Hey Raha blog · School life
PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, ParentSquare, ClassDojo and Seesaw: which school app sends what
Most US families deal with two kinds of school app. A student information system, usually PowerSchool or Infinite Campus, holds grades, attendance and schedules. A communication app, such as ParentSquare, ClassDojo or Seesaw, carries announcements and classroom updates. Dates can hide in any of them, plus plain email. Here is which sends what, and what to switch on.
The quick decoder
| App | What it is | What it usually sends you | Where dates hide |
|---|---|---|---|
| PowerSchool | Student information system (district level) | Grades, attendance, schedules; some districts send messages through it | Assignment due dates, attendance notices |
| Infinite Campus | Student information system (district level) | Grades, attendance, schedules, messages from the district or school | Due dates, district messages, sometimes closing notices |
| ParentSquare | District and school communications | Announcements, urgent alerts, messages, sometimes forms and sign-ups, by app, email and text | Events, early dismissals, closings, sign-up deadlines |
| ClassDojo | Classroom communication (teacher level) | Class story posts, teacher messages, behavior points | Field trips, class events, "bring this tomorrow" |
| Seesaw | Student learning journal (class level) | Photos and work from class, teacher messages | Occasional class announcements |
Which ones you get is your district's and teacher's choice; many families have three or more.
Want the daily part done for you?
Hey Raha reads your school emails and sends you and your nanny one clear daily WhatsApp plan, with fees and private notes kept with you.
Try Hey Raha free for 14 daysWhat to switch on
- PowerSchool or Infinite Campus: keep your phone number and email current. This is often where emergency alerts get their contact list. Turn on attendance notifications.
- ParentSquare: set urgent alerts to text and push. Choose instant or daily digest for the rest. Our snow days guide explains why urgent alerts matter.
- ClassDojo and Seesaw: turn on notifications for teacher messages, so a field trip note isn't buried under photos.
- Email: many schools still send newsletters and calendar PDFs by email. The school emails survival guide shows how to file them.
Where families miss dates
- Early dismissals announced in a ParentSquare post rather than the district calendar.
- Break changes and pupil-free days mentioned in a newsletter. See winter break 2026-27.
- Sign-ups and food drives in a class post before Thanksgiving week.
If a sitter or nanny does pickup, they usually can't see these apps, so pass on anything that changes their day.
How Raha pulls the dates into one family plan
Dates like these arrive in a calendar PDF in August, then change in a newsletter, a ParentSquare post or a teacher email weeks later. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, picks out the days off, early dismissals and deadlines, and puts them into one family plan for each child. When a date changes, she flags it, and whoever helps with pickup, a partner, grandparent or sitter, can get the same plan.
Try free for 14 daysMarie, founder of Hey Raha
Related guides
- Thanksgiving break 2026: week planner and sitter brief
- Winter break 2026-27 in six big districts
- Snow days and emergency closings
- The US and Canada school emails survival guide
FAQ
What is the difference between PowerSchool and Infinite Campus?
Both are student information systems that districts use for grades, attendance and schedules. Your district picks one; you rarely have both.
What is ParentSquare used for?
ParentSquare is a communication platform districts and schools use for announcements, urgent alerts and messages, sent by app, email and text.
What is the difference between ClassDojo and Seesaw?
ClassDojo is mainly for classroom updates, teacher messages and behavior points. Seesaw is a learning journal where your child's work and class photos are posted.
Which school app sends snow day alerts?
Usually the district's mass notification tool, often ParentSquare, plus calls and texts to the contacts stored in PowerSchool or Infinite Campus.
Why do I need so many school apps?
Districts, schools and teachers each choose their own tools. Map which app carries what, set notifications once, and put the dates in one calendar.
Sources
- PowerSchool: www.powerschool.com
- Infinite Campus: www.infinitecampus.com
- ParentSquare: www.parentsquare.com
- ClassDojo: www.classdojo.com
- Seesaw: web.seesaw.me
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