St Ed’s 2.0
When all of you arrived at school this week, you were likely struck by the new paint job, new windows, and various other upgrades (thanks again to Deborah Kryskowski!). However, over the summer, we also worked on some other changes ‘under the hood’. If you’ve gone to the school website (same domain – www.stedmunds.ca), you’ll have seen some of these changes. A few of the obvious ones:
1) The increase in photos and videos. In April, a photographer came by and filmed a number of sequences that showed what goes on in a typical day at the school. From that footage, we put together a fun video that you’ll see on the ‘Enrolment Link’. There are also a number of video testimonials from staff, parents, and even students. Watching them made me feel great about being part of this community – seeing how much all of us share and understand the mission of the school. Have a look! I’d be surprised if you can stop at just one testimonial!
2) The inclusion of a blog with the announcements. The premise is that we can start to ‘tell the story’ of what is happening at our school. There is a lot of information coming at parents, so we wanted to make sure that parents were still able to get that information, but also learn some things that were more than just upcoming dates to record. One of the first blog entries was about the Back to School BBQ (from the perspective of a certain principal). More will follow on a regular basis! Although you can get what you need from the calendar, we do have to read the blog (you’ll see the school in a new light)!
3) A better ‘User Journey’. Now, you should find that each page will naturally flow to a different section of our website. The result should be that you’ll be able to see all the contents of our website, and not just stick to the home page. There is a lot there, but it’s all interesting stuff! We tried to seperate the ‘need to know’ from the ‘fun to know’, so you’ll know what you HAVE to check on a regular basis.
4) Social media feeds! In a further effort to tell the story of the school, we’ve integrated Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter into our website! Actually, it was Mrs. Silva who started the school Twitter account last year, and it’s a great idea that we want to keep working with. The idea is to give parents the opportunity to find out fun school news ‘as it happens’! For example, who won the basketball game? Who is our new student council? That information will be ‘tweeted’ out, so you’ll be able to congratulate your son on the big hockey win! You’ll be able to be glad for your daughter on her great showing at Speech Arts! All in a way that delivers information faster than a newsletter.
Instagram will be our source of regular pictures – of field trips, school events, and daily St. Edmund’s life! The Facebook page will also contain some photos, some reminders, and news from the Class Mom’s / Parent’s Association. I should mention you don’t actually need an account to view any of these streams – you can just go to school website. Of course, if you happen to have a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account, you can certainly view the school’s steams that way too!
5) School eNewsletter – Of course, newsletters will continue to be emailed to parents. All the upcoming ‘need to know’ details will be there, as well as past highlights. Along with the calendar section of the website, it is very important that parents read the newsletter and make note of important dates.
If that sounds overwhelming, and you are wondering what you need to check now to stay informed, the answer is ‘the same’. If you just continue to read the newsletters carefully, and check the website calendar carefully, you will be fine. However, if you want a little extra, it’s right there for you.