Setting an Automatic Response to Your Email

This post was originally posted in February, 2015.  
Vacation responder.  If you are not going to be available during vacation (or illness or family leave) consider setting the vacation responder in Gmail.  This is how you can let parents and others that you will have limited availability to your email.

To access the vacation responder, open Gmail and go to your settings by clicking on the gear icon (right).
Select the Settings option.

At the top of the Settings page is the navigation menu below:

Click on the General tab, and scroll down to the Vacation responder setting.

1. Set the first day of your vaction.
2. Set the last day of your vacation.
3. Subject Line. Say that you will be out of the office/school.  
4. Message.  Be brief.  State that you will be out of the office/school and when you will be again available.  If you plan on checking your emails occasionally during vacation, say that.
5. Choose who you want to respond to.  Only your current contacts?  Only people with WinchesterPS.org or WPSStudent.com accounts?  Check neither box and you will reply to everyone. 
6. Turn the Vacation Responder ON by clicking the button at the top.
7. Scroll down to the bottom of the General Settings and click Save Changes.