Student Journals / Logs

Matt Whitney

Very simple need: I'd like to be able to list all students on campus alphabetically (No problem through reports) But then I need to be able to select a student, then enter a "log" or "journal" page on that student and make comments. It should be three clicks: Report -→ Student -→ Journal/Log. Then I want to be able to come back the next day and make another entry on that same journal. Then, when it becomes required, I need to be able to pull the journal in its entirety after a period of time. The goal is to have a holistic, living journal easily found and filed under ever students' name. I'm relatively new to Blackbaud and though I've been looking hard can't find this feature. It Must exist. Can someone tell me where it is or how to set it up?

Geoffrey Goodfellow

Hi, @Matt Whitney. What type of information are you storing in the journal/logs? That might better determine where within the system such information would be stored. Also, what security role would the person managing the logs have? That also helps determine which tools are available to that person (which sound like it will be you!).

Matt Whitney

@Geoffrey Goodfellow
This would be a comprehensive list of mostly out-of-classroom behavior and interactions. The people managing the logs (making entries and reading them) would have the same security level. I need my team (including myself) to find a one-stop cumulative journal/log on the history of a student's behavior and our interactions with him. I thought a robust program like black-baud would make that possible. But it appears the system is built for much bigger schools with a need to separate and parse such information. I have the opposite need. I need to consolidate it.

Geoffrey Goodfellow

@Matt Whitney, we use the Conduct features in Blackbaud to monitor student behavior. Teachers or staff have the ability to log behavior for a given student, and it records the date/time, teacher, building location, description of the behavior, a spot for private notes, etc. You have the option to have this generate an automated email to parent, student, administrators each time behavior is logged. All of the conduct for each student is itemized on their conduct tab to see a running list of all the behavior recorded for that particular student. It is also possible to export/print various conduct lists and reports to see a consolidated list of all the behavior recorded for the entire school. If there are interventions implemented as a result of student behavior, then there is a spot to record all of those as well.

Diana Day

@Matt Whitney Maybe Google Drive/Docs is a better solution for this type of running log?

Lisa Ulery

@Matt Whitney
We do something similar using the Official Notes feature. We have different categories of Notes including, documenting parent communication, student/student interactions, or student/teacher interactions and then people with the correct permission can create a Note about the student. Those Notes about the student stay on their record for their entire enrollment at the school and can be printed by creating a report card just for those Notes. Maybe this would work for you?