New Employee Setup

Welcome to Lake Washington School District! We’re happy to have you here.

We want to get you up and running as quickly as possible. If you run into trouble during the process, you can get help from the LWSD Helpdesk (425-936-1366 or helpdesk@lwsd.org).

Before you get started, make sure you have your username, password and email address. These should have been included in a welcome email sent to your personal email address (if you provided one during your onboarding). If you did not receive it or it is otherwise not available, your school office manager or department administrative professional can print you a copy.

About your username

Your username is typically your first initial, followed by your last name. If other staff members share a similar name to you, your username might include additional letters of your first name or the first initial of your middle name. Your email address is your username@lwsd.org.

If you're starting at school

When getting started at school, you’ll need to have a district computer available to you. You can use either your assigned computer or any other machine available to you. Make sure nobody else is logged in, and that you’re looking at the logon screen (a colleague may be able to assist, if you’re unsure).

The logon screen will not show your name initially. Click “Other User” in the lower-left corner to be able to type your username.
Enter your username and password as provided in your welcome email.
1. Your username is not case-sensitive.
2. Your password is case-sensitive. Make sure you type it exactly as shown.
Once you have entered your username and password, press the “enter” key to proceed.
If you entered your password correctly, the computer will now ask you to set a new password. See password requirements for specific requirements. In general, your password must be 10 characters long and cannot be a password you have used before. It must include uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Your computer logs in. Wait until you can see your desktop.
Open a web browser. District computers have Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox available.
In the web browser, visit https://outlook.office365.com/.
You may be prompted for an email address. If so, enter your email address as provided in your Welcome email.
1. Your email address is not case-sensitive.
2. You must include your complete email address (username@lwsd.org), or you will not be able to sign in.
3. Press Next.
4. You may be prompted for your password. Enter your newly-set password.
If you entered your password correctly, the computer will now ask you to set up multi-factor authentication. Complete the steps in "Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA)."

If you're starting at home (substitutes)

When getting started at home, you can use any recent computer with an internet connection.

In a web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, visit https://outlook.office365.com/.
1. If you have a personal Microsoft Account, be sure to log out before you start the process to log into your LWSD account. 
You will be prompted for an email address. Enter your email address as provided in your Welcome email.
1. Your email address is not case-sensitive.
2. You must include your complete email address (username@lwsd.org), or you will not be able to sign in.
3. Press Next.
You are prompted for your password. Enter your password exactly as it was provided in the welcome email.
If you entered your password correctly, the computer will now ask you to set up multi-factor authentication. Complete the steps in "Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA)."
Once your MFA has been configured, you will be asked to update your password. See password requirements for specific requirements. In general, your password must be 10 characters long and cannot be a password you have used before. It must include uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols.

Password requirements for staff

In order to protect the data of our students and families, LWSD enforces password requirements as a part of our security posture. Your password must meet the following criteria:

Passwords must be 10 characters or longer.
Passwords cannot be reused. While we can’t enforce it, you should also use a unique password for your LWSD account that you don’t use anywhere else.
Your password must contain a character from at least 3 of the following:
1. UPPERCASE letters
2. lowercase letters
3. Numbers (123)
4. Symbols (!?*$)
Can’t contain any part of your name.

The system will check your password when you set it and may reject passwords which are known to be weak or compromised, even if your password meets the criteria above. If your password meets the criteria but is rejected by the system, try another password. Consider using a passphrase, such as a favorite quote or song lyric that is easy for you to remember.

Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA)

After you set up your password, you’ll need to set up multi-factor authentication, which helps protect your account from attackers.

You will see a prompt that says "More information required." Choose "Next." The page will instruct you to install the Microsoft Authenticator app. It is recommended to use the Microsoft Authenticator app on your phone, which can be set up to send a push notification. Alternatively, you can select I want to set up a different method which will have you enter a phone number to have the system text a code.
1. If you choose to use Microsoft Authenticator, install the app following the instructions.
2. If you choose not to use Microsoft Authenticator, you should choose “I want to set up a different method” to configure text message MFA.
Depending on what you selected, you’ll be prompted to enter your phone number (for text messages) or to scan a QR code (for Microsoft Authenticator). Follow the instructions to set up your chosen method. Note: Microsoft Authenticator will prompt you for a backup phone number, which will help you get into your account if you have trouble with the Authenticator app.
Optional: Once you have registered for MFA, you’ll be taken to a page with all your registered MFA methods. If you have at least two methods on this page, you’ll be able to reset your password if you forget it, without a call to Helpdesk. Choose “Add sign-in method” to get started. You can learn more about setting up self-service password reset here.

Next steps

Congratulations, your account is now set up. If you’re using a district laptop, please make sure you review the steps in the Laptop Setup Guide to get your computer ready for use.

Additional resources

Many of LWSD’s electronic resources are available online from any computer with an internet connection. Here’s a brief overview of some of the most used. Use your LWSD email address to sign in.

Email: https://outlook.office365.com
LWSD staff portal provides links and documents to everything you’ll use on a regular basis.
KIT (Knowledgebase for Integrating Technology) provides guidance on how to use software at LWSD. Many of the links in this document lead to KIT resources.
EPIIC: Employee Platform for Information, Instruction and Curriculum