Question: What if I don't get my messages?
Answer:
Missed communications can be frustrating for teachers and parents and detrimental to students, so we do our best to make sure lines of communciation stay open.
There have been reports from some parents that they used the Palms website to send a message to a teacher and did not hear back. This is a problem that should be addressed, but the reason for the problem may not be immediately clear.
To check that each teacher's email address in School Loop is set to a proper address, and that they see messages sent to that address, we send a test message to each teacher at the start of the school year. Please reply to the message so that we don't need to repeat the test.
If you are a teacher and hear that a parent sent you a message without hearing back, check if you got the message and in any case contact the parent. If you're not the teacher in question, let the teacher in question know.
| Possible reason | What should be done |
|---|---|
| The parent didn't fill out the message form correctly, failing to identify themselves or filling in the wrong email address. | The parent should try again, being more careful, or get in touch with the teacher another way. |
| The teacher's School Loop account is set to the wrong email address. | Using the Gear icon on the portal page, the teacher should correct his or her email address. |
| The teacher doesn't check for email sent to that email address, e.g., an LAUSD email account vs. a personal email account. | Using the Gear icon on the portal page, the teacher should set his or her email address to one that he or she checks regularly. |
| School Loop did not email the message to the teacher. | We have not seen evidence of this problem, but if it is shown to be happening then the teacher should contact Neil Cuadra or an Assistant Principal to report it. |
| School Loop emailed a message but the message was deleted or rerouted by the teacher's email software because it was thought to be junk mail ("spam"). | The teacher may need to set the email software to be less suspicious, or to put suspicious email in a separate folder rather than delete it. The teacher may need to look in multiple email folders (not just his or her in-box) to avoid missing messages from parents. |
| The teacher replied by sending a note home with the student, but the parent (or the correct parent) didn't get it from the student. | The teacher and parent should get in touch with each other directly. |
| The teacher didn't think a reply was necessary. | If the parent might be expecting a reply, the teacher should send a message or the teacher and parent should get in touch with each other directly. |
| The teacher is going to reply but hasn't done so yet. | The parent should give the teacher time to reply. |