← Back to blog

Introducing Orah's New Direct Communications Chat Tool for Schools

Ronan Quirke

June 21, 2024

Orah Direct Communications

Our communications team have been busy developing the much requested ability to bring direct messaging into Orah so you can have one place where messaging, organising communications and ensuring your school has oversight, all in one place.

This compliments Communications Broadcasts, but to ensure it is easy to use for all staff, “Conversations” can be accessed right from the Homeboard.

Here's how it works

See how easy it is to use–it's just as easy to set up.

This is just the first release - coming very shortly are Communications Monitor and Group Conversations, the other key parts of bringing Conversations into Orah.

Schools with access to Conversations will see a new option in User Roles and Permissions that gives staff access:

If you don’t see this option or you do not have access to Orah Communications already, get a demo here and we can show you how it works and get you set up.

Product Update

Download the 2026 State of Independent School Safety Report

In partnership with ATLIS and True North Research, we surveyed 85 independent schools across the US to create this 50-page report. Download your digital copy for free.

Ronan Quirke

I live in Wellington, New Zealand with my family which includes three young kids, two cats and a dog. When not cleaning up after them, I love walking the amazing parks and tracks of New Zealand. I have been developing websites and apps for over 20 years for a variety of companies and industries. I enjoy finding ways to make a positive impact by providing schools and families with better tools to help the next generation.

Featured articles

Attendance Insights in Orah

Ontario Attendance-to-Marks Policy

Starting with the 2026/27 school year, the Ontario government is changing how student attendance factors into report cards. Attendance will count for 15% of the final mark in grades 9 and 10 courses, and 10% in grades 11 and 12 courses.

Article
Product Updates Summer 2026

Summer's been busy at Orah

While school was out, the team was heads-down shipping releases to get the platform ready for the new year: smarter attendance tools, smoother pass management, and deeper pastoral insight. Here's everything that landed, and what's coming ne

Product Update
New: Start an Emergency Roll Automatically via API

Your Security Systems Can Now Start an Emergency Roll Automatically via API

With the new Emergency Roll Open API trigger, your existing security and alerting platforms can now kick off an Orah Emergency Roll the moment they detect an event.If your system can make an authenticated API call, it can trigger Orah.

Product Update