As one of the largest boarding schools in Australia, there’s never a dull moment at Toowoomba Grammar School (TGS). Busy seven days a week, this prestigious Prep-12 institution is renowned for its robust co-curricular program, extensive academic offering, and dedication to the arts.
Although some parts of the school retain the rich, 150-year history of TGS, their communication methods are many steps into the future. Since 2013, they’ve been utilising a Digistorm App integrated with TASS, rewriting the standard for connecting with a school community.
Instant community comms for a busy school
With countless activities and changes happening daily, the need for instant communication with families is a non-negotiable for a school like Toowoomba Grammar. A sentiment that few understand better than Tammy Wilson, the TGS Director of Advancement.
“We have so much going on on any given day, even the weekends,” shares Tammy. “So it's really important that we can get communication out in real time either to the entire school community or to the subgroups that need very specific messages. The school app that we use with Digistorm is a central part of our communication strategy here at the school. It forms a core pillar of our communication with parents.”
“Our parents like the app because it's on their phone,” Tammy continues. “They have it with them 24/7. If they're out and about, they can check. We can notify them if sport training is cancelled due to weather, a bus is coming back late, or there's been change to an event location. And our staff like it because it gives them a one-stop shop to push out messages to all parents in one go rather than having communicate via a range of different channels.”
A Digistorm App heightened by powerful integrations
For Toowoomba Grammar, the Digistorm App experience is heightened by powerful integrations that make the app a one-stop shop for everything a parent needs to know. Most importantly, the school propels their App with TASS and Clipboard.
“The integration with TASS enables parents to access day-to-day operational details directly through the app,” explains Tammy. “They can jump on and report an absentee. They can approve excursions and event invitations. They can check on their son's timetable, look up teacher contact details. It really gives them everything that they for their son's education, so parents really love that integration with Parent Lounge.”
When it comes to the Clipboard integration, no one has more praise than Steve Fryer, Director of Co-curricular Activities at Toowoomba Grammar. “We have a lot of moving pieces, a lot of boys and a lot of different programs all happening at the same time,” details Steve. “Some days, we have up to 20 buses leaving.”
“I strongly recommend a Digistorm App integrated with Clipboard to be able to increase productivity in your administration staff by making sure there's one central source of information. And, at the same time, making sure the communication is current, live and accurate for your parents. Both Digistorm and Clipboard are very, very good at looking forward and progressing their product in a timely manner.”
How having a school app empowers the TGS team
When chatting with the Toowoomba Grammar team, it’s quickly obvious their app has achieved much more than they ever hoped for. They share that overall, the app empowers them to:
- Ensure immediate and accurate communication with parents.
- Enhance day-to-day operations and parent interactions through the TASS integration.
- Streamline communication for the school's extensive co-curricular program through the Clipboard integration.
- Decrease reliance on email for routine communication.
- Establish one central source of information.
- Reinforce the school's brand through customised design.
- Foster engagement within the school community.
- Target communication to either the whole school or very specific groups of parents.
Evolution of the TASS integration for TGS
According to Tammy, the integration of the Digistorm App with TASS didn't stop at inception; it evolved over time to meet the dynamic needs of TGS. "The integration of the app with TASS has really evolved over time. It's enabled us to be very flexible with what we can make available to the app. We've really been able to customise in response to the changing needs of our parents and our wider community."
The flexibility to adapt and customise has been a crucial aspect of the success of this integration. It ensures that the app remains aligned with the school's brand and community’s requests, providing a tailored experience for parents, students, and staff.
The ability to target information to specific groups of parents has also streamlined communication. The Digistorm app allows parents to sign up for different tags or interest groups, ensuring they receive only the information relevant to them. This targeted approach has significantly reduced the previously scattered approach of sending all communication to all parents or relying on lists that may be out of date.
Advice for schools considering a Digistorm App
For schools considering a Digistorm App, particularly one integrated with TASS, the Toowoomba Grammar team offers the following practical advice:
- Understand the breadth of integration possibilities and the depth of features the app can offer in collaboration with TASS. There's a lot that it can do that will really help with your parent communications and your school community communications.
- Engage your IT team early in the process, recognising their role as key players in facilitating the integration.
- Clearly communicate with parents about the purpose and capabilities of the app. Consider providing guides, how-to materials, and visual aids to ease the onboarding process.
- Leverage the expertise of the Digistorm team. They understand schools, parents, and communication and can offer insights and best practices.
Wrapping up
Toowoomba Grammar School's journey with the Digistorm App integrated with TASS illustrates the power of effective communication in education. As schools continue to navigate the digital landscape, TGS stands as a testament to the impact that a well-integrated, flexible, and supportive app.
As summed up by Tammy, the Toowoomba Grammar School feels like part of the Digistorm family. “We have the Digistorm App. We have their Funnel admission software. We have a Digistorm website. We know the staff; we know who we need to speak to and we know that we're going to get support when we need it. The Digistorm team are absolutely amazing.”