We hear all the time that schools choose School Stream over other apps because they like the potential of School Stream. We don’t want to brag but it’s true: School Stream has *great* functionality and can be adapted to meet the needs of any type of school. Some schools lean heavily into the absentee function, while others really appreciate the translation feature. And we’re yet to meet an administrator who doesn’t love being able to schedule alerts to go out ahead of time. If you’ve ever wondered how other schools are using School Stream to keep on top of their parent communication, you’re about to find out. This week on School Stream, we share some impressive examples of how School Stream is used by all types of schools out in the wild.
We’re here to help you. Book a time to speak with one of our school communication experts, or read on to see how other School Stream schools get it done.
Communicate in real time during an emergency
In an emergency, it’s important to be able to get the word out to parents quickly, reliably, and in real time. That kind of reassurance is invaluable to families and schools.
“It (School Stream) was priceless when we had the bushfires around here. We had to send out an evacuation notice and it was one hour from sending the alert, to everyone being out (of the centre).”
Keep everyone in the loop
You know what they say: It takes a village. Some School Stream schools have as much as a 250% uptake from the parent and broader family networks, which keeps everyone in the loop, in real time. When mums, dads, and grandparents know what’s happening, they can be true partners in their children’s education. School Stream is helpful in keeping those with complex family structures involved in school life too. And we’ve heard from more than one school that Dads love using School Stream!
“Now I know everything that is going on at school. As a dad I get to plan so I can make it to the events that otherwise pass me by. Feel so much more connected to the school program. Thanks School Stream” Via the App Store
“Digital forms are a lifesaver”
Say goodbye to chasing crumpled up permission slips! Not only do digital forms make it easy for parents to sign and submit, but you can save time, paper and money when you don’t have to rely on paper-based forms. We know of one school who has saved close to $3000 since they signed up at the beginning of the 2021 school year! You can send notices about swimming, excursions, parent information, incursions, uniform related issues, newsletters, permission notes, and more.
See how much money you could save with our online paper cost calculator.
Film it, stream it, snap it
With the school grounds being off-limits to parents – and students – for parts of last year, School Stream was used in all sorts of creative ways to keep parents involved. One dynamic NSW school livestreamed their assemblies and even their end of year concert via School Stream. For working parents who often miss events when they’re held during work hours, School Stream presents a golden opportunity to share all those magic moments via video. Finally, this community preschool on the mid-north coast in NSW took the traditional analogue daybook digital via an alert.
“We used to have parents coming into the centre at the end of the day to collect their children and they could go through the day book to see what has been happening. They can’t do that anymore because of COVID, so now we scan the Day Book from each room and send it out as an alert each day.”
Events keep everyone on-track
Most schools have a hectic calendar of events throughout the year. If you can get this critical information out to parents and straight into their digital calendar, you’re on the fast-track to school communication glory. Schools tell us they can use the Events feature to advise parents of term dates, school concerts and sports carnivals. Parents can add events directly to their digital calendar from the app, making life easier for everyone. Consistent feedback from schools is that using this feature greatly reduces calls to the office.
The new newsletter
We’ve talked about school newsletters before, but this school principal from regional NSW speaks to how School Stream can reinvent the school newsletter in practice:
“With the School Stream app, we can tailor what we want to send out and to which specific year groups or stage groups within our school; so that they’re not being inundated with ‘stuff’ that’s not relevant to their child.”
Are you ready to learn more about how School Stream can help? Let’s get started.
