ParentSquare (Staff)

How do I sign up for ParentSquare?Follow these instructions to activate your ParentSquare Staff account.

How are my contacts, classes, groups, students and parents set up?Your Class Groups Are Already Set Up for You! One of the biggest advantages of ParentSquare is that you don't have to create your class groups or add students and families yourself.

When you log in for the first time, you'll find that:

• Your class groups have already been created.
• Your students and parents/guardians are already enrolled in the class group.

This information comes directly from our Student Information System (DASL Progressbook).  You can create custom groups as well. You can learn how to do this later in the module - in the Create Custom Groups folder. 

Currently, ParentSquare is set up to communicate with parents/guardians and staff - and MS and HS students not elementary students. Email will still be the main form of digital communication with students. If, at a later date, the staff wishes to use ParentSquare with students we can get that set up.

Your Rosters Stay Up to Date Automatically

ParentSquare automatically syncs with our Student Information System every night.

That means if:

• a new student enrolls,
• a student transfers into your class,
• a student withdraws from the district,
• a parent or guardian's contact information is updated,

these changes are automatically reflected in ParentSquare after the new students have been assigned a schedule in DASL and the next nightly sync (typically by the next day). Teachers do not need to manually update class rosters or parent lists.

Keep This in Mind

Because ParentSquare receives its information from DASL Progressbook (our Student Information System), teachers cannot edit class rosters or parent contact information in ParentSquare.

If you notice a student is missing, the wrong parent is listed, a parent's email or phone number is incorrect the information must be corrected in the Student Information System first. Once the district updates the official student records, ParentSquare will reflect those changes after the next nightly sync. Contact your building secretary to see when the student's schedule was added to DASL Progressbook and if it was the day before or further in the past, contact Betsy.

This 3 minute video offers a great tour of ParentSquare and the most used features for staff.

Congratulations! You should have completed sign up and login so your ParentSquare account should be ready before moving onto the tasks below. Let's take a few minutes to personalize your account and make sure everything looks correct.1. Review Your Classes

The first thing to do is check that your classes have been assigned to you.

• Verify that all of your classes appear.
• Make sure the correct students are enrolled in each class (as best you can if you don't have your class lists yet).
• If you're missing a class or notice incorrect students, don't add or remove them yourself. Student rosters are automatically synced from DASL Progressbook. Contact Betsy if something doesn't look right.
   

2. Adjust Your Notification Settings

By default, ParentSquare may send more notifications than you'd like so you definitely want to set your notifications.  Click your name in the upper-right corner and choose My Account (or Manage Account), then select Notification Settings.

A good starting point for teachers is:

• Posts: Digest
• Direct Messages: Instant
• Urgent Alerts: Instant (cannot be turned off)

This helps reduce notification overload while ensuring you don't miss messages from parents or important district announcements.

3. Set Office Hours (optional but recommended if you use DMs)

Setting Office Hours on a Computer

1. Log in to ParentSquare.
2. Click your name in the top-right corner and select My Account.
3. On the left-hand menu, click Office Hours.
4. Click Enable Office Hours.
5. Select your start time, end time, and the specific days of the week you are available.
6. Changes save automatically or click Save if prompted. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Setting Office Hours on the Mobile App

1. Open the ParentSquare app.
2. Tap the three bars in the upper-left corner.
3. Tap Account, then go to Preferences (or Settings) and select Office Hours.
4. Tap Enable Office Hours and choose your available days and times

4. Complete Your Profile

Take a moment to:

• Add a professional profile photo (optional)
• Verify your school email address
• Review any available profile information
• Parents cannot see your email and phone number but your account needs both in order to send you notifications. 
• Turn on Office Hours - this will limit when you receive notifications and lets parents know when you are not available to receive Direct Messages from them. 

5. Explore Your Home Page

Spend a few minutes becoming familiar with the layout.

Notice where you'll find:

• Home feed
• Posts
• Direct Messages
• Calendar
• Classes
• Groups
• Help Center

The more comfortable you are navigating ParentSquare now, the easier communication will be throughout the year.
6. Add Co-teachers to Your Classes (if applicable)

This 2 minute video walks you through the steps of adding co-teachers.  

7. View the FAQs on the ParentSquare Page, linked under Staff on the District Website8. Know Where to Get Help

If you have questions:

• Click the ? Help icon inside ParentSquare - located in the top right by your profile picture.
• Contact Betsy or an ELC.

Click the image below to view a 2 minute video to assist you in setting your Notifications. 

 

Do I need to tell parents/guardians to sign up for ParentSquare?

Eastwood sends parents and legal guardians an invitation to activate their ParentSquare accounts. Parents who do not activate an account will still receive district, school and classroom communications through the contact information we have on file. We encourage parents to activate their accounts and download the ParentSquare app so they can take full advantage of ParentSquare's features and customize their notification preferences.

i am eastwood staff and an eastwood parent, do I need two accounts?

Yes, you need to register two accounts (using the invite links sent to Staff and to Parents), but, you can connect the two accounts to make navigation and management very simple! Even if you use the same email address for both staff and parent records, the two roles remain separate accounts. 

can I connect my Eastwood staff account with my parent Account?

Yes!  You can connect your Staff and Parent accounts and easily switch between the two. To connect your ParentSquare Parent account and Staff account, log in to your staff account, click your name → + Add another account, and sign in to your ParentSquare parent account. Once connected, you can easily switch between your Staff and Parent accounts from the account menu.

How are my classes, students and parents added to ParentSquare?

You do not need to create your regular classes or add students and parents yourself! ParentSquare syncs with DASL Progressbook nightly.

Classes, students and parent/guardian information associated with your classes in DASL will automatically appear in ParentSquare. As students enroll, withdraw or change classes, those changes will also be reflected through the nightly sync.

Do I need to maintain my ParentSquare class rosters?

No. Because your regular class rosters come from DASL, do not manually add or remove students or parents from your synced classes. If something appears incorrect, contact your building secretary or counselor so the information can be corrected at the source.

Does ParentSquare replace Remind & other class communication tools?

Yes. Remind is being discontinued and usage of ParentSquare also replaces other platforms such as Bloomz and Class Dojo. 

Do all teachers have to communicate with families in the same way?

ParentSquare is Eastwood's communication platform, but how teachers use its individual features may vary depending on grade level, subject and classroom needs. If you prefer using email for your direct communication with parents, that is your choice. The district encourages teachers to use ParentSquare for announcements, reminders, photos and videos, files, forms, sign-ups, conference scheduling, direct messages and other classroom communication as appropriate.

Can parents/guardians send direct messages to teachers?

Yes. Direct messaging with Parents is enabled at Eastwood. Direct messaging with Students is enabled for grades 5-12, per teacher request. 

Can I privately message one parent or guardian?

Yes. Use Messages when you need to communicate privately with an individual parent/guardian rather than posting information to an entire class. You can also message multiple recipients. Be sure to consider whether you want an individual/private conversation with each recipient or a group conversation in which participants can see and respond to one another.

What's the difference between a Post and a Direct Message?

Use a Post when information applies to an entire class, group or larger audience—for example, a classroom announcement, reminder, newsletter, photos or information about an upcoming event. 

Use a Direct Message when the communication is intended for a specific parent/guardian, student or small number of individuals and should not be shared with the entire class or group.

Can parents message a district-level Group Owner or Manager?

• For school-level groups, Group members can send direct messages to the Group Owner or Manager. This can be helpful if you want students to be able to message you as a teacher or if you want teachers to be able to message you as an admin. But, you may not want parents to message you via the Group.
• For district-level groups, direct messages must be initiated by the district Group Owner or Manager. Members cannot start a new direct message to a district-level Group Owner or Manager unless that person has already messaged them.

Can students use ParentSquare?

Students in grades 5–12 have access to StudentSquare, ParentSquare's student communication platform. StudentSquare allows Eastwood staff to communicate directly with students through the same ParentSquare system while giving students an experience designed specifically for them.

Can students direct message teachers?

Yes. Student direct messaging is enabled for Eastwood students in grades 5–12. 

How does ParentSquare translation work?

ParentSquare automatically translates communications based on the recipient's preferred language. For example, a teacher can write a message in English and a parent whose preferred language is Spanish can receive it in Spanish. The parent can respond in Spanish, and the teacher can view the response in English. This works with posts and two-way messaging and can make communication much easier with multilingual families.

Can I set office hours for ParentSquare messages?

Yes, and this is highly encouraged! ParentSquare allows staff to establish Office Hours to communicate when they are generally available to respond. Office Hours help establish expectations for families but they do not prevent someone from sending you a message outside those hours. You can respond when you are available. Click here for instructions on how to set Office Hours. 

 

Can I see whether parents are receiving my communications?

Yes. One of ParentSquare's advantages is its delivery and engagement information. Depending on the communication, staff can see whether messages were successfully delivered and identify parents/guardians who may not be receiving communications because of an invalid email address, phone number or other contact issue.

What should I do if a parent isn't receiving my ParentSquare communications?

First, check the delivery information available in ParentSquare. If ParentSquare indicates a problem with the parent's email address or phone number, do not manually change the information in your synced class. The parent's official contact information should be corrected in FinalForms and DASL so that the change flows to ParentSquare through the nightly sync.

Can I manually add a parent or student to my synced class?

No. Membership in your regular classes is controlled by the nightly sync with DASL and FinalForms. If a student, parent or class is missing or incorrect, contact your building secretary so it can be corrected in DASL rather than manually changing a synced roster in ParentSquare.

Can I still use Remind for my classroom, team or activity?

No. ParentSquare replaces Remind for Eastwood communication with families and students. ParentSquare also provides features that weren't available through our previous use of Remind, including automatic class and parent rostering, translation, forms, sign-ups, conference scheduling, delivery information and more.

What if I need help using ParentSquare?

Start with the ParentSquare Staff Resources on the Eastwood website for tutorials, videos and step-by-step directions. If something appears incorrect with your classes, students or parent information, contact the appropriate Eastwood staff member rather than manually changing information that is being synced from the district's student information system.

 

Parentsquare groups & Posts faq

GROUPS FAQs

Who can Post to a Group?

By default, only Group Owners can post to a group. However, Group Owners and Admins can enable "Allow group members to post to this group" in advanced settings, which lets all members post. This is especially useful for committees, staff groups, and community forum groups.

Can I add other teachers to my Class Groups?

Yes! Go to Admin > Classes. From this page, click "Add User" and type in the name of the individual whom you would like to add. 

How do I see all members of a grade level?

To access an entire grade level group, go to Home > Directory.

Do I need to create Groups for my regular classes?

No. Your regular classes are already created and maintained through the nightly SIS sync. Groups are useful when you need to communicate with people who are not already together in one of your classes. Examples might include:

• Clubs and extracurricular activities
• Field trip participants
• After-school programs
• Student leadership groups

Special projects or activities involving students from multiple classes

Can unregistered users join a Group using a link?

No. If an unregistered user clicks a join link or scans a QR code, they will be prompted to register first. Only registered ParentSquare users can join groups via links, which is why all Eastwood staff must register their accounts (confirm email and phone number).

To view a list of all the Groups you belong to or can join:

1. 

   Select your desired school or district from the menu (depending on your role, you may only see one or two school options).

2. Go to the Home page

3. In the left sidebar, hover over Participate.

4. Choose Groups.

NOTE: From the mobile app, you can only see your groups. Tap the triple-bar menu button in the top left corner and tap the Groups tab.

Are Group Owners AUTOMATICALLY Post Collaborators?

No. Being a Group Owner does not automatically make you a post collaborator for posts sent to your group. Post collaborators must be explicitly added to each post.

What happens if I add someone to a Group after a post was already sent?

New members added after a post was sent will not receive a notification for that post. They will see the previous posts in the group's feed. 

Who can view a Group's member directory (listing of members)?

For most groups, members can see the member directory by default. Group Owners and Admins can restrict directory visibility to only Group Owners and Admins by enabling the "Hide directory" advanced option.

I'm in charge of a club, after school group or special activity. Can I communicate with those families through ParentSquare?

Yes. You can create a Private Group for students and/or parents who need to receive communication about a club, activity or special program. This allows you to use ParentSquare for those communications without sending information to your regular classes. Click here for instructions on creating a Private Group.

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POSTS FAQs

Can I send a Post to an entire grade level? 

Yes!  Click New Post > start typing the grade level and it will autopopulate the grade level group.

Can I request volunteers or ask families to provide items?

Yes, with Post Add-ons. ParentSquare Sign-Ups can be added to a Post when you need volunteers, donated items or other family participation. For example, you could request volunteers for a classroom activity or ask families to sign up to bring specific items for an event. Click here for instructions. 

Can I create parent-teacher conference sign-ups?

Yes, with Post Add-ons. ParentSquare includes Conference Sign-Ups, allowing families to select from available conference times. You can create available time slots and share the sign-up with the appropriate classes or groups. Click here for instructions to create conference sign ups.

Can I create forms or permission slips in ParentSquare?

Yes, with Post Add-ons. . ParentSquare Forms can be used to collect information, acknowledgments, permissions and other responses from families. Depending on the purpose of the form, you can also see who has and has not responded and send reminders when needed. Click here for instructions on how to create forms and permission slips.

Can I share photos, videos and files?

Yes. ParentSquare gives teachers several ways to share photos, videos and files with families via Posts. You can attach media to Posts, embed certain content directly within a post, or create photo albums when you have a collection of pictures from an activity or event. As always, follow Eastwood policies and procedures regarding student privacy and sharing student images.

Can I send a Post to a school group from the district?

No, school groups can only been posted to from the school. To post to the group from the district you will need access as a district user or the group would need to be created at the district level. Contact Betsy if you need this access. 

Common Delivery Status Types

See the status definition and then the What To Do About It (WTD)

Email Status

• Clicked: The user clicked on at least one link inside the email.
• Delivered: The email was successfully delivered to recipient. 
• Duplicate Email: The email is a duplicate. WTD:Email building secretary and request that the duplicate email be removed from FinalForms and DASL Progressbook.
• Opened: The user opened the email.
• Sent: The notification has been sent but we have not received confirmation from the user's email that it was successfully delivered. WTD: Resend the Post or Message to that specific user.
• Blocked: The user has blocked emails from ParentSquare and won't receive anything by email. WTD: check to see that the parent has a mobile phone number in the system, if so then the parent received your Post/Message via text. Or, if you want to make sure the communications are being received,  email the parent directly to discuss preferred communication method.
• Bounced: The email was not delivered. Likely, their email address needs to be updated or their inbox is full. WTD: email Betsy to contact the parent.
• Invalid Email: The email is incorrect. Likely, their email needs to be updated in FinalForms. WTD:email Betsy to contact the parent.
• Spam Report: The notification was marked as spam by the user's email. WTD: email Betsy to contact the parent.
   

Text Status

• Clicked: The user clicked on at least one link.
• Delivered: The user's carrier reported the text was delivered. 
• Duplicate: The phone number is a duplicate. WTD: Email building secretary and request that the duplicate phone be removed from FinalForms and DASL Progressbook.
• Invalid: The phone number is incorrect. Likely, their phone number needs to be updated. WTD: email Betsy to contact the parent.
• Landline: The phone number is marked as a landline and can't receive text messages. WTD: nothing if the parent has an email in the system (they are receiving your communication via email). If the parent does not have an email in the system, you may want to call the parent to find out what their preferred communication method is.
• Not Delivered: The text was not delivered. WTD: check to see that the parent has an email address in the system, if so then the parent received your Message/Post via email.
• Pending Digest: Notification is waiting to be sent as a digest notification (6pm in the school's timezone). 
• Failed: The text was not delivered due to a carrier failure. Likely, the recipient is out of service, has opted out of texts or their phone is off. WTD: check to see that the parent has an email address in the system, if so then the parent received your Message/Post via email.
• Unknown: It could be any number of reasons. WTD: contact Betsy.
  ​​​​​​​

App Notification Status

• Delivered: The notification has been delivered to the recipient’s device.
• Sending: The notification is still sending to the recipient’s network for delivery.
• Read: The notification was successfully delivered and the user has click on the notification. 
• Sent: The notification has been sent to the recipient’s network for delivery.
• Failed:  It could be any number of reasons, like invalid device token, app is no longer installed, device is off/unreachable, other. WTD: check to see that the parent has an email address or phone number in the system, if so then the parent received your Message/Post via email or text - may want to make note of this to see if you continually receive 'failed' for this parent and then make sure they are receiving communications via email or text.
• n/a: Either the user has not downloaded the App or they have opted out of that notification method. WTD: nothing because they have likely chosen not to get communications via the App.
• Viewed: If "Yes", one or more of the following apply. The notification was:
  • Delivered by email AND opened or a link was clicked.
  • Delivered by text, or the link in the text was clicked. 
  • Delivered by app notification.
    Note: For digest notifications, when the user opens the notification all posts in that notification are marked as viewed. 

Follow These Steps to Create a Group:

1. In the left sidebar, hover over Participate, then click Groups.

2. In the top right corner of the Groups page, click the New Group button.

 

3. Choose Managed Private for the type of Group you want to create, then click the Create group button. Note: if you think a different type of Group would be better for your purpose, contact Betsy. But, the vast majority of Groups that staff and teachers want to create will be the Private Group type.

4. Complete the form to add the group name, a description, and various settings. The following elements are required to set up every Group.

• Group Name - make it short but descriptive
• Description - provide a brief description so that other staff members can easily understand the purpose of the group
• If applicable, add additional Owners (e.g. co-teacher) and/or Managers. Difference between the two is that Owners can change Group settings.
• Advanced settings - review a description of these settings below if you wish but default advanced settings will be appropriate for most Groups.

 

5. Click Save and Add People (or click Save if you want to return later to add people to your Group)

You have several options for how to add people to your Group (see image below). Choose the option that best suits your needs. See suggestions below the image for when to use each option. 

6. Once you add people, click Save.

Which add method should I use? Here are some guidelines to consider.

Group Invitation Link: Use join codes for broad, voluntary staff or parent programs where manually tracking many names would be an operational bottleneck. 

• Display a join code on a projector screen during a district wide training session.
• On back-to-school nights place QR codes linked to the join URL on tables so incoming parents can opt into specific interest tracks
• Club advisors (e.g., Robotics, Drama, or Art Club) post a flyer in the hallway with the ParentSquare join code so interested students can join on their own
• Teacher sends home a newsletter with a link saying, "If you are interested in volunteering for classroom parties or chaperone opportunities this year, click this link to join our volunteer group."

Note: You can customize the join code to make it more memorable (e.g., "parentclub" instead of a random string). The code must be unique across your district.

Add by Selecting Students or Add by Name or Role: 

• For District Admins: Small internal working Groups
• For Teachers: Small group interventions, Math help club, Student Council officers, Teacher work Groups, Grade level team or Department member Group or Parent volunteers/chaperones.

Add Guest Members: When you have a small group of people who are not Eastwood staff or parents of current students. Please be mindful of adding Guests because the district is alotted a limited number of Guests to add to the platform. If you have any questions or concerns about this option, contact Betsy.

Add by uploading CSV: When you have a large list of students, parents and/or staff that you do not want to look up individually.

What are Direct Messages? 

Direct Messages (often called DMs) allow private communication with one person or a small group. Only the selected participants can see and reply to the conversation. Messages include two formats: a private Direct Message or a shared Group Conversation.  

When sending a message, you can choose between two options: 

• Direct Message: Sends your message to one or more recipients in separate, private threads (similar to BCC in email). Each recipient sees only their conversation with you. This option is best when you want to keep communication private between individuals. To learn more, see Send Direct Messages.
• Group Conversation: Creates one shared thread for everyone included (similar to CC in email). All participants can see and reply to the full conversation. This option is ideal for collaborative discussions. To learn more, see Send Direct Messages.

Customize Your Direct Message Settings

• Staff can set up Office Hours to silence message notifications outside of working hours. To learn more, see Manage Your Account Settings. 
• Students, parents, and staff can enable notifications in their browser to receive notifications for direct messages they receive when signed in to parentsquare.com. To learn more, see Set Browser Notifications for Direct Messages. 

Video - Watch Overview of Direct Messaging 

Who You Can Message

All signed-in users can use Direct Messages; who you can send to is determined by role and school settings.

Role	Can Direct Message
School Admin	Anybody at school
District Admin	Anybody in district
Teacher	Anybody at school
School Staff	Anybody at school
District Staff	Any staff in district, district admins
Principal	Anybody at school
Parent/Guardian	Any staff at school (except principal), teacher and class assistant/room parent. When part of a group, any Group Owner, Group Manager (except for Guest Group Managers)
Parent/Guardian (if parent-to-parent enabled)	Any staff at school (except principal), teacher, class assistant/room parent and other parents at school
Parent/Guardian (if family messaging enabled)	Any staff at school (except principal), teacher, class assistant/room parent and their student (if StudentSquare enabled). Can message the other parent(s) linked to the same student in messages with their shared student or a staff member
Student (if SSQ enabled)	Any staff at school (except principal), teacher and class assistant/room parent
Group Owner*	Own group members at their own site (or at multiple sites if a district-level owner)
Group Manager*	Own group members at their own site (or at multiple sites if a district-level manager)
Group Member**	Owners and managers of their group if owner is school staff (cannot initiate message if owner is district staff)

* Direct Messages for district-level groups must be initiated by the district Group Owner or Manager.

** Guest users cannot send a Direct Message unless they are the group owner or manager. 

Explore these short videos to learn how to navigate ParentSquare, manage your settings and stay connected with Eastwood.

Post & Share From the App - Teachers 

Create Appointment Sign Ups 

Posts - Send Forms/Permission Slips 

Direct Messages - Send & Reply

Groups Overview - Instructions & Video 

ParentSquare Academy offers feature specific courses such as Posts and Direct Messages. We also offer Learning Paths, based on user role, that walk you through a curated series of courses and offers a completion certificate at the end. To begin, visit ParentSquare Academy.