O365 Student Email

Students in grades 6-12 have the ability to use their “@inst.hcpss.org” email account to send and receive email outside of HCPSS. They also have the ability to share items (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive) from their G Suite to outside HCPSS domains, or non-HCPSS accounts.

Canvas Messages vs. O365 Email

The majority of student communications should be sent via Canvas' messaging system. Students should only use the Office 365 Email system to send email when the trusted, other party is outside of the HCPSS network.

Use Canvas to Communicate with:

Teachers
Classmates
Project Groups

Use Office 365 Email to Communicate with:

Internship Sponsors
Faculty at Howard Community College
Other HCPSS staff

Accessing Student Email in O365

Note: The login process for Office 365, including Outlook email, OneDrive, Teams and others, will be updated on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 and will impact the way both staff and students authenticate to the system.
1. Navigate to hcpss.me.
2. Click Office 365 at the top of the page or Office 365 Email under the Middle & High school section.
3. Enter your Sign in name and press Next
  - Students will need to enter their username followed by @inst.hcpss.org in the Sign in field. For secondary students this is their O365 email address. For example, if the student’s username is "ssmith1234," their login would be "ssmith1234@inst.hcpss.org."
Note: Student usernames are comprised of the account holder's first name initial, the first 5 letters of their last name and the last four digits of their student ID. For example, student Jennifer Elam with student ID 123456789 username would be jelam6789.
1. Enter your Active Directory password and press Sign In
Single Sign In
This change does not affect the login process for Canvas, Google, Workday, Synergy and other services that use the blue authentication page that includes the Digital Citizenship Pledge. Users can continue to login to the SSO page using just their username, their email address or their username followed by @hcpss.org.

Digital Civility

Live up to Microsoft's four Digital Civility Challenge ideals:

Live the golden rule - I will act with empathy, compassion and kindness in every interaction, and treat everyone I connect with online with dignity and respect.
Respect differences - I will appreciate cultural differences and honor diverse perspectives. When I disagree, I will engage thoughtfully and avoid name calling and personal attacks.
Pause before replying - I will pause and think before responding to things I disagree with. I will not post or send anything that could hurt someone else, damage someone’s reputation, or threaten my safety or the safety of others.
Stand up for myself and others - I will tell someone if I feel unsafe, offer support to those who are targets of online abuse or cruelty, report activity that threatens anyone’s safety, and preserve evidence of inappropriate or unsafe behavior.

Additional Resources

Learn about Cyberbullying
Learn about Phishing
Online Safety Skills
Civil actions: How four simple rules can make the internet safer

Howard County Public School System Information Technology Department

Feedback