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Search how-to articles and common questions about Gatherings.
Getting started
Signing in, your family and finding your way around
- How to get started with GatheringsSign in with an emailed link, set up your family, and find your way around.
- How to sign inGet a sign-in link and code by email, send it again, and stay signed in on your own devices.
- How to add photos for yourself and your studentsAdd a round headshot that shows next to names in chat, posts, comments and the directory.
- How to set up your familyChange your household name and area, and add, edit or archive your students.
- How to add another parent or guardianInvite your spouse or another guardian to share your household, plans and groups.
- How times and time zones workGatherings uses your device's time zone, and each group has one for its emails.
Planner & records
Plan each student's week and keep your school-year records
- How to plan your week in the plannerChoose subjects, add lessons for each student, check them off, and reuse last week's plan.
- How students tick off their own workTeens use My work on their own account; younger students use Student mode on your device. You confirm what they tick.
- How to build a course and put it in the plannerMake your curriculum into a list of lessons, bring it in from a list or spreadsheet, schedule it, push it back a day, and share it with your group.
- Course files for publishers and curriculum writersThe simple file format Gatherings uses for courses, so you can offer your lesson plans to families.
- How to keep school-year recordsSee days, hours and lessons for each student, log books, set targets, and print a year summary.
Groups
Joining, starting and running a co-op or support group
- How to join or leave a groupOpen the link your group leader sent, sign in, and join or ask to join. Or take your family out of a group.
- How to start a groupCreate a private home for your co-op or support group, then work through the setup checklist.
- How to invite families to your groupShare one link, or send personal invites from a list or roster spreadsheet.
- How to move your group from BAND, Facebook or another appBring your families, events and news over in five steps, with a ready-to-post message.
- How to set up your application and approve familiesBuild the questions families answer to join, choose who approves them, and approve, decline or remove families.
- Roles: what Owners, Admins, Leaders, Members and Teens can doWho can post announcements, plan events, invite families and change settings, and how to change someone's role.
- How to change your group's settingsChange the name, description, color, logo, cover photo, join rules and time zone, or hand the group to a new Owner.
- How to use CirclesSmaller groups inside your group, each with its own posts, events, chat room and files.
- What it means when a group or account is suspendedWhy a group shows "Suspended", and what to do about it.
Feed, chat & polls
Posts, announcements, chat, direct messages and polls
- How to post and comment on the FeedShare news or questions with your group or a Circle, comment, react, search, and schedule posts for later.
- How to send announcements and see who has read themAnnouncements are pinned, emailed to everyone, and show who has read them, with email reminders.
- How to run a pollAsk a quick question, find a date that works, and turn the winning date into an event.
- How to use chat roomsChat with your whole group or a Circle in real time; reply, edit or remove messages, and mute busy rooms.
- How to send a direct messageMessage another person in your group privately. Teens can, only if a parent turns it on.
- How to report something or block someoneTell the group's Admins about a post, comment or message, and block a person so you stop hearing from them.
Calendar & events
Events, RSVPs, waitlists and reminders
- How to plan family eventsAdd your own field trips, appointments and park days. Only your family sees them, with or without a group.
- How to add and edit eventsPlan an event with a time, place and spots, for everyone or one Circle.
- How to use to-do listsShared task lists in a group: who's bringing what, setting up and cleaning up.
- How to run a group challengeA shared goal, like reading minutes or nature-walk miles: families log progress and everyone sees the total.
- How to track birthdaysAdd everyone's birthday, see them on your calendar, and choose whether your groups see them too.
- How to use sign-up sheetsAsk for volunteers, potluck dishes, carpool seats or supplies, and sign your family up.
- How to set up co-op classes and enroll your studentsAdmins set up a term with class times and classes; parents enroll each student and see the family's schedule.
- How to see all your events in one calendarSubscribe once with your private link, and your groups' events and co-op days show up in your own calendar.
- How to answer an event (RSVP)Say whether your family is coming and how many, join the waitlist, and get a reminder the day before.
Directory, photos & files
The family directory, privacy choices, photos and files
- How to use the Families directoryFind other families in your group by name, place, interests or students' ages.
- How to choose what other families seeAdd a note and phone number to your directory listing, and pick who sees each part.
- How to share photos and filesUpload photos into albums and documents into folders, for the whole group or one Circle.
Account, privacy & email
Notifications, privacy, children's information and your account
- How to choose which emails you getPick every post, a daily or weekly digest, or announcements and events only, for each group.
- How to get notifications on your phoneTurn on notifications for direct messages, announcements and events, and add Gatherings to your Home Screen.
- How teen accounts workGive a teen (13 to 17) their own sign-in, choose how they join teen Circles, turn their direct messages on or off, and see what they post.
- How Gatherings protects your children's informationChildren under 13 have no accounts and we keep only a first name and birth year.
- How to turn on two-step sign-inAdd a code from an authenticator app to signing in, so someone who gets into your email still can't get into Gatherings.
- How to download or delete your informationDownload everything Gatherings keeps about your family, and what happens when you delete your account.
- How to contact support and suggest featuresAsk a question, follow your requests, and vote for what we build next.
Common questions
Why is there no password?
Gatherings emails you a sign-in link instead, so there's nothing to forget or leak. Leave Keep me signed in ticked on your own devices and you won't need a new link often. See How to sign in.
My sign-in email hasn't arrived. What do I do?
Check your spam or promotions folder for an email from gatherings.school, and make sure the address is spelled right. You can tap Send it again after a minute. If you've asked for several, use the newest link. See How to sign in.
Do I need to belong to a group to use Gatherings?
No. The planner, records and family events work for your family on its own. When you're ready, you can join a group with an invite link or start one.
Do my children get their own logins?
Children under 13 never get accounts. We keep only a first name and birth year, which parents add on My family. Teens 13 to 17 can have their own sign-in that a parent sets up. See How teen accounts work.
Can my spouse use Gatherings too?
Yes. Invite them from My family. They sign in with their own email and share your students, planner, records and groups. See How to add another parent.
Can my group see my planner and records?
No. Your planner and records are only for the parents, guardians and teens in your household. Groups never see them.
My group says "Waiting for approval". What now?
The group's Admins approve new families before they can see anything inside. They were emailed about your request, and we'll email you as soon as you're in. If it's taking a while, contact the person who sent you the link. To withdraw the request, tap the group on Home. See How to join a group.
How do I get fewer emails?
On My family, under Email notifications, switch a group to Weekly digest or Announcements and events only. Announcements, new events and event reminders still come. See How to choose which emails you get.
Who can see my phone number and email?
No one, until you choose to share them. On My family, under Your directory listing, you pick who sees each part: everyone in your groups, group Admins only, or no one. See How to choose what other families see.
Why can't I send a direct message to a teen?
Teens can send and receive direct messages only if a parent turns them on. Otherwise they chat in their teen Circle rooms. See How teen accounts work.
Why can't I add an event or post an announcement?
Events and announcements are for Leaders, Admins and the Owner. Ask a group Admin to make you a Leader. See Roles.
How do I leave a group?
Open the group's Families tab and tap Leave this group… at the bottom. Your whole family leaves, and your posts and messages stay. If you own the group, hand it to another Admin first. See How to join or leave a group.
Does Gatherings know my state's homeschool rules?
No. Rules differ from state to state, so check yours. You can set target days or hours on Records to track against them, and print a year summary when you need one. See How to keep school-year records.
Are there ads? Do you sell our information?
No ads, and we don't sell personal information. Groups are private and aren't visible to anyone outside them. Read the Privacy Policy.