Contacting parents - Revision history

Jennyurey: /* Message Banks */

2021-03-01T16:04:47Z

Message Banks

Jennyurey: /* Message Banks */

2021-03-01T16:04:32Z

Message Banks

Jennyurey: /* Message Banks */

2021-03-01T16:03:34Z

Message Banks

LiamBell: /* Stage 3 */

2020-11-30T14:50:20Z

Stage 3

LiamBell: /* Stage 3 */

2020-11-30T14:49:35Z

Stage 3

Admin at 10:44, 5 November 2019

2019-11-05T10:44:11Z

Admin: /* Sending Rate */

2018-10-22T13:36:26Z

Sending Rate

Admin: /* Emails */

2018-10-22T13:35:48Z

Emails

Admin: /* Record meetings or phone calls */

2018-07-20T13:41:31Z

Record meetings or phone calls

Admin: /* Stage 1 */

2018-02-09T09:22:58Z

Stage 1

@@ Line 234: / Line 234: @@
 Images can be added to Email or Letter templates by clicking '''Insert > Image'''. <br> <br>
-Message banks are configurable for subjects also allowing you to create specific emails for each subject.
+Message banks are configurable for subjects allowing you to create specific emails for each subject.
 ==Writing to the SIMS Communication Log==

@@ Line 234: / Line 234: @@
 Images can be added to Email or Letter templates by clicking '''Insert > Image'''. <br> <br>
-Email message banks are configurable for subjects also allowing you to create specific emails for each subject.
+Message banks are configurable for subjects also allowing you to create specific emails for each subject.
 ==Writing to the SIMS Communication Log==

@@ Line 233: / Line 233: @@
 A Compose Message window will open in which you can type your message. You can add merge fields to your message by clicking '''Insert > Field > ...''' <br>
 Images can be added to Email or Letter templates by clicking '''Insert > Image'''. <br> <br>
 ==Writing to the SIMS Communication Log==

@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 When sending emails, there is an option to upload a mail merge document. This allows you to include additional mail merge fields for the recipients. The document must be a CSV file and be in the format (including the example below as headers): <br>
-ADNO, Field1, Field2 <br>
+'''ADNO, Field1, Field2''' <br>
 These fields can then be used in the email in the following format: <br>
-[[Field1]] <br> <br>
+'''<nowiki>[[Field1]]</nowiki>''' <br> <br>
 If your letter includes General Attendance or General Behaviour merge fields, a '''Range button''' will appear on the top toolbar. This button is used to select the date range from which the attendance data will be gathered. <br> <br>

@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 After clicking the SMS, Email or Letter buttons, a Compose Message window will open. You can add merge fields to your message by clicking '''Insert > Field > ...''' <br>
 When sending emails or SMS messages, there is a '''Send at''' field which is used to delay sending the messages until a later time. This can be useful when sending large volumes of emails. When sending Emails you will see an additional tab to add attachments to your email. Every recipient will receive the same attachment(s). <br> <br>
 If your letter includes General Attendance or General Behaviour merge fields, a '''Range button''' will appear on the top toolbar. This button is used to select the date range from which the attendance data will be gathered. <br> <br>

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 ==For Assignments (Homework)==
-You can contact parents about a homework assignment, either to notify the parents and/or students that a homework has been set (and email any attachments). Alternatively you can notify the parents of students who have not completed the homework. <br> <br>
+You can contact parents about a homework assignment, either to notify the parents and/or students that homework has been set (and email any attachments). Alternatively, you can notify the parents of students who have not completed the homework. <br> <br>
 Open the '''[[Assignment diary|Assignment Diary]]''' and select the Assignment, then click the '''External Contact''' button. See the Assignment Diary page for more information. <br> <br>
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 *''Please click the Check Credits button in this screen BEFORE attempting to send a batch SMS to parents'' <br><br>
-On the left side of the page you will see a list of students whose parents are to be contacted. Deselect any students whose parents you do not want to contact. <br> <br>
+On the left side of the page, you will see a list of students whose parents are to be contacted. Deselect any students whose parents you do not want to contact. <br> <br>
 In the middle column select the type of person you are going to contact. There are four options:
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 [[Image:external_contact_batch_stage2.jpg]] <br> <br>
-*If a student has a contact with a Court Order, the contact's name will appear with a warning symbol. By default contacts with Court Orders will not be contact. See Archie Ansell above.
+*If a student has a contact with a Court Order, the contact's name will appear with a warning symbol. By default contacts with Court Orders will not be contacted. See Archie Ansell above.
 *If a student does not have any contacts with valid Priority and/or Parental Responsibility, then no names will appear next to the student's name. See Adrienne Frost above.
 *If a student has a valid contact but that contact does not have appropriate contact details (e.g. no SMS number or no email address) then the contact's name will appear with a black icon. See Hilda Boson above. <br> <br>
@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 After clicking the SMS, Email or Letter buttons, a Compose Message window will open. You can add merge fields to your message by clicking '''Insert > Field > ...''' <br>
-When sending Emails or SMS messages, there is a '''Send at''' field  which is used to delay sending the messages until a later time. This can be useful when sending large volumes of emails. When sending Emails you will see an additional tab to add attachments to your email. Every recipient will receive the same attachment(s). <br> <br>
+When sending emails or SMS messages, there is a '''Send at''' field which is used to delay sending the messages until a later time. This can be useful when sending large volumes of emails. When sending Emails you will see an additional tab to add attachments to your email. Every recipient will receive the same attachment(s). <br> <br>
 If your letter includes General Attendance or General Behaviour merge fields, a '''Range button''' will appear on the top toolbar. This button is used to select the date range from which the attendance data will be gathered. <br> <br>
@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 You will see a list of students on the left side of the page. The External Contact page shows the details of one student (and their parents) at a time. Click on a student's name on the left to view that student's details. <br> <br>
-The student's own details are listed on the left side of the page, such as the student's email address and the student's mobile telephone number. These details are taken from Section 3 and Section 4 of the Student Details page in SIMS. On the right the student's parents' details are displayed. This information is taken from Section 5 of the Student Details page in SIMS. <br> <br>
+The student's details are listed on the left side of the page, such as the student's email address and the student's mobile telephone number. These details are taken from Section 3 and Section 4 of the Student Details page in SIMS. On the right, the student's parents' details are displayed. This information is taken from Section 5 of the Student Details page in SIMS. <br> <br>
 ===Send single message===
@@ Line 131: / Line 131: @@
 ''Contact management > 	User can view external contacts set to private'' <br> <br>
-When recording meetings and telephone calls most information will be recorded on the contact log. This includes the date, time, the name of the staff member recording the information, the person contacted and the student. In the case of telephone calls the telephone number is also recorded. If a telephone call or meeting has been recorded as Private then the '''Log Confidentiality''' in SIMS will be set to "Private", in any other case "Public" will be used. <br> <br>
+When recording meetings and telephone calls most information will be recorded on the contact log. This includes the date, time, the name of the staff member recording the information, the person contacted and the student. In the case of telephone calls, the telephone number is also recorded. If a telephone call or meeting has been recorded as Private then the '''Log Confidentiality''' in SIMS will be set to "Private", in any other case "Public" will be used. <br> <br>
 ==View contact log==
@@ Line 162: / Line 162: @@
 '''Main menu > System management > Preferences > Email''' <br> <br>
-At the bottom of this section there is a Send Test Email link which you can use to test the details you have entered. We cannot tell you what these details are; if you do not know your SMTP details, you must find them yourself. <br> <br>
+At the bottom of this section, there is a Send Test Email link which you can use to test the details you have entered. We cannot tell you what these details are; if you do not know your SMTP details, you must find them yourself. <br> <br>
 ===Sending rate===
@@ Line 178: / Line 178: @@
 '''When an email fails number retries''' <br> <br>
-The top two settings are the most important as these control the rate of emails sent from PARS. If an email fails to sent for any reason, PARS will attempt to resend it if instructed to do so, according to the final three settings. <br> <br>
+The top two settings are the most important as these control the rate of emails sent from PARS. If an email fails to send for any reason, PARS will attempt to resend it if instructed to do so, according to the final three settings. <br> <br>
 ===Email replies===
@@ Line 190: / Line 190: @@
 ===SMS Account===
-In order to send SMS messages you must have an account with TextAnywhere and enter those account details into PARS. If the details have not been entered into PARS you will not be able to select SMS as a method of contact. <br> <br>
+To send SMS messages, you must have an account with TextAnywhere and enter those account details into PARS. If the details have not been entered into PARS you will not be able to select SMS as a method of contact. <br> <br>
 The details of your TextAnywhere account are entered into PARS via: <br>
@@ Line 199: / Line 199: @@
 ===SMS replies===
-Replies to SMS messages will be sent as emails. The reply emails can be sent to a central email address, to the person that sent the SMS, or both. To decide where the replies will be sent, go to: <br>
+Replies to SMS messages will be sent as emails. The reply emails can be sent to a central email address, to the person that sent the SMS, or both. To decide where the replies will be sent, go to <br>
 '''Main menu > System management > System > Automation''' <br>
@@ Line 209: / Line 209: @@
 Click on the '''Jobs''' tab at the top of the page. You will see a list of the automatic tasks that PARS performs. Look for a row on this page called '''Check for, and send outstanding batch SMS messages'''. Click the Magnifying Glass next to this row. <br> <br>
-Enable the '''Email originator''' option for the sender of the SMS messages to receive replies to their own email inbox. <br>
+Enable the '''Email originator''' option for the sender of the SMS messages to receive replies to their email inbox. <br>
-Enable the '''Email this address''' option for email replies to be sent to a central email address. You will also need to enter the email address you want  to use. <br> <br>
+Enable the '''Email this address''' option for email replies to be sent to a central email address. You will also need to enter the email address you want to use. <br> <br>
-The '''Add details of SMS's''' option should be enabled. Also make sure that every day of the week is ticked. Once done, click '''OK'''. <br> <br>
+The '''Add details of SMS's''' option should be enabled. Also, make sure that every day of the week is ticked. Once done, click '''OK'''. <br> <br>
 ==Message Banks==
@@ Line 237: / Line 237: @@
 =Frequently Asked Questions=
-==One or more of my templates is not available when composing a message==
+==One or more of my templates are not available when composing a message==
 This will happen if your template contains merge fields that are not valid for the type of message you are sending. For example, your template may contain the merge field <nowiki>{{TYPE}}</nowiki>. This field refers to the type of detention that a pupil has been given. Therefore it does not make sense to use this template message unless you are sending a message about detentions. <br> <br>
@@ Line 247: / Line 247: @@
 ==Some options are missing from the Stage 1 tab when sending a batch message==
-You may find that some options are missing from either the Recipients section or from the Method section. <br> <br>
+You may find that some options are missing from either the Recipients section or the Method section. <br> <br>
 <span style="font-size:120%">'''Recipients'''</span> <br>
@@ Line 280: / Line 280: @@
 '''SMS''' - PARS has not been given the details of your TextAnywhere account, used to send emails <br>
-You need to create an account with TextAnywhere and enter the account details into PARS in order to send SMS messages. See the [[#SMS Account|SMS Account section of this page]] for more information. <br> <br>
+You need to create an account with TextAnywhere and enter the account details into PARS to send SMS messages. See the [[#SMS Account|SMS Account section of this page]] for more information. <br> <br>
 [[Category:Communications]]

@@ Line 164: / Line 164: @@
 At the bottom of this section there is a Send Test Email link which you can use to test the details you have entered. We cannot tell you what these details are; if you do not know your SMTP details, you must find them yourself. <br> <br>
-===Sending Rate===
+===Sending rate===
 Emails in PARS are sent by the PARSKeepAliveService, which is a Windows Service that runs on the IIS server hosting PARS. There are various settings in PARS that instruct the KeepAlive service to send emails at a certain rate. This is important as many ISPs and email providers impose sending limits on emails, such as 30 emails per minute, or 500 emails per day. <br> <br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:35, 22 October 2018
Line 163:		Line 163:

	At the bottom of this section there is a Send Test Email link which you can use to test the details you have entered. We cannot tell you what these details are; if you do not know your SMTP details, you must find them yourself. <br> <br>		At the bottom of this section there is a Send Test Email link which you can use to test the details you have entered. We cannot tell you what these details are; if you do not know your SMTP details, you must find them yourself. <br> <br>
		+
		+	===Sending Rate===
		+
		+	Emails in PARS are sent by the PARSKeepAliveService, which is a Windows Service that runs on the IIS server hosting PARS. There are various settings in PARS that instruct the KeepAlive service to send emails at a certain rate. This is important as many ISPs and email providers impose sending limits on emails, such as 30 emails per minute, or 500 emails per day. <br> <br>
		+
		+	The settings that control the rate of emails sent from PARS are accessed via: <br>
		+	'''Main menu > System management > Preferences > Email''' <br> <br>
		+
		+	The relevant settings are: <br>
		+	'''Number of emails send per time span''' <br>
		+	'''Time span for email sending in seconds''' <br>
		+	'''When an email fails number of minutes to wait before retrying (Important queue)''' <br>
		+	'''When an email fails number of minutes to wait before retrying''' <br>
		+	'''When an email fails number retries''' <br> <br>
		+
		+	The top two settings are the most important as these control the rate of emails sent from PARS. If an email fails to sent for any reason, PARS will attempt to resend it if instructed to do so, according to the final three settings. <br> <br>

	===Email replies===		===Email replies===

@@ Line 128: / Line 128: @@
 For meetings click the '''Ad-Hoc''' button next to the contact's name. A window will appear where you can type the details of the meeting. <br> <br>
-When recording meetings and telephone calls most information will be recorded on the contact log. This includes the date, time, the name of the staff member recording the information, the person contacted and the student. In the case of telephone calls the telephone number is also recorded. <br> <br>
+When recording either meetings or telephone calls, there is an option to record the information as '''Private'''. When information is recorded as private, only the staff member that recorded the information and people with the following permission will be able to view it: <br>
 ==View contact log==