Family Communication

The School District of Janesville (SDJ) communicates with families in several ways.

• Mass communication to families through email, text, and automated phone calls using Infinite Campus Messenger
• Messages from teachers and schools can be sent through several communication platforms:
  • District-Issued Email: The official email address provided to school district staff for all professional correspondence.
  • District-Issued Landline (desk or wall phone) or Mobile Phone: Communication devices provided by the district specifically for school business.
  • TalkingPoints: A communication platform designed to connect teachers and families, with a key feature being the ability to translate messages into over 100 languages. 
  • ClassDojo (typically PK-5): A platform used for classroom management and parent communication, allowing teachers to share photos, videos, and messages about student activities and progress.
  • Seesaw (typically PK-5): A digital portfolio platform where students can create and share their work, and teachers can communicate with parents about their child's learning. It also includes messaging features with translation capabilities.
  • PeachJar Flyer Distribution: an online platform used to distribute digital flyers to parents. Instead of sending paper flyers home, these "eflyers" are sent directly to parents' email inboxes and can also be viewed on the school's website. It helps schools save paper and makes it easier for parents to access important information in one place.
• SDJ Website and Social Media pages: We use our district- and school-specific website as the main hub for official information, including the academic calendar, school policies, and staff contacts. For timely updates, event reminders, and a peek into daily school life, be sure to follow our official social media pages on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. 

The SDJ uses Infinite Campus Messenger notification system to communicate with families through automated phone calls, emails and text messages. Communications from the District or a school can range from school delays or cancellations, late buses, emergency situations, District and school announcements and newsletters, food service negative balances, attendance messages, and more. 

During the enrollment process or annual registration, guardians will provide contact information and identify which individuals should receive general information or emergency notifications (inclement weather, school closures, emergency situations, etc.). By providing contact information, parents/guardians and emergency contacts agree to be contacted by phone, email and text.

TalkingPoints is a two-way multilingual family engagement platform that allows staff and school administrators to easily communicate with families in more than 100 languages via text messages. The teacher or administrator is able to send a text message to a parent/guardian and, if needed, TalkingPoints will translate the language to the preferred language identified in Infinite Campus. Likewise, the parent/guardian can text back to the teacher/administrator in their preferred language and TalkingPoints will translate to English.  

For parents/guardians who may have concerns regarding receiving text messages, perhaps due to not having an unlimited texting plan, TalkingPoints has developed an optional, and free, Parent Mobile Application which parents/guardians can use to receive messages, and bypass the texts. The Parent Mobile Application is available for download on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Similar to email, teachers/administrators will be expected to respond in a reasonable amount of time to parent/guardian texts during normal school hours. Expectations for staff responses to texts received outside of normal school hours is that they may wait to respond until the following school day, unless the message is an emergency. 

If a parent/guardian does not wish for teachers or administrators to communicate with them using TalkingPoints, they should respond to the text message with “goodbye.”

How to change notification settings in TalkingPoints

 We welcome the media into our District.  Please contact Patti Lux Mlsna by email or phone 608-