School district hopes for better communication with new mobile app and website
Published on Friday, August 23, 2024, 06:35
- The Albert Lea School District website was recently redesigned to provide enhanced features for site visitors.
The Albert Lea School District has launched a new mobile app and website that it hopes will improve communication with caregivers of children in the district and the community.
Jeff Halverson, The Managing Director for Careers, Technology and Innovation informed about the changes during the school board meeting on Monday.
Halverson said for much of the public, the site will be their first visit to Albert Lea Area Schools, especially prospective families or employees looking to come to the district.
He highlighted some of the new things on the website, including areas showcasing district accomplishments, calendars of upcoming events at all schools, and links to live social media feeds. There are areas to click on for prospective families who want to sign up, as well as for people who may want to apply for a job in the district. On the main page, each school also has its own page highlighting additional information.
The Albert Lea Tigers Unite app is the school district’s new platform for use on mobile phones and includes both a classroom category, where teachers can reach families as a class and one-on-one about announcements, classroom materials and other topics, and a school category, which Halverson said functions like a social media wall and events calendar, providing real-time updates on important news and events.
“I’m very excited to see what this will bring in terms of efficiency and keeping everyone as up to date as possible,” he said.
The district has also created a new Facebook page called “Albert Lea Area School District” through a meta business account, where employees can access the “Tigers Unite” app.
App users can sign up to receive notifications with updates.
Board member Dave Klatt asked who could post through the app, and Halverson said the system is set up so that a teacher can post and those posts would be approved by the principal.
He said they plan to use the app with student athletes as well and that it will allow coaches to send messages in a controlled format.
Halverson said the app is used in more than 4,000 districts across the country and has been perfected and refined over the years.
Board member Kim Nelson asked if the events calendar, which showcases public events, could also list all school board meetings. Halverson said those could be added.
Superintendent Ron Wagner said he heard from the board that communication is critical and that it is important to stay informed.
He said the district will continue to use the new app to improve its operations, saying he believes the app is high quality and represents a great opportunity for progress.
In recent weeks, invitations have been sent to caregivers to register for the new app.
