Are you sending a new message or replying to an existing message?
Click the Compose tab.
Are you sending messages to Students or Staff?
Select the student recipient type.
Select the student recipient type from the provided pull-down. This option allows you to choose how the Student and/or Family will be receiving the message.
Options include:
- Students sends the message to the student's primary email address and/or phone number as identified in the address block of Address & Contacts via Student Info.
- Student Personal sends the message to the student's Personal Email address as identified in Student Info.
- Primary Contacts limits to the contacts marked as custody.
- All Contacts includes all users and/or persons in a students addresses and contacts.
- Once Per Family sends the message to the student's custodial contacts and/or contact with a Sort Order priority of 1. The Linked Students section in Student Info > Addresses & Contacts is also used to determine which students are in the same family. Within a sibling group, one student within the group who has at least one contact is selected randomly and all of their custodial contacts are messaged. If that student has two contacts with the same linked user, those two contacts are deduped into one, and the user can see the message when logging in, or through any attached notifications.
- Teacher Of sends the message to all the students' current teachers.
- Students & All Contacts sends the message to the student's primary email address and/or phone number as identified in the address block of Address & Contacts via Student Info, and all users and/or persons in a students addresses and contacts.
- Students & Primary Contacts sends the message to the student's primary email address recorded in Student Info, as well as all logged custodial contacts for the selected student. If the student's custodial contacts reside at different addresses or have different recorded email addresses, the message will be sent to all addresses.
Select the student recipients.
Do you need to apply Student Groups or search for students using More Search Options?
Click the Student Groups icon and select a student group.
Click the More Search Options icon (magnifying glass).
Perform student search and select the check boxes to select students.
Click Done.
Select the Letterhead template (optional).
Select the Academic Record category (optional).
Select the applicable Academic Record category from the pull-down to determine how the message is stored in the students' cumulative folder.
The Academic Record category field displays if your district is utilizing Document Management, which is an add-on module enabled by Focus. Contact your district's Account Executive for more information about purchasing and enabling this feature.
Select all other applicable check boxes, such as Secure Email (optional).
Select the Secure Email check box to flag the messages as secure and require users to log into Focus in order to view the message.
Select the Priority check box to ensure the message will be dispatched ahead of other messages, with the only exception being emergency calls.
Select the Push Notification check box to send a push notification to mobile app users when the message is sent.
Select the Add Log Record check box to log the message in the students' and/or users' Letter Log record in Student Info and/or User Info. The message will be logged when the message is sent. Messages are also logged for students when the message is printed.
Select the Copy Self check box to copy yourself on the email so a copy of the email is sent to you as well as the selected recipients.
Select the Send as District check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "district;" the message displays as if sent by the district and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.
Select the Send as School check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "school;" the message displays as if sent by the school and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.
Select the Allow Student/Parent Reply to allow student and parent recipients to reply to your message. If this check box is left cleared (disabled), students and parents will not be able to reply to this message.
Enter the Subject of the message.
Enter email addresses in the Cc text box to send a copy to other users (optional).
Select the First Only check box to copy the entered email addresses in the Cc text box on one email only. When the check box is cleared, the email addresses entered in the Cc text box display on all emails sent.
Enter the Email/Message.
Click Send.
Select the Staff recipients.
Do you need to apply User Groups or search for users using More Search Options?
Click the User Groups icon and select a user group.
Click the More Search Options icon (magnifying glass).
Perform user search and select the check boxes to select users.
Click Done.
Select the Letterhead template (optional).
Select all other applicable check boxes, such as Secure Email (optional).
Select the Secure Email check box to flag the messages as secure and require users to log into Focus in order to view the message.
Select the Priority check box to ensure the message will be dispatched ahead of other messages, with the only exception being emergency calls.
Select the Push Notification check box to send a push notification to mobile app users when the message is sent.
Select the Add Log Record check box to log the message in the students' and/or users' Letter Log record in Student Info and/or User Info. The message will be logged when the message is sent. Messages are also logged for students when the message is printed.
Select the Copy Self check box to copy yourself on the email so a copy of the email is sent to you as well as the selected recipients.
Select the Send as District check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "district;" the message displays as if sent by the district and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.
Select the Send as School check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "school;" the message displays as if sent by the school and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.
Select the Allow Student/Parent Reply to allow student and parent recipients to reply to your message. If this check box is left cleared (disabled), students and parents will not be able to reply to this message.
Enter the Subject of the message.
Enter email addresses in the Cc text box to send a copy to other users (optional).
Select the First Only check box to copy the entered email addresses in the Cc text box on one email only. When the check box is cleared, the email addresses entered in the Cc text box display on all emails sent.
Enter the Email/Message.
Click Send.
Click the Inbox tab.
Click the sender's name to open the messages.
Type your message in the provided text area.
