Over the past month, I've shared Darlington's journey toward a more sustainable and robust information systems infrastructure. We've explored our motivations for change, Veracross as our new core database, Toddle as our learning management system, and Magnus Health and Reach for student well-being. Today, I want to address a practical question: How will we navigate these systems in our daily lives?
Let's be honest—one of the most appreciated aspects of our current custom platform has been its deep integration. With nearly everything accessible through a single login, our community has enjoyed a seamless digital experience for years. As we transition to specialized systems, there will be adjustments. However, with thoughtful implementation and your patience, I believe we'll quickly adapt to the new ecosystem that brings significant benefits despite the changes.
Starting this week, Veracross will become your new "home base" through the Parent Portal. When you first log in, you'll find a well-organized dashboard with tiles for each key area: academic information, calendars, directory, billing, and links to our other systems.
The Parent Portal serves as your gateway to all school resources:
Direct access to commonly needed information like custom calendars, schedules, class pages, and directories
Seamless transitions to Toddle for assignments and grades
Single sign-on for moving from Veracross to Toddle, Magnus, and Reach without re-authenticating
Quick links and timely notifications for resources most relevant to parents
While we've worked to minimize platform switching, certain functions will naturally reside in their specialized systems. For example, you'll check current grades and view assignments in Toddle while finding progress reports and billing information in Veracross. The good news? Both are mobile-responsive with Toddle having a dedicated app, making access convenient.
This transition brings numerous capabilities we couldn't provide with our custom system:
True mobile experiences across all platforms with responsive designs and dedicated apps
Enhanced notifications with more granular control—choose exactly what updates you receive and how
Medical visit summaries sent automatically after health center visits or medication dispensation through Magnus
More sophisticated calendars with better filtering and subscription options
Regular feature updates and latest technologies as each platform evolves without requiring our internal development
Parents have already experienced some of these improvements if they used Veracross for re-enrollment this spring. The ability to submit forms, pay deposits, and manage family information through any device was an easy and convenient process that will continue into the Portal experience this week.
In the spirit of transparency, I want to address several beloved features that will change:
Daily grade update emails will no longer be automatically sent each afternoon. Instead, Toddle provides real-time grade and assignment access through their mobile website and app, with the ability to set custom grade notifications.
Today at Darlington email will continue for one more year, but with some modifications. Information like daily menus will transition to being accessible through the portal rather than the email.
Assignment communication will shift from our current consolidated view to Toddle's class-by-class approach. Students will need to develop new habits for checking assignments, though Toddle offers excellent calendar and to-do list views that align well with executive function skills we currently teach.
Photo galleries will remain on our current website through next year, before transitioning to Vidigami in 2026—a platform specifically designed for school photo management with enhanced privacy features.
I understand these changes may feel significant, particularly for families who have been with Darlington for many years. We've worked to ensure comparable functionality exists in the new systems, even if accessed differently.
We're committed to supporting you through this change with our usual responsiveness. We're also looking at enhanced help during the transition and considering things like:
Step-by-step guides for each system, including video tutorials
Information sessions during back-to-school events in August
Dedicated support channels for technical questions
Student onboarding during the first week of classes
Ambassadors who can help parents and students navigate the new systems
Your welcome email will arrive later today, providing your first opportunity to experience the new ecosystem. Look for a link to setup your new Veracross account which will then allow you to access the Parent Portal for the first time and begin to work on your student's medical information in Magnus Health.
My final blog later this week will outline our digital roadmap through summer and beyond. I'll preview our website transition planned for 2026 and how that will affect our community next year.
This is a significant change, and there will undoubtedly be an adjustment period. However, I'm confident that after the initial learning curve, these systems will better serve our educational mission while providing improved reliability and features. As always, please share your questions or suggestions using our Information Systems Questions form.
