Forward school emails to your family calendar
Each family gets a private Mapa address. Forward the school email, and Mapa finds the dates and to-dos. Nothing is added until you OK it.
Short answer
Forward the school email to your family’s private Mapa address. Mapa reads the email text, finds the dates and to-dos, and holds them in its Inbox until an adult says OK. The original email stays one tap away, and once you add the plan, the other parent sees it too.
What goes in
From: Lincoln Elementary Subject: 2nd grade field trip to the aquarium — Friday Dear families, On Friday, October 23, our 2nd graders will visit the city aquarium. The bus leaves at 9:00 AM and is back at school by 3:15 PM. Please sign the permission slip and return it by Wednesday, October 21. The trip costs $12. Students need a bag lunch and a jacket. Attached: Permission slip.pdf Thank you, Ms. Rivera, 2nd grade
What Mapa suggests from it
From the example above. Each suggestion waits under “Waiting for your OK,” with two buttons: Add to calendar, or Add as a to-do.
- Aquarium field trip · Fri, Oct 23 · bus back by 3:15 PM
- Sign and return the permission slip · by Wed, Oct 21
- Pack a bag lunch and a jacket · Fri, Oct 23
- At a glance: a short summary of the email, with the original one tap away
- A note that Permission slip.pdf wasn’t read, so you can snap the paper copy
How it works
- Copy your family’s private address from Mapa’s settings. Save it as a contact called Mapa, so it’s easy to find next time.
- Forward the school email from the email address you use for Mapa. Each adult can forward from their own.
- Open the Inbox. Check each suggestion against the original, then add it to the calendar or the to-do list.
- Put a name on it. One adult taps “I’ll handle it,” both of you see the same plan, and the adults involved get a reminder before it’s due.
School apps that send email
Many school apps can send their posts as email too. ParentSquare lets parents pick email, text or app notices, plus a daily digest around 6 PM. Remind can send texts or emails, but turns them off when you install its app.
ClassDojo sends email if you use its website, and phone notifications instead once you install the app. When a notice reaches your email, forward it. When it lives in an app, take a screenshot and drop it in the Mapa chat. Mapa never signs in to your school apps.
What it won’t do
- Read attachments. A PDF or photo inside a forwarded email isn’t read, so snap the paper or upload the file in the chat.
- Read your inbox. Mapa sees the emails you forward and nothing else in your mailbox.
- Forward for you. Automatic forwarding isn’t available yet, so forward each email you want help with.
- Add plans without your OK. Suggestions from forwarded emails wait until an adult approves them.
- Change a plan on its own. When the school moves a date, Mapa matches the new email to the plan you have and asks before it changes anything.
Questions parents ask
Does Mapa read my whole inbox?
No. Mapa has no connection to your inbox. It sees the emails you forward to your family’s Mapa address, and nothing else.
What happens to attachments in a forwarded email?
Mapa reads the email text but not the attachments. Snap the paper copy or upload the PDF in the Mapa chat, and Mapa saves what it finds, with undo.
Can I forward ParentSquare or Remind emails to Mapa?
Yes, when the app sends you the post by email. Forward it like any other email. Mapa never signs in to ParentSquare, Remind or ClassDojo.
Can both parents forward school emails?
Yes. Each adult forwards from the email address they use for Mapa, to the same family address, and you both see the same plan.
Do the dates go into Google Calendar?
Mapa keeps its own shared calendar and can export an .ics file. Google Calendar and iCloud sync are built but still being tested.