Overview


The "Communication" tool in TeacherVUE is for initiating communication with students and parents/guardians, either individually or on a class-wide basis. It is not for viewing incoming emails from students/parents.

  • Emails sent using the Communication tool will go directly to the recipient's email inbox and will also appear in ParentVUE & StudentVUE. 
  • Responses from parents & students will come directly to your TTSD email inbox.


Emails sent using the Communication tool will be automatically be translated into the language set for the student/parent in Synergy. Email replies from students/parents sent in a different language will not be automatically translated to English, but there are instructions at the bottom of this article on how to do this using the Chrome and Firefox web browsers.


December 4, 2023 Update: A recent Synergy update added the option to disable translation on an outgoing message. Details below.



Communicating With Individual Students


1. On your seating chart, click the student's picture and select "Communication" from the menu that appears.

student seating chart picture (blurred) with a "Communication" menu item highlighted in a contextual menu next to the student picture.


2. By default, the student and their parents/guardians will be preselected as recipients. You can also select the student's other teachers. You can also CC/BCC a staff member.

"To" area. A "student" table has 3 checkboxes. Next to each checkbox is the relationship: student, mother, and father. Email addresses for these recipients are blurred. A similar table for "teachers" lists all of the students teachers (names are blurred) and each has a checkbox for selecting.

3. Compose your email as usual. You can format the body of the message using the rich content editor. 

  • To disable automatic translation, uncheck the Auto Translate box below the message composition area. 
    checkbox labeled auto translate


4. You can attach files using the green "Select files..." button, but there are two important things to note.

  • Per TTSD policy, we do not send any confidential student information via email.
  • Historically attachments with oddball characters in the filename can cause errors. The / and : characters have been problematic in the past and are best avoided.


5. At the top of the screen you can click the green "Send" button to sent right away, or the small down arrow to schedule the email for later delivery. "Send & Return" has the same options but will return you to your seating chart after clicking.

Two buttons, "Send," and "Send & Return." Each button has a small down facing triangle. This triangle is selected on the "send" button to reveal a "schedule send" option.

6. You can view your sent message history by clicking the "Message History" button on the left side of the screen.


Communicating on a Class-wide Basis


1. From the Home menu, select "Communication."

Home menu with "Communication" menu item selected.

2. In the "To" area you can select the classes you want to send to as well as the options listed in the pulldown menu shown below. Selecting "Specific Student(s) and/or Parent(s)" will open a floating window for making these selections.

"To" section of the new email screen. A "people" pulldown menu has the following options: Student(s), Both Student(s) and Parent(s), and Specific Student(s) and/or Parent(s). Below is a list of classes with checkboxes for selecting.


3. Compose your email as usual. You can format the body of the message using the rich content editor. 

  • To disable automatic translation, uncheck the Auto Translate box below the message composition area. 
    checkbox labeled auto translate


4. You can attach files using the green "Select files..." button, but there are two important things to note.

  • Per TTSD policy, we do not send any confidential student information via email.
  • Historically attachments with oddball characters in the filename can cause errors. The / and : characters have been problematic in the past and are best avoided.


5. At the top of the screen you can click the green "Send" button to sent right away, or the small down arrow to schedule the email for later delivery. "Send & Return" has the same options but will return you to your seating chart after clicking.

Two buttons, "Send," and "Send & Return." Each button has a small down facing triangle. This triangle is selected on the "send" button to reveal a "schedule send" option.

6. You can view your sent message history by clicking the "Message History" button on the left side of the screen.



Translating an Email You Received in a Different Language


Chrome/Brave/Firefox Web Browsers


1. Open the email, click the three vertical dots and select "Translate" from the menu that appears. 

An email message in Swedish. Three vertical dots appear on the right. A menu under these dots has the "translate message" menu item highlighted.





2. The translated text will be displayed. The original language should be auto-detected, but you can always manually select it if necessary. 

Same message as above, but now translated into English. Above the message body are pulldown menus for selecting the originating language (currently auto-detected) and the language to translate into (currently English)