Email Basics for First Class
Information for quick referral about our system email software as well as a few how-to’s.
In First Class, under Help on the menu bar, select “Contents” to access folders with how-to’s, definitions of First Class terms, and more.
Learn what the icons or buttons mean in the software by moving (not clicking) your mouse so the cursor is over an icon. A pop-up menu will appear giving the function of the button.
What you will find in this email handout-
•The Basics
•To Open an Attached File or Send a File
•To Access Email from a Remote Site
•Using Email Conferences
•To Create a Mail List in Your Address Book
•Odds and Ends
The Basics
To create a new message, under Message on the menu bar, select New Message. (Icons on the toolbar can also be used for this and other functions.)
To reply to a new message, under Message on the menu bar select Reply. Please note carefully the difference between reply and reply all.
To delete messages, select the message and click the trash icon if you are in your mailbox with a list of messages. If you have a message open, under File, select Delete.
To set reply preferences, under First Class on the menu bar, select Preferences. Under the Messaging tab, select the Reply preference pull down, set reply preference to reply sender or reply all. We recommend your preference be “Reply Sender.”
Use “reply all” cautiously as your default (or automatic) reply! If your preference is automatically set to reply all, please remember if you answer a message in a conference folder or answer an email that has been sent to a group, everyone will receive your message. If you do want to reply to a group, select Reply Special under Message on the menu bar and then select Reply All.
To Open an Attached File or Send a File
Someone may send you an attached file with an email message. An icon of a paperclip in the mailbox directory will indicate you have an attachment.
1. Double click on the attachment icon. The file will open if the software used to create the message is installed on your computer.
2. After reading the file, save it in whatever location you would like or delete the file.
3. To send an attachment, open a new message.
4. Under File on the menu bar, select Attach.
5. Find the file you want to attach.
6. Select "Open."
To be certain the attachment is there, you may have to click and drag the line that separates the address and body of the message to see your attachment.
Please remember all computers in our system will have MicroSoft Office suite if you are attaching a file to others.
Please be aware that when you open a file, it is automatically saved to a folder titled "Downloads" in the First Class Client folder on your computer's hard drive.
To Access Email from a Remote Site- home, public library, a conference, any computer with Internet access.
1. Log in to the school website at:
http://www.decatur-city.k12.ga.us
2. When you get to the site, scroll to the bottom of the page and select “employee login” at the VERY BOTTOM of the page.
3. Sign in as you do at school with your username and password.
Your Internet Email Address
If you give your name in the email address format below to others, they can email you via the Internet with school related messages. The messages will be sent to your school mailbox.
first name, then one underscore(underline) @decatur-city.k12.ga.us
example-
**Please note that very soon we will be changing to Epals email with a different domain name.
Using Email Conferences-
As you use your school provided email, please be mindful of which conference to post which type of message and of the resources that are available to you.
Official school systemwide announcements that ALL employees should be aware of are posted to CSD Staff messages.
School employees are reminded to check daily:
--Your personal mailbox
--CSD Staff
--Your school email folder
Below you will find the major email conferences on your First Class desktop and a brief description.
At the beginning screen, you will find:
· Mailbox-Your personal mailbox for your email
· Calendar-Your personal calendar-- Others cannot see what staff members have posted, but can see blocked off times to schedule with a staff member. Some sites may use this as schoolwide calendar and will let staff know.
· Address Book- List of address books set up by individual users
· CSD Staff**- Official systemwide announcements and other conferences- see more information below for other conferences you will see as you select this icon.
· News Alerts-Important system announcements will pop up from this conference as you log in. The announcements will be in this conference for approximately 30 days.
· CSD Staff Conference at the beginning screen
In this conference you will find the following:
••CSD Schools
All schools have a folder in this conference. Staff members can only post to their school’s conference.
••Media/Instruct Tech
Instructional technology information for staff- websites, how to’s, classes, ideas, and more.
Only media and instructional technology specialists can post to this conference. The items from last year are in this folder.
••CSD Discussion Areas
-CSD Book Review
-CSD Tech Talk- This discussion area is NOT hosted by the technology department, but is provided for general tech questions and discussion among staff
To Create a Mail List in Your Address Book
Mailing lists are used when you frequently send messages to a select group of people. For example: a committee, teachers of a certain grade or curriculum area, etc.
1. Choose on the menu bar- File> New> New Mail List
2. Fill in the New Personal Mail List information:
a. Name: The name of the mail list as you want it to appear in the directory
b. Members: Add user names just as you would when adding names to an email message. Another way to add users- click the finger pointing to the book to open the directory to see all email users, highlight the ones you want and click Select.
3. Once you have completed the above two steps, CLOSE the New Personal Mail List to save your changes. Be sure to save changes when asked.
4. To use the mail list, in your future messages, put the name of the mailing list by “TO” in your new message.
5. To check or change your mail lists, go to the Address Book folder on the desktop. They are saved in that folder.
Odds and Ends-
Saving Messages- Be certain to save messages in a folder you create on your computer or delete messages. Please do not use your mailbox to “save” messages. They will be deleted automatically after 30 days to free space on the systemwide email server.
Automatic Log Off- After a designated period of minutes of inactivity in using your email, you will be logged off automatically. There will be a beep alert and an option to click “Stay Connected” before the system logs you off.
When you check email, be certain to log off when you finish. If you fail to log off, others can read your email and can send messages “under” your name.
“Folders”- conferences in email are sometimes referred to as folders. A memo may state to check the CSD Staff email folder rather than the CSD Staff conference. Conference or folder- all the same.