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 The Star newspaper.
The School
Silverstream is a primary school in Mosgiel on New Zealand’s South Island with 290 students. The school is very connected to their values and pride themselves on the support and care they give every family. Silverstream describes themselves as ‘future focussed’ and have extensive facilities and a modern learning environment.
School Stream in action
School Stream was introduced at Silverstream Primary last year by Principal Greg Hurley. After an initial uptake by 60 people in the first year, mainly for newsletters, there are now 325 people using the app to connect with the school. This indicates extended families are using the app to stay involved in school life, and this increased engagement has led to strengthening the school’s ties with the community.
Principal Greg Hurley gives a snapshot of some of the benefits Silverstream Primary has experienced since introducing School Stream:
A good response rate from families
“We recently carried out a survey on school uniforms. By using the app to do a survey, we more than doubled the response we would normally get.”
School Stream is easy to use
“Once people realised how simple the app was to use, the school had a big uptake. The school paid for the app but it is free for families and other users.”
Supporting inclusion
“The innovation supports the school’s diverse population. We have over 16 Syrian families at the school and they can convert the alerts to Arabic. Other families convert the messages to their language.”
Health and Safety Improvements
“It has improved health and safety at the school. If an event such as a lockdown occurred, we could notify the community at the touch of a button.”
Advice to other schools
“Adopting the app has been a no-brainer and I recommend this innovative idea to other schools”
Click here to see how School Stream could help you and your school community. You can also contact our staff who are happy to answer any questions you have about introducing School Stream at your school.
