Mount Sinai Installs Student Messenger Service, District Set for School Year

A new school year begins for the Mount Sinai School District on Sept. 6, and during Tuesday’s board meeting, Superintendent Anthony J. Bonasera informed those in attendance of the new School Messenger Service.

The new form of messenger will send a recording from Bonasera to phones, leaving voicemails about school closures, events, and other happenings. This weekend the first message will be sent out welcoming parents and students back to the new school year. 

“This new system will also allow the school based organizations to have their own listing,” Bonasera said. “They can create their own list if they want to communicate to the Friends of the Arts or P.T.O list and they can create a message.”

Members of the district do not currently receive an email along with the message but Bonasera will work with the system to get emails too.

“That’s an enormous communication tool,” said trustee Donna Compagnone.

The lists are formulated from the current registrations to groups like the P.T.O. and the Booster Club. Vice President Edward K. Law informed the trustees that the registered email users can choose to get the emails or not.

Everyone that was registered to the district’s previous message system, ‘Instant Alert’, will continue to receive messages and also be included on the new group listings to receive messages until they choose to opt out.

The Board was also happy to announce that there was no damage to the school or school ground during Irene. Repairs that were recently done on the middle school’s roof stayed intact during the storm, and there was no leaking.