Messages

To view your message boxes, select Communication, then Messages.

Send a Message

When sending messages to other Special Programs users, you address the message by specifying the recipient's User ID.

PowerSchool Special Programs provides an easy way to look up and enter someone's User ID. However, it is helpful to remember the following rules:

• Staff member User IDs start with the letter 'U' followed by the staff identifier.

• System administrator User ID is always ADMIN.

• Your PowerSchool Special Programs consultant's User ID is always CONSULTANT.

1. Select Communication, then Send Message.

2. Specify the recipients in the To field, and enter the subject and body.

   • Hover the mouse pointer over the To field label to access a drop-down menu to look up the user IDs.

   • To copy or blind copy additional users, click Show Cc & Bcc. Then, select the appropriate users.

   • To indicate that the message is urgent or important, select High Importance.

   • To add attachments, click Select in the Attachments section at the bottom of the message. Then, select the files to attach.

3. Click Send.

Forward Messages

You can set up message forwarding to send notifications of incoming Special Programs messages to another email account. The notification message will hyperlink to the entire message in Special Programs. Regardless of forwarding, incoming messages are always accessible from your Special Programs home page.

• Message forwarding is only available if Special Programs is integrated with an email server.

• If allowed by the security policy, Special Programs may forward the entire message, but this is generally allowed only if deemed secure since such messages may contain information about students

1. Select Communication, then Messages.

2. Click Settings.

3. In the Action When Message Is Received field, select the appropriate option:

   • Send email with full message content: This option is available only if your school district has enabled this option. The forwarded message will contain the full content of the message.

   • Send email notification (without actual message content): The forwarded message will not contain the full content of the message. Instead, it will include a hyperlink back to Special Programs.

   • None: Email forwarding will not be available.

4. Select Action When Calendar Invite is Received if you want to receive an email notification when you receive a calendar invitation. This option is available only to staff accounts.

5. In the Email Address field, enter the email address where you want to forward messages.

6. Click Accept.

Messaging Groups

If you frequently send messages to the same group of people, you can set up one or more messaging groups. A messaging group allows you to link multiple people to a name you specify and then send a message to the entire group.

1. Select Communication, then Send Message.

2. On the Send Message page, move the pointer over the To link and click My Messaging Groups.

3. On the Messaging Groups page, click + Add New Messaging Group.

4. Enter a unique Group ID.

   • The ID must be a unique identifier of a maximum of 20 characters (letters, digits, underscore only).

   • Future messages with this Group ID in the To field will be sent to all group members.

5. In the Users in This Group section, add users to the group by entering user IDs, or click the Staff User ID, Student User ID, or Parent User ID link to look up user IDs. If applicable, you can also add people you frequently message by clicking the user name.

6. Select the following Sharing Options as needed:

   • Share This Group with Other Users: Select this checkbox to share this Messaging Group with the group members.

   • Share My Calendar with Other Users: Select this checkbox to share your calendar with the group.

7. Click Save.

8. To include a group in your message, click the Select button for that group on the Messaging Groups page.

   • If you wish to view or use any messaging groups other users have shared with you, click Messaging Groups Shared by Other Users.