Rumson App Answers Parents' Needs

There's an app for all things Rumson schools. It's seen a means to the end of having key information at parents' fingertips — literally.

The idea: to provide more effective, efficient parent communication, Superintendent Maryrose Caulfiled-Sloan said. With the app, parents can now access the lunch menu with the touch of a button on their Iphones or Androids. 

Among the other sources of information available are teachers’ email addresses, absence reporting directly to the office, school news and events. People can also sign up for push notifications via twitter for "time sensitive and emergent topics," the superintendent said. 

“We have been discussing how to better serve our parents’ needs for seamless communication,” Caulfield-Sloan said. “When the idea of an application for the phone was presented to us, we became excited, since this is authentically how most parents communicate throughout the day. The convenience factor was irresistible.”

It is also simple to download and use, Caulfield-Sloan said parents have told her.

The app was something that was in the planning stages during the school year with the help of Elizabeth Beskid-Niederberger, of Zumu Websites.

The subject choices made for inclusion on the app are the result of discussions administrator, Board of Education , staff and parent focus groups — what information people deemed most essential to access easily and quickly.

Several variations of the application were tested before the final version was released.