South Kitsap School District uses ParentSquare for school communication, primarily with email, text and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.
The official SKSD website is maintained through the Community Relations Department. The SKSD district website is full of valuable information featuring websites for all schools and departments. Parents, students, community members, and staff can search information about the newest graduation requirements, print out a form for renting a school district facility, find out what's on the lunch menu for next week, or look for staff development opportunities.
Access all South Kitsap School District information when and where you have time using your mobile device. Download the mobile app for free from the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
South Kitsap School District uses social media to share event reminders, links to news stories in the local newspapers and links to news releases on our website.
South Kitsap School District school administrators periodically use ParentSquare to communicate with families. The District will also send out messages related to safety alerts, inclement weather, school closures and special events. In order to stay connected, it is important that families keep their contact information up-to-date in Skyward Family Access.
Student Calendar and Parent Guide
A resource of information on South Kitsap School District, the student calendar and parent guide is published annually and distributed at the beginning of the school year.
Community Mailers
To ensure all community members are aware of district initiatives, programs, and news, we are producing a four-page mailer that is sent to every household in South Kitsap School District boundaries. The mailers are published three-four times each year.
In 2005, Wave Broadband and South Kitsap School District teamed up to create a unique partnership. SKTV is a new 24-hour cable channel (channel 205) that runs live and taped programming provided by the South Kitsap High School (SKHS) Video Production Class. SKSD announcements, events, and other SKHS programming are also aired on SKTV. The channel is currently only available to Wave Broadband customers. Community Relations staff oversees all programming for SKTV.
South Kitsap School District uses an electronic flyer communication tool called "Peachjar" www.peachjar.com
Our district cooperates with approved community partners by posting eflyers online and distributing them electronically through our service provider, Peachjar. As part of our efforts to be more environmentally friendly, embrace innovative technology, and maintain fiscal responsibility, we have transitioned from paper to electronic flyer delivery.
Guidelines
In accordance with the ADA requirements for digital content, all flyers must now be accessible to those with disabilities. This means that both emails sent to parents through Peachjar, and each school's Peachjar flyer page, must be compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Your flyer must be in a PDF format, 1-4 pages in length and under 6 MB in size.
For ADA purposes, your flyer's text will be copied into a description box. Do Not Use scanned flyers or fonts that are 12pt or smaller. The software may not detected/translate the text correctly, which would require you to manually add the text to the description box.
For best results, create your flyer on an 8.5" x 11" document in portrait orientation.
Embedded links within a flyer are not supported.
The red arrow in the photo below is pointing to a new "description box" that will pop up once you have uploaded your PDF flyer.
You must carefully read the text to make sure it reflects the wording in your flyer. Any incorrect words will need to be corrected.
Approval Process
To request flyer approval, follow the steps below. Once approved, your flyer will be emailed to parents and posted online. Flyers may be approved if they are promoting something that is educational, recreational, or informational. Paper flyers from outside organizations will no longer be distributed.
Register as an Enrichment/Community Org. (account type).
Upload your flyer for approval.
The following disclaimer will be added to the flyer automatically:
"The South Kitsap School District does not sponsor or endorse the activity and/or information contained in this flyer."
Your flyer will be automatically submitted to SKSD's Community Relations Department staff, where it will be reviewed. Peachjar charges a fee for this service that is typically much less than the cost to copy and deliver paper flyers to each school.
During emergency situations, we work to gather factual information as quickly as possible to send messages out to our families and staff. On occasion, the first information posted on non-district social media is from a non-official source. For example, a student texts a parent about an emergency and then the parent posts the text on Facebook, and the post is then shared by other parents, etc. This can be a problem and lead to worry among families. So why does it take longer for the school district to send out an official message?
Gathering facts: When an emergency happens, the school(s) and the district strive to communicate factual information to the public as quickly as possible. But, as no two situations are alike, oftentimes there are details we need to verify. This can involve talking to multiple parties (such as the police or fire department, or families directly involved with the emergency) and this information-gathering phase takes time.
Limited on what we can share: Depending on the situation, there are times we are limited on the details we can share. This could be due to privacy laws or due to an active law enforcement investigation. It is not our intention to seem vague when we say “We are unable to share specifics regarding XYZ.”
Getting the message out: Once we have the message ready to send, we activate various communication channels.
What should you do during an emergency situation?
1. Follow the instructions given in our message. This might include an alternate pick-up location for your student, or a change to the schools’ dismissal times.
2. Help keep the schools’ phone lines open by not calling in and asking for additional information. We will send updates through the above channels.
3. To help cut down on misinformation in the community, share the district’s message with local friends and neighbors.
Lastly, please make sure your contact information is always up to date in Skyward/Family Access. Your email address and phone number listed in Skyward/Family Access are the ones we use when sending out our message.
We value your partnership as we work to keep you informed. Thank you!
