How the PTA communicates
We’ve gotten feedback from multiple people so far this year that so many PTA communications coming through WhatsApp is overwhelming.
We hear you!
So the team got together and put together a more explicit communication plan to get everybody what they need without blowing up your phones.
How the PTA will communicate moving forward
- WhatsApp Announcements channel: immediate, actionable information + school-wide updates (only mission-critical stuff)
- WhatsApp Grade-specific chats (All K, All 1st, All 2nd): immediate, actionable information + grade-specific updates, connect with families in your grade.
- WhatsApp Classroom-specific chats: No updates (Room Parents may reshare updates), connect with families in your classroom
- WhatsApp Volunteer chat: volunteer-specific updates only
- WhatsApp Spanish- and Amharic-chats: language-specific updates only
- Dolphin Dispatch email group: important (but don’t require immediate action) school-wide and grade-specific updates
- Independent email: important topics (that don’t require immediate action) the PTA believes need unique attention
Opting out of notifications
I cannot stress enough how much we encourage everybody to set up notifications in the way that serves you best!
1. Mute chats
For any chat, you can Swipe Left > Click “More…” > Mute to silence notifications for a specific chat.
This is a great way to still have access to a chat group but not receive all the notifications.
2. Update WhatsApp profile notifications
In the bottom of the app, go to You > Notifications and make any adjustments here you’d like to minimize interruptions.
3. Update phone-specific notifications
If you go to Device Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp in your phone, you can also customize notifications for your device.
4. Leave groups as you see fit
If you’re in the WhatsApp Community, you’ll receive all mission-critical updates via the Announcement channels.
But if you don’t find the All K, All 1st grade or All 2nd grade chats useful, leaving those chats is always an option. No hard feelings!
Give us more feedback
The PTA Team is super open to feedback and constructive criticism!
You asked for PTA Meeting changes. We did that.
You told us about issues with drivers near the school. We addressed that.
You asked for lots of extra support for incoming Kindergarten families. We assisted.
If there’s anything we’re doing that’s actively making your experience with us or the school worse, please respectfully tell us so we can address it.
You’re always welcome to discuss things in WhatsApp. And if you’d like to reach us directly, you can contact us, contact us anonymously, give us event feedback or give us direct PTA Meeting feedback.
P.S. There’s a lot the PTA will do to help our students, families, school and community. But we’re most definitely going to keep having fun while we do it! 🤪
