ParentSquare Communications Platform for Families, Staff and Community

The School District of Washington is launching the ParentSquare platform for all school communications to families and staff. ParentSquare replaces SchoolMessenger.

ParentSquare is a unified communications platform designed to keep families informed and create greater engagement and connection with the School District of Washington community.

The SDOW sends important updates and timely alerts using ParentSquare, primarily communicating through email and the ParentSquare app, based on user preferences. Text messages are used for certain communications; phone calls are reserved for emergencies and other time sensitive events and are only used when necessary.

All families with a student enrolled at the SDOW automatically receive school news and emergency notifications, as long as there is an accurate email and cell phone number in Lumen. If any of your contact information changes at any time, please contact the school so it can be updated in Lumen. If your information is not up-to-date, you will not receive notifications from the district.

For Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: How do I activate my account?

Parents/guardians/caregivers are automatically connected to ParentSquare but must activate their accounts to receive text messages, app notifications and voice calls through the system.

To activate your account, go to the ParentSquare sign in web page and on the right side of the screen in the “Sign Up/Create Password” area, enter the email address or cell phone number that you have on file with the school.

For Staff Members: How do I activate my ParentSquare account?

ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each staff member; sign in with Google using your School District of Washington email address. Classrooms and class rosters are automatically setup in ParentSquare, when they are ready and released in Lumen. We encourage staff members to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app, update their preferences and begin using the platform to communicate with students and their families.

You can activate your ParentSquare account by signing in to ParentSquare using the contact information (email or phone number) that matches the data that is on record with Human Resources.

How do I set up my account to receive text messages and/or phone calls?

1. When you are logged in to ParentSquare, in the top right hand corner of the page click on your name and then “My Account.”
2. Click “Edit” toward the top right side of the page. In the middle of the screen click, “Add Phone” and your phone number.
3. A verification code will be sent to your phone. Enter the code where prompted and click “Confirm” and save.

How do I get the ParentSquare app set up on my phone?

The ParentSquare app is available for Apple and Android devices. After you download the ParentSquare app, you will log-in to ParentSquare using the email address or cell phone that the district has on file for you.

How do I set up my app to receive push notifications?

For help configuring these notifications, please reference the type of device you have below:

• Apple iOS
• Android

What message preferences are available?

There are two ways that you can customize the way you receive messages from ParentSquare: The type of message you receive and the timing of the message.

Type of Message

You can choose to receive any or all of these message types through ParentSquare:

• Emails
• Text Messages
• App Notifications

Note: You would only receive a phone call in an emergency or time sensitive situation.

Timing of the Message

For each of the three message types listed above, you can select the timing of when you receive the messages in the following way:

• OFF: You will never receive this message type. (Example, you turn off text messages because you get app notifications.)
• INSTANT: You receive all messages as soon as they are sent.
• DIGEST: You receive all messages in a single notice at 6 p.m. each evening. (Note: You will not miss an urgent/emergency message if you select this because those types of messages are set to override the digest setting.)

How can I customize my ParentSquare message preferences?

1. When you are logged in to ParentSquare, in the top right hand corner of the page click on your name and then “My Account.”
2. On the right side of the page, in the area that says “Notification Settings” click “Customize Your Settings”
3. This will bring you to a page that will allow you to turn your settings for Email, App Notifications, and Text Messages (if enabled) to either: OFF, INSTANT, or DIGEST, as defined above.

How do I customize my language preferences?

Using a website browser

1. From Home, click the down arrow next to your name, in the upper right.
2. Select “My Account.”
3. In the left sidebar, go to the “Language Setting” option and select your preferred language.

Using the mobile app

1. From “Home,” tap the triple bars in the upper right.
2. Select “Account Preferences” then select “Language.”
3. Choose your preferred language.

If I choose to receive “Digest” messages, will I miss an urgent message, including a snow day alert?

No, you will not miss an urgent message if you select the Digest option. The district will override the digest setting in truly urgent or emergency situations or when the information is time sensitive, such as a Snow Day.