FAQ | pikmykid

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's wrong with the current system? There is nothing inherently wrong with the current system. Our school is very fortunate to be located in a residential community and thus we are looking to improve efficiency and traffic flow for the school and the community. Using the new system when it's raining won't hurt either.

2. Is it true that the PikMyKid app can track us anytime and anywhere? There are incorrect assumptions that the application knows where the parent and students are at all times. That couldn't be further from the truth. Unlike apps on iTunes and Google Play that have PUSH notifications (Developers send out ads, updates, etc because they have your location), PikMyKid has NO such function. In fact, a parent MUST open the app and HIT the announce button in order for HPA to know that they are even present. The app uses technology called geofencing. Retailers like Target and Walmart having been using this technology for years. Geofencing pinpoints a person based on an area using GPS satellites. HPA has set that range to be a maximum range of 500 yards. That is five HPA football fields. Once a family leaves that range, the geofencing no longer monitors them.

3. I'm noticing a lot more confusion and traffic during school dismissal, what is going on? Our PikMyKid app is now LIVE which means we are dismissing our students two ways. The current method of students being dismissed to the front of the school and using the car line and the NEW method of using PMK. PMK testers now have access to their OWN car line and loading area. Both of these methods will be used until June 2016. All PMK testers are fully instructed and informed on how to utilize the new system. Here are pictures showing how the PMK school dismissal is being used.

4. How is an older person suppose to understand all this new technology? We at HPA are committed to excellence. We would not initiate a pilot program without giving our community all the resources available to set up, test, and use the new technology. We will be offering online instruction, on campus instruction, and PikMyKid themselves will provide customer support. Here's a little secret. If a parent or grandparent asked their child or grandchild how the new application works, I can almost guarantee you your child or grandchild would be more than happy to show you how. Please reward them with some game play time on your cell phone. Just kidding...

5. My english isn't very good and I don't understand what is going on? If your child is too young to help you, please come by the school during our on campus instruction and one of our technology staff will assist you through the process.

6. How do I activate my cell phone when I am near HPA? When you are safely parked in the car line queue and STOPPED, open up the PikMyKid app and HIT the button. If the app registers your HIT, a 4 digit number will be shown. That's it.

7. My child thinks it's fun to keep pushing the button on the PikMyKid app. What will happen if we are not anywhere near HPA? Hopefully your child will know that Batman won't suddenly appear. The truth is, a pop-up will show on your screen indicating that you are not near HPA. The PikMyKid app is GPS coordinated and knows that your cell phone is not near the school. On the other hand, if a child pushes the PikMyKid app button 10 times while in the car line, we will have to ask you to go all the way to the back of the car line.

8. Can the PikMyKid app do anything else besides tell the school where I am in the queue? YES! Let's say you're running late at work and will be there an extra hour. What would normally be required is a call to Mrs. Shankwiler. Guess what? No more. Pull up your fancy PikMyKid app and with a few changes on the app, Mrs. Shankwiler and Mrs. Bush will know that your child is going to Eagle Club. Or let's say something came up unexpectedly and your spouse will be doing the pickup. Are you going to call Mrs. Shankwiler or Mrs. Bush? NO! Absolutely not. Grab a hold of your cell phone and access the PikMyKid app and make the changes on the app and Mrs. Bush will know your spouse will be picking up instead of you.. I think you're getting a sense of how powerful and helpful this application can be. Let me give you one more example which I know you as a parent can appreciate. Let's say your child is on a HPA trip to the Cayman Islands (oops wrong school) and you're wondering what time the bus will actually arrive back at HPA from the airport. One of the HPA teachers can call Mrs. Shankwiler and inform them that the bus broke down and that they haven't left LAX yet. Are you ready? Mrs. Shankwiler gets on her PikMyKid desktop app and sends a communication to all the parents in that particular grade that the bus has broken down and the return arrival back to HPA is delayed.

9. What is difference between a Parent Notification and News Bulletin on the app? A Parent Notification is a 140 character limited text sent through the app. A pop-up and audible sound will indicate you have a PikMyKid notification. A News Bulletin is a 1000 character text used to distribute a longer message to HPA parents. The News Bulletin does NOT show a pop-up window nor have an audible warning. If HPA ever sends a News Bulletin, we will send you a Parent Notification indicating that a bulletin has been posted.

10. What happens if my spouse and I are NOT the primary adults who will be picking up our children on a regular basis? Whomever you designate as an authorized legal adult will need to register here, download the app from either iTunes or Google Play, and create an account on THEIR OWN cellphone. The app is specifically tied to each person's cell phone number. See the Tutorial section for the step-by-step instructions on how to DELEGATE your children to an authorized legal adult or to an HPA after school INSTITUTION.

11. Do I just turn on and hit the ANNOUNCE button when I arrive at HPA? We are currently testing ONLY for the 3:10PM dismissal time. The earliest time that you can ANNOUNCE is 2:45PM.

12. What if I prefer to park and walk to pick up my child? You can continue to do that. You will however still need to register, download, and install the app even as a walker in order to ANNOUNCE the release of your child from the classroom.

Please be patient with us as we put the PikMyKid app through it's paces. As technology professionals we are working hard to "break" the app. We want to evaluate the true benefits and limitations of the software as it relates to our HPA community. We will be testing the PikMyKid app until June, 2016. We will provide updates to our HPA community through our official school website as warranted or click the UPDATE tab.