Alright.  You found this amazing communication tool to help with parent communication.  You sit down and create your class.  You find the perfect picture of yourself, and the perfect cover photo of your class, and you are ready to roll.  There is just one thing in your way….. Inviting parents!  It may seem like work, it may seem like a pain, but don’t worry!  We have your back!

There are three different ways to invite parents, but which one to choose?  Let’s take a look at the different options and see if we can’t find one that works best for you.

1. Texting- Our newest option for inviting parents is an easy way to involve parents on the go that don’t have smartphones. Using a teacher generated class code, all parents will have to do is send their code via Text Message to 1-858- BLOOMZ1 (1-858-256-6691), and we will send back instructions via text for parents to finish creating their account.

To get directions (with pictures!) on inviting parents through texts, click here.

2. Class Codes- Class codes is another easy way to make bloomz available for your class parents. Simply give them a unique class code (found under the invite tab) and parents will log in to bloomz.net and sign up using your code.  They will be able to create an account and start receiving all of your information right away!

To see in detail how the class code feature works, click here.

Both of these features are a wonderful way to reach parents easily and effectively.  But what if they don’t sign up?  These two features save you time on the front end by getting to skip the invite process, but leaving parents responsible for signing up on their own lends itself to more work with having to send out reminders, and still manage two avenues of communication.  Don’t get me wrong- both text and class code options are a great way to reach parents!  Getting a text message or notification from their child’s teacher is a highlight of the day!  But can we be even more streamlined and reach everyone?

Yes!

3. Email Invite- Saving the best for last, we have two ways to invite parents through email. We have a smart invite, where bloomz will pull your class list emails from your current default email app or Gmail.  You can also enter emails manually (which includes copy and paste). Using this format, you will be able to reach all of your parents, whether or not they chose to sign up!  If they aren’t interested in creating a Bloomz account, it is ok.  Because you have already attached their email to your class account, they will still receive all of your information in an email form.  So no more managing two communication lists!!! Because of this, inviting through email is the Bloomz recommended way to invite parents.

Using any one of these three ways to invite families to your classroom will have you effectively communicating and engaging parents in no time.  So- what are you waiting for?