Rolling River School Division

General Information
How to Receive Voice Messages
Parent Hub App

To improve communication between the schools and parents, Rolling River School Division utilizes the BrightArrow system for telephone, email, and text message notifications. This system allows the school division and schools to inform all households and parents within minutes during emergencies or unexpected events. Additionally, it can be used to send general announcements or reminders.

Below is some examples how the school division uses the BrightArrow Notification System to contact parents by email, text, voice call, or a combination.

• Emergency/Urgent Notification
• School Closure
• Bus Cancelation
• Bus Delays
• Attendance
• Events or other General Information

The school will send email to parents either independently or alongside voice calls or text messages. Email can provide more detailed information than a brief call or text message and may include attachments and graphics when suitable

Text Message

The BrightArrow system also enables schools to send text messages to parents. These messages will originate from a phone number in the format 424-###-####. Please be aware that these texts are from your school.

Voice Call

For the most urgent or important messages, voice calls are made. If you miss the call and see the school’s phone number on your Caller ID, please listen to the voicemail instead of calling the school back. The message is usually sent to all parents simultaneously, and returning the call can overwhelm school staff.

How to Receive Voice Messages

When automated phone calls are made, BrightArrow simultaneously calls all the phone numbers in the school’s parent contact database. It delivers the message if answered live or sent to voicemail. Information to know:

• • The Caller ID will display the division or school’s phone number(s) or the BrightArrow phone number 1–855-994-4242. Having these numbers stored in your phone’s contacts can reduce the likelihood of your number being blocked from BrightArrow communications.

  • Please answer your phone as you normally would by saying “Hello” (or equivalent) immediately, and stay quiet. The message should start playing right away.

  • Voicemail: The system detects if your voicemail has answered and will play the recording after the beep.

  • Message repeat: At any time during the message you may press Star on your telephone to repeat the message.

BrightArrow uses leading edge technology in the industry to detect the difference between human answer and voicemail. How the detection works:

• • The system calls your phone and starts speaking immediately when you answer.

  • By listening while it is speaking, the system guesses whether it has reached a live person or voicemail. In order to detect a live person, simply say “Hello” or an equivalent response when you answer, and then be quiet to hear the message.

  • If it is not sure whether it reached a live person or voicemail, the system must allow for the possibility that it might be voicemail, so it stops the audio upon hearing sounds and starts it up again upon hearing silence – that way it will reliably leave a full message on a voicemail or answering machine.

Some reasons for false detection, causing the system to stop and repeat:

• • Loud background noise, television, radio, ring back tones, or a noisy environment.

  • Not saying hello, delaying saying hello, saying hello more than once, or talking while the system is speaking to you.

What can be done to remedy this?

• • Say “Hello” immediately and then be silent, and do not say hello more than once.

  • If the message stops and restarts repeatedly, mute your telephone or cover its microphone to cut out background noise.

  • Alternatively, press the Star key and the message will replay from the beginning without further repeating.