Konstella

What is Konstella?

Konstella is the private and secure online communication platform used by our school. Through Konstella, our families and staff receive important information and outreach from the school administration, the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), the School Leadership Team (SLT), and individual classroom teachers and leads. It also offers access to the school's calendar of non-public events.

Konstella is a hub for our community - users can join social groups and committees, ask questions of other caregivers, or privately message specific individuals. It is an essential platform to keep up-to-date on everything happening at PS9.

  • Konstella logo - the letter K on a solid background

How to Access Konstella

You can access Konstella via an app on a mobile device (Android or iOS) or through a web browser on a computer. The app is very convenient but the computer version has more robust features.

How to Join PS9 on Konstella

Each summer, new families are invited to Konstella by the PTO Communications Committee, one of our Konstella administrators.

If you have not seen your invitation, first search your email inbox for “Konstella” and be sure to check your “Spam” or “Junk” folders for a notice.

If you need to be invited or re-invited, please email one of our Konstella administrators - our Parent Coordinator or the chair of the PTO Communications Committee.

All invitation requests are checked against currently enrolled students to make sure that only current families and staff are members of the platform, so it helps if your request includes the name of your student, their grade, and their classroom (if known).

Feed

Official announcements from the school and the PTO can be found in the Feed, which is the default page you land on when you visit the Konstella website or mobile app. It can also easily be reached again:

  • Website: Click on the green Konstella logo in the upper left corner
  • Mobile apps: Click the “School” icon in the lower left, then “Feed” on the upper left

Classrooms

Students are added to their classroom on Konstella by the PTO Communications Committee as soon as that information is made available - each Konstella user associated with a student then becomes a member of the student's classroom. Once added to a classroom, members can connect with the teacher(s), class lead(s) and other caregivers in that class via chat on the public message board or as a private message to an individual or a group. Classrooms are a great place to connect with the caregivers of your student's peers for questions regarding missed homework, what the student should wear for a performance, or a potential group meet-up. Some Teachers or Class Leads use the sign-up feature to coordinate classroom snacks, volunteers or conferences and the photo feature to share pictures of classrooms activities, performances an/or field trips.

Some Notes

Students may only be in one classroom at a time, therefore they are assigned to their primary classroom. We cannot create or add students to classrooms for our cluster enrichment teachers (although many of them participate on the platform anyway and can be reached via private message).

All members of a classroom have access to view the message board, calendar, announcements, sign-ups, photos and files and links. The ability to create announcements, calendar items and sign-ups is generally restricted to the classroom managers (the teacher(s) and class lead(s)).

Teachers are not required to use Konstella, and some prefer to use other methods of communication — but we do have a large number who choose to participate. Always ask your teacher how they prefer to be contacted.

Please be aware that even if they actively post announcements and information on Konstella, teachers are generally not available during the school day (because they are busy teaching students and planning lessons). They are also not required to constantly monitor the Konstella chat or to be on call to answer questions twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They are hard-working professionals who deserve a break when away from school. Unless they specify otherwise, the best way to have an in-depth discussion with your student's teacher is to make an appointment to connect during weekly Tuesday Family Engagement hours.

 

 

Committees

Committees on Konstella have all of the same features as a classroom - message board, sign-ups, calendar, etc.

Some Notes

Committees listed under "Board and Leadership" and "Staff" are for reference only - their members are elected or appointed, or are employed by the school. If you join one of these committees accidentally, you will be removed.

You can find direct contact information for each member of the Executive Board in the Officers - PTO Committee.

The Class Leads committee is a place to volunteer to be a lead for your student's classroom. When you sign up you will automatically become a member of the Class Leads committee on Konstella and have access to the committee discussion, calendar and resources - but you will not immediately be added as a lead within the classroom itself. Our Parent Coordinator, the PTO Vice President for Administration-PTO Coordination or your student's classroom teacher can help assign you as a lead within your Konstella classroom. All Class Leads should be signed up in both places.

Social Groups

Social Groups are places to connect informally with a wide variety of the members of our community. We strongly suggest you join the PS9 Family Discussion as well as the social group for your student's grade (for example - "Class of 2029"). 

There are social groups for a wide variety of thing - different neighborhoods, identities, after school programs and hobbies. They are fantastic places to make connections across the different silos of classroom environments and student age. Some popular examples are listed below - but check out the whole assortment on Konstella to find something that appeals to you.

Konstella is most effective when all parents and caregivers join. In most cases, the email address for only one caregiver was made available due to system limitations within the NYC Department of Education. Please consider inviting your spouse, partner, co-parent, etc. to Konstella. You can also send them this link: https://www.konstella.com/cd/CCW3SF, or you can send their email address to pto-communications@ps9brooklyn.org and we can take care of it.

Terms of Use

By joining our school community on the Konstella platform, you agree to the following terms. Failure to comply with these terms may result in the suspension or removal of users from the site.  If you encounter any potential violations of the stated terms, please contact our Parent Coordinator.

Eligibility

  • Our Konstella community is only open to parents and / or individuals acting in a parental or caregiver role to a student currently enrolled at Public School 9 Sarah Smith Garnet (PS9).
  • If a student graduates or otherwise leaves the school, users are expected to delete their accounts on the platform. 
  • Konstella administrators also periodically remove users who no longer have a student enrolled at PS9. 

Expectations for Users

  • Act with respect towards all members of our community
  • Never share any personal information of anyone on the site, or any students at the school
  • Address any concerns you may have regarding our school community and/or an individual member directly to the appropriate individual (student, parent/guardian/caregiver, teacher, staff or administrator) not the wider community
  • Respect the privacy of all users and the school community - information and items shared on Konstella should not be shared outside of the platform without express written consent from the users involved

Inappropriate Communications

  • Defamatory comments (comments that are untrue and/or opinions that are capable of damaging the reputation of a person or organization) 
  • Bullying of any individual (e.g. parent, teacher, staff member or student) or group
  • Comments containing anyone else’s personal information, including that of children
  • Vulgar or offensive language
  • Solicitation or promotion of any form (business, donations, volunteer) for organizations not directly affiliated with PS9’s Administration or PTO

Inappropriate and/or offensive posts will be removed at the discretion of the Site Administrator(s).

Tips for using Konstella on a computer

Konstella provides lots of user support - a one-page Cheat Sheet, helpful tutorials on their website, and informative links throughout the desktop version of the platform - just click on the ? icons. 

Adjust General Notifications

  • Go to your User Profile in the top left corner and select the downward V to expand the menu

  • Select Account Settings

  • Select Notifications

There are three types of items listed - Announcements and Events, Files and Photos, Chat Messages. From the drop down menu next to each item, choose the frequency and/or method of notification you would like.

You may also choose whether to receive a Weekly Digest Email of recent posts and upcoming events by toggling the Yes/No button. Please note - we recommend the Weekly Digest Email as the bare minimum notification option for all users. It is a compilation of recent posts from the school feed (and any announcements made in the classroom(s), committee(s) or social groups of which you are a member), as well as upcoming events and sign-ups. It is sent out each week, usually on Sunday, and is a great synopsis of important information specific to you.

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