School Messaging: Working for you, not owning you.

Life Hack #1
Prepare families for text messages from your school.

Text messaging offers a quick and convenient line of communication between staff and families. 

Here are some tips to text "responsibly" for greatest impact 😉

• Sometimes phone carriers will block unrecognized numbers. One great tip? At the beginning of the school year, send a friendly text inviting families to save your school’s number. That way, they'll recognize your messages throughout the year.
• Frogtummy myInbox is built for simplicity and impact. You can easily see replies and respond from your dashboard, keeping all your communication organized in one place. 
• Keep texts short and to the point (ideally under 160 characters). Use them for time-sensitive updates, and be careful not to over-message families—less is often more when it comes to getting their attention.

Life Hack #2
Want feedback from families? Just ask!

Reaching out to your families a few times a year with a quick survey is a simple way to understand what’s working and what’s not when it comes to school communication. Whether you want input on how families prefer to receive updates or just want general feedback, you can create a survey in minutes right on your Frogtummy site.

Here’s how:

1. Create a new page
2. Drag in a form widget
3. Customize the questions to get the feedback you need
4. Share the page link with your families via text or email

Don’t forget to edit the backend settings: set up a "thank you" message, decide where submissions go, and collect those responses. The best part? You only need to build the form once. You can reuse the same link any time you want to check in with your school community.

It’s a quick win that helps build trust and keeps your communication strategy aligned with what families actually want.

Life Hack #3
Save time with pre-made templates.

School communication gets busy fast. One of the easiest ways to save time is pre-made templates, available in Frogtummy myInbox. Pre-made templates make it quick and easy to send polished, professional messages—without starting from scratch each time.

Use templates for things like:

• "No School” Reminder
• Weekly Updates
• Info about Student-Led Conferences
• Emergencies

Templates are especially helpful for events or announcements that happen regularly (even just once a year). Plus, when multiple staff members are sending messages, templates help keep the tone and format consistent—so families aren’t left confused by mixed messages.

You can create, edit, and send templates from the Send Message screen in myInbox. Just be sure to give each message a quick review before sending to catch any outdated details or incorrect info—it only takes a second and can save a lot of follow-up!

Life Hack #4
Schedule messages ahead of time.

One of the easiest ways to lighten your load during busy seasons? Schedule your messages in advance. 

With myInbox, you can set up important reminders, like "No School Tomorrow" messages, for the whole year using the Send on Future Dates feature, which allows you to schedule a message to be sent on multiple pre-determined days/times in the future. 

Want to include more specific details? You can create custom messages for individual days, like “No school Friday for Teacher Compensation Day.”

Pre-scheduling messages during slower times of year gives you one less thing to worry about when things get hectic. Use this simple trick to save time and keep your communication consistent.

Keep It Clear and Simple

When it comes to school communication, clarity wins every time. Try not to overload families with too much information in a single message. Instead, break things up into sections or bullet points, and always put the most important info right at the top.

A quick trick? Send yourself a test email and read it on your phone; that’s how most families will see it anyway. You'll catch formatting issues, overly long paragraphs, or anything that doesn’t translate well on mobile.

Also, keep your texts short and sweet (under 160 characters is ideal), especially with carriers like T-Mobile, where longer texts might get split or blocked.

Be Consistent

Families are more likely to read your messages when they know when to expect them. A regular rhythm—like sending a weekly update every Friday—helps build trust and ensures important updates aren’t missed.

If you're sending a text alert alongside an email, decide how your school will handle it (e.g., “We send a short text any time a schoolwide email goes out”) and stick to it. Consistency helps families build the habit of checking in.

Use Multiple Channels

Not every family checks their email daily, which is why it's smart to use both email and text, especially when timing matters. For time-sensitive updates, like early outs or last-minute changes, a quick text is your best bet. For longer updates or attachments, stick with email.

By using both channels strategically, you’ll make sure your messages reach more families—without overwhelming them.

Less is More

We get it—there’s always a lot going on. But too many messages (or messages that are too long) can lead to information overload. When families feel overwhelmed, they’re more likely to skim… or stop reading altogether.

The solution? Keep your content short, focused, and purposeful. And if you find yourself sending messages every day, pause and ask: Can this be bundled into a weekly update? Being intentional about how often you communicate helps ensure your messages continue to be opened and trusted.

Coming soon on the Frogtummy roadmap: myNewsletter 

Janice announced Frogtummy has plans to develop myNewsletter. A module that will make building, sharing, and archiving your newsletters a breeze. We'd love thoughts and insights on what you would like to see with that future development. 

Currently, it is planned to be able to:

• Drag-and-drop widgets to build a customized newsletter
• Share it seamlessly with your families through myInbox via email & SMS
• Create the newsletter in various file formats, including: JPG, PDF and inline to your email 
• Easily archive past editions for storage on your site

Email janice@frogtummy.com to share what you'd like to see in the new module.