Genius Stories: Northwest Yeshiva High School

At Northwest Yeshiva High School, parent teacher conference season used to be one of the most stressful times of the year.

For school secretary Karen Franke, it meant balancing a busy front desk while coordinating dozens of conference schedules by hand. Behind her desk sat an eight-foot-long Excel spreadsheet taped together, a reminder of just how complicated the process had become.

“I was trying to do everything at once,” Karen said. “Conference scheduling took over my job for weeks.”

A Process That Took Too Much Time

For years, the process stayed the same. Paper forms went home with students, parents rushed to return them, and Karen carefully time-stamped each one to keep things fair.

Once the forms came back, the work continued. Parents needed confirmations, reminders, and schedule changes. Every update flowed through the front office, adding to an already full workload.

Karen knew there had to be a better way. She even researched scheduling software, but the cost never fit the school’s budget.

A Lighter Load at the Front Desk

That changed when Karen discovered SignUpGenius.

Instead of managing paper forms and spreadsheets, she created one online sign up and emailed it to parents all at once. Families selected their own conference times on a first-come, first-served basis, without needing to contact the office.

Parents could check their times online anytime and received automatic email reminders before their appointments. If something came up, they could switch to an open time slot on their own.

The impact was immediate. Karen no longer had to manage every update or send individual reminders, and conference season became far more manageable.

“Before SignUpGenius, nobody talked to me for several weeks in November,” Karen said with a laugh. “I was completely stressed. This site set me free.”

Karen also valued features that helped protect family privacy, such as hiding participant names, and controls that allowed parents to edit only their own sign-ups. She stayed informed without needing to be involved in every small change. She even customized the sign up to match the school’s colors, creating a familiar experience for families.

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Sharing What Works

After seeing how smoothly conferences ran, Karen knew SignUpGenius would be part of future school events as well. She also began recommending it to colleagues at other private schools in the Seattle area.

“If I can do it, anyone can,” she said. “It really is that simple.”

With SignUpGenius handling the scheduling, Karen can focus on keeping the school running smoothly and supporting families throughout the year.

Ready to organize your own parent-teacher conferences?