Email and Outlook Tips

This guide covers common Outlook tasks and tips for managing your FVSD email.
Accessing Your Email
Outlook desktop app — pre-installed on your FVSD computer
Outlook on the web — go to https://outlook.office.com and sign in with your FVSD account
Outlook mobile app — available on iOS and Android, sign in with your FVSD email
Setting Up Your Email Signature
Open Outlook
Click File > Options > Mail > Signatures (or in Outlook on the web: Settings (gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply)
Click New to create a signature
Enter your signature — a professional signature typically includes:
Your name
Your title/role
Your school
Your phone number (if applicable)
FVSD logo or school branding (if provided)
Set it to apply to new messages and replies/forwards
Click Save
Setting Up an Out-of-Office Reply
Open Outlook
Click File > Automatic Replies (or in Outlook on the web: Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Automatic replies)
Select Send automatic replies
Set the start and end dates
Type your message — include when you'll be back and who to contact in your absence
Click OK or Save
Managing a Shared Mailbox
If you have access to a shared mailbox:
Viewing It
In Outlook desktop, the shared mailbox should appear in your folder list on the left side
If it doesn't appear, click File > Open & Export > Other User's Folder and enter the mailbox address
Sending From a Shared Mailbox
Open a new email
Click From and select the shared mailbox address
If the From field isn't visible, click Options > From in the toolbar
Compose and send — the email will appear to come from the shared mailbox, not your personal address
Creating Rules to Organize Email
If you get a lot of email, rules can help sort them automatically:
Right-click an email you want to create a rule for
Click Rules > Create Rule
Set the conditions (e.g., from a specific sender, with certain words in the subject)
Choose the action (e.g., move to a folder, mark as read)
Click OK
Common Questions
Q: I'm not receiving emails from a specific sender.
A: Check your Junk Email folder — the email may have been filtered. If you find it there, right-click it and select Not junk. If emails are consistently missing, contact IT.
Q: My mailbox is full.
A: Delete emails you no longer need, especially those with large attachments. Empty the Deleted Items folder. If you're still running low on space, contact IT.
Q: I need a distribution list created or updated.
A: Submit a ticket to IT with the list name, purpose, and who should be included.
Q: How do I recall a sent email?
A: In Outlook desktop, open the sent email, click Message > Actions > Recall This Message. This only works if the recipient is also on FVSD email and hasn't read it yet.
Contact IT
Submit a ticket through the IT helpdesk
Email: helpdesk@fvsd.ab.ca