Moving off Remind? Sign-ups and reminders for your class
What a free sign-up sheet can take over, what it can't, and when to use your school's tool instead.
If you used Remind to get families signed up for conferences, field trip chaperones or classroom volunteers, and then to remind them, a sign-up sheet covers that part: the sign-ups and the reminders. Families pick a slot from one link without an account, get an email reminder the day before, and you can email everyone on the sheet when plans change.
If your school moved to ParentSquare
First, check with your school. Many districts that used Remind are moving families to ParentSquare, which includes messaging, sign-ups and conference booking when the district pays for it. If your school has it, use that: your families will already be on it. This page is for teachers, coaches and club leads who used Remind on their own, or whose school did not adopt a replacement.
What this replaces
Sign-ups for things with a limited number of spots
Conference times, chaperone seats, classroom volunteer days, snack weeks, supplies for a party. Each slot holds the number of people you set and stops taking sign-ups when it is full, so two families never claim the same 3:15.
Reminders before the day
Everyone who signs up gets a confirmation email with a link to cancel, and a reminder email the day before. You do not have to send a reminder blast yourself.
Updates to the people on a sheet
From the sheet's manage page, Message participants emails everyone signed up, or just one slot or one date. Use it for a room change, a time change or a thank-you. Replies come to your own email inbox.
What this doesn't replace
Two-way chat
There is no inbox or chat thread. Families reply by email, to you, and nobody else sees the reply. If you relied on quick back-and-forth with parents, a sign-up sheet will feel one-directional.
School-wide or class-wide announcements
Messages go only to the people signed up to one sheet. There is no class roster, school directory or district-wide broadcast, so a general announcement to every family still needs another channel.
Text messages
Everything is email. There are no text messages on any plan, and no app families install to get notifications.
Translating for families
Messages are sent as you write them. Nothing is translated for families who read in another language.
Setting up your first sheet
- 1
Start from a school template
Pick the conference, classroom volunteer or chaperone template. Each starts with sample slots you can rename, add to or delete.
- 2
Put the details in the description
Room number, what to bring, and the time zone if anyone joins by video. The sheet shows times without a time zone.
- 3
Share the link where families already look
Paste it into your class newsletter, your school's messaging tool, or print the sheet's flyer with its QR code for the classroom door.
- 4
Message the group when something changes
Open the sheet's manage page and use Message participants. Everyone on the sheet gets one email; replies go to you.
What this costs
The free plan covers up to 3 active sheets at a time, each with up to 10 slots and 25 sign-ups a month, with no ads for families. A day-before reminder is included. Pro ($9 a month) removes the slot and sign-up limits and adds week-ahead and morning-of reminders, and it unlocks free for 14 days when your first sign-up comes in. There is no SMS on any plan.
Templates for teachers and room parents
Each one starts with sample slots. Change them to yours once you start.
Common questions
Is this a replacement for Remind?
For sign-ups and the reminders around them, yes. For chatting with parents or announcements to a whole class, no: this is a sign-up sheet that can email the people on it, not a messaging app.
Do parents need to download an app or make an account?
No. They open the link in any browser, pick a slot and type their name and email. Only you, the organizer, have an account.
Can parents see who else signed up?
No. The public sheet shows how many spots are taken in each slot, never names. You see the full list on your manage page.
Can I send texts to parents?
No. Confirmations, reminders and your messages are all email. If your families only read texts, keep a texting tool for announcements and use the sheet for the sign-up itself.
My school uses ParentSquare now. Should I use this instead?
Probably not for anything ParentSquare already does at your school, because families will be on it. Some teachers still use a separate sheet for things like potluck dishes or supply lists; that is up to you.
Remind and ParentSquare are trademarks of their respective owners. MySignMeUp is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Put your next sign-up out there
Free to start. No card. Families don't need an account.
Create a sign-up sheet