Sycamore Education

The PAN is sort of a cross between an email and an instant message, but it has some extra functionality thrown into the mix.  PAN's are configurable so schools can allow parents to communicate with teachers and staff, if they choose, or they can just make it available for the employees of the school.  PAN's can be sent to one person, a group of people, or to the entire school with just the click of a button.  We've had many school report that they noticed a significant reduction in the number of phone calls from parents to the front dest after they started using PAN's.  

 
One of the great things about PAN's is that - unlike emails or instant messages - users can actually check to see if the message was delivered, read, and deleted.  

It's also easy (and fun) to customize your PAN's to suit your own individual tastes.  Users can easily add a picture or a funny graphic, choose the color, and add a signature.  And now users can even add a customized audio alert.  

You've probably heard me say this before, but Sycamore Education is so much more than just a student information system.  The system has been evolving for more the 12 years and there's an unbelievable amount of functionality that goes beyond an SIS.  We are constantly adding new features and enhancements in response to feedback from administrators, teachers, parents, and students,   A few years ago, we had a principal send us an email suggesting that a sponsor ad on the homepage would be a good idea.  We agreed, and a few days later our developers added it to the system.  ( By the way that's one of the myriad benefits of using a school administration system that is 100% web-based: new features and enhancements can instantly be added to the system with no participation necessary from users).  

Personally, I have five kids -  all of whom attend a private school - and I can tell you from experience that schools are constantly looking for ways to raise money.  I've lost count of how many cases of chocolate bars I've purchased over the years.  

Check out this screen shot:  



 If this were a live site, the ads would be constantly scrolling, and there is no limit to the number of ads showing at any given time.  The ads appear all the time when parents and students login to the system.  The ads also appear to teachers, staff and administrators, but not during school hours.  

The sponsor ad feature is an easy way for schools to generate a little extra income.  We have many clients who more than pay for the cost of using Sycamore by simply selling one or two ads and running them throughout the school year.  Car dealerships and banks are often more than happy to get a little exposure.