“Beaverton Schools, right in your hand”

Keeping up with the times is an ever-evolving process, but the new Beaverton Schools app is an attempt to do just that.“I knew in my previous stint here, we were not great at communication,” said Superintendent Joseph Passalacqua. “Our website and social media platforms were abysmal and (social media) is just the way of the times right now. I knew I had the opportunity to change that now that I’m in charge.”Modernization is not the app’s only purpose, but it does provide a new insight to events happening at Beaverton Schools.“Right now, we’re trying to use this new platform to communicate the positives about the school,” Passalacqua said. “We want to show all the cool things that are happening.”

The content generated by teachers and administrators via the app, available for both Android and Apple users, also populates the district’s new website at www.beavertonschools.net, keeping things current there as well.

The app’s features, however, will likely be what Beaverton Schools’ staff, students and parents have most to be excited about.

“It’s another avenue for us to communicate,” Passalacqua said. “Right away, you can access your menu, you can access daily announcements and you can access live feeds of pertinent information. Like when I close school, you’ll get a push notification. You’ll be one of the first people to know.”

Establishing and creating a connection between administration and Beaverton community members was another goal of the app.

“Communication has been improved significantly,” he said. “I’ve been able to see the benefits, the ease, the functionality for an administrator. It’s all right here; I can close school from Alaska, right from an app. And I can also get the information out to every household in a split second.”

The best thing about the app to Passalacqua, though, is something rather simple.

“It’s right there in your hand,” he said. “It’s everything Beaverton Schools is, right there in your hand.”