October is all about parent communication around Emerson, with the opening of the Parent Portal and Parent Conferences. The Board of Education has also made communication one of the district's goals. Many of us are looking for quick and easy ways to get class information out to parents (and students).
Last week, I showed you a quick way to send a mass email through Powerschool. However, not every parent checks their email all the time, especially if it is sent to an account that is full of advertisements and spam. Nowadays, many more people turn to text messages delivered right to their mobile phone screen to get information. Certainly, that is the preferred mode of communication of our students.
Now, there is a FREE and easy way to text parents (and students, if you choose) without ever having to share your personal phone number or even have them share their number with you. It is called REMIND 101. Basically, teachers set up an account and create a class. They print out the pre-made poster giving the parents an access code and walking them through the sign-up process. (It could even be a posted outside your conference room door to get them to sign up while they are waiting for their conference time.) Students can also sign up to receive text messages to their cell phone, without ever having to share their number with you or vice versa.
The Sugar Gliders have been using REMIND 101 with great success. Examples of messages they have sent out were to let parents know that the parent portal letter was coming home and to look for the pre-conference questionnaire. You could also use it to remind parents about field trips, remind them to check the parent portal when you have updated grades or even to share positive news.
Watch the short video below for more information. Let me know if you want my help to get it up and running.
No comments:
Post a Comment