Communicate with Hinsdale Central High School
Clear communication is our goal here at HCHS; thus, we have created a variety of electronic communication
resources. Each is a separate system because each serves a distinct purpose.
1. Weekly ListServ E-News E-mail
 What is it?
This is an e-mail blast that goes out to all staff, students, and parents/guardians as a group. It contains
up-to-date, important information regarding events, programs, and initiatives, along with student
recognition, Guidance Department updates, fundraising activities, PTO, Booster notices, etc.
2. Parent/Guardian E-mail Addresses
 What is it?
This is an individual e-mail address stored in our student management information system under your
student’s name. It is used by school personnel to make private contact with individual families. This email address is also used by teachers to send out group messages to parents/guardians of students in
their classes. Each family is allotted one email address within the database.
 How do you sign up?
We ask everyone to complete an information sheet at registration. On that sheet we request a
parent/guardian e-mail address. Please note that this e-mail address is used to send out the weekly ENews ListServ emails. We ask that you notify Main Office if you need to update these personal e-mail
addresses during the course of the year; 630.570.8000.
PLEASE NOTE: In order to be assured of receiving teacher e-mails send to an entire class of
parents/guardians, you should put all of your student’s teachers’ email addresses in your
address book. This will avoid the situation of messages being forwarded to a spam folder due
to the number of names in the ‘to’ field.
3. Home Access Center (HAC)
 What is it?
The Home Access Center (HAC) is a web-based program that provides parents/guardians with realtime information about their student(s) including attendance, class work, discipline, test scores, and
report cards. It is designed to offer parents/guardians the ability to support and guide their children
through the educational process, using a secure and password-protected website. E-mail links are
available throughout Home Access Center so parents can easily communicate with the school and
teachers.
 How do you sign up?
You may access HAC (http://central.hinsdale86.org/) from the Hinsdale Central web site and request a
password. You will need the name of the primary contact/custodian for your child. If you have a
question on this system please contact the Main Office; 630.570.8000.
In addition, students will be given their own passwords to the Home Access Center so that they can
monitor their own academic progress, keep up with due dates for assignments, etc.
Home Access Center is the primary manner for communicating quarter and semester Report Cards,
please create a login with HAC. There is a Parent Guide to HAC on the Parents page of Hinsdale
Central’s web site.
4. Naviance (College Information)
 What is it?
Naviance is a powerful Web search engine for college and career information that links to each
student’s individual transcript. It also provides Hinsdale Central’s matriculation data from the past four
years. Parents/guardians and students are asked to routinely check for e-mail messages in the
Naviance Family Connection Program. The Guidance Department has the capability to send e-mail
messages to the entire student body or to direct information to certain grade levels, such as notification
of special programs, college representative visits, and scholarship opportunities.
 How do you sign up?
In order to use Naviance, a student needs an official transcript. Thus, at the end of the first semester of
freshman year, each student will receive Naviance registration information and log-in instructions from
the Guidance Department in Frebruary. Sophomore, junior, or senior transfer students must contact
their Guidance Counselors to register and receive a log-in. The Naviance link is found by going to the
Guidance menu on the left-hand side of the school’s website (http://central.hinsdale86.org/).
 What should students do if they forgot or lost their Naviance password?
Each student can go to the Guidance Office to get assistance with Naviance.
5. SharePoint
 What is it?
This a secure, Web-based learning environment set up by a teacher to provide easy access to
curriculum resources, course calendars, classroom materials, and activities students can access at any
time from any place. Not all teachers have SharePoint sites for their classes, but many do. SharePoint
is a public accessible web site, that allows a teacher to make private certain elements within the
curriculum. You can access SharePoint from the Hinsdale Central web site, where you can search for a
particular class or use your child’s login information to see all of his/her courses that have SharePoint
site. Their log-in is STUDENTID#@hinsdale86.org, you will have to speak with your child about their
password.
 What should students do if they can’t log in to SharePoint from home?
If their log-in does not work, students should first check the link on the log-in page that will help them
trouble-shoot. If this does not work, then they will have to wait until the next day when they should ask
any teacher they have to put in a HelpDesk ticket for them. A technology expert at the school will
correct the problem. SharePoint works best with the latest version of Internet Explorer. If you are using
a Mac consider using Chrome as your browser.
 What should students do if they forgot or lost their network password?
Students should go to the HCHS Library and ask a Librarian to re-set their password. Librarians are
able to help before school, during lunch periods, study halls, and after school.
6. PTO Directory and PTO emails
 What is it?
The Parent Teacher Organization is an active, essential part of Hinsdale Central High School.
Comprised of a large group of energetic volunteers, the PTO supports the school community through
staff appreciation programs, fundraising assistance, college scholarships, parent education, social
events, incoming family transition, directory publication, communication efforts, etc.
 How do you sign up?
Registering to receive information from
(http://www.hinsdalecentralpto.org/).
the
PTO
is
done
through the
PTO
web
site