Announcements and communication

Announcements#

Announcements are the main way to reach parents and students. They appear in the portal, the SEMS app and (if you choose) on your school website.

1. Go to Communication & Media → Announcement and click Add.
2. Enter a title and the message; attach a file (PDF, image) if needed — e.g. the term calendar or a fee schedule.
3. Choose the audience: whole school, specific class arms, or staff only.
4. Save. Recipients see it immediately in the portal and app, and receive a push notification if the app is installed.

Publishing an announcement.

Good practice: one clear topic per announcement, a date in the title for time-bound notices ("PTA meeting — Sat 14 Feb"), and attach the full document rather than pasting long text.

Push notifications#

Communication & Media → Notification sends a short push notification to app users without creating an announcement (e.g. "School closes at 12 noon today"). Requires the notification settings under Settings → Notification settings to be configured — this is done for you when your school is set up.

News, events and gallery on the website#

Public news stories, events and photo albums are managed under School website (see School website). Use announcements for internal notices and news/events for the public.

Student diary#

Teachers write daily notes about a student (behaviour, health, homework) under Student diary; parents see them in the portal. Diary categories are set under Communication & Media → Diary category.

Contact enquiries#

Messages sent through the Contact form on your school website appear under Communication & Media → Contact Inquiry. Reply by email or phone and mark them as handled.

Letters and memos with SEMS AI#

Where SEMS AI is enabled, ask the assistant to draft an announcement, letter to parents or memo. Drafts are saved under SEMS AI → Drafts for review; nothing is sent until you copy the text into an announcement or letter yourself. See SEMS AI Guide.

Email and WhatsApp#

• Settings → Email configuration lets the school send from its own email address (optional; SEMS sends from its platform address by default).
• WhatsApp links on the website (School website → Contact) open a chat with the school's number.