So much for ransacking backpacks in search of report cards. The traditional school memento has gone the way of an increasing number of Hopewell Valley school-home communications – into cyberspace. Parents will now find the quarterly student reports, as well as interim progress reports, online through the district’s secure student information system, Infinite Campus.

Superintendent Thomas A. Smith, Ed.D., said the move to paperless report cards is in keeping with the district’s focus on sustainable practices and providing parents with information in a speedy and efficient manner. “So many of us are used to getting our information online,” said Smith. “We fully expect parents will appreciate the convenience of online grades and progress reports.”

The paperless move will also save the district money. Unlike report cards, which are distributed to students, interim progress reports are mailed home, at an annual expense of more than $7,000 in postage costs.

The school year’s first report cards, issued just before the Thanksgiving break, were the final paper versions for middle and high school students. Elementary students do not receive report cards until the end of the second marking period.

Progress reports, due out later this month, will be the first to be posted online. Grades for the second marking period, which ends Jan. 29, will be posted sometime in early February for middle and high school students. There will be a longer transition for elementary school students, who will have both paper and paperless report cards for the second marking period. By the third marking period, all K-12 report cards will be online.

Online report cards and progress reports are the latest feature to be launched through Infinite Campus. Since last spring, when the system was opened to district families, parents have been able to view their child’s demographic information, including emergency contact information, and attendance data.

Parents who still need help logging on to their Infinite Campus account are asked to email the system’s helpdesk at ICHelp@hvrsd.org. Paper copies of report cards and progress reports will still be available for parents who prefer them. Interested parents should contact their child’s principal.