The Outlook Schoolbar is an add-on for Microsoft Outlook that can be used to add MIS integration features to the Outlook Ribbon Bar.

Click on the link or tab you would like more information about.

• Contact Messenger - The Contact Messenger button can be used to send emails to a student's teachers and other contacts.
• Group Messenger - The Group Messenger button can be used to email students or parents via their tutor or subject groups.
• Timetable Importer - The Timetable Importer button enables staff to synchronise their timetable with the Outlook Calendar.
• Signature Sync - The Signature Sync button can be used to ensure that personal email signatures are available on any computer.

The Contact Messenger button enables staff to accurately target emails to a student's teachers and other relevant contacts. If you need to send a message to all teachers of a student, using this button will ensure it gets to the right people.

1. Find a student name

Clicking the Contact Messenger button will display a search form that will initially be empty, but will display a list of students as you search for them.

Start typing a first name, second name or tutor group to begin searching for a student. The list will display the first fifty names it finds and will reduce as you continue to type.

Tick the required student name when you see it and click the Next button to continue.

2. Select the internal contacts

The internal contacts names list will display all the teaching staff taken from the student’s timetable, as well as any MIS quick notes.

Select the staff you want the email to be sent to. You can click on a group header (such as 'Main Class Teacher') to select or deselect all the staff in the group. Click 'Next' when you are happy to continue.

You can also choose if the message should addressed to the internal contacts directly, or if they should be copied.

3. Select the external contacts

The external contacts names list will display all the parent and carer email addresses registered, as well as any quick notes. Tick the contacts you want to include in the email.

You can also choose if the message should addressed to the external contacts directly, or if they should be copied.

If you only include internal contacts you can choose to add the student's photo to the email. This option is not available when external contacts are included, as emails with embedded images are often flagged as spam and may not get delivered.

The Email button will be greyed out unless at least one internal or external contact has been selected. Click the Email button to create a new email addressed to the selected contacts.

Note: The external contacts step can be removed, via group policy, if you prefer not to use it.

The Group Messenger button enables staff to send emails to groups of students via their tutor or subject groups. It will list the groups in your timetable by default, but it also offers as search facility allowing you to quickly find any student group.

1. Find a student group

Clicking the Student Messenger button will display a search form that will initially contain the student groups associated with your timetable. You can also search for subject or tutor groups that aren't listed.

To search, start typing the name of a group or a subject and the list will update. The list will display the first 150 groups it finds and will reduce as you continue to type.

Tick the required student groups when you see them and click the 'Next' button to continue.

2. Select the students to email

The student contacts names list will display the student members of the groups selected and their email addresses.

By default, all students will initially be selected for inclusion as blind copy recipients. Blind copy is used as it prevents abuse of the 'reply all' button by the recipients. It also protects student privacy if you opt to include parent recipients in the next step.

Tick the students you want the email to be sent to and click the 'Next' button to continue.

3. Select the parents to email

The parent list will display the parent names and email addresses of the student members of the groups selected.

By default, none of the parents will be selected for inclusion as blind copy recipients. Blind copy is used as it will not reveal student email addresses to any parents you choose include.

Tick the parents you would like to include, or click the 'Include Selected Parents' button to automatically include the parents of the students previously selected. Click the 'Email' button when you are ready to create your message.

Note: The parent messenger step can be removed, via group policy, if you prefer not to use it.

The Timetable Importer button enables timetabled staff to synchronise the school timetable with their Outlook Calendar, by creating an appointment item for each event in your school timetable until the end of the school year.

1. Select the import settings

Clicking the Timetable Importer button will display a set of drop-down lists that will control how the importer will operate.

• Events to Import - Choose when the timetable import should start (the current week or year) or choose to remove previously imported events.
• Minimum Duration - Set the minimum duration for an event to be imported, a longer duration will exclude registration groups.
• Category Colouring - Set how imported events should be colour coded (by Group, Subject or Room) or choose not to.

2. Verify the timetable events

The choices made will be reflected in the list of events to be imported or removed.

NOTE: when choosing to remove a previous import, it can take some time for the list to display, as loading the events from the Outlook Calendar can be slow.

Check the dates and times are correct and that the list is colour coded correctly. Also check that the event duration setting has not resulted in the inclusion of too many (or too few) events.

If you are happy with the results, click 'Start' to begin.

3. Synchronise with the Outlook Calendar

A progress bar will give a rough indication as to how many events have been imported or removed.

Click the 'Close' button when he the importer has finished updating your calendar.

The Signature Sync button is an additional facility that can be used to help ensure that personal email signatures will follow users to any computer, by restoring previously saved signatures, from a folder located on the network when Outlook starts.

Although it’s not strictly a function of systems management, the ability to backup and restore email signatures is a handy utility feature, particularly when user’s move between desktops, as is often the case in schools.

The ‘Save My Signatures’ button (located under Outlook’s ‘Folder’ tab) should be used whenever changes are made by users to their email signatures, so that a backup of the signature files is retained on the network.

When Outlook starts it will check this location and, if a signature backup is found, the signature files will be restored ready for use.

Note: This feature is disabled by default and will need to be enabled via group policy, by setting the backup file location, before it can be used.