New Valley View Web Sites to Debut Dec. 21

This article was submitted by the Valley View School District:

Web sites for all 22 schools in Valley View School District 365U are getting a makeover that will not only make navigation significantly easier but also will make the websites more appealing to the eye.

“We want to expand the sense of community that currently exists at each of our schools by creating individual websites that are up-to-date and relevant,” said Dr. James Mitchem Jr., VVSD’s Superintendent. “In order to include the communities we serve in our efforts to put every child in this district on the path to success in their adult lives, modern communications tools are critical.”

The school website re-design, which has been in the works for more than a year, will make its debut Friday, Dec. 21.

“It will be cleaner. It will be flashier. It’s more interactive,” said VVSD Interim Web Designer Robert Petitto. “But most of all, users will notice how much easier it will be to find the information they are seeking.”

Catherine Neumann, one of VVSD’s instructional technology specialists who has been working on the re-design project, pointed out that the current website design for individual schools is difficult to navigate because information appears in no particular order.

“Right now, you have to know exactly where to look in a list that could be found anywhere on any given day,” Neumann said. “With this new design, topics will always be in the same place and in the same order all of the time at all of the schools. We’re putting things in compartments rather than one big list.”

“We’ve simplified the menu structures to make it easier to find things,” added Dave Seiden, VVSD’s Data base and Web Development Manager.

Each school website, which will be presented in school colors, will include a slide show of either their own school photos or a combination of their school photos and district-wide photos. Sites will also include easy-to-access tabs labeled district, community, parents, students, staff resources and about us. A calendar of events will appear in the lower left and an area for news will appear in the lower middle area of the home page.

“This is a more contemporary design,” Neumann said.

The individual school website re-designs will not affect the district website at www.vvsd.org, with one exception. The Electronic Bulletin Board has been re-named Community Bulletin Board and re-designed to look more like an cork actual bulletin board.

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