Boost Parent Engagement with Announcement

When you contact parents through SchoolStatus Connect, your emails or SMS will come from a unique phone number.  Here’s how it works: the first time you contact a parent about a student, Connect assigns a dedicated phone number for that parent/student-teacher connection. This number will always stay the same for future calls and texts with that parent, helping build recognition and trust over time.

If you want to connect with a parent or student, sending an Announcement through Connect is one of the most effective ways. 

Follow the steps below to set up your announcements and enable Replies:

1. On your homepage, click the “+” icon in the top-right corner, and click Announcement.

   

2. Click on the gear "⚙️" icon, and change the settings.

   

3. Toggle on to activate Email and SMS replies.

   

4. Select your audience; you can switch between the School and Classroom tabs.
5. Select the checkboxes to send the announcement to staff, guardians, and/or students.

6. Click Update to save.

   

Alternatively, you can also create an Announcement and enable the settings from the Directory page.

1. Navigate to the Directory tab using the menu on the left.
2. Choose your audience. 

3. Click the down arrow (⬇️) by the Actions button and select Announce from the dropdown.

   

4. From this point, continue with Step 3 in the section above.

5. With replies enabled, here’s how parents can respond and save your number as they would for any other contacts. 

   

You can also create a Personal Template and repeat the process with all of your parents.

1. In the New Announcement window, click the template icon (◫) next to the Send field.

   

2. To create a custom announcement you can reuse, click New Template.

   

3. It’s a good idea to start with an introduction template and ask guardians to save your number. Try something like this!

   

You are all done! 🎉

By enabling replies and encouraging families to save your number, you make it easier for them to recognize and respond to your messages. This helps build stronger, more consistent communication between you and the families you support.