EMAIL DETAILS

Friday - November 19, 2010


Dear Parents,Sidwell Friends School has adopted the ALERTNOW Notification Service which will allow us to send telephone, e-mail and text messages to notify you of unexpected emergencies which we, of course, hope never occur but for which we must be prepared, and school delays or cancellations due to inclement weather. ALERTNOW will replace our current Equake system, sending out voice, email and text messages, and will provide the text notifications for weather closures.What you need to know about receiving messages sent through ALERTNOW• If there is a serious emergency, or if school must be closed early after it has already begun, voice messages will go out to the household phone as well as to the cell phones and office numbers of both parents, which you provided when you updated your household information online at the SFS web site. Caller ID will display 411. If you cannot answer the phone, ALERTNOW will leave a message on any answering machine or voicemail. You will also receive e-mails and texts (see below).• When a weather-related closing or delay is announced in the morning, a text message will go to the cell number(s) you provide us as an optional opt-in (see below). E-mails will also be sent, as is our current practice, along with messages on the Hotline, website, TV and radio.• Home phone, cell phone, and email addresses have been gleaned from the information you provided when you updated your child’s records last summer. If there are any changes to your phone numbers or email addresses, please keep them updated on the SFS website. We will send updated information to ALERTNOW about once per month.• To update contact information :o Login to the Parent portal at http://www.sidwell.edu/broadcast/action/clickthru.aspx?id=315.1173.601089.25157.2968o Click on “Update Household/Student Information” in the column on the left side of the screen.• If you would like to opt-in for text messages on your cell phones:o Go to www.alertnowsms.com o Enter the PIN code: 4quake o Click on “Opt-In.” o The next screen will allow you to enter cell phone numbers for which you would like to receive any emergency text messages. You may also use this web page to opt-out of text messages if you change your mind in the future.In order to test this new system, we will send out a test message on Friday, December 3, 2010. If you wish to receive text messages on your cell phone, please be sure to use the Opt-In procedures described above before December 3. Since we wish to test the full functionality of the system, you will receive voice mails, e-mails, and text messages (if you signed up) with a Caller ID of “411.” Please do not be alarmed as this will only be a test. If you experience any difficulties, or have any questions, please feel free to contact Patt Moser, the Director of Information Services, at 202-537-8120 or e-mail her at moserp@sidwell.edu. We are very excited to incorporate ALERTNOW as a tool to improve our emergency communications and hope that you find it convenient and easy to manage. Thank you very much for participating in this program.Regards,Lydia AdelfioAssistant Head of School for Administration


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