Recently we sat down for a conversation with Sylvia Chan, Teacher at Cherrywood Elementary in San Jose, CA. Cherrywood is a school of approximately 520 students.

“Finding the right platform to communicate with parents and manage the classroom can be challenging for a principal. I've used platforms like Remind and ClassDojo in the past, but I was still looking for a solution that would provide everything I needed in one place. That's when I discovered Bloomz.

Bloomz offered a calendar feature and a conference function that allowed parents to sign up to volunteer in my classroom, which I was looking for. Although it took some getting used to, Bloomz ended up being the perfect solution for my classroom needs. I was delighted that Bloomz offered digital portfolios because I had been doing that for my own kids, so this was a great addition.

Bloomz proved so valuable that I started recommending it to other teachers because it made integration easier. Parents also loved Bloomz, so they would express their interest to other first-grade teachers, which helped spread the word.

One of the things I loved about Bloomz was the visual aspect of it. Children could see how they were improving with a flower or a monster that looked like Pokemon. Kids love seeing their progress, especially those in primary school, so this was a great feature. What made Bloomz stand out was that it wasn't just positive points but negative and neutral points. I could also add comments quickly on my iPad to keep parents informed, which helped cut down on questions about why their child received a specific color card.

In the past, I had used ClassDojo, which was great for behavior management, but communication took a bit more work. I appreciated the ease of use of Bloomz and how it was mobile-friendly, which allowed me to receive messages on my iWatch. The fact that I could project it on my TV made it even better because the kids loved the interaction.

Overall we have been very happy with Bloomz.”