How this app works

A quick guide for Mom and Dad. Alex doesn't need any of this — he just logs in and sees what's due.

1. One-time setup, in order

Family — add the other parent (pick Mom or Dad) and Alex (his real name, the only place it's typed). Each person's email here is also their login and where reminders go — make sure Alex's is one he actually checks. They'll get an emailed invite link to set their own password; if nothing arrives, check that email is configured (see below) and use "Resend invite" on the Family tab.
Subjects — add each subject once (Math, Reading, Science...). You'll pick from this list every time you add homework, so it stays tidy.
You're set up. Everything below is the week-to-week routine.

2. Homework vs. Assignments — what's the difference

Homework is due a single day. It's what blocks "Activity unlocked" for that day.

Assignments are longer projects (a book report, a diorama) with their own due date, days or weeks out. They also block unlock once their due date arrives — but in the meantime, they show up on the Calendar and send reminder emails counting backward from the due date.

Rule of thumb: if it's due tomorrow, it's homework. If it's due next week or later, make it an assignment so the reminders kick in.

3. Adding homework (the day-to-day one)

On the Week tab, two ways:

One at a time — pick Kind: Homework, a due date, subject, title, and what proof is required (photo, written answer, or both).
Paste the whole week — one line per item, in the box on the Week tab:
```
Mon | Math | Workbook p.42 #1-20 | photo
Mon | Reading | Read ch.3, write a summary | text
Tue | Science | Lab worksheet | photo
```
The last column (proof) is optional and defaults to photo. This always creates homework-kind items — for an assignment, use the single form instead.

4. Adding an assignment + setting reminders

Same "Add" form on Week, but pick Kind: Assignment. Two extra fields appear:

Start date (optional) — just informational, doesn't do anything on its own.
Remind everyone, days before it's due — a comma list like 7,3,1,0. That means an email goes to Mom, Dad, and Alex a week before, 3 days before, the day before, and the day it's due. Change the numbers to whatever cadence makes sense for that project — e.g. 14,7,3,1 for something bigger, or just 1,0 for something short.

Reminders only fire if GMAIL_ADDRESS / GMAIL_APP_PASSWORD are set in Railway. Without them the app still works, it just won't send mail.

5. Reviewing what Alex turns in

The Review tab (with a red count badge when something's waiting) shows every submission. For each one you can:

Approve — optionally tag it Neat or Rushed. Not required, but it builds a record over time.
Send back — you must give a reason; Alex sees it and can redo it.

If Alex says he did something at school, you'll see a flag asking you to verify it in person (ask to see the actual paper) rather than just approving from the photo.

Nothing counts as "done" for the day until everything due that day is approved.

6. Calendar and Week

Week is the day-by-day working view — where you add things and where Alex sees what's due. Calendar is a month-at-a-glance view with a 📌 marking assignment due dates — good for spotting a busy week coming up.

7. "No homework today"

Alex can't just skip a day silently. If nothing's entered for a day, he has to explain why ("teacher said no homework") and a parent has to confirm it before anything unlocks.