on your computer you can download it by clicking the Get Adobe Reader icon.
  
• How do I navigate the document?
  You can use your Page up and Page Down buttons to get through the Backpack Mail and/or use the Bookmarks on the left side to go directly to the page you want.
  
  
• What do I do If I get a message about "compatibility issues" when I click on the link in the weekly email?
  Please download the latest version of Adobe Reader by clicking on the Get Adobe Reader icon
  
• What do I do If I get a message: "Page Not Found" when I click on the link in the weekly email?
  You are probably trying to access a Backpack Mail issue that has expired.  We will keep the current and prior week's backpack mail active.  If you go back to an email from a week further back than the prior week, you will probably receive a "Page Not Found" error. If you would like to access a prior backpack mail file, see the next question “Will I be able to access previous issues of Backpack Mail” for instructions.
  
  
• What do I do if I know the school has my correct email but I do not receive the weekly email?
  It has come to our attention that some email providers may see messages from email@ntigroup.com as junk mail, therefore the first thing you should do is check your junk mail folder. If you see your weekly email in this folder please add the email address email@ntigroup.com to your address book by either clicking on the "this is not junkmail" message that is displayed in your junk mail folder or manually adding the email address to your address book. If you do not receive Backpack Mail the following week please contact bpmfeedback@neilcummins.org
  
  
• Will I be able to access previous issues of Backpack mail?
  Yes, to get back issues you will go to http://www.neilcummins.org and click on Backpack Mail.  Once prompted, login with the username and password you receive in your weekly email to gain access.  This will have current and historical backpack mail issues.  

Future Enhancements

• Will you be formatting the PINK to be more web-friendly vs. printer-friendly?
  This year, our focus is to get the Backpack Mail online and get people used to this new way of accessing this information.  Most people are familiar with the PINK in its current format so for the rest of this school year we will keep the format as is.  However, in the future, we hope to make many enhancements to the website to optimize usability, including evaluating options for reformatting the information we present to our families.  

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