Different Ways BISD Communicates

  • The Ways BISD Communicates

      Communicating with families and the community is important to BISD's mission. There are a number of ways you can stay informed.
     
    PARENTS & GUARDIANS: 
     
    BISD uses contact information obtained from Family Access. Please make sure your contact information is up to date by logging into your Family Access account. 
     
    School / District Newsletters:
    As a parent/guardian of a BISD student, you automatically receive eNews from the district office as well as eNews from your student(s) school(s)
     
    Emergency Alerts & Messages: 
    We use a system called SchoolMessenger to push out time-sensitive messages such school closures. We use the system to send messages via email, phone and text.   
     
    Text:
    You first must OPT-IN to receive district text messages.
     
    STEPS TO OPT-IN TO TEXT MESSAGES:
    1. First log-in to your Family Access Account and click on the "My Account" link in the top right corner.
    2. Verify that your cell phone number is listed and is accurate. If not, please update it.
    3. Using your cell phone, text Y to 67587. You will receive a reply from School Messenger saying that you are now subscribed. If you don't, please contact your cell phone carrier and request that they allow short-code messages (which is what our system uses) to push through to your phone.  

    Emergency situations occasionally arise which may require school delays, closures, or changes in transportation. Most frequently, these changes are related to inclement weather.

    To alert families to changes made to the regular schedule, we will utilize a range of communication tools.

    HOW EMERGENCY INFORMATION IS DISTRIBUTED*

    • BISD’s website at www. bisd303.org
    • Email/phone call/text through our messaging system. Please make sure your information is current in your Family Access / Skyward account, as the messaging system pulls contact info from Family Access / Skyward. (https://bit.ly/2KDblWT)
    • Emergency broadcast stations for pertinent information (local radio and television stations)
    • Social media (primarily Facebook and Instagram)
      *If the District Office is without power, some forms of these communications may not work.

    EMERGENCY ALERTS & MESSAGES
    We use a system called SchoolMessenger to push out time-sensitive messages such school closures. We use the system to send messages via email, phone and text. Please note: You first must OPT-IN to receive district text messages. See below for instructions on how to opt-in.

    STEPS TO OPT-IN TO TEXT MESSAGES

    1. Log-in to your Family Access Account and click on the “My Account” link in the top right corner. https://bit.ly/2KDblWT
    2. Verify that your cell phone number is listed and is accurate. If not, please update it.
    3. Using your cell phone, text Y to 67587. You will receive a reply from School Messenger saying that you are now subscribed. If you don’t, please contact your cell phone carrier and request that they allow short-code messages (which is what our system uses) to push through to your phone.

    INCLEMENT WEATHER

    The goal is to notify you beginning around 5:30 a.m. but Mother Nature isn’t always cooperative. Radio and television stations will announce school closures by name and district number — listen and look for Bainbridge Island School District #303.
    Schools will either be closed or delayed with a late start:

    CLOSED means all BISD public schools are closed for the day. All activities are canceled. If conditions change during the day, special arrangements may be made for some activities.
    LATE START means schools are open but will begin at a later time; there is no preschool or out-of-district transportation
    Use of Emergency/Snow Routes—Buses will run on limited service/snow routes. See the limited routes listed on the website. 

     

    Updated August 2022