Communications
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Updated October 4, 2022
A Parent / Teacher / Student Communication ToolFramingham Public Schools uses Remind, a district-wide classroom communication tool that is free to use and makes it easy to stay involved with your child's learning. With Remind, members of the FPS Community will be able to get and send messages in their preferred language, on any device —even a simple text message from a cell phone!
With Remind:
- Parents can choose how to receive messages – text, email, or mobile app
- It allows for safe and secure messaging that is available in multiple languages
- It has a call feature, so teachers may use it to make calls
- Users can select their preferred language to send and receive messages
Create Your Account Today:
- Download the App: iOS - Apple App Store
- Download the App: Android - Google Play Store
- Create an Account on the Remind Website
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Getting Started for Parents
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Guía de inicio para los padres
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Introdução Para os Pais
Parent FAQs
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How do I send and receive messages in a language other than English?
When you review your account settings and choose a preferred language, you will be able to send and receive messages in that language. For example, if a teacher's preferred language is set to English and yours is set to Portuguese, a message will be sent by the teacher in English, you will receive it in Portuguese, you respond in Portuguese, and the teacher receives the message in English.
The best way to ensure the translation feature is on and working is to use the app, type your message, and look for the translate icon. If it's blue (as shown below), it should translate automatically to the recipient's preferred language.
Translation Icon:
Note: The district created Remind accounts for primary parents/guardians and the preferred language has been set based on the translation language in our student information system. If this has been done incorrectly, you can change the language in your account settings.
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How will I receive communication through Remind?
Parents/Guardians and High School Students can choose between email, text messages, and app notifications to receive messages sent by teachers or administrators. Once logged into Remind from a computer or smart phone, students and families can adjust Account Settings / Notifications to choose how they want to receive communications in their settings.
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What type of communication will I receive through Remind?
Teachers may use Remind for important announcements and for keeping in touch regarding assignments and other academic reasons. They will be able to send class announcements, group messages, and 1:1 conversations about individual students. Teachers are not required to use Remind, but it is the preferred and supported two-way communication platform for teachers, support staff, and OST coordinators.
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Is there a cost associated with using Remind?
Framingham Public Schools pays for premium Remind accounts for all our users. There is no cost for students, families or teachers associated with using the service itself. However, if you elect to receive messages via text, standard texting rates from your phone’s service provider apply. If you do not wish to incur these costs, you can set your preferences on remind.com to receive email notifications only. You can also use the mobile app and when on wi-fi will not incur any fees or use your data.
Teachers / Staff FAQs
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How can I restore a class I archived by accident?
Teachers can view and restore archived classes at any time in their account settings, under 'Archived classes'. Actively rostered classes will have a green chainlink icon next to them for easy identification.
To restore an archived class:- On the Remind website, go into your account settings and click on 'Archived classes.' You'll find the page split into Current classes and Archived classes.
- In the iOS app, at the top of your class list, you'll find a link to Edit Classes. Tap this to show your archived classes. Once your archived classes are shown, you can select the classes to restore.
Note that it isn't possible to have two classes with the same name in the same account, so if you'd like to restore an archived class but you already have a new class with the same name, you can update the name of the new class before restoring the archived class. Let me know if you'd like more information on that.
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Who is automatically added to Remind?
As of August 2023, Teachers, Classes, Students, and Primary Parent/Guardians are rostered from our Student Information System (Aspen).
- Teacher accounts are created with information from Aspen. Email addresses and cell phone numbers are used to generate Remind accounts.
- Student accounts are created with their school-issued email address.
- Students who are under 13yo cannot be sent direct messages and cannot reply to announcements.
- Students 13+ can receive direct messages and can reply.
- Primary Parents/Guardians have been added to rostered classes and can receive messages when sent by teachers. Additional Parent/Guardians can be added classes manually. There are several ways to invite people to classes! Once they join, they should be connected / linked to their students.
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I already have a Remind account for my classroom. Do I need to make a separate or new account to use Remind?
No. If you created your old Remind account with your district email address, the two accounts will merge when you accept your rostered account.
If you used a different email address for Remind, you should now login with your district email to activate your new account. If you contact support@remindhq.com, they will be able to merge your two accounts.
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I had previously created classes. Can I merge an existing class with a new one created by the District?
You can merge a pre-existing account with a newly created account, but you cannot merge classes.
Unfortunately - there isn't a way to merge classes. You can continue with the class you already created - but it contains only the people that you added - presumably only parents. If students come or go - you will need to manage them manually by adding or removing people.
The classes created by the District contain your students, their Primary Parent/Guardian, and the connection is made so you know who is in the same family. If you maintain previously created classes outside of the roster, you would need to invite parents to join the new class and then connect/link students to parents.
Whichever class(es) you choose NOT to move forward with can be archived.
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How do I merge an existing Remind account with the new one FPS created for me?
Please reference this how-to from Remind: https://help.remind.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000633160-Combine-multiple-Remind-accounts
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How do I have my Remind messages translated for families that don’t speak English?
Remind has a built-in and automated translation feature. When drafting your message in the app or on the web, you should see a blue translate button beneath the message composer. Clicking on that, you will see what languages the message will be translated into. If you see that any recipients do not have a preferred language set, you can update the preferred language of your parents when viewing their account information.
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Who do I contact for technical support?
- You can always contact Remind's Support by clicking on the drop down with your name in the top left corner of the web-based version of Remind (You can also click the gear in the mobile app). This technical support comes with our premium account.
- The District is gathering questions in a Google Form. This will put all Remind-focused questions and feedback in one place.
- Following this, you can always contact Rochelle Santos or submit a Helpdesk Ticket.
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I am not a classroom teacher. Can I get access to Remind?
Of course. Any FPS Staff Member who needs to communicate with FPS families can get access to a Remind account. You can talk to your school Principal for the access that you need.
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Can I use Class Dojo?
The District does not support the use of Class Dojo. For messaging purposes, Class Dojo is not safe and secure and doesn’t allow for archival at the district level as required by law.
Administrator FAQs
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Who do I contact to add an additional school administrator to my school?
Please contact Rochelle Santos or submit a Helpdesk Ticket to request access for an additional school administrator (such as an Assistant Principal, Office Manager, or School Nurse).
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How do I access training for Remind?
There is a growing compilation of videos and links in the Self-Paced Communications Course in Canvas. You can also reach out to Rochelle Santos for specific questions and new training amterial can be made available if something is needed but does not exist.
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Who do I contact for technical support?
- Because Remind is brand new - we are gathering questions in a Google Form. This will put all Remind-focused questions and feedback in one place.
- Following this, you can always contact Rochelle Santos or submit a Helpdesk Ticket.
- Remind also offers support. You can contact them from the mobile app or website. Click the three dots or dropdown to access your account information and select, "Contact Remind".