Getting started Guide😀(Checklist)

Parent Square Academy (must be logged in)

Parent Square Help Database (must be logged in)

If you are messaging groups of students/parents at a time, make sure you use private, not group (see below)

All Post Authors – Easy Actions

Options (gear icon) for a post – there are several action options for a post available from the home feed via the gear icon.

• If you edit your post, send an update as well to notify your users of the change.

Adjust the Post Filter – switch your view to "All School, Classes, and Groups" on the post-filter (upper right corner on your home feed page) allows staff to cross collaborate by seeing posts throughout the school.

• You can also use the filter to navigate to the page for your groups or classes.

Embed a video in your post – use the camera icon in the text editing toolbar of your post to embed videos directly into your post from the web.

• Upload your video to Vimeo, YouTube, or Google Video, then use a link to embed in your post. Playing directly from the post allows parents to watch the content in a viewable format without having to download the video.

Use a good subject line – don't underestimate the importance of a good subject line. Text users primarily see the subject line…use a hook to make them click to open the full post!

• Keep it short and sweet while clearly stating what your post is about.

  Teachers – Organize

Resource Hub – create and share a variety of resources with staff, students, and parents. Easily organize resources in folders and classify them by subject. Let teachers know they can add videos, audio, images, files, and more.

• Add syllabus, weekly schedules, projects, and core subject resources.

Calendar – add a calendar to the class or group that you manage. Calendars can be populated directly into ParentSquare or by adding a calendar link from calendars such as Google.

• If you don't have a calendar to link, click directly on a date and type in the event. No notification will be sent out.

Schedule a Post – write today, post later! Create a post anytime and schedule it to be sent at a future date and time. This is great if you want to type it up at night or the weekend and have it ready to go out later in the week.

• To edit your scheduled post, click on your account and scroll down to view scheduled and draft posts.

Virtual Phone FAQ 

Changes in messaging on Parentsquare

Starting in August 2025, ParentSquare is rolling out a new way to send text messages: instead of using a 5-digit short code, most messages will now come from 10-digit local phone numbers. This change will help messages feel more personal and stay better organized in your text messaging app.

What’s changing? 

Previously, all ParentSquare messages came from the same 5-digit number. With this update, you’ll receive texts from regular 10-digit phone numbers, depending on the type of message:

• Direct Messages: One number for each conversation with a teacher or staff member

• Classroom & Group Posts: One number for all classes and groups per school

• School-wide Posts: One number per school

• Alerts, Digests, District-wide Posts and District Group Messages: The same 5-digit number that you've always seen

No action needed—just keep an eye out for those first-time messages! 

You will get a short message the first time each number is used to help you save it in your contacts. 

Learn more and see examples: Example of Changes to ParentSquare Text Messages

What should I do? 

When you receive a message from one of these new 10-digit numbers, save it to your contacts. Here are some suggestions:

• Save a teacher’s number as: Ms. Davis - 4th Grade

• Save classroom/group posts as: Lincoln Elementary Classes

• Save school posts number as: Lincoln Elementary Updates

Why is this happening? 

There are two key reasons behind this update:

1. A better experience for families: You’ll be able to see who a message is from and keep texts organized by person or school. For example, messages from your child’s teacher will come from a different number than messages from the school office—so it’s easier to stay on top of conversations and know exactly who’s contacting you.

2. Industry-wide updates from phone carriers: Phone providers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile now require messages like these to come from 10-digit phone numbers instead of short codes. This change helps providers reliably deliver messages and avoids providers mistakenly flagging them as spam.

We’ve also heard from our users that they appreciated this type of messaging setup in the Remind platform, so we’re making it available in ParentSquare, too!

Will this affect the app or email? 

No. Emails and app messages will stay exactly the same. This change only affects text messages (SMS).