A Winnipeg school is adding to the ways schools can communicate with their families and it can be found on your smartphone.

Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary and Middle Schools (WMEMS) have released WMEMS Connect, a new smartphone app available with Apple or Google. 

"It basically takes all the elements of school to home communication and trying to incorporate that into a smartphone app, so parents can keep all the information they need in the palm of their hand," explains Dina Chudyk, director of community relations and marketing with WMEMS.

Chudyk says that many people today are communicating digitally, so WMEMS wanted to meet them with another way of communicating with the school and its teachers.

Every classroom has their own section of the app, each with their own calendar that you can sync to the one on your phone. This means things like field trips and even tests will show up on your calendar. There is also a campus calendar for school-wide events. The app can also store resources for students.

"Teachers can post things to that page that parents can use at home or students can use to practice," Chudyk says.

WMEMS Connect is also designed to engage parents and allow them to be more involved. The app includes a direct feed from their Instagram and Youtube feeds, so you can talk to your kid about the things they did today, rather than just asking them what happened.

"[Parents] can see what is actually happening . . . and gives them an extra opportunity to get in touch," Chudyk says.

While this doesn't replace old methods of communicating, Chudyk says, it does allow parents to become more involved and not miss out on their child's education.

WMEMS is hosting an open house at both campuses. On January 30, Katherine Friesen Campus on Agassiz Drive is open to prospective students and parents at 6:30 p.m. The Bedson Campus is open at 6:30 p.m. on January 31.