Help & Guide

Any subject can have a second, unlabeled writing box right under its first one, on every day. Jen uses it for things like a second math group or a read-aloud note. It is turned on per subject behind the scenes; send a note through the feedback button naming the subject and it gets switched on for you. Both boxes print and both appear on substitute packets.

When a child is out, Share offers Absent work: days for one family. Pick the first and last day missed, add an optional note to the family, and send the private link. The family sees just those days' lessons, each day on its own page with color-coded subjects and a friendly title page, and it prints nicely. Early-release days show the real short-day plan. The link expires on its own 14 days after the last covered day, enough time for makeup work.

Tap any date on a calendar page and add an event: a field trip, picture day, an assembly. Events can span several days, show on your weekly pages and calendars, and print. Day stickers (the decorative badges like Last Day or No School) ride along with events and can stretch across a date range too.

Check an allergy on your Medical roster page and Anni pops a printable door poster (dogs on top) plus a matching ready-to-send parent email. The Poster and email library in Settings keeps every posting available anytime, for any allergy or classroom notice you need again.

The Alternate Schedules page is a parking spot for the odd days: assembly schedules, testing days, field day. Type each variant once and keep them all on one printable page, so the weird Wednesday is never a surprise.

Settings, under Class timer video. The pup video plays big at the start of each block, with sound on by default, then minimizes next to the timer. Switch video or sound off entirely if you prefer. Upload your own videos (MP4, MOV, WebM, M4V, OGV) and keep up to 20 in your library as little thumbnails; tap one to make it the active video, or assign different videos to different weekdays, so Monday's pup is not Friday's pup.

Done collecting something? Tap the small file-box button in that column's header. The column leaves the table but keeps every checkmark, and appears as a colored chip below the grid showing its name and count (like Library books 18 of 24). Tap the chip any time to bring the whole column back exactly as it was. Archiving is how the grid stays short while nothing is ever lost.

Any lesson box can carry attachments: a worksheet PDF, a photo, a web link, a note. Tap the paperclip on the box and add what you need. Attachments follow the lesson onto substitute packets (the Workshop Board document on Sub Notes works the same way), and files you upload live safely in your own storage.

Attendance pages build their columns from your real school calendar: weekdays minus the no-school days, split into quarters. Names come from your class list. Marks stay glued to their actual dates forever, so a changed calendar never shuffles your records.

Settings lets you restyle Anni: choose a planner banner for the top, adjust section colors, and the whole app uses a soft rounded font that stays readable on screens and paper. Party scenes and seasonal touches live in Settings too.

The Behavior Tracking page is a running log: student, time, what happened, what you did. Rows save as you type, and the Sort button groups the log by student alphabetically with each student's entries in time order, a real reorder that prints. It is your documentation trail for conferences.

A Sticky Note (from the + button) is the big movable one: it sits on your Today page and week view like a real sticky slapped on the planner, until you take it down. Perfect for the thing you absolutely must not forget this week.

Settings, under Security. Enter your current password and the new one twice. The moment it changes, every other signed-in device is signed out and all remembered devices are forgotten, so an old password grants nothing anywhere. You get a confirmation email. Forgot your password entirely? Use Forgot password on the login form and a one-hour reset link comes to your email.

The Data tab's pages track whatever numbers matter to you: assessment scores, reading levels, progress checks. Student Data pages give each child a row across measures; Class Data pages give you the whole-class grid. Like everything, they autosave and print.

The Class Info tab holds four lists: Class List, Parent Contacts, Transportation, and Medical. Upload a spreadsheet or just type names straight into the table; either works. The Class List is the one that powers the rest of Anni: Student Checklists rows, attendance names, the sign-out board, and game accounts all read from it. Uploads keep one undo: if a new upload goes wrong, Undo last upload brings back exactly what was there before.

The Classroom Supply List page is a simple running list of what the room needs: tissues, glue sticks, prize-box treasures. It prints nicely for open house or a parent email.

The Communication Log is your documentation trail of parent contact: date, family, how (call, email, note home), and what was said. Five minutes of logging saves an hour of reconstructing events later. It prints for conferences and stays off every share link.

Settings, under Google. One tap connects your Google account; Google opens its own sign-in window and Anni never sees your password. Once connected, Anni can place events on your Google Calendar and work with Gmail and Docs where the feature offers it. Disconnect anytime from the same card, which cuts Anni's access immediately.

The Curriculum Maps tab lays out your year by subject and unit so you can see pacing at a glance. Jen's math maps live here as a worked example of planning a year of units, including a combined multiplication and division unit plan.

You can give printed pages a decorated 8.5 by 11 background, like pretty stationery. Settings, under Print Paper For Every Page, sets the main template used behind every printed list and calendar. Any single page can use its own paper instead: tap the little page icon next to that page's Print and Share buttons and upload a different design just for it.

Settings, at the bottom: Delete my planner and all data. It asks for your password and the word DELETE typed out, because it is forever: every lesson, roster, checklist, photo, video, and share link is purged from live systems immediately, and backup copies age out within 90 days. There is no undo, so print or save anything you want to keep first. The full written policy is at anniplanner.com/privacy.

Anni keeps a separate schedule just for early-release days. In Settings, fill in the Half Day Schedule times and the Half day subject blocks (there is a button to copy your regular blocks so you can trim them). Then, on any calendar date marked Early Release, your planner automatically shows the short day instead of the regular one, including on substitute packets and absent-work pages. Mark a date as Early Release from its day on the calendar.

Settings, under Lesson plan email, can send your week's plans by email on a schedule you choose, to the addresses you choose, with a copy to you. Anni formats the week cleanly, includes your styled text, and logs each send. Turn it off or change the day and time anytime.

The Emergency Procedures page holds your room's drill instructions: fire route, lockdown steps, evacuation spot, the walkie channel. It automatically prints with every substitute packet, so a sub always has it without you remembering to attach it.

At release time, Anni throws a tiny celebration: one of 30 end-of-day scenes. In Settings under Party scenes you can add your own images (class photos, kid artwork) and they join the daily rotation. It is the smallest feature in the planner and somehow the one the kids ask about.

In the Print tab, End-of-year keepsake book builds a printable memory book from your year: the cover, calendars, and highlights, ready to print and keep. Teachers hand them to student teachers, principals, and sometimes just the shelf. Try it in May.

Next to the Refresh button at the top: Expand all opens every page in the current view, Collapse all folds them to just their title bars. Collapse before scrolling a long section; expand before printing a batch or searching by eye.

The Search tab looks across your lesson plans, notes, and pages at once. Type a word (a student's name, a book title, field trip) and Anni shows every place it appears, with a tap taking you straight there. Handy for that thing you know you wrote somewhere in September.

On the login page, tap Forgot password and enter your email. If an account exists, a reset link arrives that works once and expires in an hour. Setting the new password signs you in and signs out every other device. If no email arrives, check spam, and make sure you are using the email you signed up with.

Welcome! Anni is your whole planner in one place. Log in at anniplanner.com with your email and password. The colored tabs across the top are your sections: Lesson Plans for weekly planning, Class Info for rosters, Student Checklists for collecting things, Calendars for the year, and Settings for making Anni yours. Everything you type saves itself the moment you pause, so there is no save button anywhere. Start in Settings: set your school day times and your subject blocks, and your weekly pages build themselves around your real day.

The Avg column on a grade sheet computes itself from the assignment columns as you type scores. Blank cells are ignored rather than counted as zeros, so a not-yet-graded assignment never tanks anyone's average.

Rule of thumb: if it is a score, use a Grade sheet; if it is a yes-or-no (turned it in, brought it back, signed it), use a Student Checklist column. Checklists are faster for collection season; grade sheets carry numbers and averages.

Grade sheet pages give you student rows and assignment columns (A1 through A9 per sheet) with an average column. Use columns however you like; tap the header area to label them. They are a working record, not your district's official gradebook, so transfer final grades where your school requires.

There is no save button because everything saves itself: lesson boxes and cells save when you pause typing, checkboxes save on tap, and the little Saved bubble confirms each one. If your internet hiccups, Anni retries quietly. The Undo button in that bubble reverses your last edits, and nothing in Anni is more than one tap from recoverable.

The IEP page keeps each student's accommodations where you plan: extended time, preferential seating, movement breaks. It stays inside your login, is never included on substitute packets or any share link, and prints only when you print it on purpose.

Besides the live district feed, Settings under Import my calendar accepts a one-time calendar file (.ics) export from Google Calendar, Outlook, or your district site. Anni reads the events and day types into your year. Use the live feed when the district publishes one; import a file when they only hand you a download.

Anni is in beta, and beta teachers are not charged; your access code covers this school year free. If paid plans ever arrive, you will get clear notice and pricing first, and nothing is charged quietly: Anni does not even collect payment details today.

Anni improves constantly. The app checks for a new version every 15 minutes and refreshes itself when you are not in the middle of typing, so you quietly stay current. If something looks stale, the Refresh button at the top of the planner forces the newest version immediately. The version number shows in tiny print on the landing page footer.

With Last-year ghost view on (Settings), each lesson box shows a faint line of what you taught on the same school day last year, matched by school day so calendar drift never misaligns it. Tap the ghost line to reuse it as this year's starting text. New year, head start.

Settings, under Live district calendar. Paste your district's calendar link (an ICS feed, usually on the district website under Calendar) and Anni fills your year with the real holidays, breaks, and early-release days, and keeps them synced. One paste covers the whole year, and corrections at the district end flow in on their own.

The little friends that sit next to Lunch, Snack, Recess, School start, and Release on your pages can each be swapped for any photo you like: your own dog, your class mascot, anything. Settings has an upload spot for each buddy, and a reset button to bring Anni back. Big photos resize themselves automatically.

Open the date on a month calendar and set its day type: No School, Break, or Early Release. The whole app respects it: lesson pages gray out or switch schedules, attendance skips it, and shared pages label it honestly. Your district's whole calendar can also be loaded at once; see the district calendar article.

Math Challenges is a games subject with three levels of puzzle games (code cracking, number detective, fraction fuel, and friends). You choose which levels are on for your class from the games settings, so early finishers get the right stretch without anyone seeing work that is not theirs yet.

The Math Pacing page maps your math units across the year so you can see at a glance whether Unit 5 is on schedule. It pairs with the Curriculum Maps section, where whole-year plans live in more detail.

The Meeting Log records every meeting: date, who, notes, action items, with rich text. Tap a person's name chip to filter the log to just meetings with them, which is exactly what you want walking into a follow-up conference. Meeting notes stay private to your login.

When a student is missing work, the Missing Assignment flow writes the slip and, if you choose, emails the parent for you using the wording you set once in Settings (Missing Assignment email). Attach a photo of the assignment if you like. Parent addresses come from your Contacts roster. Every send is logged so you can see what went out and when.

Each month has its own calendar grid in the Calendars section. Tap a day to add events, mark the day type (No School, Break, Early Release), or add a day sticker. Busy days show a dot. The month calendars, your weekly pages, and Year at a Glance all read from the same calendar, so a change in one place shows everywhere.

The Notes tab holds free writing pages, weekly and daily to-do layouts, and checklists with real checkboxes. The To Do List page also gathers unchecked items from your checklist page so open tasks chase you politely. Sticky notes can be pinned with dates and show up on the days they matter.

A peek link shows a parent one single day of plans, and expires the very next day. It is the quick answer to what did they do today. Nothing else in your planner is reachable from it.

Settings, under Plan my curriculum, helps lay out a subject's year: units, weeks, and pacing land in your Curriculum Maps section as editable pages. Bring your district scope-and-sequence and give Anni the bones; adjust the details on the map pages after.

Post-its are the small colored notes pinned to specific days: a call to make, an appointment, a child out sick, a reminder. Add one from the + button, give it a date (or a date range) and it shows on that day across your planner: the week view, Today, and the month calendar. Mark it done and it quiets down.

Every page has a print button near its top corner. Anni pages are built to print cleanly: tables keep their rows together, headers repeat on every sheet, and shared packets put the class list on its own page. In the print dialog you can usually leave margins alone; Anni carries its own. To keep decorative backgrounds in the printout, leave Background graphics checked in the dialog.

Open your sub link and tap Print. The schedule flows across pages with its header repeated, the Sub Notes card keeps its sections whole, End of Day Routine prints after the schedule, and the Class List always starts on its own sheet so you can hand it out separately. Standard margins; no fiddling needed.

For kids who leave for services, add a Pull-Out Class from the + button: who goes, which days, what time. The pull-out then shows on your weekly pages at its time every week, with per-day skips for weeks that differ. Substitute packets include it, so a sub knows exactly who leaves when.

Anni works best saved to your home screen like an app. On your iPad or iPhone, open anniplanner.com in Safari, tap the Share button (the square with the up arrow), then tap Add to Home Screen. The Anni icon appears like any app, opens full screen, and stays signed in. If the app ever seems stuck on an old version, close it fully (swipe it away) and reopen; Anni also checks for updates on its own every 15 minutes and refreshes gently when you are not mid-typing.

On the Sign In/Out board, a Ruffled Feather sign-out asks the student to pick what happened (did not follow directions, hurt somebody, playing instead of working, and so on) as a quick self-reflection. The choices log with the time, giving you a gentle paper trail for patterns without a confrontation in the moment.

Grid pages never really fill up: the + Add 5 rows button at the bottom stretches the page whenever you reach the end. Notes pages grow with another block the same way.

Settings, under Your school day. Set when school starts, lunch, recess, and release once, and those markers show on your Daily Schedule and weekly pages automatically, with the little buddies next to lunch and recess. These times also drive the class timer and the Anni pup video moments.

Anni is organized like a real binder: sections with dividers. The tabs across the top jump between them: Home shows everything, then Class Info, Lesson Plans, Today, Curriculum Maps, Notes, Student Checklists, Calendars, and the tool tabs (Print, Docs, Data, Settings, Search, Share). Each section keeps its own color so you always know where you are. Expand all and Collapse all at the top open or close every page at once.

Your active sub links are listed where you created them, with a revoke button each; remaking a link for the same day also kills the old one instantly. Peek links die the next day, absent links 14 days after the last covered day, timelines after 30. If a link ever worries you, revoke it or just let it expire; nothing shared is ever permanent.

Settings, under Your subject blocks. These are the rows of your day: Reading, Math, Specials, whatever your classroom runs. Add one with the name and times at the bottom, rename or retime any block, or remove one you no longer teach. Removing a block never erases what you already wrote in it on past days; it just stops appearing on new days. Your weekly pages, the daily schedule, and substitute packets all rebuild themselves from this list.

Share, then Choose specific pages: tap the pages you want on the link and Anni builds one private page holding just those. Good for sending a team teacher your supply list and schedule without sharing anything else.

When you create sub plans you get a private link to send by text or email; Anni can also email it straight to your sub coordinator with a friendly note. The link works for 7 days and then dies on its own. You can see your active links and revoke any of them early. The first time the link is opened, Anni emails you a receipt so you know your sub has it. Remaking a link for the same day replaces the old one, which stops working.

Share my planner layout gives a colleague a special signup link: when they create their account through it, they get your page setup (sections, page types, structure), none of your content. It is how a grade-level team ends up with matching planners in five minutes.

The Small Group page organizes your pull-aside groups: who is in each group and what each group is working on this week. Pair it with the weekly plan: the big lesson lives in the subject box, the per-group detail lives here.

If your school runs specials on a rotating day cycle, upload each rotation card in Settings under Specials rotation cards and tell Anni which weeks it covers. The right card then shows inside the Specials block on every day, and Early Release days correctly show Day 0, no rotation. No more which day is it math in the hallway.

A split-track subject runs two labeled tracks inside one block (like an A day and B day rotation, or two reading cohorts). It is set up per subject in Settings under Split-track subjects. Most classrooms do better with the simpler extra box; ask through the feedback button if you are not sure which fits.

Settings offers starter data buttons, like loading the PVUSD 2026-2027 calendar in one tap, so a new planner starts with the real school year instead of an empty one. District not listed? Use the live district calendar feed or an ICS import, both in Settings.

When a new year starts, Anni builds you fresh pages for it while keeping every old year intact and browsable. Last-year ghost view then shows your previous year's lessons faintly under the new blank days, which turns last year's work into this year's head start. Your blocks, times, and settings carry over; rosters start fresh for the new class.

Tap the sticker button on any lesson box toolbar to drop in a sticker, either from Anni's built-in set or ones you upload yourself. Uploaded stickers live in your own sticker library and can be reused anywhere. Stickers print, and they show correctly on substitute packets and absent-work pages too.

The Student Checklists tab is a grid: your students down the side, and a colored column for each thing you are collecting (permission slips, library books, picture money). Type what you are collecting in a column header and a checkbox appears for every student; tap to check kids off as things come in. There are always two fresh blank columns waiting on the right, so you never run out. When a checklist is finished, tap the little file box on its header to archive it.

Your class gets its own games website (like challenges.anniplanner.com) where kids practice with Anni's learning games. You create student accounts from your class list with first names only; kids log in with those and their scores save. You control which units and levels are visible, and a teacher report shows every student's progress. The games never ask children for personal information.

The Student Passwords page tracks the kids' logins for classroom programs, one row per student, next to your class list. It is the page subs and volunteers ask for; it is also exactly what the Screen Password box on Sub Notes is for when a sub only needs the one code.

Your planner data is yours. Anni never sells information, shows no ads, and never uses student information for anything except running your planner. Student records stay under your control: share links show only what you chose, for a limited time. The full plain-English documents live at anniplanner.com/privacy, /security, /ferpa, and there is a signable agreement for districts at /dpa.

Inside Sub Plans for a chosen day you can fill the manila Sub Notes sections: Helpful Students, Students to Watch, Screen Password, 8:40 (your morning routine), Additional Notes, the Daily Workshop Document attachment, and End of Day Routine. Whatever you fill shows on the packet; empty sections stay off it. End of Day Routine prints after the schedule, right where a sub needs it at dismissal. Your notes carry forward from the last day you filled, so next time you only touch what changed.

Tap the + button and choose Sub Plans. Pick the date you will be out and Anni builds a clean, printable packet from what is already in your planner: the day's schedule and lessons, your class list on its own page, dismissal info, and emergency procedures. It never includes passwords for your accounts, grades, medical details, or parent contacts. Add the manila Sub Notes card for the human stuff (next article), then share the link by text or email, or let Anni email your sub contact automatically.

The round + button at the bottom left adds things fast, from anywhere: post-it style notes (plain notes, reminders, call reminders, appointments, absences, early-release flags, missing-assignment notes, day stickers), a big movable Sticky Note for Today and the week, a Pull-Out Class schedule, and Sub Notes for a day. Each lands on the right pages automatically, dated if you date it.

The Birthdays page collects your class birthdays in one place, in month order. Summer birthdays get their half-birthday moment too. Fill it once at the start of the year and never be surprised again.

The Daily Schedule page lays out one school day from your school day times and subject blocks: start, every block with its times, lunch, recess, release, with the little buddies beside them. It updates itself whenever you change your blocks or times in Settings, and it prints cleanly for a classroom wall copy.

The Docs tab is your document library: upload PDFs and files you reach for all year (the spelling lists, the field trip packet) and they show as thumbnails you can open, print, or attach from anywhere. One upload, reachable forever.

The Print tab is the print center: print any page or section in batches, grab the keepsake book, and reach print-paper settings. For one page, the little print button on the page itself is faster.

The Share button offers: Choose specific pages to share (pick exactly which pages go on one link), Share my parent website link, Substitute plans for a day, Parent peek (one day, auto-expires), Absent work for one family, Share my planner layout with a colleague, and a lesson Timeline link for case managers. Every link is private, unguessable, time-limited where it matters, and revocable.

The break board is a page kids use themselves on the classroom iPad: a student taps their name to sign out for a bathroom break or a Ruffled Feather moment, and taps again to sign back in. You get the link and class password from Settings under Sign In / Sign Out board. While someone is out, a little bubble with their name floats on your planner next to the timer, so you always know who is where. The log keeps itself.

The Today tab is your day at a glance: this day's schedule with the class timer, today's lessons, sticky notes pinned to today, who is signed out, and the day's events. It is the tab worth leaving open on the classroom iPad while you teach.

The timer rides your real schedule: it knows which block you are in and how long is left, right from your school day times and subject blocks. It lives at the top of your planner. When a block begins, Anni the pup can pop up with a short video moment, then tuck into the corner beside the timer. You control all of that in Settings under Class timer video.

The round ? button floating at the bottom right is your direct line. Ask a question, report a problem, or suggest an improvement; each lands with Anni's team, answers come back right into the same panel (a little dot appears on the button when a reply is waiting), and real issues get fixed fast. Before sending a question, the Help tab's search probably has your answer; it knows every feature in this planner.

While students are signed out, their names float as small bubbles beside the class timer, stacking neatly so they and the timer never hide each other. Bubbles disappear the moment a student signs back in. A glance tells you who is out and how long.

The Passwords page in Class Info is a table for the classroom's website logins (the reading program, the math site). It lives behind your Anni login. Your Anni password itself is never stored anywhere readable, and highly sensitive accounts (your bank, your district SSO) belong in a real password manager, not a planner page.

A timeline link shows the full change history of one lesson entry, with server-recorded timestamps that cannot be edited. Case managers and audits love it. Each link expires 30 days after it is created.

Settings, under Security. With two-step on, logging in on a new device asks for your password plus a 6-digit code sent to you by text or email (your choice, or both). Tick Remember this device and that device skips the code for 30 days. The code screen always offers Email me the code instead, so a missed text never locks you out. Codes last 10 minutes and work once.

After anything saves, the little Saved bubble shows an Undo button that brings back what was there before, for your last several edits. Roster uploads keep their own one-step undo (Undo last upload). Past weeks are never deleted, archived checklists keep their checks, and even a cleared roster page is one Undo away. When in doubt, stop and tap Undo before anything else.

Anni is a website, so it needs a connection to save. If the wifi drops mid-class, the planner keeps showing what is loaded; hold off on heavy editing until it is back, then carry on. Your last-saved work is always safe on the server, and the app catches itself up when the connection returns.

Once a week is fully in the past, its tab tucks into a folder for that month in the Lesson Plans sidebar, so your sidebar stays short. Tap the month name and its weeks telescope out; tap a week to open it just like always. Nothing is deleted, ever. The current and future weeks always stay out in the open.

The Lesson Plans tab shows your week with a box for every subject block on every day. Tap any box and type; it saves automatically when you pause. The toolbar on a box lets you color text, change size, and add stickers. If you need a second box for a subject (say Math has two groups), ask and it can be turned on per subject. Yesterday is never lost: past weeks tuck themselves into monthly folders in the sidebar, and you can reopen any week with a tap. Accidentally wrote over something? The Undo button in the little Saved bubble brings back the last thing you replaced.

Year at a Glance shows your entire school year as mini months on one page, with no-school days and breaks shaded from your calendar. Tap any day and Anni jumps you to that month's full calendar. It is the page for answering when is spring break without scrolling.

The first page of your planner is your cover: the school year, your display name (like Mrs. Hegreness), and your grade label, over the Anni artwork. Change the name and grade anytime in Settings under Planner display name; the cover, your substitute packets, and your share pages all update together.

Settings can publish a read-only parent page: your calendar and weekly schedule at a simple public link for families. Nothing private is ever on it: no rosters, no lessons detail, no notes, no student names. Turn it on or off anytime; off kills the link immediately.

Settings, under Substitute contact: save your sub coordinator or front office contact once, and every time you create sub plans Anni offers to email them the packet link directly, with a friendly note and your name on it. You get a receipt when the link is first opened.