Table of Contents
The What, Why and Who of WhatsApp Communities
What Participation Will Look Like in Our WhatsApp Community
The Management of the WhatsApp Community
Security and Privacy of WhatsApp Communities
The What, Why and Who of WhatsApp Communities
What Participation Will Look Like in Our WhatsApp Community
The Management of the WhatsApp Community
Security and Privacy of WhatsApp Communities
The What, Why and Who of WhatsApp Communities
What is a WhatsApp Community?
WhatsApp Communities is a way to organize related WhatsApp Groups under one umbrella. A Community contains various sub-groups.
Why is this initiative being implemented?
Right now, there is inequity within the school Community - some classrooms don’t have WhatsApp groups, and some families aren’t aware of their classroom groups. For those with active groups, we’ve found them to be a great resource for connecting with other parents to set up playdates, share invites to community happenings or birthday parties, and ask questions about activities in the classroom (to get other parent’s perspective).
And, with the PA facilitating, we can maintain these Groups from year to year as current admins graduate out.
Also, by bringing all classrooms together under one WhatsApp Community, the PA can occasionally provide parents with helpful information and announcements. These messages will appear under the “announcements” section, not the individual classroom chats.
So, with the support of the school, the PA is hoping that this will make WhatsApp as a connection point for parents more visible and accessible for all.
Who can join the Community?
Any parent with a child enrolled at MCH can join the community. This includes parents who are also MCH staff members. Parents will only be able to join a classroom Group if they have a child in that classroom.
What Participation Will Look Like in Our WhatsApp Community
How will the PA use the WhatsApp Community to communicate, versus ParentSquare?
ParentSquare will be used to announce our events, share all the details and manage RSVPs.
The PA will use the WhatsApp Community level Announcements section to send timely reminders like, “don’t forget to sign up,” or “our event is today!” And point to the ParentSquare link.
Who can post to the Announcements section?
For our Community, only the PA can post to the entire Community via the Announcement section. To start, the PA members will only send PA-related messages in the Announcements section, not at the classroom Group level – though we may revisit this approach if we notice our messages are not being read.
Is this Community affiliated with the school?
No. This WhatsApp Community is not affiliated with the school. It’s also important to remember that the PA is independent from the school and is made up of parents only.
What is the role of the Parent Association in the WhatsApp Community?
The PA was responsible for setting up the Community and the sub-Groups for each classroom. We will also ensure that there is an Admin in each classroom group. The PA will not monitor or manage individual Group conversations.
For classroom WhatsApp Groups that were already active, will this change our experience?
No, there will be no change to your experience in your classroom group.
Am I required to participate actively?
Nope! But the more people who participate, the richer the experience for all.
What if I don’t want to be part of the WhatsApp Community?
The WhatsApp Community is opt-in only. The PA will not automatically add anyone to the Community. The only exception will be at the creation of this Community where the PA will migrate existing Groups – i.e. anyone who is in an existing WhatsApp Group, will automatically join the PA managed classroom Group.
In addition, you can leave at any time. To leave a group, click on the Group name at the top of the chat to view the Group information. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Exit group.
How do I know who is who in my group?
Ideally, everyone adds their name to their WhatsApp profile (though some may choose not to). To do so, click Settings, click your profile picture to Edit Profile, and add your name.
Additionally, if your Group would like to gather participant names, this information could be added to the Group Description, for example:
How will the PA use the WhatsApp Community to communicate, versus ParentSquare?
ParentSquare will be used to announce our events, share all the details and manage RSVPs.
The PA will use the WhatsApp Community level Announcements section to send timely reminders like, “don’t forget to sign up,” or “our event is today!” And point to the ParentSquare link.
Who can post to the Announcements section?
For our Community, only the PA can post to the entire Community via the Announcement section. To start, the PA members will only send PA-related messages in the Announcements section, not at the classroom Group level – though we may revisit this approach if we notice our messages are not being read.
Is this Community affiliated with the school?
No. This WhatsApp Community is not affiliated with the school. It’s also important to remember that the PA is independent from the school and is made up of parents only.
What is the role of the Parent Association in the WhatsApp Community?
The PA was responsible for setting up the Community and the sub-Groups for each classroom. We will also ensure that there is an Admin in each classroom group. The PA will not monitor or manage individual Group conversations.
For classroom WhatsApp Groups that were already active, will this change our experience?
No, there will be no change to your experience in your classroom group.
Am I required to participate actively?
Nope! But the more people who participate, the richer the experience for all.
What if I don’t want to be part of the WhatsApp Community?
The WhatsApp Community is opt-in only. The PA will not automatically add anyone to the Community. The only exception will be at the creation of this Community where the PA will migrate existing Groups – i.e. anyone who is in an existing WhatsApp Group, will automatically join the PA managed classroom Group.
In addition, you can leave at any time. To leave a group, click on the Group name at the top of the chat to view the Group information. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Exit group.
How do I know who is who in my group?
Ideally, everyone adds their name to their WhatsApp profile (though some may choose not to). To do so, click Settings, click your profile picture to Edit Profile, and add your name.
Additionally, if your Group would like to gather participant names, this information could be added to the Group Description, for example:
- Parent Name 1 (Mom of Child Name)
- Parent Name 2 (Parent of Child Name)
- Parent Name 3 (Dad of Child Name)
The Management of the WhatsApp Community
How is communication managed in the Classroom chats?
That’s up to your classroom Group to set any rules of communication. The admin can help mediate any conflict. The PA as an organization will not get involved except (temporarily) in cases where existing class group admins have changed schools or have become unresponsive.
Will the PA monitor or manage class Group conversations?
Definitely not! The PA board members are parents too, and will be in their own classroom Groups, but will not be admitted to any other groups.
Will the PA automatically add new families to the groups? In other words, who approves the requests to join the groups?
Only the admins of each Group will admit new families. In some groups, a PA member may be the admin, whether that be because their kid is enrolled in that class, or no one has volunteered to be the admin (and has approved a PA representative to join their group).
What if the current Group admins leave the school?
Ideally, the admin finds a replacement before leaving. If that does not happen, a PA member can temporarily (or permanently) join the Group to act as admin until another parent volunteers.
What happens when families leave the school, or a child moves to a new class?
Parents are responsible for leaving their Group when they are ready. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance, neither the admins, nor the PA will remove families after they have left the school.
To leave a group, click on the Group name at the top of the chat to view the Group information. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Exit group.
How is communication managed in the Classroom chats?
That’s up to your classroom Group to set any rules of communication. The admin can help mediate any conflict. The PA as an organization will not get involved except (temporarily) in cases where existing class group admins have changed schools or have become unresponsive.
Will the PA monitor or manage class Group conversations?
Definitely not! The PA board members are parents too, and will be in their own classroom Groups, but will not be admitted to any other groups.
Will the PA automatically add new families to the groups? In other words, who approves the requests to join the groups?
Only the admins of each Group will admit new families. In some groups, a PA member may be the admin, whether that be because their kid is enrolled in that class, or no one has volunteered to be the admin (and has approved a PA representative to join their group).
What if the current Group admins leave the school?
Ideally, the admin finds a replacement before leaving. If that does not happen, a PA member can temporarily (or permanently) join the Group to act as admin until another parent volunteers.
What happens when families leave the school, or a child moves to a new class?
Parents are responsible for leaving their Group when they are ready. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance, neither the admins, nor the PA will remove families after they have left the school.
To leave a group, click on the Group name at the top of the chat to view the Group information. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Exit group.
Security and Privacy of WhatsApp Communities
How is the information shared in the Group stored?
WhatsApp doesn't keep copies of your messages after they're delivered. It works like texting, but uses internet data instead. When you send a message, it goes through WhatsApp's servers to the recipient. If they're offline, WhatsApp holds the message for up to 30 days before deleting it. Once delivered, messages are only stored on your and the recipient's phones. You can delete them anytime.
WhatsApp does keep some basic information, like when messages were sent and to which phone numbers. They may also keep other details if legally required. Files sent through WhatsApp are briefly stored on their servers but are quickly deleted.
If I leave my WhatsApp group, do my past messages stay in the chat?
Yes, though parents can delete past messages they’ve sent if they like before leaving. More specifically:
How is the information shared in the Group stored?
WhatsApp doesn't keep copies of your messages after they're delivered. It works like texting, but uses internet data instead. When you send a message, it goes through WhatsApp's servers to the recipient. If they're offline, WhatsApp holds the message for up to 30 days before deleting it. Once delivered, messages are only stored on your and the recipient's phones. You can delete them anytime.
WhatsApp does keep some basic information, like when messages were sent and to which phone numbers. They may also keep other details if legally required. Files sent through WhatsApp are briefly stored on their servers but are quickly deleted.
If I leave my WhatsApp group, do my past messages stay in the chat?
Yes, though parents can delete past messages they’ve sent if they like before leaving. More specifically:
- Any members who were in the Group at the time a message was sent, can see that message from the past.
- Members who leave the Group can still access it after they’ve left (that’s how WhatsApp works, not a setting the PA has applied).
- Any new members who join after the message was sent will not see previous messages