Campus Announcements

Broadcast important updates to students and instructors at your campus or across the entire organization.

Accessing Campus Announcements

For Campus Admins:

1. From the SSAdmin App, click the App Switcher in the top-left corner
2. Select Chat App from the list
3. Click on your campus space icon in the left sidebar
4. Look for the # announcements room in the ONGOING section
5. Click to open the announcements room

For HQ Admins:

1. Open the Chat App (App Switcher → Chat App)
2. Access organization-wide announcement spaces
3. Select target campus spaces or HQ-wide channels
4. Navigate to the # announcements room

Understanding the Announcements Room

When you open the announcements room, you'll see:

• Room header: Shows "# announcements" with campus/space name
• Message list: All previous announcements chronologically
• Message composer: Rich text editor at the bottom for new announcements
• Admin-only posting: Only admins can post; students/instructors read-only

Making an Announcement

Step-by-Step Process

1. Open the announcements room (see "Accessing" section above)
2. Click in the message editor at the bottom of the room
3. Type your announcement with all essential details
4. Format your message using rich text tools:
   • Bold for important terms or deadlines
   • Italic for emphasis
   • Numbered lists for steps
   • Bullet points for items
5. Attach files if needed (click Attach file button)
   • Forms students need to complete
   • Documents for reference
   • Images or diagrams
6. Review your announcement carefully
7. Click Send button or press Enter

Announcement Components

Subject Line (First Line)

Use emojis and clear labels:

• 📌 for general reminders
• 🚨 for urgent/important updates
• 📋 for applications and deadlines
• 💰 for payment-related
• 📅 for schedule changes

Examples:

• 📌 TUITION PAYMENT REMINDER - October Intake
• 🚨 IMPORTANT: Class Schedule Change
• 📋 Level 1 Clearance Application - Deadline Approaching

Message Body Structure

Greeting:

Dear Students,
Attention Level 1 Students,
Level 2 Students - [Stream Name],

Main Message:

• State what's happening clearly
• Include all necessary details
• Use formatting for readability

Action Items: If students need to do something:

How to [Action]:
1. Step one
2. Step two
3. Step three

Deadline:

🗓️ Deadline: Friday, January 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM

Contact Information:

Questions? Contact Campus Admin Office
- WhatsApp: [Phone Number]
- Email: [Email]
- Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 9 AM - 5 PM

Signature:

Thank you,
[Campus Name] Admin Team

Types of Announcements

Payment Deadline Reminders

Template:

📌 TUITION PAYMENT REMINDER - [Intake]

Dear Students,

Your next tuition installment is due by [Date].

Amount Due: Check your Student Portal for your balance
Payment Methods: Bank transfer, online payment, campus office

How to Pay:
1. Log into Student Portal
2. Navigate to Tuition & Payment
3. Select payment method
4. Complete payment
5. Save receipt

Late Payment: [Penalty] applies after [Date]

Questions? Contact Campus Admin Office
[Contact Details]

Thank you,
[Campus Name] Admin Team

Schedule Changes

Template:

🚨 IMPORTANT: Class Schedule Change

[Target Students]

The [Class Name] originally scheduled for:
❌ [Old Date/Time/Location]

Has been rescheduled to:
✅ [New Date/Time]
📍 Location: [New Location]

Reason: [Brief explanation]

Please confirm you received this message with a 👍 reaction.

[Campus Name] Admin Team

Clearance Deadlines

Template:

📋 Level [1/2] Clearance Application - Deadline Approaching

Attention Level [#] Students ([Intake]):

Clearance applications are due:
🗓️ [Date and Time]

Before Applying, Ensure You Have:
✅ [Requirement 1]
✅ [Requirement 2]
✅ [Requirement 3]
✅ [Requirement 4]

How to Apply:
1. Log into Student Portal
2. Go to Clearance & Applications
3. Select "[Type] Clearance"
4. Complete application
5. Submit required documents

Late applications will delay your:
- [Consequence 1]
- [Consequence 2]
- [Consequence 3]

Questions? Contact Admin Office

[Campus Name] Admin Team

Emergency Notifications

Template:

🚨 URGENT: [Type] - Campus Closed

All Students and Instructors,

Due to [Reason], [Campus Name] will be closed on [Date(s)].

What This Means:
- No in-person classes
- Campus facilities unavailable
- Online activities continue as scheduled
- Exams: [Status - postponed/online/etc.]

Makeup Sessions: [Details if applicable]

We will notify you when normal operations resume.

Stay safe,
[Campus Name] Admin Team

Formatting Best Practices

Use Visual Indicators

• ✅ Green check for approved/correct
• ❌ Red X for incorrect/old information
• 📍 Location pin for places
• 🗓️ Calendar for dates
• ⏰ Clock for times
• 💰 Money for payments

Structure Long Announcements

Break into clear sections with headers:

## What's Changing

## Who This Affects

## What You Need to Do

## Important Dates

## Questions?

Highlight Deadlines

Make them impossible to miss:

🚨 DEADLINE: Friday, December 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM 🚨

Attaching Files to Announcements

When you need to share forms, documents, or images:

1. Click the Attach file button (shows FileIcon)
2. Select your file from your device
3. Wait for upload to complete
4. File appears as AttachmentChip in your message
5. Add explanation in your message text about the file
6. Send the announcement with attachment

Example message with attachment:

📋 PMR Submission Form Attached

Dear Level 1 Students,

Please find the PMR submission form attached to this message.

How to Complete:
1. Download the attached form
2. Fill in all sections completely
3. Save as: YourName_PMR_2024.pdf
4. Submit through Student Portal by [Date]

[Attach file here]

Questions? Contact your campus admin.

Announcement Timing

Best Times to Post

Weekday Mornings (9-11 AM):

• Students check messages at start of day
• Time to read and take action
• High visibility and engagement

Avoid:

• Late nights (after 9 PM) - students may miss
• Very early mornings (before 7 AM) - not checking yet
• Weekends - unless urgent

Advance Notice Guidelines

1-2 weeks ahead:

• Payment deadlines
• Application deadlines
• Major schedule changes
• Registration periods

3-5 days ahead:

• Event reminders
• Exam notifications
• Facility changes

24-48 hours ahead:

• Class-specific reminders
• Last-minute updates
• Follow-up reminders

Immediate (same day):

• Emergency closures
• Critical safety alerts
• Urgent schedule changes

Targeting Specific Groups

While the announcements room broadcasts to everyone in the space, you can indicate the target audience in your message:

In the subject line:

📌 Level 1 Students Only - Payment Reminder
🚨 October 2024 Intake - Schedule Change
📋 Level 2 Stream Leaders - Meeting Notice

In the first line:

Attention Level 1 Students (October 2024 Intake):
Level 2 Students - Spiritual Leadership Stream:
All Instructors:

Following Up on Announcements

Reminder Announcements

For important deadlines, send reminders:

• 2 weeks before: Initial announcement
• 1 week before: First reminder
• 3 days before: Second reminder
• 24 hours before: Final reminder

Reminder template:

⏰ REMINDER: [Topic] - [Time Period] Left

This is a reminder that [original announcement topic] is due in [time period].

Original announcement: [Date posted]

Deadline: [Date and time]

[Brief recap of action needed]

If you've already completed this, thank you! You can disregard this reminder.

[Campus Name] Admin Team

Clarification Announcements

If many students ask the same question:

📌 CLARIFICATION: [Original Topic]

Several students have asked about [topic]. Here's the clarification:

Q: [Common question]
A: [Clear answer]

Hope this helps! Contact us if you still have questions.

[Campus Name] Admin Team

Tracking Announcement Effectiveness

Monitor Engagement

• Check for student reactions (👍, ✅)
• Count responses or questions
• Track action completion (e.g., how many applied)
• Note recurring questions for improvement

Request Confirmation

For critical announcements:

Please confirm you received and read this message by reacting with a 👍

Then monitor who has responded.

Announcement Etiquette

Do:

✅ Proofread carefully before sending ✅ Include all essential information (who, what, when, where, why) ✅ Use clear, professional language ✅ Provide multiple contact methods ✅ Give adequate advance notice ✅ Follow up with reminders ✅ Specify exact deadlines with times

Don't:

❌ Post announcements too frequently (causes fatigue) ❌ Use ALL CAPS for entire message (looks like shouting) ❌ Include individual student names with private info ❌ Share confidential data publicly ❌ Make announcements overly long ❌ Send without proofreading ❌ Post duplicate announcements

Handling Student Responses

Questions in Comments

If students reply to your announcement:

1. Respond promptly (within 24 hours)
2. Answer clearly and thoroughly
3. Post clarification if many ask the same thing
4. Direct to resources when appropriate

Common Question Management

If you see the same question multiple times:

1. Post a follow-up clarification announcement
2. Update FAQ documents
3. Include in future similar announcements
4. Train staff on consistent responses

Privacy and Compliance

Protect Student Privacy

Never announce publicly:

• Individual payment status
• Specific grade information
• Disciplinary actions
• Personal family matters
• Health information
• Contact details without permission

FERPA Compliance

Announcements must comply with privacy regulations:

• No personally identifiable information
• No educational records
• No directory information without consent
• General information only

What You CAN Announce

• General deadlines applying to groups
• Campus-wide policy changes
• Schedule changes for classes
• Public events and dates
• General requirements

Troubleshooting

Announcement Not Sending

1. Check your internet connection
2. Verify you're in the correct announcements room
3. Ensure you have admin permissions
4. Try refreshing the page
5. Contact technical support if issue persists

Students Not Seeing Announcements

1. Verify they're members of the space
2. Check if they've joined the announcements room
3. Ask them to refresh or reopen Chat App
4. Send follow-up via email or SMS if critical
5. Post in multiple channels if extremely urgent

Need to Correct an Announcement

• You cannot edit sent messages
• Post a correction announcement immediately
• Reference the original message
• Apologize for any confusion
• Provide correct information clearly

Correction template:

🚨 CORRECTION: [Original Topic]

In our previous announcement about [topic], we stated [incorrect info].

The correct information is: [correct info]

We apologize for any confusion. Please disregard the previous [detail] and use this updated information.

[Campus Name] Admin Team