You end up writing the same handful of messages forever: the welcome note, the “just a reminder about fees”, the end-of-term thank you. Save them once.
Where they live
Settings → Communications → Message templates.
Create one
Select New template, then give it a Name (something like “Welcome email”), pick a Channel — Email or In-app message — and write the Subject and the Message.
Names are for you, not for families: pick something you’ll recognise in a hurry.
Personalise with placeholders
A template doesn’t have to read like a form letter. Use {{first_name}} style placeholders — they’re filled in when the message is sent, so one template greets every family by name.
Using one
Templates are there to be dropped into a message and edited — the point is to skip the blank page, not to send something impersonal. A quick tweak to the first line usually makes a template read like a note you wrote that morning.
You can delete a template you’ve outgrown; that can’t be undone, but nothing you’ve already sent is affected.
Sending to many at once? Templates pair naturally with group messages — see message a whole group at once.
Was this out of date or unclear? Tell us — we keep these guides matched to the live app.