To everyone who are part of the d6 family, and everyone who will become part of the d6 family. 2020 was a year which I believe most of us do not want to repeat. A year where we have all experienced hardship and loss in some way, and where we realised that life could change for better or worse in the blink of an eye. For d6 specifically, 2020 was a rollercoaster year. The good - during the peak of lockdown, we saw the biggest uptake of our d6 Connect and d6 Communicator app users, to almost 1.3 million active users. We also onboarded more than 400 new schools to our various d6 platforms. Unfortunately, there is also “the bad� - we saw a number of schools closing down due to the lockdown pressure and, as such, lost a number of clients. We have also experienced a drop in advertising income due to the financial pressure business in South Africa has faced. All in all, d6 was blessed during 2020 and it was a pleasure to be able to simplify the lives of clients. We will continue to do so during 2021, and we have a number of exciting new products and features that we will be launching. These include major upgrades to our communication and financial modules, the launch of our new ride sharing capability in d6 Connect and a renewed drive to get schools back on track after a difficult year, through d6 Rewards. We will continue to simplify life by focussing on our 3 pillars which is: To improve the way community organisations operate; To enable community members (parents and other members) to stay engaged; and To enable advertising to communities.
We hope that you all have a blessed festive season and that you are well rested before we restart the engine for 2021. d6 will be with you all the way. Until 2021 then... Regards Willem Kitshoff d6 CEO
A new look for our payment-partner. Sticitt has been our Cashless partner for the past few years and they have now grown into a new brand that we would like to share with you. They are a company that is committed to providing a safe and secure service of the highest integrity to all our schools, merchants and parents.
If you want to know more about the d6 Connect Cashless Payment solution, contact support@sticitt.co.za
I want to compliment the d6 Connect Application linked to my School. I find it very helpful and secure. I have been making school fee payments through the app and Sticitt for about 5 months now. It’s quick and secure. I am also, always up to date with school communications sent through the app. I will definitely recommend to other parents, as the payments are immediately accounted for and you know what you owe with a push of a button. I believe this is the future of school communication and payments. ~ Christo Jooste Parent
d6 and Snapplify Foundation join forces The Snapplify Foundation is joining forces with d6, South Africa’s leading online school management platform, to provide digital tools, content and training to the Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT) a model, no-fee government high school in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
In line with its commitment to increase access to education in disadvantaged communities, the Snapplify Foundation will set up a digital library for the school, providing students and staff with 24/7 access to over 50 000 free e-books. Going forward, the foundation will work with Snapplify and publishing partners to supply additional library content that supports teacher and student requirements. The Snapplify Foundation will also provide free training to teachers on using the Engage e-learning platform which, in addition to the e-library, comes with the ability to share multimedia resources with students, helping to improve engagement and understanding as the curriculum is brought to life. In addition, COSAT teachers will be registered for Snapplify Teacha! Benefits, a programme that provides educators with free and discounted teaching aids. For 2021, d6 will be donating online training for the school’s staff. This is the first step in what will be a long working relationship between the Snapplify Foundation and d6. ‘There are a lot of schools in South Africa and only a small percentage of them can afford these products and services,’ shares Debra Ogilvie-Roodt, Head of the Snapplify Foundation. ‘Between us, we plan to use our large network of schools, as well as private sector partnerships, to drive measurable change in education – in South Africa and beyond.’ #SnapplifyFoundation #d6 #Khayelitsha #edtech #education #freebooks #books #ebooks #library #DebraOgilvieRoodt #COSAT #STEM
New feature launched on d6 Connect
Local Listings
EMERGENCY
ACCOMMODATION
AUTOMOTIVE
CHILD SPECIFIC
What is Local Listings? A place where community businesses can advertise their contact information in a simple and cost effective way. This will provide users the ability to search for a local service provider directly from the d6 Connect application.
The benefits of Local Listings: 50% rewards back to the school for every listing on a school Parents have easy access to local community businesses to contact for a service they need. Local community businesses (often parents at the school) are supported with exposure.
How does it work? On the d6 Connect application, there is a new section that opens the Local Listing functionality. A user can click on the name of the community business and can contact / call them directly from the listing itself based on the contact information available.
Costing and signup There is a monthly fee of R90 (excl. VAT) / R103.50 (incl. VAT) per school. A community service can make use of our Self Onboarding option by going to locallistings.d6.co.za to register and pay for a monthly subscription, or for more information go to bit.ly/LocalListingsInfo
Exciting Ride-sharing Opportunity in d6 Connect The new ride sharing service for d6 Connect users creates a lifting network with parents in your school. Parents needing a ride for their children are connected with parents that have driving capacity and are already making trips to and from school or activities.The parent decides who their child will travel with and they can track the trip on a map via live tracking. *Only parents within your school (that is loaded on d6 Connect) will be able to see and use this service.
Benefits of this service include: The school can manage their own shuttles and transportation through this service, making booking and payment a breeze. Managing and coordinating lifts to away matches becomes easier A portion of the fare comes to your school Parents can earn a revenue if they have a Professional Driving Permit (PDP)
How it works
Flyer the school can send to their parents
Want to become part of the pilot group?
Contact: Ladien@zipalong.co.za OR 071 935 3584
d6 Santa with a
a twist
Christmas time is always a time of reflecting and giving back to the ones who need it the most. This year, we have reached out to a group of women, Eleos, who has started their outreach in 1998 in Pretoria West looking after families and children. We have partnered with Bidvest Waltons to give each child (there are 50 needy children) a bag full of stationary for the new year with some sweeties and clothes. If you would like to make a donation or order some of their delicious cookies, you can contact Amalie on 074 759 0316