Tag: bus-tracking-app

Categories
Edu-and-Ladue-School Software development

How to set up the SafeStop bus tracking app for Ladue School kids

Reading Time: < 1 minute

For parents of the Ladue school bus riders: here is the SafeStop app (Android on Google Play, iOS, and the School Access Code is here). The app started working for me again (tracking and notifications, for the most part) on September 11, 2023 for the new school year.

I am on iPhone and I set up the bus routes (you can scroll down the web page to get to the route for each school ), added my kid (you may find your kid’s student ID either from the ParentSquare Android App, iOS App, website or the Infinite Campus), and added the bus to my kid, etc.

Here is a blog post that laid out all the common steps and screenshots, if needed.

If anyone needs help setting up the app, please let me know. I can do Zoom if needed 🙂. This app is not the most reliable app I personally used. But I also understand it gave some parents and caregivers peace of mind sometimes.

Wish all have a great school year!

Categories
Edu-and-Ladue-School

Best way to track my kids on school buses

Reading Time: 2 minutes

(Update 09-01-2023) I looked around and it seems another app was not not working (it seems the app is called My Ride 360, I never used it btw). It seems “Here Comes the Bus” is more widely used and thinking maybe worth to explore more with them (Android app, iOS app).

(This was written last year 2022) We live in a relatively safe area, and both our school districts and our bus drivers are solid (knock on woods on this one though, as nobody can really avoid accidents or incidents). In the past few years, we (at least I) mostly rely on the mobile app SafeStopApp that tracks the school bus for morning pickup and afternoon drop off. The app is not perfect, as you can see from the customer reviews for android (google play) and iOS (Apple). You may notice I put a nice word for their iOS app, it’s mostly for encouragement purpose 🙂

This school year, I also got a new tool: the Apple airtag. I found airtag very helpful, as it can anonymous talk to nearby cellular / wifi devices and its location is usually updated frequently. Both my girls have an AirTag with them.

I also found another kid in the neighborhood has an apple watch, and talked to parents after getting off the bus, this is very cool. I used to give iPhone to my old daughter, but smartphone could be too much distraction for the kids. So Apple Watch (with cellular) is a good compromise in this sense. Actually I offered my old daughter and asked if she wants one, and she said No so far (I offered credit card to her too, and she politely declined as well). The offer is still on the table.

I wrote this post after I read the story below.

Categories
Life Tips Saint Louis Technology

Back to school

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A checklist for Ladue school parents and guardians

Buy school supplies;

Meet the teacher / community night (bring school supplies if applicable): mainly say hi to teachers and staff, and for the kids to learn where are the classrooms etc. on 1st day;

Adjust kids sleep routine: from summer (no school or no camp) schedule to school schedule, may take a few days or a week;

Adjust grownup routine: from watching kids + work (or the other way), to do more work and maybe some self care (workout, social etc);

Some apps or emails that are likely relevant:

Parent Square (district and schools to parents communication), iOS, Android. Note PS has website too. But app is a bit more handier and performant. Last but not least please take a look at the notifications customization as well (especially the text messages).

MySchoolBucks (lunch money). From this school year (2022 to 2023) on the free lunch money from the government ran out. There is still the reduced fare lunch and so on, please contact the school as applicable. Note to add money to the meal account, we can do it via credit card (CC) on its website (it seems to me we cannot add money via the mobile app), or via check to school district (which I have not done it, please ask each school administrator as needed). Note MySchoolBucks (heartland payment co.) charges a credit card transaction fee.

Email Ladue Schools e-Connect Newsletter (usually weekly) and the paper Newsletter (usually monthly): district wide information such as lunch or construction, or strategic plan. The content is created by the district Communications Office.

SafeStop (instructions here, note this PDF has the code for the district, the one at the school bus website doesn’t): bus tracking, not the best or most reliable app in the world, but considering constructions in some schools the bus may still be the better choice for many families (maybe on one of those days, I can brush up my mobile app dev skills and create a better app 🙂 Btw, the bus information is here. Last but not least, it seems we only need to put in the code once for one device. || A side note, it seems there is delay of tracking the kids moved up in schools (for example, from elementary to FGC), it’s possible we need an manual update in the backend in terms of kid’s school information. || Another way to track kids, especially younger kids, is to use airtag. It seems it’s working because the main thing it needs is other nearby device’s bluetooth capability. Without today’s popularity of smartphone in the school and in the bus, I think it works most of the time.

Last but not least, for Spoede families, the portal of SSA (Spoede School Association) moved to here. The underlying software is used for the LMSPA website we well.