For parents: messaging your school

When you need to contact the school for something quick (a schedule question, a note about your child, a thank-you), the portal has a messaging feature.

Where to find it

1. Sign in to your parent portal.
2. Tap Messages in the menu.

You see a list of conversations. The most recent at the top. Tap any to open and read.

Starting a new message

1. Tap New message.
2. Pick a topic (general, billing, schedule, instructor, etc.). The topic helps the school route to the right person.
3. Type your message.
4. Send.

A school staff member sees it. Most schools reply within a few hours during business hours, often faster.

Response times

• During business hours (typically 9am to 8pm): Most replies within 2 hours.
• Evenings and weekends: Many schools check messages once or twice. Replies may take overnight.
• Holidays: Plan for slower responses.

If something is urgent (your child is sick and missing a class today, schedule emergency), say so in the message. Schools triage by urgency.

What to use messaging for

Good fits:

• Schedule questions ("Is class on Friday?")
• Brief updates ("Aiden is recovering from a cold and may miss tomorrow.")
• Quick thank-yous to a specific instructor.
• Permission notes ("Lisa has permission to be picked up by her grandma today.")
• Billing questions.

Less good fits:

• Long policy disputes. Better in person or on the phone.
• Behavioral conversations about your child. Better in person.
• Anything emotional. Better in person.

What you should not message about

Same channel etiquette as any business:

• Personal opinions about other families.
• Complaints that could go in a public review.
• Anything you would not want screenshotted.

Notifications

When the school replies, you get:

• An email notification.
• A push notification (if you have the mobile app and it is enabled).

You can adjust notification preferences for messages under Notifications in your settings.

File attachments

You can attach a photo or PDF to a message. Useful for:

• A doctor's note explaining an absence.
• A photo of an injury so the school knows what to watch for.
• A copy of an upcoming event flier.

Attachments are stored alongside the message and visible to the school for as long as the conversation exists.

Privacy

Messages between you and the school are visible to:

• You and any co-guardians on your account.
• School staff (typically the front desk, the head instructor, and the owner).

Messages are not visible to other families.

When messaging is not the right channel

For some things, calling or visiting is faster:

• You need an answer in the next 10 minutes.
• The topic is sensitive and benefits from a conversation, not a thread.
• You are upset and want to resolve something.

In all those cases, the school's phone number is in your dashboard footer. Use it.

Archiving old conversations

After a thread is resolved, you can archive it. It moves out of your active list but is still searchable. Useful if you have lots of past conversations and want a clean inbox.

Limits

There is no hard limit on how many messages you can send. But please be reasonable. Five messages in five minutes about the same thing is more likely to confuse than help. Bundle related questions into one message.