Parent/Student On-Line Directory Features:

Security:
The system is specifically designed to keep the names and email addresses of your parents and students safe from abuse.

• Restricted Access - Only approved parents and/or students, with individual IDs and passwords, can access the directory. The school designated editor controls all new listings.
• Access Control - The school editor can deny access to any individual, instantly. This feature makes the on-line directory more secure than a printed directory (which, once printed, the school has no control over it's use.)
• Restricted Display - The number of displayed records is limited, so there is no easy way to compile lists for bulk email purposes.
• Private Mail Option - Listed users may chose to hide their actual email address, but continue to have email sent to them without revealing their address.
• Display Options - Individual parents/families can adjust the display of their street address and telephone numbers, to provide privacy for those that do not wish their contact information to be distributed.
• Obtain Lost Passwords - For those that lose their passwords, the system will securely provide them upon request, via email, to only the listed address.

Content:
The system is easy to use for parents and/or students, and is flexible to handle the needs of every school, large or small.

• Bulk Additions - The school can provide a file containing all directory information at the start of the school year. We load it in for you. The system generates passwords for each user, and sends a welcome email message, letting everyone know their password and how to access the system.
• Displayed Info - The directory stores parent and student information together, and includes home address, home phone number, home fax number, mother's work phone and email, father's work phone and email, and notations on the student's grade/class, etc.
• Self-administered Updates - Families maintain their own listings. Each family can only update their own profile, and can remove any information they don't want displayed to others. The editor is automatically notified of updates, so the school's internal records can be updated at the same time.
• Multiple Search Criteria - Once logged in, a user can search the listings by name, class, grade, or postal code.
• Volunteerism Data - An optional module allows parents to register for inclusion in volunteer categories, such as Fundraising, Library duty, etc.
• Faculty & Staff Members - The system is designed to allow all faculty and staff members to be loaded, so their school contact information can be viewed as well.
• Other Groups - In addition to parents, the system can accommodate other groups, such as grandparents, past parents, community volunteers or other friends of the school.
• Photographs - An optional module allows the school to load and display photos of each student and faculty member.
• Downloadable Resources - A module included in the base directory system, allows an administrator to upload and organize documents and files (e.g. PDF, Word, Excel, photos) that are available for parents and faculty/staff to see and download at any time. Access to documents can be restricted by class, grade or school level.
• Medical & Emergency Forms - A optional module that allows parents and the school nurse to update detailed medical and emergency contact information for each student online. There are extensive reports and tools to view and manage the information, as well as e-mail parents copies of the profiles for review and updating each year. Profiles can be printed off individually, or selected by class, or selected by a list of names, and used by teachers on school trips.

Communication:
With parent and student names and email addresses loaded in the system, it really shines at helping communicate in all directions.

• Broadcast to Parents - The designated editor can create a text message and send it out to all, or a selected group, in seconds. Great for organizing events, emergency notices, etc. Messages can be targeted to subgroups at the class, grade, "house" or school section levels, as well as by gender, day/boarder, or new/returning parent.
• Normal vs. Emergency - Normal broadcasts to the preferred e-mail address for the preferred (or both) parent(s) - emergency broadcasts to all e-mail addresses (each parent can have up to four) for all parents.
• Newsletter Templates - Part of Advanced Mailing Options, allowing predefined template designs to be easily filled with content for broadcast. You get to concentrate on your material, and the results will look fabulous.
• HTML-Mail - Part of Advanced Mailing Options, allowing you to format and send fancy looking messages directly to recipient's inboxes.
• Attachments - part of Advanced Mailing Options, allowing you to send .doc and .PDF files out to parents as attachments.
• Future Broadcasts - part of Advanced Mailing Options, allowing you to schedule your broadcasts to be released in the future (e.g. weekly parent newsletter) rather than have to remember and/or be available to do it at a specific time.
• SMS/Text Messaging offers emergency broadcasting of short plain-text messages to parent, student and faculty/staff mobile phones. Can also be used to message specific classes/grades (e.g. great for a quick update to parents when a school trip is running late.)
• Class Parents - The designated editor can assign people to be "class parents", who have the unique ability to broadcast messages to the parents and/or students within their assigned class. Much better than the "telephone tree"! Class Parents are highlighted in the main listings, so others know who to contact.
• Grade Reps - The designated editor can assign people to be "grade reps", who have the unique ability to broadcast messages to the parents and/or students within their assigned grade level. This is useful for the senior students and their families, who are not usually organized by classes.
• Volunteer Chairperson - The editor can designate "chairs" for each volunteer category, and each chairperson can use the system to broadcast to their group of volunteers. Great for organizing events! Chairpersons can select their own members, or members can add/remove themselves from category lists.
• 'Buddy' Lists - Teachers and Parents can create various personal lists of other adults, and easily broadcast to them. Useful for car pools, sports teams, etc.
• Teacher Broadcasts - Teachers can send broadcast messages to their parents and/or students. Great for information updates!
• Teacher/Advisor Broadcasts - Teacher/Advisors can send broadcast messages to the parents of their advisees, or to the students themselves.
• Editor Defined Groups - The editor can assign discrete broadcast codes to any parent, and can segment email broadcasts by these codes. Very handy for special committee or other duties when many parents get involved.
• Weblog/Bulletin Board System - An optional module allows teachers and the editor to post and messages under a variety of topics that parents and/or students can read on-line. Good for homework assignments!
• Business Directory System - An optional module allows parents to create searchable listings under a variety of business categories (e.g. Automotive, Medical, Financial...) This allows parents to offer their services to other parents, perhaps at preferred rates.

Administration:
The maintenance side of the system is very powerful. The designated editor has access to all the editing, messaging and administration tools in an easy to use format, that takes minimal training to master.

• Completely Web Enabled - The system runs on an Internet server, but requires no additional hardware or software on your desktop - just a standard web browser connected to the Internet. The editor can administer the directory from anywhere!
• Fast Set-up and Configuration - Our parameter driven technology allows a new installation to be installed and running quickly, and to adjust all defaults, drop-down lists and displays easily, on-the-fly, at any time.
• Statistics and Analysis - The system allows the editor to obtain audit reports (i.e. counts by class, activity logs, counts by status, lost addresses) that make it simple to see the depth and quality of information contained in the directory, and how often your parents and students use it.
• Segmented Lists - The editor can easily obtain lists of families in various categories, such as parents requesting to not receive broadcast email, those missing e-mail, those with lost addresses, etc.
• Data Import and Export - The database format allows for data extraction, which allows you to load data into existing applications.
• Lost addresses - Any broadcast email that bounces back as "user unknown" automatically updates the database, greatly reducing the need for the editor's intervention.
• Annual Rollover - A full set of tools allows the editor to "bulk graduate" existing students up a grade level and delete senior students, easing the administrative burden.
• Powerful API - The Application Programming Interface (API) allows automatic transfer of information between the Parent Directory database and a client's internal database, allowing easy data synchronization at all times.