Insights

In conversation with Zartaj Waseem, Senior School Administrator at Haque Academy, Pakistan Parent & Community|School Finance|School Staff

September 17, 2018

In conversation with Zartaj Waseem, Senior School Administrator at Haque Academy, Pakistan

Zartaj Waseem is a STEM Education Professional and Senior School Administrator at Haque Academy in Pakistan. In addition to her administrative role, Zartaj also teaches robotics and technology, as well as launching a science initiative in Pakistan. Describing herself as…

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It’s finally here… Our most requested feature! School Technology

September 9, 2018

It’s finally here… Our most requested feature!

The branded home screen feature is here! We talk to schools all the time here at School Stream, so we listened when they told us again and again they would love a branded home screen for their app. Click here…

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Resource round up: 9 books to get kids really excited about STEAM for Book Week Parent & Community

August 22, 2018

Resource round up: 9 books to get kids really excited about STEAM for Book Week

The world of STEAM is packed with loads of hands-on activities. This week we are moving beyond the lab and towards the bookshelf to share some great books to get kids really excited about science, technology, engineering, arts and maths…

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Brighton Grammar School ticks over one million notifications Parent & Community|School Staff

August 6, 2018

Brighton Grammar School ticks over one million notifications

Brighton Grammar School have used School Stream’s customisable categories to streamline their communication and ensure their parent community receives the right information, every time.

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Meet the School Stream Team – Customer Success and Support School Communication|School Staff|School Technology

July 30, 2018

Meet the School Stream Team – Customer Success and Support

We are going behind the scenes at School Stream to meet the Customer Success and Support Team and put faces to some of the names you may have spoken with over the phone or via our online chat service. Watch…

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Cheat Sheet: STEM and STEAM – An overview School Communication

July 23, 2018

Cheat Sheet: STEM and STEAM – An overview

This week we are looking at STEM and the rise of STEAM. STEAM has been around for a while, at least in practice, with Leonardo Da Vinci combining science and arts to make new discoveries. It’s no secret that students…

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Encourage tech buy-in across your whole school – How School Stream supports ICT Managers School Staff|School Technology

July 15, 2018

Encourage tech buy-in across your whole school – How School Stream supports ICT Managers

This week, we’re acknowledging the work of ICT Managers who make sure schools are ready to meet complex challenges in an increasingly tech-reliant education environment. ICT staff fully understand why digital literacy is so important when dealing with communication in…

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Why do we need an app when we already have Facebook? Parent & Community|School Communication|School Technology

July 9, 2018

Why do we need an app when we already have Facebook?

‘Why do we need an app when we already have a public Facebook page?’ Good question. It’s one we hear from time-to-time and it’s worth investigating the answer.

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Cheat Sheet: How to get parents on board with School Stream Parent & Community|School Technology

July 2, 2018

Cheat Sheet: How to get parents on board with School Stream

If you have introduced School Stream at your school, congratulations! As your school and staff transition to using the app and exploring more features, it’s important to bring your school’s parents along for the ride too. Then you can all…

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School Stream a hit at Silverstream Primary School Parent & Community|School Finance|School Staff

June 25, 2018

School Stream a hit at Silverstream Primary School

We’d like to share a success story from Silverstream Primary School in Dunedin, New Zealand, who are using School Stream very effectively to engage their school community - and the local newspaper. Recently, the Principal, Greg Hurley was interviewed by…

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Winning Tactics – Inclusion for refugee background and migrant communities at school Parent & Community

June 17, 2018

Winning Tactics – Inclusion for refugee background and migrant communities at school

With World Refugee Day approaching on 20 June, School Stream looks at some of the barriers to inclusion of both refugee and CLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities in school life and some potential strategies and resources.

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[Infographic] The Newsletter Survey Results are in! School Communication|School Staff

June 12, 2018

[Infographic] The Newsletter Survey Results are in!

Recently, School Stream sent a survey to schools asking for details about school newsletters. Thank you to everyone who responded. Here are some of the key findings from the 383 private and government schools who responded to the survey.

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Towards paperless for World Environment Day – Fell costs, not trees School Communication|School Finance

June 4, 2018

Towards paperless for World Environment Day – Fell costs, not trees

World Environment Day is Tuesday 5th June and the host country, India, has described it as “not a symbolic celebration, but a mission.” Can World Environment Day encourage lasting change? With educators planning lessons and other activities around the theme,…

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Try the calculator and find out how much your school could save School Communication|School Finance

May 28, 2018

Try the calculator and find out how much your school could save

Would you like to see a snapshot of what your school is spending on printing paper communications for parents? School Stream has developed an easy and accurate tool that gives you an overview based on your school population and printing…

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“Our explained attendances are through the roof!” How School Stream helps schools stay on top of government requirements School Communication

May 21, 2018

“Our explained attendances are through the roof!” How School Stream helps schools stay on top of government requirements

Principals, Education Leaders and Business Managers are all familiar with the reporting requirements around School Attendance. State Governments each having policies which set out the attendance requirements for students in government schools. In NSW, this means reporting attendance of students…

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Tradition meets technology School Communication

May 13, 2018

Tradition meets technology

It is widely recognised that Indigenous peoples across the globe are responsible for the development of many technologies or, as Birrigubba Woman and STEAM Program Producer at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Celeste Carnegie, says: “We are the…

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Welcome back to Term 2. We are still the number one rated communication app! School Technology

April 29, 2018

Welcome back to Term 2. We are still the number one rated communication app!

School Stream is still the number one rated communication app in Australia and New Zealand! We’re sending one million notifications to parents each week – that’s a lot of happy parents! Here are some of the things parents have had…

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How much time do you need to run a school communication app? As it turns out – not much School Communication

April 22, 2018

How much time do you need to run a school communication app? As it turns out – not much

A common concern we hear from schools when looking at using a parent communication app is “we don’t have the resources to manage an app on top of what we’re already doing”. We understand. When dealing with the concerns and…

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Beyond the books. Life lessons we learn from teachers School Communication

April 16, 2018

Beyond the books. Life lessons we learn from teachers

The value of education is certainly undeniable and research shows that positive learning experiences with expert teachers will improve children’s academic, social and spiritual achievements. There is plenty of discussion about what makes a good teacher

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Communication Notes from the Principal’s Desk – Best practice from around the web Parent & Community

April 9, 2018

Communication Notes from the Principal’s Desk – Best practice from around the web

It seems like not a day goes by without a new message for school leaders on the importance of communication. School Stream has also blogged extensively about the importance of communication in the past. The National Excellence in School Leadership…

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In conversation with Principal Greg Cross Parent & Community|School Staff

March 29, 2018

In conversation with Principal Greg Cross

We often talk about our mission here at School Stream: to enable schools to become leaders in school communication. But what that does that actually mean for you - the Principals and Business Managers at the coal face? We spoke…

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Book in for School Stream training School Staff|School Technology

March 28, 2018

Book in for School Stream training

We have our usual weekly live webinar training sessions available to all School Stream customers across the globe. These are held every Tuesday at 11am (Sydney AEST) and Thursday 2pm (Sydney AEST). These run every week of the year, except…

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The Top 10 Australian Educators to follow on Twitter School Communication

March 25, 2018

The Top 10 Australian Educators to follow on Twitter

Are you on Twitter? Increasingly, teachers are using Twitter as a professional development tool and are connecting with colleagues and educators globally to share ideas. Research shows there are some real benefits in using the microblogging platform this way.

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How does your school rank in school communication? Take a 5 minute quiz and find out Parent & Community

March 19, 2018

How does your school rank in school communication? Take a 5 minute quiz and find out

As a Principal, what would you like to be spending your time on at work? Building a positive school culture? Focussing on innovative teaching and learning? Inspiring the next generation of learners? Probably all of this and more.

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Public Relations for Schools 101 – Best practice from around the web Parent & Community

March 11, 2018

Public Relations for Schools 101 – Best practice from around the web

‘Communication that is frequent, consistent, and meaningful says to your audience, “We care, and we’ll show that we care by keeping you informed and making sure you have all the information you need easily accessible.” This kind of message establishes…

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International Women’s Day – Celebrating the women who are changing the game School Technology

March 4, 2018

International Women’s Day – Celebrating the women who are changing the game

The statistics around women in tech are well publicised: only 25% of jobs in computing are held by women. But as of 2016, 20% of all tech start-ups globally are being launched by women – including School Stream! With International…

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Exploring the benefits to students when parents are engaged in their schooling – Academic achievement is only part of the story Parent & Community

February 25, 2018

Exploring the benefits to students when parents are engaged in their schooling – Academic achievement is only part of the story

Decades of research has proven that parental engagement in a child’s life results in a range of positive results for students. In fact, researchers Dawson and Hecht commented that there are very few examples of school-sponsored parent involvement programs that…

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Increase parent engagement by posting content to specific Categories Parent & Community

February 21, 2018

Increase parent engagement by posting content to specific Categories

One of the most common questions we receive from school admins, principals and sometimes even parents is “How can we use School Stream better?”.

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The role of parents in a child’s education Parent & Community

February 19, 2018

The role of parents in a child’s education

Life is busy. And sometimes it can seem that keeping track of all the comings and goings at school is just another task to add to the already gargantuan list that parents need to get through. However, when parents engage…

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Digitalise all of your school forms School Communication

February 14, 2018

Digitalise all of your school forms

One essential role of the school admin team is to ensure parents complete forms and return them before the deadline. Forms vary in range from absentees and excursion notes for legal compliance, to canteen orders, uniforms, photo days, carnivals and…

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How school communication apps are saving time, saving money and saving the environment School Communication

February 11, 2018

How school communication apps are saving time, saving money and saving the environment

One Victorian based school Business Manager spoke of the benefits her school experienced when they streamlined their communications and began migrating administrative processes like newsletters, payments, parent teaching evenings and school camps to an all-in-one communication system

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Preparing your School Stream app for the New Year Parent & Community

February 7, 2018

Preparing your School Stream app for the New Year

This is a great time of year to review your app content and plan for the year ahead. To help streamline your efforts, we’ve put together this post to remind you of some handy features on the School Stream platform.

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The benefits of building an inclusive school community Parent & Community

February 4, 2018

The benefits of building an inclusive school community

After decades of research showing that parental involvement plays a major role in a child’s achievements, suddenly everyone is talking about parent engagement and how it can empower both students and the wider school community.

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App store guidelines update and the future of your school communication platform School Technology

January 29, 2018

App store guidelines update and the future of your school communication platform

At the beginning of 2018, Apple opened the door a little to allow stand-alone apps to be provided, albeit with certain caveats.

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Why should teachers engage with parents? Parent & Community

December 4, 2017

Why should teachers engage with parents?

Engaging parents might feel like extra work for teachers who are already juggling a huge workload, but when families and carers work in partnership with teachers, there are associated improvements for children across a range of areas.

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This school has saved over $130,000 with School Stream Parent & Community|School Finance|School Staff|School Technology

November 16, 2017

This school has saved over $130,000 with School Stream

Since introducing the communication app in March 2014, the school has now sent over 930,000 notifications to their parent community.

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Real Schools webinar: 21st century approaches to home-school communication Parent & Community

September 19, 2017

Real Schools webinar: 21st century approaches to home-school communication

Join Adam Voigt on his webinar on 21st century approaches to home-school communication

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Plates that spin themselves Parent & Community

September 3, 2017

Plates that spin themselves

Whenever I speak to Teachers and School Leaders about the challenges they face these days, there’s often a slightly exasperated tone to their voices as they describe the seemingly endless list of new responsibilities and accountabilities that schools are experiencing.

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Communicate, Communicate, Communicate… even when you have nothing to communicate Parent & Community

August 27, 2017

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate… even when you have nothing to communicate

I’d contend that this actually isn’t the fault of either parents or schools. This is clearly a media driven issue of mine. You see, there’s just no media miles, newspaper inches or clickbait under headlines like “School and parents working…

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Why is it so tricky to get on to the same page as parents? School Communication

August 19, 2017

Why is it so tricky to get on to the same page as parents?

One of the biggest challenges faced by schools these days is to get on the same page as their parents. Of course, that sounds like quite a simple task when we reduce it down to a neat little metaphor.

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Why do schools need a communication app? Parent & Community

August 9, 2017

Why do schools need a communication app?

Whether you send home a printed note, email or social media post, the deliverability rate is more often than not, very low. For example, Mailchimp, an industry-leading email marketing service used by many schools and early education centres report a…

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School Stream safe during Apple App Store purge School Technology

August 3, 2017

School Stream safe during Apple App Store purge

Apple’s latest efforts to clean up the App Store is to reject apps based on a common template. This is making many developers, and schools, nervous. Here we look into what these changes mean and how they affect the school…

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Listening to parents’ feedback. Something to be taken seriously Parent & Community

June 6, 2017

Listening to parents’ feedback. Something to be taken seriously

The parent-school relationship is essential for a thriving community, with research consistently finding that teacher and family relationships are important for young people’s social and emotional wellbeing and academic achievement (Desforges & Aboucher, 2003). The key to building successful relationships…

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School Communication Insider’s Report School Communication|School Technology

May 30, 2017

School Communication Insider’s Report

At the end of 2016, we surveyed hundreds of school principals, directors, managers, IT and admin teams. We wanted to find out how schools in Australia and New Zealand are communicating with their parents, and to what effect.

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School Stream : The Movie School Communication|School Technology

February 28, 2017

School Stream : The Movie

We have been working closely with a very talented local film company, Byron Film, on our first production “School Stream: The Movie”. Watch the trials and tribulations of Mandy, Sarah, Brad and Doris as they just try to get through…

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School Stream’s new website is happily live… School Technology

February 26, 2017

School Stream’s new website is happily live…

In September 2016, we surveyed hundreds of schools and childcare centres on their communication requirements and challenges. In response to the overwhelming feedback, we began our web update project.

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Thank you for 4 years! Here’s the Apple Watch competition School Technology

December 14, 2016

Thank you for 4 years! Here’s the Apple Watch competition

We’re celebrating four years of helping schools engage hundreds of thousands of parents efficiently and effectively. This translates into over $10 million in printing costs and over 7 million sheets of paper.

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An Interview with Principal Giles Panting, Lake Rotoiti School Parent & Community|School Staff

November 25, 2016

An Interview with Principal Giles Panting, Lake Rotoiti School

The devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand last Monday and again this week affected a lot of people in the country and schools had to act fast.

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