Why a new website? Why not just update or upgrade the previous website?
Deployment of the new Apple XServer system in the summer of 2007 opened the option of hosting the school website ourselves and taking advantage of rich, contemporary web features. The one major downside was that hosting the school’s website would necessitate abandoning the previous website. Accepting the need to retire the previous website presented the option to “start from scratch,” restyling the look and feel of the website and easing the burden of website administration.
How much of the website content is new and how much is old?
The new website incorporates all of the content of the previous website, albeit in a different structural layout. There is also a significant amount of new content on the website and a plan to ensure that new content is being regularly updated and posted.
Why is text small on some pages?
Some content will automatically get smaller to fit on a single web page. If you have trouble reading the text, you can use your browsers "zoom", or "increase text size" feature to enlarge it. This is usually located under "view" from your browsers menu.
What internet browser(s) can I use to access the school’s new website?
The current website has been evaluated and should work fine under Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera browsers running on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X operating systems. (The website was created under an Apple operating system and is hosted on Apple servers so, in theory, the website is optimally viewed using Apple’s Safari browser). Safari is now available for Windows users as a free download. You can get it here.
How frequently will the website be updated?
In theory, the website could be updated daily – and, if needed, it will be. Practically speaking, it is envisioned that some items (e.g., the Weekly Update) will be updated weekly while other items (e.g., School Board agenda and minutes) will be updated monthly. Other routine content can be submitted for review and posting in accordance with the “Production Schedule” and the submission requirements of “Website Content Submission Process.”
If I want to submit new material for inclusion on the website, how do I do so?
Posting of either new or routine materials requires conformance with the submission requirements contained in the “Website Content Submission Process” document. The guidelines detailed in this document will be rigidly adhered to so please review the document carefully before making submissions.
Are there any other means for posting material? Can I post content myself?
No. In the interest of integrity and maintenance of the website, only the webmaster/tech coordinator can post content on the website. Furthermore, as noted above, the tech coordinator will not post content that does not adhere to the submission requirements.
How long will it take for new items to be posted?
Submissions to the website fall into two categories: 1) Items submitted in accordance with the “Production Schedule,” and 2) As-requested (i.e., “Non-Production”) items. Production Schedule items (e.g., the Weekly Update) will be posted within 24 hours of submission. Non-Production items will be posted within 48 hours of receipt and approval.
What kinds of material can be posted on the website?
To ease the burden of website administration, submitted documents must conform to formatting and attachment constraints as documented in the “Website Content Submission Process” document. For attachments, the file types are presently limited to Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, pictures in JPEG format, and movies in Quicktime format.
What are the deadlines for submission? (What is a “production schedule”?)
A “Production Schedule” schedule plans the on-going posting of routine materials. The Weekly Update, the School Board Agenda, the School Board Minutes, Lunch Menus, etc., are examples of routine materials that need to be submitted and posted on a predictable basis and are thus subject to submission deadlines. Non-production submissions have no submission deadlines per se, but may take a certain period of time to be posted after submission and approval for posting.
Who is the “webmaster” for the new site?
The Technology Coordinator for Holy Spirit School, is the webmaster for the school’s website. The Tech Coordinator is only responsible for maintaining and updating website content. Issues of website design and function should be directed to The School Principal and the Holy Spirit School Board’s Technology Committee.
Who do I contact with website suggestions or if I find errors, omissions, objectionable content, etc.?
The tech coordinator should be contacted regarding suggestions and for issues of errors and omissions. The risk of objectionable content should be minimal because access to website administration and to the servers is tightly controlled. Remaining concerns can be directed to the technology coordinator and/or the school principal.
What is RSS?
RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication and it provides an easy and convenient way to automatically receive website content if or when it is updated. This is very useful for keeping abreast of content that is updated regularly or semi-regularly.
How do I access RSS?
To access an RSS “feed,” you will need to “subscribe” to the feed. Subscribing is very easy -- in many cases as simple as clicking on a (typically) orange-colored RSS icon and confirming your desire to subscribe. For more a more detailed explanation, you might check out RSS Feeds on Wikipedia.com for more information.
What are blogs?
“Blogs” is contemporary terminology for “Web Logs” in which an author posts comments to an internet accessible webpage. The purpose is to allow the author to quickly (and, usually, fairly informally) convey thoughts or messages of varying importance. The advantage is that blogs are extremely easy for the webmaster to post and, as such, allow an author (e.g., the School Board President) to quickly pass on updates, make inquiries, solicit response, etc.
What are the future enhancements that are being considered?
Future enhancements are, for all intents and purposes, limited only by practical constraints on our ability to deploy them. The immediate focus is to vet the full functionality and performance of the basic website. In the hopefully not-too-distant future, we will consider augmentations to webpage color and styling, making the make pages more dynamic (as exemplified on most contemporary websites), adding enhanced blogging capability (e.g., from teachers or student groups), serving media streams such as podcasts, etc., etc., etc.
Who is hosting the website?
Holy Spirit School is “self-hosting” the school website. That is, all content is delivered from our server(s).
Since we are hosting the website on our servers, doesn’t this imply a security risk to our computer network?
Yes and no. Strictly speaking, any access to a server implies some degree of exposure and we are – and will remain – vigilant about this. That said, from the first deployment of our servers we emphasized security above all else in the configuration of our server system. This has meant restricting the openings in our firewall to allow only limited access to the network (website), restrictions on which users can access the network and how, etc.
What does this new website imply regarding the safety and security of our schoolchildren who also use our network?
Vigilance is the operative word. We have strived – and will remain vigilant about – keeping internal users (e.g., the children, teachers, and staff) on one side of the network firewall and grant external users access only to tightly controlled resources such as our website. If you have specific concerns, please address them to the technology coordinator and/or the school principal.
How can I get involved in supporting the school’s website and vision plan?
This is fairly new territory for us and we would welcome the support of any Holy Spirit parents or parishioners who have the background and desire to help. We are in need of those who have the time and talent in skilled areas such as the various facets (technical and non-technical) of website design, website maintenance and management, content serving on the Apple (server) operating system, etc., etc. You are encouraged to contact the technology coordinator and/or the school principal, who will get you in touch with the appropriate parties.