Since the summer, we have embarked on an exciting journey launching new ways of keeping you connected to the school, wherever you are.
The following provides a summary of the various ways of we can now communicate with you. It’s important that you sign up and register so that you don’t miss any messages, announcements, events or reminders.
School App
We understand the importance of keeping you up to date with the very latest school news, events and information. In addition to the information available on the school website and social media, we’ve just launched a new mobile App.
Using the App means you have immediate access to our latest updates, view articles and receive urgent announcements. It can help you stay organised by downloading upcoming events to your personal calendar and set helpful reminders.
It’s easy to download the free App, just visit the front page of the school website and use the links to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). Then search for SSA Apps Central.
ParentPay
ParentPay, is our new online payment system. This offers a more convenient way to pay for trips and fees, with the aim of making the school a cash-free environment.
You can also pay for school meals, so there’s no need for pupils to take cash into school. You can top up your balance online which makes things a lot simpler and safer – no more losing dinner money on the way to school!
ParentPay is proving very popular as it gives you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like. It means you can stop writing cheques or searching for cash to send to school. It helps with your budgeting as payments are immediate, there’s no waiting for your cheques to clear.
If you haven’t already activated your account, please contact the school office who will issue you a new account activation letter with you username and password. ParentPay is safe, quick and easy to use.
Not everyone can pay online, so if you want to pay cash, you can easily do so at a local PayPoint store. It’s simple, just ask the school office to issue you with a unique barcode letter for school meals, trips or other items. You can then use this to top up using cash or cheque and the balance is loaded to your Parentpay account.
Parents Evening Booking System
We are delighted to announce that we will be introducing an online parents’ evening booking system this month in time for the S3 Parents Evening, 22 February.
Parental engagement is key to raising achievement. It’s proven that parents who work together with the school can create an excellent home learning environment, helping to reinforce lessons learned in school.
The Parents’ Evening Booking System is a website, which helps schools run their parents’ evenings online. It will help save huge amounts of time by allowing you to make your own bookings via a dedicated website, on your computer, smartphone or tablet.
You simply visit the website and select your own appointment times. Picking times that suit yourself is obviously very appealing. You also have the opportunity to tell the teachers what you would like to talk about and raise any issues or concerns ahead of the meeting.
More detailed information regarding this new system will be sent out to the parents of S3 pupils week commencing 5 February.
We will continue to use the established channels of communication such as text alerts, website and social media. However, as we move forward, we will increasingly use email and electronic means to keep in touch.
As you can see, these are exciting times. The new school App, ParentPay and the Parents’ Evening Booking System provide new and convenient ways for us to be connected, making it easy for you to pay for things such as school meals and trips. In addition, using these new systems means you are fully informed of school news and forthcoming events.