Messages

What it does

The Messages module (labeled Messages in the sidebar) lets school staff, teachers, and parents communicate in real time. Teachers can reach individual students, staff can join a shared teacher lounge, and school leaders can broadcast announcements to the entire school community.

Who uses it

• Teacher / Staff — send direct messages to students and colleagues, join the teacher lounge.
• Student — receive messages from teachers, see school-wide announcements.
• Parent — see broadcasts from the school.
• Principal / School Admin — send broadcasts and manage communication channels.

Common tasks

Start a new direct message

1. Click Messages in the sidebar.
2. Click the New message button (envelope with +).
3. Search for a contact — teachers see students in their classes; students see assigned teachers.
4. Select the contact. A new thread appears.

Send a message in a conversation

1. Open the thread from the left list.
2. Type your message in the input at the bottom.
3. Press Send or Enter.

View the teacher lounge

Teachers and admins see a Teacher Lounge group conversation in their list. All faculty can read and post — used to coordinate schedules, share resources, and discuss operations. Created automatically the first time you visit Messages.

See a school-wide broadcast

Broadcasts appear in the Announcements tab. Each shows title, body, sender, audience (all personnel / teachers / students / a grade), and timestamp. Read-only — contact the sender if you have questions.

Send a broadcast (admin only)

1. Click the Broadcast tab.
2. Fill in:
   • Title — short subject (e.g. "Sports Day Rescheduled").
   • Message — body up to 500 characters.
   • Audience — All personnel / Teachers / Students / a specific grade.
3. Click Send broadcast.

Troubleshooting

• Can't start a new message — you may not have permission. Teachers can message students; students can message teachers. Parents cannot start direct messages.
• Message didn't send — check connection; reload the page.
• No teacher lounge — only teachers and admin staff see it. Refresh.
• A broadcast I sent isn't showing up — verify the audience; check that In-app messaging is Configured in Notifications.
• Got a broadcast notification but can't find the message — broadcasts appear in the Announcements tab, not regular messages.

Limits & known issues

• Direct messages show the 40 most recent threads.
• Messages can be up to 2,000 characters; broadcasts up to 500.
• Broadcasts target one audience per send (no multi-group).
• No message edit or delete yet — sends are permanent.
• The teacher lounge is shared across the entire tenant; no private group chats yet.