How Ventana Ranch Elementary School Built Trust With Consistent Family Engagement

Ventana Ranch Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which serves Pre-K-5th-grade students, needed a better way to connect with its families, one that offered two-way communication easy for all community members to use. The school, which is housed in the state’s most populous county, simplified and streamlined communication with families by implementing SchoolStatus Connect at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

A Lack of Consistent Outreach

Communications at Ventana Ranch Elementary became particularly challenging with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when the need for cohesive family communication became critical. At the time, the school had been using various communication channels, including monthly paper newsletters, robocalls, and emails, leaving families confused about which ones to access. Due to a lack of consistent outreach to the different grade levels, administrators were concerned that some families weren’t receiving important information.

The Solution

Several teachers had previously used SchoolStatus Connect. Upon their recommendation, administrators agreed to give it a try. At the beginning of the 2021-2021 school year, Ventana Ranch moved all its communications to SchoolStatus Connect. The benefits were immediately noticeable, says Ventana Ranch Vice Principal Rory Crouch. “The single biggest benefit of using SchoolStatus Connect has been the consistency and ease of all our classes and families knowing where communication is coming from. It’s a quick and friendly way for them to know what’s happening during the school day.”

The Outcome

With SchoolStatus’ two-way communication, families stay updated with daily classroom educational activities and can better support their children, especially during remote and hybrid learning. And with engagement and reach data, administrators can better identify family members who need additional support.

Ventana Ranch’s mantra of “Everything’s on Connect” has helped ensure that staff use only SchoolStatus Connect to reach out to families and keep communication cohesive and streamlined. Additionally, SchoolStatus Connect’s translation feature, which automatically translates communications in over 100 languages, increases the likelihood that Families read important communications and take an active role in their children’s education.

Teachers and families are especially delighted with the family-teacher conference scheduling functionality. It integrates with Google Calendar and Google Meet, making it quick and easy for family members to connect with teachers for these important meetings.

Says Crouch, “Teachers are signing families up for these conferences, and SchoolStatus Connect makes coordination nice and easy.”

In adopting SchoolStatus Connect as its go-to communication solution, Ventana Ranch Elementary is able to build community and engage with families in a way they never could before. Stakeholders from families to educators to administrators appreciate the easy-to-use interface that makes two-way communication efficient and streamlined.

To learn more about how SchoolStatus Connect can help your district engage more families and create a positive learning environment in schools, contact our team.