How to handle ClassDojo messages, stories and events

ClassDojo is where a lot of elementary teachers post the field-trip reminder, the class party sign-up and the photo of your kid’s science project. It’s friendly and simple, and it has one rule that trips parents up: you get push notifications or email, never both.

Here’s how its notifications really work, how to keep the important posts from scrolling past, and what to do about events.

The one rule: app or email, not both

ClassDojo’s help center is direct about it: by downloading the app, you’ll receive push notifications instead of email notifications, and it’s not possible to receive both (ClassDojo). If you only use the ClassDojo website, you get email instead. And if you’re logged in to the app, email notifications are switched off (ClassDojo).

Either way, you’re notified about the same four things:

• A private message from your child’s teacher
• A new Class Story or School Story post
• A new Portfolio post the teacher has approved
• Reminders the teacher scheduled for a class or school event

That list comes from ClassDojo’s parent notifications page. The help center doesn’t describe per-type switches for parents, so you can’t, say, keep messages and mute Story posts inside ClassDojo itself.

Class Story and School Story

Class Story is the teacher’s feed for their class: photos, videos and announcements shared with the families connected to that class. School Story is the same idea for the whole school, posted by school leaders and approved teachers. Both show up in one main feed for families (ClassDojo).

That single feed is the problem. “Wear orange Friday” and “Look at our butterflies!” arrive with the same weight. A few habits help:

• Read text posts first; skim photo posts later.
• When a post has a date in it, put it on your calendar right then, not “later.”
• If you have kids in more than one class, remember the feed mixes them. Check which class a post is from before you act on it.

Events and reminders

Teachers can post events to the Class Story with a date, time and description, and pick when families get a reminder (ClassDojo). Families see the event in the story feed when it’s created. In the apps, the next upcoming event is pinned to the top of the feed, and View all lists every scheduled event in order. On the website, events appear in an Upcoming Events sidebar, with View all events for the full list. School events are labelled “School Event.”

Some events have sign-up slots for chaperones, snacks or conference times. Tap Sign up under the event title and claim a slot (ClassDojo). ClassDojo says you won’t get an extra reminder just because you signed up; you only get the reminders the teacher set on the event. So if you claim “bring napkins,” make your own reminder.

Quiet hours: teachers have them, parents use their phone

ClassDojo’s Quiet Hours setting (Account settings, then Chats) lets a teacher mute new parent messages outside set hours and on weekends (ClassDojo). It’s built for teachers, so a message you send at 9 p.m. may not be seen until morning. Anything truly urgent on a school day is still a call to the office.

For parents, the volume control is your phone. ClassDojo says to enable or disable its notifications in your device’s settings rather than in the app (ClassDojo). A phone focus or do-not-disturb schedule that lets ClassDojo through after school, but not during work meetings, is a reasonable middle ground.

Set it up once

1. Choose your channel. App for speed, or website-only for email. Each parent can choose differently: one on push, one on email is a good split.
2. Connect every child. Make sure each kid’s class is connected to your account so their Story posts and events reach you.
3. If you use email, whitelist it. ClassDojo suggests checking that its emails aren’t going to Spam, Junk, Promotions or Social, and that you’re checking the address your account uses (ClassDojo).
4. If you use the app, test it. In the app, tap the button at the top left, the gear next to your name, then Notifications, Troubleshoot notifications and Start self-test.
5. Check Upcoming Events weekly. Sunday evening, open View all and put anything new on the family calendar.

How Dottie fits in

Dottie doesn’t connect to ClassDojo directly. It only sees what reaches your email, a calendar feed or page you give it, or a photo you text it. So with ClassDojo, the channel choice above decides what Dottie can read.

• If you get ClassDojo by email (website only, or a second parent who doesn’t use the app), those notification emails land in a connected inbox, and Dottie can pull the dates and to-dos out of them, then ask you before adding anything to your Google Calendar.
• If you use the app, notifications are push only, and Dottie never sees them. Screenshot the post or event and text it to Dottie, like a photo of a flyer.

It can misread a screenshot, which is why it asks first. For other ways to catch the odd dates schools send, see picture day, spirit days and early dismissal.