IMPORTANT: Before developing your scheduled alert messages, please ensure that your default settings are filled out completely.  For assistance in setting up and reviewing your default settings, click here.

To create a Period Attendance Alert, click on the dropdown menu where it reads, select the new Scheduled Task you would like to create and select Period Attendance.

The next page displays various parts of the Period Attendance alert.

Enter a name/title for the alert where it reads, Scheduled Task Name.

The Schedule Message Type is set to Period Attendance.

Select the days of the week to run this alert by checking the corresponding boxes where it reads, Run on the following days.

Enter a specific time for the alert to be broadcast. The default time zone is automatically populated with the time zone from your profile settings.

TIP! If you are running scheduled alerts for two or more of your buildings, best practice is to separate your "At this time of the day" for each building by 2-5 minutes. Not doing so may result in false login failures due to the alerts attempting to run at the exact same time. To move past login-based operations, please contact Alert Solutions and ask about our API Integration.

Next, enter your PowerSchool Login credentials in the following format: username;password. It is important that these login credentials default to the building that you will create the alert for. 

Enter the attendance codes you wish to include for this alert in the Attendance Codes field.  For example, some schools use the following codes: A = Absent; T = Tardy; TE = Tardy Excused; U = Unexcused; X = Truant. These codes are specific to your installation.

Enter the desired period numbers, separated by a comma, into the field where it reads, Period Numbers.

To set the threshold for this period attendance alert, enter a numeric value into the field where it reads, Absent Threshold.

To indicate the specific classes that a student is absent from, click on the box where it reads, Include class names in message.

Click on the dropdown menu where it reads, Message Category and select Attendance Alert.

Next, select the type(s) of broadcast messages – Voice, SMS and/or Email – by checking the appropriate box(es).

Sending Period Attendance Alerts via SMS

To send Period Attendance Alerts via SMS, click on the SMS channel name to the right of the checkbox.

You will see the default shortcode for your account displayed.

Next, enter the desired alert contents into the SMS Text Message Content field.

To insert merge fields, click on the dropdown menu where it reads, Insert Merge Field.

Sending Period Attendance Alerts via Email

To send Period Attendance Alerts via email, click on the email channel name to the right of the checkbox.

Enter the email address where the alert will be sent from in the From field.

Enter the email address where replies are sent to in the Reply To field.

Enter a name to display in the Display Name field.

Enter a title as the subject of the alert in the Subject field.

Next, enter the content of your Attendance Alert message.

To insert merge fields, click on the dropdown menu where it reads, Insert Merge Field.

To insert images, click on the dropdown menu where it reads, Insert Image.

To insert links, click on the dropdown menu where it reads, Insert Link.

Sending Period Attendance Alerts via Voice

To send Period Attendance Alerts via voice, click on the voice channel name to the right of the checkbox.

You will see the default Caller ID field that is automatically populated with the phone number from your profile settings.

Enter the content for the live voice delivery in the Live Content field.

Enter the content for the voice mail delivery in the Voice Mail Content field.

To receive notification emails, enter an email address into the Notification Emails field.

To receive email error alerts when there is a problem, click on the box that reads: ‘Email me error alerts when there is a problem’.

To receive email summaries each time the alert is sent, click on the box that reads: ‘Email me a summary each time the task is executed’.

Click the Save button to save the changes.