TECHNOLOGY
How To's
Faculty and staff use FirstClass software for email. (Students do not use Pike's email system.) We've provided a few tips below to get you started with Pike's email system.
Overview: Your UserID & Internet Email
Address
Login
Create & Send a Message
Save a Message You Haven't Finished
Attach a Document When Sending Email
Save an Attachment You Received
Read a Message
Reply to a Message
Spell-Check
Manage SPAM
Unsend
Delete a Message
Un-Delete a Message
Print a Message
Pike News
Maintenance Email Box
Email Lists
Quota
Get Tech Support
Quit FirstClass
When you log into FirstClass (instructions below), you must type your UserID and a Password.
The UserID takes the form:
last name + first initial
For example:
smithj
You'll be given the password when you log into FirstClass for the first time.
It does not matter whether you type upper- or lower-case letters, since FirstClass is case insensitive.
When people outside Pike School send you email, they will need to know your Internet email address.
This address takes the form:
first initial + last name + @pikeschool.org
For example:
jsmith@pikeschool.org
You can log into FirstClass in two different ways—either through FirstClass software or by using a Web browser. These instructions assume you are using FirstClass software, which is installed on all Pike computers. To use a Web browser see FirstClass Email: Connect from Home & Away.
To login via FirstClass software, click on the
FirstClass icon on the Dock (Macintosh), or select FirstClass from the
Start
menu (Windows).
You will see a dialog box like the following (design may be slightly different). Enter your UserID and Password,
and then press return or click the green arrow to login.
On the FirstClass desktop (the initial screen that you see
after logging in), click the MailBox link in the left-hand navigation panel.
Note! There are many different ways to open your MailBox. For example, you can double-click the MailBox icon (to the right of the circled MailBox link), or you can click the Mail panel (bottom left). Each method provides a slightly different view of your MailBox. We suggest that you click the MailBox link. After you are comfortable with the basic methods we suggest, you may wish to explore other options.
The FirstClass interface can be very confusing because it offers many paths to the same goal, with each path differing slightly in the options it offers you. It is helpful to remember these tips if you get confused or open windows you don't mean to:
0 [Command key + zero] on Macintosh or Ctrl-0 on Windows).
To create a message, click the New Message icon
or press N (Ctrl-N on
Windows).
On the next screen, complete Subject:, To:, Cc: (optional), and the body of your message.
At the To: or CC: prompts:
When everything is ready, click the Send icon 
or press -Shift-E (Ctrl-Shift-E on
Windows).
A copy of the message you sent is placed in your MailBox. When you look at the list of messages in your MailBox, you can distinguish messages you've sent from those you've received by the To at the beginning of each sent message.
If you start a message but run out of time before finishing it, you can save the partially-completed message. Just click the red dot at the window's upper left corner on Macintosh (or the x at the window's upper right corner on a Windows computer). The draft message will be saved in your MailBox, marked with a white flag.
Create a new message.
With the message window open, click the Attach icon 
or press T (Ctrl-T on
Windows). You will see a dialog box where you can select the document you
wish
to
attach. Navigate to the desired document and click Choose (on
Windows, click Select):
After you attach your document, you will see a small icon representing your attachment in the regular email window where you are creating your message:
You should complete your message and send it as usual.
After you send the message, you will see a small paper clip to the left of the sent message in your MailBox. The paper clip indicates that an attachment was sent with the message.
When you receive an email attachment from someone else, you should take one of the following actions:
Note! You cannot make changes to an attachment if you double-click it within email. If you receive an attachment that you wish to edit/change, you must save the attachment first.
Open the message you've received that contains an attachment. Click once on the attachment you want to save.
Pull down the File menu and select Save Attachment. (As a shortcut, you can press and hold the ctrl key and then click the attachment name. Select Save Attachment from context-sensitive menu that appears.)
After selecting Save Attachment, you will see a dialog box where you can select the folder where you wish to save the document. Navigate to the desired folder and click Save.
To work on the formerly-attached document, you must navigate to the folder where you saved it (on your hard disk or network disk, outside email). When you find the document, double-click and work on it as usual.
If you wish to send the document via email after working on it, follow the instructions in the previous section describing how to attach a document to an email message you are sending.
Make sure you are in your MailBox and see a list of messages. (Press 0 and then click MailBox. For Windows users, press ctrl 0.)
In your MailBox, messages that you haven't read yet are marked with red flags. You can read any message (new or old) by double-clicking the message.
When you are finished reading the message, you can close it by clicking the red dot at the window's upper left corner on Macintosh (or the x at the window's upper right corner on a Windows computer).
Make sure that you've opened the message you want to reply to.
It's a good idea to include this message in your reply so that your recipient will understand the full context of your message. Press 
A to select the message; FirstClass will automatically include everything you've selected in the reply.
Then click the Reply icon 
or press apostrophe (Ctrl-apostrophe on Windows) to open a new window where you'll create the message you'll send as a reply. When you've typed everything you wish to send, click the Send button or press -Shift-E(Ctrl-Shift-E on
Windows).
When you have created a message and are ready to send it, click the Spell
icon 
or press -Shift-L (Ctrl-Shift-L on
Windows).
From time to time, you may receive unsolicited or even offensive email. When you receive such email, you should follow the instructions below to register the unwanted email with Pike's spam filter. After you register the email, the spam filter will prevent further email of the same kind from reaching you.
Sometimes the spam filter traps email that is not spam. For example, you may register your name at an educational Web site, and their confirming email may be trapped inadvertently by our spam filter and fail to reach your MailBox.
If you are expecting email but don't receive it, please send email to the Technology Department immediately. We keep all emails in the spam filter for 2 weeks and can retrieve the message for you within that time frame.
If you have sent a message to someone who uses Pike's FirstClass email, you can unsend the message. If the person hasn't read the message yet, the message will be removed from his or her email box.
To unsend, display your message list. Then click once on the message to unsend.
Click the Unsend icon
NOTE! If the message has been read, or if your recipient is outside Pike's FirstClass email system (for example, if your recipient has a MailBox at another company, comcast.net, verizon.net, hotmail..com, or so on), you cannot unsend the message. In those cases, you will receive an error message if you try to unsend.
To delete a message from your MailBox message list, click the message once.
Then click the Delete icon 
or press -delete (Ctrl-backspace on
Windows).
To delete multiple messages, first select the messages. When all messages
are selected, click the Delete icon or press -delete (Ctrl-backspace on
Windows). There are 2 ways to select multiple messages:
(Ctrl on
Windows) and click each message in turn.To delete a message you are reading, click the Delete icon.
You can un-delete any message that you previously deleted, so long as you un-delete before 1 am on the following morning. (In other words, you can generally un-delete messages that you previously deleted only if you un-delete them on the same day.)
To un-delete a message, locate the main navigation pane. (Press 0 [ctrl 0 on Windows].) Then click the Trash Can icon.
A list of messages will be displayed. Click once on the message you wish to un-delete. Then click the Undelete icon. 
The un-deleted message will disappear from the Trash Can and will reappear in your main MailBox.
To print a single message in your MailBox listing, click the message once.
Then press P (Ctrl-P in
Windows). Select your printer, and then click Print (or OK).
You can print multiple messages by selecting them and then printing. (See section Delete a Message for information about selecting messages.)
To print a message that you are reading, press P (Ctrl-P in
Windows). Select your printer, and then click Print (or OK).
Note! It is best not to use the Print icon. The Print icon sends your email message to the printer you used most recently for FirstClass email. You may not remember which printer you used most recently, and in that case your email -- perhaps containing sensitive information -- will be left at the unintended printer for anyone to see.
On the FirstClass desktop (the initial screen you see after logging into FirstClass), you'll find an icon called Pike News. Pike News provides a bulletin board where you can share personal information, items for sale, and similar information with everyone at Pike.
To view messages within Pike News, double-click Pike News. A new window will open.
To add a message to Pike News, create a new message as usual. Address it to Pike News at the To: prompt. Send the message as usual.
NOTE! You can delete your own messages from Pike News in the normal manner. However, you cannot delete messages from others, nor can they delete your messages.
To return to the main navigation pane, close the Pike News window by clicking the red dot at the window's upper left corner on Macintosh (or the x at the window's upper right corner on a Windows computer).
To get help with problems related to buildings and grounds, send email to: Maintenance
The Technology Department has prepared lists of colleagues so you can send email to many people at once. Alternatively, you can also create your own lists.
You can use the following lists, which have been prepared by the Technology Department for your convenience:
6th Grade Advisors
6th Grade Teachers
7th Grade Advisors
7th Grade Teachers
8th Grade Advisors
8th Grade Teachers
9th Grade Advisors
9th Grade Teachers
AG/MG Leaders-MS (Affinity/Multi-Cultural Group Leaders-Middle School)
AG/MG Leaders-US (Affinity/Multi-Cultural Group Leaders-Upper School)
DAC Coordinators (Diversity Committee Coordinators)
Diversity Committee
Education Committee
Front Desk
Heads of School
Interns
Learning Specialists
LS Faculty (Lower School Faculty)
LS Faculty w/Admin (Lower School Faculty plus administrators)
MS Anchor Teachers (Middle School Anchor Teachers)
MS Faculty w/Admin
Office Staff (Administrative Office Staff)
Pike Administration (Admin Team)
Pike Community (All Faculty and Staff)
Support Staff (Facilities, etc.)
TAGG (The Affinity Group Group)
Tech Committee
US Dept Heads
US Faculty w/Admin
US Team Leaders
To send a message to the list, create a new message as usual. In the To: field, type the name of the list (e.g., US Team Leaders). Complete the subject and body of the message, and send the message as usual.
To see the details of who’s included in each list, at the To: or Cc: prompt in a FirstClass email message (New Message or Reply), type all or part of the list name and press Enter. After you see the name, double-click it and review the resulting list. To dismiss the list and return to the email message, click Cancel.
You are given a limited amount of space in FirstClass, called your quota. In general, you should not use FirstClass to send of receive photos, sounds, music, or movies; these multimedia resources will likely exceed your quota quite quickly. When you exceed your quota, FirstClass will display a warning message. You will not be able to send messages until you delete enough messages to reduce the total space you're using in FirstClass so it is less than your quota.
To see the amount of space you have free, look at the small number at the top right of your MailBox:
In this picture, the user has 26M (26 megabytes) of free space--enough to last quite awhile. When you have 5M or less of remaining space, it's time to clean up diligently.
The Technology Department staff are happy to help you with any of the following questions:
When you need technical support or help, you can either call a member of the Technology Department or send email to our shared MailBox. If you need help immediately it is best to call x305 or visit the Tech office. If you can wait for a few hours for help, you can send email by addressing a message to Tech Help.
Please do not send email to us individually if you need help. We give Tech Help messages high priority and check them regularly throughout the day.
To quit FirstClass, press Q (Alt-Shift-F4 on
Windows).