ParentSquare for Staff
ParentSquare for Staff: How Our District Communicates
ParentSquare is a parent engagement tool that helps teachers and staff easily communicate and collaborate with parents. Already set up for your classrooms, you can start using ParentSquare right away to send messages to your families, share pictures and request participation.
ParentSquare automatically syncs with our Student Information System (Skyward) to generate an account for each staff member, using your district email address and preferred phone number. We encourage staff to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.
What is ParentSquare?
ParentSquare is a unified communication platform that offers a whole host of tools which allow district and school administrators, and teachers, to more effectively communicate and engage with families and students.
ParentSquare Features Include:
- Mobile application for use by parents, teachers, schools and district (iOS and Android)
- Online training articles and videos, as well as webinars
- Direct Messaging with two-way translation
- Classroom- and parent-level communication
- Appointment sign-ups (parent-teacher conferences)
- Attendance notifications
- Calendar and event RSVP
- Surveys and polls
- Volunteering and classroom supply sign-ups
- Newsletters and graphics through built-in Canva
- Two-way messaging to engage in discussions
- And more!
Why You Should Use It:
- Centralized Platform: Send messages, updates, announcements and sign-up requests from one place.
- Multiple Communication Channels: Parents receive information in their preferred way – email, text, app notifications, and/or voice messages.
- Easy Organization: Create groups for specific classes, grade levels, or extracurricular activities, making it easy to target communications to the right audience.
- Translation: Translation into over 100 languages makes it easier for families with limited English proficiency to stay informed. Direct messages are translated in real-time.
- Increased Family Engagement: Build stronger relationships with parents, leading to increased engagement in their child's education
- Sending Reminders: Send important dates about tests, assignments and projects.
- Classroom Communication: Schedule parent meetings and parent-teacher conferences; create sign-up, volunteer, permission slip, and RSVP forms – all from your desktop or mobile device.
Staff Training Tutorials
Overview Slide Deck
Get Started with ParentSquare Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
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On the app, enter your district email. (The app can be downloaded for free from the iOS and Google Play app stores.)
On the web, go to the ParentSquare website and click ‘Sign In’, then under ‘Register’ section, put your district email and click '“Go”.
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ParentSquare allows users to customize their notifications based on notification type (app, email, text, phone) and select their preferred delivery method for each school.
- The Instant setting will send all post notifications in real-time.
- The Digest setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily.
(ParentSquare recommends the Digest setting.)
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Your class directory is automatically created for you by ParentSquare using information pulled directly from our Skyward Student Information System. Click HERE for instructions on accessing your class directory.
There are two things to note about student information in your class directory:
- Information for a new school year is not active until July, when Skyward officially rolls over to the next school year. At that time, ParentSquare will no longer reflect information and posts from the previous school year. Online registration in July will impact what you can view. By early August, right before school starts, your class directory should ready for you to use to reach out to parents.
- Changes made is Skyward will NOT be reflected in ParentSquare until the system automatically refreshes from Skyward overnight.
If there are problems with who is appearing in your class directory, please contact your building principal or secretary to check Skyward content.
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Admin have the ability to add and remove students from classes. Teachers will need to work with Admin to assist with completing this action. In most cases, the Skyward will be the source of truth in order to make this happen. For Admin: Here is a help article on adding and removing students from your class.
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In ParentSquare, a GROUP is a way to communicate with a specific group of people, whether it's a subgroup of your classroom, a school club, sports team, parent or staff group. Making a group allows focused communication, sharing of resources and collaboration on projects or activities.
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Yes. All parents have a ParentSquare account. ParentSquare is the primary tool for district and school communication. Individuals who do not activate their account in ParentSquare will still receive an email digest at the end of each day that communication is sent out to them. In the event of emergencies, phone calls will be sent as well.
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Use THIS LINK for Quick Start instructions and navigation basics to learn how to:
Assign a Co-Teacher, Room Parent or Assistant to your class
Send a welcome message post
Add events to your class calendar
Send a direct message to a parent
Post a class photo to ParentSquare
Upload forms and flyers to ParentSquare
Create a form or permission slip
Create parent-teacher appointment sign-up
Create a classroom wishlist
Create a volunteer sign-up post
Access your class directory
Create an after-school group in ParentSquare
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ParentSquare offers self-paced training modules especially for teachers. There are training videos for commonly used features. They are helpful to learn about the tools available to you AND to refresh your knowledge on things you don’t use very often.
If you looking for a specific topic, click on the “?” white circle in the upper right of ParentSquare pages. This will take you to the HELP support that is available to everyone who uses ParentSquare. You will find links to help articles, training videos and opportunities, as well as one-on-one technical support. You can use the EMAIL, CHAT or PHONE links for assistance. ParentSquare staff are extremely helpful and responsive to questions and problems. Don’t hesitate to use these tools.
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It is key to learn when it’s best to create a post and when a direct message is preferred.
- Think of direct messages (DMs) as the Messages app on your phone meant for short conversational back-and-forth chats.
- Think of posts as emails meant for informational messages that allow formatting options such as bold, underline, colors, tables, bullets and more.
Click to download a printable PDF with information about direct messaging and posts.
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Studio Editor is a tool that is fully integrated into the ParentSquare platform to help you create attractive, engaging posts. Designs and templates created in Studio Editor also have translation support – so whatever you create will be seen by parents in their preferred language.
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Downloads:
- Introduction to ParentSquare ( Word | PDF )
- Getting Started - Teacher Checklist ( Editable Google Sheet )
- ParentSquare Communication Tools ( PDF )
Videos, Tutorials and Courses:
What is StudentSquare? (CMS & CHS Only)
StudentSquare is like ParentSquare, but for students. It’s a secure app where students get school updates, messages and alerts all in one place, helping them stay connected with teachers and staff.
Studentsquare centralizes clubs, athletics and school engagement in one official platform. It is enabled at Collinsville Middle School and Collinsville High School so teachers, counselors, athletic coaches and activity sponsors can communicate with students.
Students access StudentSquare through their school-issued Chromebook and/or by downloading the app through their phone’s app store.
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Here are ways you can incorporate StudentSquare into your role:
School Administrators:
• Create a Post to share back-to-school information and highenergy school news, and include “students” as recipients.
• Send an Alert for safety concerns in the building or urgent reminders and include “students” as recipients.
• Design Studio Editor Templates with your school colors to easily replicate monthly newsletters.
• Use Auto Notices to distribute class assignments, schedules, honor roll recognition, or attendance letters directly to students.
Teachers:
• Create weekly newsletters with Studio Editor.
• Use Direct Messages to send students reminders or personalized check-ins.
• Invite students to sign up for tutoring sessions or office hours with Appointment Sign-Ups (Reminders are sent automatically!)
• Create Surveys to gather suggestions, opinions, or for voting.
Coaches:
• Create Groups and add assistant coaches as Group Managers.
• Use Direct Messaging for two-way conversations with players.
• Add games and practices to the shared Calendar, and easily send reminders and updates to users who RSVP.
• Create an Album and add team photos.
• Ask for Items to coordinate snack or supply contributions.
• Create a Form to gather uniform sizes or get parental permission.
Club Leaders & Advisors:
• Create Groups; add students or use a QR code to invite students to join.
• Assign student club leaders the Group Manager role to allow them to post to their peers
• Include an RSVP in Posts about group events.
• Use Direct Messaging for two-way conversations with members.
• Add meetings and evnets to the shared Calendar, and easily send reminders and updates to users who RSVP.
• Create an Album and add club/event photos.
• Ask for Items to coordinate supply contributions.
• Create a Form to gather information or get parental permission.
Counselors/Social Workers:
• Use Direct Messages for a secure, private way for students to ask for support or resources.
• Use Appointment Sign-Ups for scheduling mental health or college and career counseling sessions.
Nurses:
• Use Direct Messages for private communication with students during the day and to stay updated with health alerts.
• Schedule screenings, blood drive donations, or vaccination clinics with Appointment Sign-Ups. (Blog Post).
• Use Auto Notices to notify students of missing immunizations or overdue medical forms.
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Using the features in StudentSquare is the same as using ParentSquare. Use the PSQ tips posted above to learn how to create a post, add features to a post or send a direct message.
ParentSquare has many help articles, tutorials and videos to assist you in navigating the platform. Use the white circle with the question mark (desktop) or HELP icon (app) to access step-by-step instructions and use the Chat with Us feature (chatbot) to get answers to your questions.
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Messages in ParentSquare cannot be seen be other students unless the conversation is specified for the whole group/class. Your direct messages with students are between you and the student.
District and school administration can access and see all posts and conversations.
Parents can see StudentSquare by logging-in to ParentSquare on a WEB BROWSER (this option is not available in the app). They can open their student’s profile and click “View Communication.” Note - this is a VIEW ONLY feature, they cannot comment or interact.