Welcome to Big Rapids Public Schools

District Communication

Big Rapids Public Schools uses a variety of tools to communicate with our families and our community. This page gives an overview of the platforms and resources the district uses to reach BRPS families.

Skyward Logo

Student Database
Skyward Family Access

Our district uses Skyward to track grades, class schedules, attendance, family and emergency contact information, student fees, and more! All calls, texts, voice messages, and emails from the district are pulled from the contact information in Skyward. Therefore, it is imperative that all contact information in Skyward is current.

Please see the content below for instructions on how to maintain your contact information in Skyward.

Text, Email, or Voice Messages

BRPS has added the option allowing you to receive text messages for weather and other emergency notifications. Text messages will come from “98900”, and your first text message will include information to “Opt-out” from further notifications. BRPS encourages you to stay connected and allow these types of messages to be sent to you. We will only use texting for these types of important messages. If you do choose to opt-out, you can always opt-in by sending “Start” text message to 98900.

Social Media

Big Rapids Public Schools can be found on Facebook (Big Rapids Public Schools) or Instagram (@big_rapids_cardinals). For our school building social media accounts, please see each school's information below.

Newsletters

Big Rapids Public Schools releases a district-wide newsletter twice a year called The Cardinal Connection. Each school building and teacher may have various methods of releasing newsletters to parents.

If your contact information, particularly your email address, is current in Skyward you should be receiving any communication pertaining to your student or your student's building. If you have any questions, please contact your building office.

Inclement Weather/Cancelation Information

Our district reports school closings, delays, and event cancelations to the following news/radio outlets:

Radio - Y-102, 100.9, AM 1460, B103.9

Television - TV 9&10, News Channel 7&4, Up North Live, Wood TV 8, and WZZM TV 13.

Parents and staff are contacted via text, email, and or voice message through Apptegy depending on the time of morning or evening the event is called. Please contact your building office if you wish to be removed from these notifications.

For more information regarding parent notification, please see below.

School Emergency Response

Parent Information Regarding Emergencies in School

In a school emergency, the first instinct as a parent is to pick up the telephone and start calling the school or rush up to the school and get your child/children. Parents too close to an incident often hinder the rescue attempts of the police and fire officials on the scene. The best action parents can take to keep all students and staff safe in an emergency is to stay close to their phone and e-mail and await regular updates and instructions. Safety of all students and staff is our number one priority!

Please refer to the link above for the recommended parent action during a school emergency.

Coming Soon - BRPS Mobile App

Our district will soon offer a mobile app that links to our most commonly accessed resources including calendars, sports schedules, lunch and breakfast menus, job postings, and more! Parents will also have the option to receive push notifications from whichever building they choose. You will be able to find the app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Stay tuned!!

Parent Notification Information

During the school year, Big Rapids Public Schools may experience cancelations due to inclement weather. Not all school cancelations are the same. Some cancelations may occur in the evening, morning, or even during the school day. Each one of these situations is handled differently by Big Rapids Public Schools. Below are examples of how we handle these various notifications:

All Notifications: Any time the decision is made to cancel school, BRPS will post information on our website, Facebook, and notify local radio and television stations.
Morning Cancelation: When the decision is made to close school early in the morning, in addition to step 1 above, BRPS sends an email and text notification to families of children attending our schools.
Next-Day Cancelations: On days the decision is made to close the following day, BRPS will complete steps 1 and 2 above, and also include a phone message to parents when the decision has been made before 10:00 pm.
Early Release Days: On days BRPS closes early as a result of deteriorating weather, In addition to 1 above, BRPS will notify families using email, text, and a phone message letting them know when we are releasing students and any other necessary information.

Texting Options: BRPS has added the option allowing you to receive text messages for weather and other emergency notifications. Text messages will come from “98900”, and your first text message will include information to “Opt-out” from further notifications. BRPS encourages you to stay connected and allow these types of messages to be sent to you. We will only use texting for these types of important messages. If you do choose to opt-out, you can always opt-in by sending “Start” text message to 98900.

To summarize, BRPS will always email, text, and contact radio and Television, and post-school-related weather closings on the BRPS website at http://www.brps.org. BRPS will also place an automated phone call to parents between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 pm.

Maintaining your Contact Information

It is very important that your contact information is up to date. Parents and guardians can maintain their contact information online by using the Skyward Family Access website. Here are step-by-step directions to update your contact information within Family Access.

Visit the Big Rapids Public Schools website at http://www.brps.org. If you have not used family access, click the ”Parents” link at the top, then select “Skyward Family Access”. If you are new to Family Access, select apply for an account. For current users, select login to your account.

Once you have logged in to Family Access, Click on the “My Account” link toward the right top corner as shown on the image to the right, You will now see information relating to your account settings.

The image below also shows highlighted areas that you can maintain. Keeping this information up-to-date improves our ability to contact you when necessary.

Most Importantly, please put your email address and Cell phone number in the highlighted boxes. Please be sure to place the word “Cell” in the box to the left of your cell phone number. Your correct address is necessary for official school mailings.

The bottom section also allows you to select automated notifications regarding your child’s progress. We encourage you to receive these notifications as often as you feel necessary.

contact info instructions