{"id":1660,"date":"2023-04-01T00:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T04:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2022-2023\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2023-04-23T01:43:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T05:43:18","slug":"parentsquare-parents-favorite-app-since-the-invention-of-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2022-2023\/2023\/04\/01\/parentsquare-parents-favorite-app-since-the-invention-of-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"Parentsquare: Parents\u2019 Favorite App Since the Invention of Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Chloe Yokitis<\/p>\nEditor<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Parents are going crazy for the Parentsquare app, which launched for ACPS users in August to stimulate communications between school administrators and parents. The app\u2019s accessibility and fun features are what make the app a pillar of ACPS culture, parents say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app, created in 2011 but just implemented by ACPS this school year, represents \u201cthe values and priorities of the community,\u201d said ACHS Parent Teacher Association President (PTA) Soccar Mahm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoy, I could just go on and on about this app!\u201d said Mahm, who has two middle schoolers and one high schooler in ACPS. \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect software for the school community because it ensures that all parents who either download the app or check their emails regularly get the updates. It\u2019s like a fun game of survival of the fittest, in a way: you have to work for what you want!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahm said she appreciates how easy it has become to hide news from students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis app has been a lifesaver when I\u2019m trying to hide secrets about testing schedules or leadership changes from my kids. They\u2019re so fragile, you know, and I just would never want to upset them or for them to get information from a source outside of our family. I\u2019m just glad that ACPS understands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahm said her favorite feature of the app is the Forums tab. Parents can post messages in any of the four categories: Am I The Idiot?<\/em>, where parents can submit write-ups of conflicts with their children so that other parents can evaluate what went wrong; Q and A with the Superintendent<\/em>, which is constantly abuzz with both questions from parents and responses from ACPS\u2019s very own Superintendent at the moment; Vent Channel<\/em>, a safe space for parents to get anything they want off of their chests; and Miscellaneous<\/em>, for any other topics parents might like to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Q and A<\/em> category, Mahm said, is beloved by parents like herself who are \u201ctoo stretched thin\u201d to keep up with the specifics of ACPS leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[With the Q and A<\/em> forum,] I don\u2019t have to find the superintendent\u2019s name in order to email them with whatever questions I might have. Even though all the ACPS emails are uniform\u2014 you know, first name dot last name\u2014 I can honestly never remember the name of whichever superintendent is in charge. Each one only lasts so long, so what\u2019s the point?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She loved the app so much that she and her friend Thomas Toksah-Lott founded the Parents for Parentsquare advocacy group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just feel like we have benefitted so much from Parentsquare, so why not advocate for every school in America\u2014 nay, the world!\u2014 to use it? It\u2019s common sense to me, honestly,\u201d Toksah-Lott said. \u201cParentsquare is the best thing that ever happened to ACPS. And that\u2019s saying something.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toksah-Lotts mentioned that although a few \u201cextremist\u201d parents have voiced complaints about the app, particularly its monetary cost, critics are missing the point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParentsquare ensures that our children are in the best learning environment possible and that parents are kept in the loop. And that is something I\u2019d pay any amount of money in the world for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For context, ACPS spent $400,000 on the implementation of the app. Toksah-Lotts compared this \u201cminimal\u201d cost to that of other programs, like the PRIDE (Positive attitude, Responsibility, Integrity, Determination and Excellence) lessons that cost $750,000 as well as the rights for A\/B\/C Lunch schedule, which totals $1.5 million annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the group formed in December, Parents for Parentsquare\u2019s advocacy has led to Parentsquare being implemented in 64 schools across 12 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt makes me so happy to see Parentsquare thriving in all sorts of communities,\u201d Mahm said. \u201cJust warms my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logo courtesy of Parentsquare<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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