TASS Conference 2023 - The Alpha School System

Welcome Session

Catch up with TASS, Orbit, and TrackOne Studio

Lee, Kate and Annie welcomed everyone to TASScon with a corporate update and overview of what we've been up to, and where our strategic focus across TASS, Orbit and TrackOne Studio lies.

We also highlighted some of our recent projects and new major features that have made their way into the product over the last 12 months.

Customer Success Program

We'll be providing additional investment in this new program, which has led to over 360 customer meetings in its first 12 months.

API Program

We'll also be refreshing and expanding our API program, which added 4 new Certified Integration Partners and 5 new developer partners in the last year alone.

UI/UX

We're committing to improving UI/UX across our products, including a major project to modernise the TrackOne Studio Parent Portal.

TASS Orbit

A brand new TASS product line, the first Orbit app was launched this year to great feedback from parents, and we're expanding the mobile app lineup to a Staff Orbit app next.

Plenary Session

Case Study: Who Owns a School Management System?

For our Case Study session, Lyndon Calway (Head of ICT) and Trevor Ciminelli (Information Systems Coordinator) joined us from Chairo Christian School, an independent school with more than 1,700 students across five campuses.

Together they talked us through their project to identify "Who Owns a School Management System" - a huge topic not often asked or answered, but one that can have a massive impact on school operations, operational efficiency, and the investment that your school gets out of its internal system.

We interviewed the two shortly after they undertook the original project, and you can read all about it on our blog.

Read the blog

Stream Sessions

Day One Breakouts

Admin Stream

Dr Tim O'Leary

With twenty years of experience in education, Dr Tim O’Leary is a strong advocate for using evidence to support decision-making in schools.

His presentation covered the effective use of data to differentiate teaching and learning, how to identify areas for improvement, and monitoring the implementation of initiatives and practices.

IT Stream

Various Panelists

For this panel, we were joined by Matt Gurr (Senior Security Specialist, AWS), JP Haywood (Lead Security Consultant, Acumenis), Paul McIntyre (Founder, Secure ISS), and Tim Gardiner (IT Operations Manager, Newcastle Anglican Schools).

Conversations covered a range of information security concerns in schools, from data retention policies to managing shadow IT, threat intelligence and more.

Business Stream

John Somerset

John Somerset is an expert in financial governance and developing risk mitigation measures for schools, with 27 years of experience supporting and advising non-government schools.

He led attendees through the just-released results of the Somerset Education 'Financial Survey for Schools', presenting the latest financial data and information on current trends.

Peter Hutton

Day One Keynote

Peter Hutton on Equipping Students for Times of Exponential Change

Adding students to your payroll and paying thousands for their startup business ideas may sound far-fetched to many, but that's reality at a school led by Peter Hutton, where students are offered startup business loans and paid to do any number of non-teaching jobs around the school, from taking care of animals to catering, cleaning and more.

Championing a "yes is the default" approach to innovation and experimentation, Peter gave a keynote speech that ignited conversation, discussing the need for collaboration across all levels and all operational areas - not just teaching and learning - to ensure students are equipped for a future that may look very different from today.

Entertainment

Conference Gala Dinner

School EasyPay sponsored the Conference Gala Dinner, which gave attendees a chance to eat, drink, and network with their peers.

Entertainment was provided by the Australian Girls Choir, who have received international recognition for their participation in the famous Qantas ads, and who performed a selection of hits for us live.

After two sit-down courses, the massive dessert buffet was very well-received, and the weather cleared in time for conversations and drinks on the rooftop balcony, though many preferred to enjoy the atmosphere inside, coming together to watch eagerly on the big screen as the Matildas earned their place in the World Cup Quarter-Final.

McQueen Michael circle-01

Day Two Keynote

Michael McQueen on Emerging Trends in AI and Education

What do Australian Dairy Farmers, a small Italian clothing company, and a town in Arizona, USA have in common? They're all at the forefront of innovations in AI, contributing to the massive technological leaps taking place all around us. From AI tracking for cows, to knitwear that tricks facial recognition cameras, to a town that's paving the way for self-driving cars of the future, there's new uses and breakthroughs happening all the time.

Michael McQueen gave a fascinating presentation on just some of the advancements happening in this space, and shared his perspective on how AI technology will change the way we look at education as a whole.

Plenary Session

Into Orbit

We finally got ready to blast into orbit with Annie Robins and her team, as she officially launched the Orbit mobile app range.

Starting with a behind-the-scenes video of all the work that went into making the Parent Orbit app possible, we then heard about the experience of being a Special Interest Group member from Keith Newman (Deputy Principal, Christ Church Grammar School), who gave everyone a first-hand account of the SIG process, the rollout process, and parent feedback on the app.

After going through some of the key benefits of Orbit for TASS schools, including customisation options, targeted notifications, and secure authentication using the same methods as TASS, we let everyone get a hands-on look at the app with a demonstration from Orbit Solutions Consultant, Josh Zuill.

Stream Sessions

Day Two Breakouts

Harness the Power of Your Data With TrackOne Studio

Damien Snare

For this breakout, we learned how to harness the power of your school's data with TrackOne Studio and the Learning Analytics Suite. Damien demonstrated how to convert your school's data into insights that support proactive, data-informed decision-making.

Challenges of Identity Management

Dean Downes (K12 Solutions)

K12 Solutions presented their challenges on identity management, and how the Parent ID Passport solution can help your school remove the burden of parent account management.

Supporting Parents through the current Economic Climate

Jack Stevens (Edstart)

For the finance breakout, we were joined by Edstart CEO, Jack Stevens. Jack discussed the impacts of inflation and growing costs on household budgets and how your school can support parents through the current economic climate.

Stream Sessions

Panel Discussions

Student Administration The Student Admin Panel saw a conversation around mechanisms for tracking and supporting student wellbeing, monitoring student whereabouts to fulfil your school's duty of care and how to create a seamless parent experience across your school.

Information Technology The IT Panel gave us first-hand accounts on the latest integration methodologies, best practice for managing accounts and identities, and how to manage technology-based change in schools.

Finance & Business With a panel of industry and school experts, an open discussion was had on topics such as business continuity, HR management and supporting parents in the current economy.

We introduced a new style of strategic roadmap, Now, Next, Later. This will provide more visibility of upcoming features as well as agility within the development lifecycle.

We also provided an update on the major projects that are currently in the works:
- Academic Reporting Project
- Timetable
- API Direction
- Events & Payments
- Extra-curricular

Finally, we also introduced plans for something new...

A new online interface and e-commerce solution for the School Shop module.

Annie gave us an update on what the Orbit team are working on with our new Now, Next, Later approach to development.

The extra-curricular project is well underway with the calendar, push notification for targeted groups, and the ability to sign up and make payments, all now available within the app. Annie also gave us a sneak peek at what you can expect with the new Sports Hub.

On top of the ongoing development of Parent Orbit, the Special Interest Groups opened for both the Staff and Student apps.

A new UI/UX front-end redevelopment project is now underway for the TrackOne Studio suite, starting with the Parent Portal.

New design standards and look and feel, as well as validating the new tech stack, are all required before moving on to Student and Staff portals in the future.

Keep your eyes peeled as we will be seeking interest from schools that want to get involved in an advisory group to bring it to life in 2024.