MCSD communication with parents/guardians is critical to your student’s safety and success. We are committed to strengthening that connectivity using modern tools and techniques.
We get it – it can take time to sift through many messages! Please know we are aware and strive as a district and school team to simplify and clarify all communications. We want to keep you engaged and informed so you can take action when necessary.
Communicating with Your Student(s’) Teacher or Administrator
In-Person: The best form of communication is in-person. Visiting administrators and teachers in person is not always practical but is welcomed and works best if you schedule an appointment, as everyone is limited in their available time. Semi-annual Parent/Teacher Conferences are designed for this purpose and are done both in-person and over video conference, depending on your school.
Phone or Video Conference: Another great way to have a 1:1 meeting is by phone or video conference (Zoom or Google Meet). Again, advanced scheduling is key as it gives you and educators a chance to prepare for a productive meeting.
Email: A third method is an email. You can find the email addresses of each teacher and administrator on their school’s website. Here’s a directory of school websites: www.murrayschools.org/schools/
Communicating with Parents/Guardians
ParentSquare Application: ParentSquare is our main official district communication tool to send mass communications to parents/guardians. This downloadable app is connected to MCSD’s ASPIRE account – meaning it pulls contact information YOU input or update in ASPIRE that we use to communicate with you by voice message, email, SMS text messaging, and inside the application itself (including notifications you set on your mobile device).
To that end, the application empowers you to choose how and when you will be communicated with. However, in an emergency (school closure, for example), the District can override individual preferences to ensure everyone gets immediate notice. TIP: You can see the importance of keeping your ASPIRE contact information current.
Websites: The District and each school maintain websites. These are helpful when you need to find basic information or take action – calendars, contacts, payment systems, forms, and much more. Whereas ParentSquare and Social Media “push” information out to you, expanded versions of those messages are often linked to and found on our websites. On the District website, you can find links to each school’s website: www.murrayschools.org/schools/
Social Media: Different entities use different social media platforms for different purposes. MCSD uses its social media presence primarily for important notices and celebrations. Not everyone uses social media – it’s a flawed mass communication tool and cannot be relied on exclusively.
However, it does help echo key messages and is wonderful for praising and cheering on our students, volunteers, and educators. We invite you to follow MCSD on Facebook or Instagram – our two most heavily used social media. Each school and its associated PTAs, teams, and clubs also maintain social media platforms to help keep parents/guardians informed, so watch for those opportunities.
PeachJar: You may also be familiar with PeachJar. Before 2020, MCSD used PeachJar’s emailing service as one primary method of communication to parents/guardians – similar to how we use ParentSquare today. However, with the emergence of ParentSquare technology, PeachJar was shifted to weekly community bulletin-board-type announcements.
MCSD receives many valuable requests to communicate information to parents/guardians from our partners in the government, non-profit, and private sectors. These are primarily extra-curricular opportunities and items of interest managed by Murray City, Salt Lake County, and others and communicated to parents/guardians as a courtesy.
Coming Soon – BAND Application: Certain Murray High School parents/guardians (with students involved in sports or other activities) will see this mobile application roll out schoolwide in 2023. Opt-in by parents and students is required, and the focus is on scheduling – meetings, practices, and events. BAND gives coaches and advisors a powerful activities-based tool for connecting with participating students and their families.
