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District communications team details new materials, ParentSquare rollout and emergency messaging tools
Summary
Communications director presented a refreshed district profile, plans to publish materials, analytics-driven posting cadence and the district's rollout of ParentSquare and Catapult EMS for emergency and family communications.
Ontario School District 8C communications staff reviewed the district profile and new messaging tools the board will use this year, including a broad rollout of ParentSquare for family communications and Catapult EMS for staff emergency alerts.
Communications director Taryn outlined the district's approach to transparency, timing and channels.
Why it matters
The district emphasized clarity, accessibility and translation: ParentSquare can translate messages into families’ preferred languages, and Taryn said the district has imported roughly 95% of staff and students into the new system. Catapult EMS is used for rapid staff alerts for emergency responses. The communications plan affects how families receive calendars, newsletters and safety notifications.
Key points presented
- District profile and comms commitments: Staff displayed a refreshed district profile (planned as a public landing page and printed packet) and listed communications commitments — clarity, transparency, accessibility, collaboration and consistency — intended to guide outreach.
- ParentSquare rollout: The district replaced Remind with ParentSquare following the vendor acquisition; staff said it centralizes messages in a single feed, allows administrators to set preferred language translations, and gives district staff back-end control (for example, staff can adjust a parent’s notification settings). Taryn reported the district had rolled in about 95% of staff and students at the time of the meeting.
- Emergency messaging (Catapult EMS): Catapult EMS is the district’s staff emergency notification platform; staff said it is reserved for catastrophic events and that it has been used successfully in prior evacuations.
- Analytics and audience strategy: Taryn described monitoring engagement metrics (click rates, best send times) and using multiple channels (website, ParentSquare, Facebook) to reach families with different preferences.
Quotes and context
Taryn said ParentSquare "automatically translates" messages into families’ preferred languages and noted the district can change notification settings on the back end to assist families who need help receiving texts or emails. The board discussed that Catapult EMS enables quick staff alerts but sometimes situations deescalate before parent notifications are required.
What was not decided
No board action was required; the presentation was informational. Staff will publish the district profile, continue ParentSquare training and monitor implementation quirks.
Next steps
Staff will post the district profile on the website, print copies for community distribution, continue fine-tuning ParentSquare settings and evaluate engagement metrics to refine delivery timing and content.
