The Mailbox feature in Otus is a built-in communication tool that allows teachers to send messages directly to students and parents — without ever leaving the platform. Whether you need to share a quick reminder, follow up with a family, or schedule a message in advance, the Mailbox keeps communication organized and accessible in one place.

✅ Communicate with students and families directly from Otus. No need to switch between platforms

✅ Send messages to individuals, selected groups, or your entire class roster at once

✅ Choose between text messages or emails depending on your communication preference

✅ Schedule messages in advance so communications go out at the right time

✅ Keep a record of sent messages so you always know what was communicated and to whom

✅ Replies from families go directly to your email inbox, keeping threads organized and easy to follow

Email Messaging

Teachers can send email messages to students and families directly from Otus. Emails are delivered to the recipient's email address linked to their Otus account. The email will appear to come from mailbox@otus.com, but the teacher's name and email address will display alongside it. When a family or student replies, the response goes directly to the teacher's email inbox and stays within the same thread.

Text Messaging

Teachers can send one-way SMS text messages from the Otus phone number (717-200-4638). Text messages are limited to 140 characters at a time, do not include a subject line, and cannot include images. Recipients may want to save the number to their contacts so they recognize messages from Otus.

Scheduled Messages

Teachers can draft a message in advance and schedule it to send at a specific date and time. Scheduled messages can be edited, including the content, send time, and recipient list, or deleted before they go out.

Sent Messages

All sent messages are stored in the Mailbox. Teachers can select any message from the list to view its full contents and the recipients it was sent to.

The Mailbox is accessible directly from the Otus navigation menu, no additional setup is required.

Step 1: Log in to Otus and select Mailbox from the left-hand navigation menu.

Step 2: Click Compose to start a new message.

Step 3: Select your recipients. Choose an individual student or parent, multiple recipients, or all students/families from your classes.

Step 4: Choose your message type: Email or Text Message.

Step 5: Write your message, and choose to Send Now or Schedule for a future date/time.