Once you start using Bloomz as a teacher it becomes very clear the whole school should be using this tool. With Bloomz, the principal, specialists, and special education department can connect to the whole school community. More than ever we need the nurse and school counselor readily available to students and staff. Teachers, students, and families will see important building wide information from all educational professionals in the building when Bloomz is implemented school wide.

One example I can share as a teacher is from last year when I saw a student made flyer for pajama day on the hallway wall of my building. I noticed the event was going to be happening in a few days but it was the first time I'd heard anything about it. I quickly took a picture of it, walked back into my classroom and shared that pic as an announcement on Bloomz so it would stay at the top of my news feed until pajama day. Because my school building is set up so that there are classes in portables and some classrooms inside, communication can feel disjointed between grade levels. In the end my class was the only lower elementary class that wore pajamas because parents knew about the event from my Bloomz announcement. With whole school use classes across grade levels can receive the same information with a post or announcement from the administration.

Announcements: Make an announcement to remind parents about an upcoming event. Announcements will stay at the top of Bloomz home screen for a specified period of time. Decide how long you’d like it to be pinned to the top and it will be the first thing parents see. Teachers can make an announcement to a class or a group. 

Specialist Teachers & Bloomz

Bringing in specialists to online learning was a challenge for my school last year as Covid-19 shut down our building. Incorporating specialists in a school community on Bloomz is a solution that works. The biggest help for me as a classroom teacher was the special education department being looped into Bloomz.

They can do that two ways:

1. Create their own class and add all students. You might want to check in with your families and make sure they feel comfortable being known as a family receiving services.
2. Join the teachers' classes that have students receiving special education services.

Both ways work. My special education team experimented with each method before ultimately choosing the one that worked best for their them. Communication was flowing to students confidentially through messaging and they were able to post general updates like any other classroom teacher on the news feed.

Individualized Behavior Acknowledgments

Using the Bloomz behavior tracking system was very helpful for specific behaviors and needs the special education department works on with students. Teachers can create acknowledgements tailored to the student's IEP to communicate behaviors to families.

When the building closure hit I created behavior acknowledgments for working in IXL and Headsprout in my general education classroom. On Fridays I acknowledged student engagement and they watched their Mystery Monsterz hatch. It’s a way to connect and continue building a positive and encouraging school community through remote, hybrid, or in-person learning.

Lastly, teachers and administrators can create a culturally responsive and relevant learning environment with Bloomz so that students and families see THEMSELVES in the pictures, topics, books, videos, or posters shared within the app. It is a multi-media tool that motivates and engages all learning styles. When an entire school is on board with Bloomz students and families feel supported and connected. This results in the overall school climate being enhanced. A positive school culture or climate leads to less discipline issues impacting the community.

Getting started is easy.

1. Schedule a call with our team
2. Watch this short demo to familiarize yourself with Bloomz
3. After our call, we'll set up your school and administrator account
4. Done! You can now get your community and communication started

If you haven't already be sure to check out our latest webinar “I Got My Whole School On Bloomz And We Love It!”

Do you have a positive experience with your school or district using Bloomz? Please comment in the section below.

Jude Miqueli is a Bloomz Ambassador, Educational Technologist and Teacher certified in Elementary Education K-8, ESL, and Montessori.