Communication is key, especially for a busy school community. But with so many different communication channels and audiences to engage, school communication gaps are bound to happen.  

Most schools rely on a mix of communication channels to share information: email and newsletters, social media, their website, printed messages, and more. With so many different channels to manage and pay attention to, important details can get lost in the shuffle and create confusion — or worse, frustration — for students, parents, and school staff.  

One way to strengthen communication, lighten your team’s workload, and centralize school information is with a school app. Keep reading to learn three ways a dedicated school app can help bridge your school communication gaps and foster strong connection among your community.  

Strengthen Family Communication  

Most school software tools focus on sharing information with students. But what about parents and guardians? After all, they are the primary decision-makers when it comes to their child’s education! It’s important to consider their communication needs and make it as convenient and accessible as possible to stay in touch with your school.  

In our conversations with schools around the world, we’ve observed a few common communication issues:  

  • Difficulty sharing daily activity updates  
  • Challenges in delivering urgent, time-sensitive information  
  • Dependence on email newsletters  
  • Low engagement with school messages 

These communication gaps can leave parents and guardians feeling disconnected from the school. As our reliance on smartphones and mobile apps continues to rise, it makes sense to incorporate this same technology into your school community strategy. A school app can make it easy to share instant updates with parents and guardians whenever, wherever — in the same way they check the news or the latest game score.  

Save Your Team Valuable Time 

School marketing and admission teams are often short-staffed, usually with just one person or a small crew doing the work of many. Because of this, they often share the responsibility for communicating with internal and external audiences.  

When different departments are managing communication, it can be hard to keep things consistent or streamline workflows. A school app can help! Integrated with the Veracross student information system, Digistorm Apps can simplify your internal workflows with easy access to accurate, real-time school data.

Centralize School Information  

In addition to strengthening family communication and reducing workload, a school app can help you centralize important school information in one place. With a Digistorm App, you can add specific modules based on the information you’d like to share. Here are a few popular features included in our school apps:  

News and Notifications  

Make sure your families never miss an update with push notifications and school news powered by Veracross Composer. Publish once and schedule or share instantly. You can target push notifications to a specific group of people with relevant content or send to your entire school community at once.  

Calendars and Events 

We all know how hard it is to keep track of our own calendars, let alone several! With live data from Veracross, our all-school calendar and household calendars make it easy to keep track of everything that’s going on.  

Filter by different categories like family or athletics to view relevant events or see the full school calendar. You can also add specific events to your personal calendar or share with someone (like a grandparent) who might be interested in attending. 

Athletics 

From weather delays to location changes or cancellations, athletic schedules are prone to change. Make it easy for families to stay updated with push notifications and real-time updates from Veracross. You can even use the app to see athletic transportation details or scores from past games!  

Directories and Contact Info  

Another common challenge is with school directories; it can be hard to keep them updated or maintain updates across different communication channels. With a Digistorm App, any changes made to your school directory are automatically updated in the app through the live Veracross connection.

Student Logistics Requests 

Traffic delays or family vacations can impact a student’s attendance at school. Simplify the logistic request process with Digistorm Apps. Families can share changes to their child’s daily logistics directly in the app instead of calling the front office or logging into a portal. Student Logistics Requests include attendance, transportation, and extended care. 

Classes and Results 

Give your parents and guardians an easier way to stay informed about their students’ academic progress. Digistorm Apps pull assignment and grade data from the Veracross learning management system (LMS) for accurate, real-time updates. Families can also see upcoming work or previously completed work for a full picture of a child’s progress. 

Attendance 

Take attendance in real time, in the palm of your hand. Teachers can also view attendance for past or future classes, see their full class list and students’ attendance statuses for the day, and add additional notes as needed. 

Bridging Communication Gaps with Digistorm 

Easy to use and easy to customize, school apps are an effective solution for bridging communication gaps within your school community.  

Digistorm Apps are part of the Veracross 360 school management platform and integrated with the Veracross SIS for real-time updates and information. Interested in learning more about this mobile-friendly communication method? Get in touch for a demo and learn how a school app can help you foster connection on and off campus.