October 24, 2007

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Keeping you informed is a top priority at the Rutland City Public Schools. That is why we have adopted the ALERTNOW Notification Service, which will allow us to send a recorded telephone or e-mail message to you providing important information about school events or emergencies. We anticipate using ALERTNOW to notify you of school delays or cancellations due to inclement weather, as well as remind you about various school specific events, including progress report and report card distribution, open houses, parent conferences, and more. In the event of an emergency at school, you can have peace of mind knowing that you will be informed immediately by phone.

The successful delivery of information is dependent upon accurate contact information for each student, so please make certain that we have your most current phone numbers. If this information changes, please be sure to let your child’s school secretary know immediately.

What you need to know about receiving calls sent through ALERTNOW:

Caller ID will display the district’s main number (773-1900) when a routine announcement is delivered. It will display 911 in case of a breaking emergency.
Be sure to say “Hello” when you answer the phone. The technology must hear a voice to deliver.
ALERTNOW will leave a message on any answering machine or voicemail.
If for any reason you need to replay the message, you may press ANY key on your phone, at any point in the message and it will replay the message from the beginning.
If you have such things as Telemarketer Zapper or Privacy Director on your telephone lines, you may not receive the call.
ALERTNOW does not call extensions. If you have a direct dial number at work, you should provide your child’s school with the direct dial number not a main number plus an extension.

The district will be launching a test/introductory message on the following day and time:

Thursday, November 8th at 3:00 PM

We are very excited to incorporate ALERTNOW as a tool to improve parent communication and look forward to having the ability to deliver real time information to you in a cost effective manner.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our students and schools.

Sincerely,

Mary E. Moran, Superintendent