Updates That Should Be Made to School Websites Over Summer
It’s summer, the season students and faculty continuously ache for throughout the year! Even now that it’s finally here, there are still things to be done! Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean people will stop visiting a school website. Because of this, there are certain pieces of information that should be easily found and accessible on the site. The following updates should be made so that parents, teachers, and staff can stay up-to-date- throughout the summer.
Preview Next Year’s Calendar on the School Website
One of the most important informational items that should be updated over summer (or even before) is the calendar for the following school year! It is super important to have this up to date to prevent any confusion of students and parents regarding dates. This will also allow students and parents to look at the schedule in advance to plan around it accordingly. For example, tryouts for select sports teams are often at the end of the previous school year, and practices may start throughout the summer. Updating the calendar with the details of the specific dates and times regarding these teams is very useful for parents and students who are interested or already involved in them. Check out Lorena Independent School District’s Calendar for inspiration here!
The calendar should differentiate between mandatory and regular dates. For example, orientation before school starts is typically mandatory, while attending the college fair usually is not, which should be reflected on the calendar. It can be written on the date, or in a different color to make it stand out. It is also important that dates have descriptions of the scheduled activities so parents and students can have a sense for what they will do. This will allow any questions or concerns to be voiced beforehand. If the school has a block schedule, such as A-Days and B-Days, the calendar should reflect this as well, including which days fall under which block.
It is crucial to make sure the previous school year calendar is not easily accessible on the website. Visitors of the site most likely assume that the calendar available to be viewed is the accurate calendar for the school year, so only having the current calendar will help avoid any confusion from visitors of the site regarding inaccurate scheduling and incorrect dates. Since days shift every year, having last year’s school calendar available will create lots of confusion regarding what day events are scheduled for, and will create an inaccurate depiction of the schedule. Having an updated calendar shows the effort the school puts into the site, including during summer.
Post Summer Community Service Opportunities/ Events on the School Website
Students have an ample amount of free time during the summer which can bring a lot of boredom. A great solution for this is having community service opportunities and school events posted on the school site! This gives students information regarding how they can earn community service during their summer break, which allows them to earn their hours as well as be productive.
In addition to community service opportunities, the school site should also contain information on summer events that students can attend. Examples of events can include a sports game, movie night, a free concert, or a special promotion a restaurant is offering on a specific date. Students can get very bored during the summer, and this gives provides them with ample activities they can participate in and attend throughout their summer break.
Include the Bus Schedule on the School Website
Many students live extremely far away from the area their school is in. Because of this, there is a variety of methods of transportation used by students, a common one being busses. The school bus schedule should be posted on the school website during summer so students can know their times beforehand. In addition, the public bus routes should also be posted on the site. This makes it much easier for students with long commutes to view their route(s) in advance in order to use their time most efficiently. Having the schedules posted on the website provides easy access to students and parents.
I personally do not live in the area that my school is located in. For my first two years of high school, my method of transportation was the school bus. Having the bus schedule available to me was especially helpful because I did not have to dig through emails or have to ask my parents search their inbox for it because it was easily accessible to me through my school’s site. Being able to view it during summer was also very helpful because it allowed me to plan my time appropriately. Summer is a well-deserved break for students and faculty, and it is important that during this time, the necessary updates a school’s site should have are made.