Communication Commitment: TPS staff and teachers are committed to communicating directly and forthrightly, with kindness and respect, regardless of the mode of communication and regardless of how we are treated. If we ever miss that mark, let us know and we will make it right. In keeping with this commitment, we do not work with families or students who do not maintain forthrightness, kindness and respect in all their communications.
Quicklinks
System Status
We post updates of system/network status in StudyPlace Messages. If StudyPlace is unavailable, we provide updates via our
TPS home page.
Support Options
Frequently Asked Questions We provide you prompt expert assistance and support. Most questions are answered in our searchable
Frequently Asked Questions. For routine admin or tech questions, please check there first.
Live Support For all academic, admin or tech questions, the best way to seek live assistance is TPS Live Support. Live Chat support is conveniently accessible all day (except during school breaks) from your family or student StudyPlace desktop or from the Chat tabs all over our web site. Please note that we do not offer Tech Support by phone. Instead we use an application that allows us to see your screen (with your permission) and walk through things with you. After hours and during weekends and school breaks the Live Chat icon converts to an email icon.
GatherPlace (GP7) and StudyPlace System Requirements
- Windows, Mac, Chromebook: For best live class experience, we support Windows, Mac and Chromebook, preferably with pen tablet, stylus, or touch screen.
- Processor: Any CPU/memory configuration that natively runs one of the operating systems listed below should run the GP7 software.
- Windows: Windows 10
- Mac: Mac OS X 10.15 Catalina, OS X 10.14 Mojave, OS X 10.13 High Sierra. Older versions may work but are not supported.
- Chromebook OS: Any should work, but very low end machines will operate sluggishly (in general, not just with GP7).
- Android and iOS: See below.
- High speed internet (fiberoptic, cable or DSL) recommended. Satellite and mobile ("hotspot") internet are inherently less stable and may not be suitable for internet conferencing -- each location must be individually tested. Mobile internet in a moving vehicle is not recommended, as signal dropout will also disconnect from class. Public access internet (e.g., coffee shops, hotels, libraries) are generally not suitable for regular use for on-line classes.
- USB Headset with microphone. Non-USB headsets will work, but are not supported. Earbuds and omni-directional microphones (such as are on laptops and web cams) are not suitable for classroom use.
- Camera. Cameras are optional for students unless specified in the course details in the course catalog. They are used for academic purposes (e.g., demonstrations, "round table" discussions, interactive conversations, dramatic readings) in moderated settings.
- Browser. On a desktop or notebook computer (Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS), the Chrome browser is the preferred choice with Firefox as a good alternate. Though the browser GP7 has been tested to work on Android and iOS devices, TPS provides only limited support for tablets (because the screens are generally too small for a good class experience, and because there are so many different models and operating system variants) and no support for phones (because the screens are too small for taking live classes).
- Firewalls and content blockers (e.g., parental controls) are at the discretion of each user, and each family is responsible for maintaining their own filters to support GatherPlace and StudyPlace.
Install (or Update) and Test GatherPlace (GP7) Classroom Software
Before enrolling, students are required to test the GatherPlace (GP7) conferencing software
on each computer and each network planned to be used for TPS classes. Please carefully review the following notes prior to installing the GP7 conferencing software:
- It is not necessary to login nor to enter an access code for setup and testing GP7.
- GP7 requires a working microphone. You will be unable to test GP7 without a working mic, and you may be unable to connect to a meeting without a working mic.
TPS requires a headset with a microphone. A USB headset is strongly recommended because they are easier to install and troubleshoot. Earbuds and laptop mics are not suitable for class.
- If you have parental controls or content blocker software, it may need to be configured to allow GP7 to operate.
- It is often helpful to reboot your computer after installing or updating conferencing software. It is sometimes helpful to reboot your router too. If you have trouble, please try this first.
- If you want to test your student login to GP7, or if you are looking for how to go to class, please start with these instructions.
- If you have questions or problems, please visit our live chat support for assistance.
Students - For students, we recommend routinely using the browser version of GP7.
- As a general rule, recommended browsers for using GP7 on any operating system or device are Chrome (preferred) and Firefox.
- On iPad devices, Safari is currently preferred as the only browser that allows sufficient mic permissions control.
- Though the browser GP7 has been tested to work on Android and iOS devices, TPS provides only limited support for tablets (because the screens are generally too small for a good class experience, and because there are so many different models and operating system variants) and no support for phones (because the screens are too small for taking live classes).
- In the browser, go to:
https://www.pottersschool.org/gp7
- Once the browser application is loaded, make sure to allow access to your microphone (usually there is a pop-up message asking for this). Also, on MacOS or iOS you may need to do this once for the browser and once for the OS -- if you miss one, you won't have audio on the Apple computer or device.
- To setup and test the software, click the "speaker" icon on the upper right. It is not necessary to login to or have an access code for setup and testing the meeting software. Approximately one week prior to the start of classes, students are provided instructions for testing secure access to their classrooms and class pages.
Teachers - Teachers are required to use the standalone application on a Windows or Mac computer and should not use the browser version of the GP7 software.
- To use the standalone GP7 app on Windows or Mac, download and install the app:
Download GP7
