Teacher ParentSquare FAQ
Q: Do I need to let families know about ParentSquare?
Families will receive an activation email for their ParentSquare accounts. Those who do not register will still receive text, email and phone notifications. Parents who create an account can become more actively engaged in communication by appreciating posts, viewing photos, leaving comments and managing their communication preferences. As a staff member or teacher, you may choose to communicate with your families utilizing ParentSquare. You may find with the two-way messaging and live-time translation that you are able to reach more families. You also may find the analytics about who isn't receiving messages helpful.
Q: How are rosters populated in ParentSquare?
ParentSquare syncs with Aeries on a nightly basis. Any rosters that you are associated with in Aereis will show up in ParentSquare.
Q: How does the two-way messaging with translation work?
Example: An English-speaking teacher wants to send a message to a student's family, letting them know that the student went out of their way to help another classmate. Using ParentSquare, the teacher types the text message to the family in English and presses send. ParentSquare, using advanced Google translate, translates the message into Spanish so that the family receives the message in Spanish. The family then thanks the teacher for letting them know about the student's kindness. The family types that thank you message in Spanish and presses send. ParentSquare translates the message into English and the teacher receives the message in English.
Q: What translation tool does ParentSquare use?
The advanced Google translation tool uses context-driven translation for higher accuracy and can translate into 100+ languages. A disclaimer about the auto-translation tool is included on messages.
Q: Is there a way to set office hours so that I only receive messages from families at certain times?
Yes. You can set office hours under ‘My Account’ which can be found in the top right hand corner of your screen under your name.
Q: I'm both a staff member and a parent in the district. How can I add my child to my staff account?
It's likely that you'll have two separate accounts: a parent account with a personal email and a staff account with your school email. You can merge your staff and parent account so that you have access to your children and school under one single account. Please email [email protected] and include the emails and phone numbers that you're using. If you are using the same email account for both, you can toggle between accounts using the drop down menu on the left side of the screen.
Q: Can I add a classroom aide to my class?
Yes. If you'd like to add an aide, please visit Admin > Classes. From this page, click "Add User" and type in the name of the individual whom you would like to add. Click on the name to highlight it and then select the role that you'd like that person to have. Here is a help article.
Q: I'm in charge of an afterschool club or sport. Can I communicate with just those parents, even if their children are not in my class?
Teachers have the ability to create groups with students who aren't in t heir class. Please visit Groups > New Group > New Static Group. From there, you can create the group and choose a name and description for your group, as well as whether or not you want the group to be public or private. At the bottom, you can add your members by searching for them and checking the box next to the names of the individuals that you'd like to add. When you're finished, click "Save" at the bottom. Here is a help article.
Q: Is it possible to contact a few of my students' families privately?
If you'd like to contact a few of your families without posting to the entire class, you will need to use the messaging feature. Select "Messaging" from the left sidebar on the homepage. Here, you can select either a single family member to message or multiple. Just begin typing their names in the recipient field, and they'll appear as an option. If you select more than one recipient, the choice will come up to have a private message or a group message. A private message will create individual threads to each recipient, whereas a group message will create one thread where all recipients can communicate. Here is a help article.
Q: I'm doing a project in my class and need family volunteers and items. Can I ask for these on ParentSquare?
ParentSquare offers the capability to ask for both volunteers and items. Go to “New Post” and create a post about your class project. Then in the left sidebar, select both "Ask for Items" and "Request Volunteers." Next, input the items and amount you need, as well as how many volunteers you need and what activities they'll be doing. Once you're finished, click "Post Now" and watch your sign-up fill up. Here is a help article on creating signups and volunteer lists.
Q: Can I manually add a family to a specific sign-up?
Yes. If you have family members who have contacted you about a sign-up but have not signed up in ParentSquare, you can add these users manually. Login to ParentSquare and go to the sign-up post that you'd like to add the parent to. Then, on the sign-up post, click "Add Someone" above the sign-up button next to the time slot or item you'd like to sign them up for. Search for the user, highlight the name and click save!
Q: How do I create conference sign-ups for multiple classes and/or groups?
Go to Add-Ons > Conference Sign-ups and on the first page of the conference sign-up, select any class to start. Go through and input the information according to your preferences, deleting any time slots that don't work for you. Finally on the third page, you can delete the original class that you chose and select the classes and groups that you'd like to hold the conferences for. Here is a help article on conference sign ups.