How to invite parents and families to Seesaw

First, make sure that you have added students to your class before you invite their families.

1. Enable family access from Class Settings (if not already turned on). Family access is automatically set to OFF as a default setting on all classes.
2. Go into the class you'd like to connect families to and tap + Families.

1. Add the family member email address next to each student’s name. You can invite up to 10 family members to connect to each student’s journal.
2. Tap the Invite Families button.
   
   
3. Once you’ve added the family member's email address, they will receive an email invite (in English) to connect to their child’s journal.

You can look back at any time to see the family members who have connected to each student journal.

You can always remove connected family members through your Class Settings menu.

If you are looking for a translated invite, please use the printed QR code invite option.

ℹ️ If a connected parent or family member wants to receive SMS notifications about updates in their child's journal, SMS notifications can be turned on for customers with UK, UK territory, and Canadian cell phone numbers. Seesaw does not support SMS notifications outside of the UK and Canada. 

1. Enter family member phone numbers next to each student’s name. You can invite up to 10 family members to connect to each student’s journal.

2. Tap the Invite Families button.
   

3. This will send an SMS text message to the family member’s mobile device, with an invitation to connect to their child’s journal.

   

Once you’ve added family phone numbers, you can look back at any time to see the status of the invitation, including the family members who have connected to each student journal.

When families are invited by SMS, they are not signed up for SMS notifications. The default setting is to receive notifications by email. If families want to receive updates by SMS they will need to turn this feature on in their account settings. 💡 If a family member cannot receive SMS notifications, ensure they have enabled push notifications.

Please note if you are in Canada and inviting family members with SMS, you will need to include the country code in addition to the phone number. 

If you are looking for a translated invite option, this is the invite option for you. Please note: you can only print invites when using Seesaw on the web. Printing invites isn't available on the Seesaw app.

1. In order to invite family members with a printed QR code, choose Print Invites.
   
   
2. Then, select a language to print the invites in from the dropdown menu.
3. QR Codes will be generated for you to print. Please note that every student has their own unique QR code! 

Teachers can generate an Invite Link to connect families to their students' Seesaw journals.

1. To do this, tap Share an Invite Link.
   
2. Copy and paste the URL that generates into your communication with family members.
   
   
3. This invite link will work for every student in the Seesaw Class. When pasting the link into their browser window, all the family member has to do is choose their student's name from the list to connect to the journal.
   
4. Once the family member chooses which student they're trying to connect to and creates a Seesaw account, the teacher will receive a notification letting them know that they have a family invite pending.

Families will receive an email, SMS message, or QR code. Learn more about the family experience here!

Email
When they receive an email it will appear directly in their personal inbox. Family members will need to choose to connect to their child’s journal.

Family members will be prompted to sign in or create a new account.

SMS

When the family member receives an SMS message, it will appear on their device. When family members open the message, they will see directions to connect to their child’s journal.

Family members will be prompted to sign in with an existing account or create a new account.

If Family members do not have the Seesaw App, they will be prompted to download the Seesaw App (available on all app stores) once they have created an account.

QR Code

When family members receive a QR Code, they can use their device’s camera or the camera in the Seesaw App to connect to their child’s account.

• When family members open their camera, they can take a picture of the QR code. Then will be prompted to open app.seesaw.me in Safari on their device.
• Once family members confirm the connection, they will be prompted to sign in or create an account.

See a list of translated invites and resources here. 

Once you’ve added family phone numbers or email address, you can look back at any time to see the status of the invitation, including the family members who have connected to each student journal.

In the example above, the invite has been sent to to 2 family members. One member is already connected. Another member has been invited, but has not yet connected. 

If there is a need to reset Family Invite Codes, you can do this in Class Settings.

⚠️ Please note that this resets both the Class QR code and the Family Invite Code. Students will be signed out and will need to scan a new student code to sign in. Families who have not yet connected to Seesaw will need a new invite handout or invite link.

1. Tap on the wrench to access your Class Settings.
   
2. Scroll to the very bottom of Class Settings, and tap the red 'Reset Class QR Code and Family Invite Codes' button.
   
3. Next, tap the red 'Reset All Codes' button to confirm.