SMS & Email CommunicationsAdmin

Communication is one of AthenaStar's most-used features — reach every parent instantly via SMS, or send rich formatted emails for newsletters and announcements, all from inside the same system that holds the fee records and results.

SMS — Sending a Bulk Message

1. Go to Communications → SMS → Compose.
2. Choose your recipient group: All Parents, a specific class, a student type (e.g. Boarders), or paste a custom phone list.
3. Type your message. The character counter shows remaining characters per SMS (160 max — longer messages split and cost more).
4. Click Send. A summary shows how many went out and any failures.
5. Check SMS → History for per-message delivery status.

Email Parents

Go to Parent Comms → Email Parents → New Email. Choose a template or compose from scratch. Select recipients (all parents, a class, or individual parents). AthenaStar sends HTML emails with the school logo and footer automatically.

Message Log

Every outbound SMS and email is recorded under Message Log → All Messages Sent. Filter by channel (SMS / Email), date, or recipient group. This is your audit trail for parent communication — useful if a parent claims they weren't notified.

Newsletter Campaigns

For longer-form communications (term newsletter, end-of-year report), use Newsletter → New Campaign. It uses the school's subscriber list — parents and staff who have opted in to email newsletters. Campaigns include an unsubscribe link automatically.