Freshman Orientation…Looking back on my time as a student and then as an educator, there are a few things that hold true for both experiences: excitement, fear of the unknown, unique feelings about change, reflecting on the past, and anticipation for what this school year has in store! This was the same look that I saw on the faces of parents and students during one of our onsite visits this year.
The MyPaymentsPlus team had the pleasure of attending the freshman orientation for West Forsyth High School in Cumming, GA. Our wonderful host and head bookkeeper, Mary Friday, made sure that everything ran smoothly, resources were available, and that parents and students left with the information needed to feel successful for the new year. (Check out our exclusive chat with Mary on our Facebook Page!)
We arrived early in the morning and the halls of West Forsyth High schools were quickly filled with new high school students and their parents. They were attending several sessions and taking care of important tasks to get off to the right start this year.
MyPaymentsPlus is being utilized more this year in the district and is new to many families. As parents and students toured the building, they were guided to a computer lab set up for parents to create new accounts to make online payments throughout the year. It was a great idea to make the most of this orientation day, when parents are absorbing the most information. This action encouraged parents to make online payments and gave them the option to register for accounts on the spot. Mary also had access to their student information system to provide student ID numbers for parents who did not have them yet. Parents were able to quickly register, make payments to their account (i.e. lunch or lockers) if they desired to do so, or view their payment history on the parent MyPaymentsPlus site. Our team was also available to demonstrate how to make payments, provide information on finding support when needed, and answered any questions. I loved hearing parents say, “that was easy!” or “is that it?!” as they happily printed their confirmation numbers for their payment. Marketing materials from our MyPaymentsPlus marketing kit were also provided to parents to take home and register later.
MyPaymentsPlus makes online payments easy so parents can quickly move on with their day. In addition, payments are real time, so payments made are available instantly. This is perfect for an online payment that needs to be made and confirmed for choosing the perfect locker the same day! (And we could tell that locker location was a high priority for the incoming freshman!)
I loved the idea of having a lab set up for parents to create accounts and get familiar with the parent payment site right away. This will most likely increase the number of parents who see how easy it is to make payments online and view payment history as well. As your Customer Success Advisor, I can tell you that we have seen great success in parent participation from districts who make an effort to get the MyPaymentsPlus information to parents from the beginning of the school year. In my experience, parents are more open to receiving new information and taking action at the start of a new school year.
Our marketing team is also available to help you get the word out! We can create free custom marketing materials to meet your needs for orientation and beyond! Contact us for more information.
I want to say thank you to Mary Friday and the West Forsyth High School team for welcoming us and allowing us to support you and your parents this school year.
