Does Penny have an official integration with Arbor?

No. A direct Arbor integration needs approval at the school level, since it means a third party connecting to the school's own system. Penny avoids that entirely: she reads what you forward her, not what's stored in Arbor, so nothing needs your school's sign-off.

How do I get an Arbor email or message to Penny?

If your school sent it as an email, forward it to Penny directly. Schools often use email specifically for newsletters and longer updates, so most of what you'd want extracted arrives this way.

What about Arbor's in-app messages?

Arbor's push notifications for in-app messages don't include the content, only an alert that a message is waiting. Open the Arbor app or Parent Portal to read it, then tell Penny what it said, by text or voice note.

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Works with

Does Penny work with Arbor?

7 September 2026 · 3 min read

Not as a direct integration, and that's deliberate, not a gap.

In short

Arbor is a school's own management system, and a genuine third-party integration with it needs approval at the school level. Penny sidesteps that entirely: she doesn't connect to Arbor at all. When your school emails you through Arbor, often used for newsletters and longer updates, forward that email to Penny the same as any other. No school sign-off, no data-sharing agreement.

1. Why there's no direct Arbor integration

Arbor is the school's own information system, holding attendance, assessment, and communication records. A third party integrating with it directly means connecting to school infrastructure, which requires the school's approval, not just the parent's. Penny takes a different route on purpose: she never touches Arbor's system. She reads whatever you personally choose to forward her, which means nothing about how she works depends on your specific school's setup or approval process.

2. What Arbor actually sends parents

Schools using Arbor typically send parents a mix of in-app messages and genuine emails, with email generally used for newsletters and longer updates rather than quick alerts. If you're getting Arbor communications by email, which is common for the content that actually needs extracting, dates, deadlines, event details, that's exactly what Penny can read.

3. Forwarding an Arbor email

Forward it to Penny the way you would to anyone else. She extracts the dates and tasks and folds them into your family's daily briefing. If both parents use Penny, one forward is enough for both to see it reflected.

4. Arbor's in-app messages

Arbor's push notifications for in-app messages are just an alert, they don't carry the actual content. You'll need to open the Arbor app or Parent Portal to read the message itself. Once you have, tell Penny what it said in your own words, typed or as a voice note. See can you just voice note Penny for how that works.

Next Arbor email you get, try forwarding it to Penny. Free for the first 30 days, both parents included.

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