A Parent Communication App Eases the Back to School Transition

A study by the American Psychological Association confirms what many parents and educators already know. When parents get involved in their child’s education, the child is more motivated and engaged. Children with involved parents also perform better academically.

As a mother and former teacher, I’ve seen this play out on both sides. The more quality communication between school and home, the better the results! The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to set up systems to enhance communication that facilitates parental involvement.

Why Use a Comprehensive School Communication System?

Back to school is an exciting time full of new beginnings. All of the transitions and changes require excellent communication between teachers and parents. 

School communication apps like School Signals are all-in-one solutions. From managing day-to-day communications to storing documents and event planning, school communication software makes it effortless to connect everyone in your school community. Here are some top benefits and features that you can enjoy with our parent-school K-12 communication app, especially during the back-to-school period.

Set Everyone Up for Success with a School Calendar

Plan for success by setting up your school calendar at the beginning of the year. As a parent of three, I appreciate when I know what to expect ahead of time. Juggling schedules is complicated for families managing several children, jobs, and family responsibilities. Communicating important dates and events helps families plan ahead. The school calendar also offers one easy place where parents can find information about holiday closures, breaks, and events. 

The School Signals calendar includes filters. You can customize events and information for specific audiences. For example, add sports events for a specific team or concert rehearsals for the band and chorus. You can also add events for specific classrooms, grade levels, or clubs. 

With the school calendar, you can also create events and organize RSVPs. This makes it easier for teachers to plan and coordinate parent involvement. Need parent volunteers for read-aloud day? You can organize everything seamlessly through the volunteering pages hub. We can even create and save relevant forms for these sign-ups so nothing gets lost.

Communicate Essential Information with the School and Classroom Feeds

“When do students need to bring a book in again?” “What kind of book should they bring?”  When I was a teacher, I often received many similar questions about upcoming events or assignments. With a communication app, teachers can answer all questions in one simple message for all of the parents to see. As a teacher, classroom messaging saved me a lot of time and hassle while also improving my relationship with parents. 

With School Signal, teachers can communicate with smaller groups of parents, the whole classroom, the whole grade, or the entire school. Getting the relevant information to the right people has never been easier. 

If teachers have an important announcement, they can pin it to the top of the classroom feed. At the beginning of the year, teachers can take advantage of this feature to post FAQs, procedures for homework, and more. That way parents can find essential classroom information easily, making the adjustment smoother. 

Teachers can also schedule posts, ensuring communication goes out in a timely manner. Instead of rushing to post important information on their lunch breaks, teachers can plan out a week of communication ahead of time. 

The classroom and school feeds help keep communication safe. School Signal automatically blocks abusive language, creating a positive space where everyone can feel comfortable. 

Parents and teachers also have control over notifications. Get updates immediately or daily based on user preference. Users can also set their preferred notification method to text, push notification, or email. This helps ensure that everyone gets updates in a way that fits in with their lifestyle.

Share Special Moments with Galleries and Media

As a kindergarten teacher, it was always hard to watch parents leave their little ones crying at school on their first day. Parents appreciate the reassurance of seeing their children enjoying the school day, especially if they had a rough start. With School Signal, teachers can easily share photos of students working or enjoying a fun activity at school. 

Sharing photos also helps parents start conversations with their children about their day at school. As parents know, children often respond to “What did you do at school today?” by answering, “nothing.” When parents have photos, they can ask about specific activities and engage more with their children.

The galleries feature also allows administrators to enable parents to add pictures they’ve taken during school events, instantly sharing them with everyone who follows the event. For each gallery, teachers can set the audience. This ensures that photos are only shared with the relevant individuals. Parents can engage with hearts and comments. However, if you prefer to turn off the comments, you can do so in a few clicks.

Facilitate Parent-Teacher Communication

When teachers and parents are on the same team, they can help children accomplish great things! Start parents and teachers off on the right foot by facilitating communication. 

When parents or teachers have a question or concern, it’s easy to reach out using the School Signals private messaging platform. Through this messaging system, parents and teachers can get in touch without sharing personal emails or phone numbers, ensuring security.

Especially at the beginning of the school year, parents and teachers need a quick and reliable way to communicate. Teachers may need to contact parents about student behavior and achievement to prepare for a successful school year. Similarly, parents may have questions about a teacher’s systems or requirements. Strong communication helps parents and teachers work together for the benefit of students.

Create Groups and Committees 

How else can schools get parents involved? Create groups and committees that include both staff members and parents. Through the groups and committees feature, groups can discuss relevant topics such as planning an upcoming event, fundraising, and more. 

Parents are often enthusiastic about getting involved at the beginning of the school year. Harness that energy by setting up groups and committees in the first few weeks of school. These committees can support school activities and groups such as athletics, the band, the library, field trips, clubs, and more.

Start the Year Off Right with a Parent-School Communication App

A one-in-all solution for K-12 school communications helps facilitate parent involvement at school. When parents know how to contact their child’s teachers and get updates about school life, they are more likely to reach out. Additionally, getting regular information about school activities can help parents engage with their children, leading to better academic outcomes. 

Are you looking to use a parent-school communication app at your school? Get in touch with School Signal for a demo!