Who: Cathy Daniels, Principal
Where: Waters Elementary School, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
Our old communication system was no longer working. The combination of weekly newsletter, Skylert, paper communication, email, and phone calls were no longer an effective way for us to communicate with families. It’s hard to use five-six different communication strategies, and the Friday folder was no longer working. People prefer texting now, but our staff didn’t feel comfortable giving our their phone numbers.
We wanted to build a strong channel of communication between school and home so that we could create a closer connection to what was going on in the classroom. Several of our teachers were using Bloomz. They were excited about it because Bloomz gave them the ability to share videos, pictures, messages, and clips with students’ families. It brought teachers and families closer together. We reviewed it as a staff and thought it would be a wonderful way to share our learning lives, so we signed a contract with premium services.
A Welcome Change
Whether it’s teacher messages, video clips, or PTO meeting reminders, everything is shared in the app. Every Monday morning the entire school gets together to celebrate whatever is relevant that week, and we send out Monday morning videos through the app. Parents can attend the Monday celebration if they want to, or they can watch the video clip on the app. This has made a real difference in our school. Parents and families feel a bigger part of our learning community. It’s almost like families have an eye into the classroom – they can see and hear what it feels like to be in our school. It has allowed us to extend our reach, build relationships, and increase a sense of trust.
Measures of Success
Now:
· All parent-teacher communication comes from one source
· Teachers and administrators can easily share videos and photos with families
· Parents can quickly respond to teacher requests
· Extended family members can also be in the communication loop
· Asking parents and grandparents to get involved at schools is quick and easy.
Together, our connected community can support our kids in learning every single day. The numbers show the benefits of better communication: school carnival participation is up to 65% and PTO attendance is up 300%. The additional connections make for a much happier environment where everyone feels included.
This app allows the people who need to be in touch the most to be closer—teachers and parents. Everyone wants every child to be a successful learner. The Blooomz app has helped us get better at gathering and sharing information and building relationships that allow our students to be more successful.
Technology Used
