QCSD reports big website and newsletter gains; plan for style guide and community outreach

Director of Communications briefed the Quakertown Community School District Communications and Technology Committee on April 15 on website, newsletter and social media work that the district says has substantially increased reach.

The director told the committee: "staying organized with our internal communications update, we are working on a website that the public as well as, internal, folks within the QCSD can reach out and ask for anything that their hearts desire, whether it's a press release, a graphic that they need created." The presentation emphasized daily social posts and a weekly and monthly newsletter designed to give parents one-click access to events, menus and school news.

The update matters because the director said analytics are driving edits to the site and content choices. Committee members were shown traffic metrics, including the director's statement that "within the last 90 days, we have already achieved more active users than we did in the entire 02/2024 school year," and that, between January and April, the site had roughly 52,000 active users. The director also reported weekly newsletter issues often receive more than 1,400 views and said the district gained about 7,000 new users and roughly 50,000 event views in the recent period.

Committee members discussed next steps and controls for district branding. Board member Dave O'Donnell recommended a single approved logo and centralized distribution: "my recommendation would be to, basically develop this is an approved logo," he said, arguing that a style guide and centralized logo access would reduce inconsistent, locally created designs. The director said she is collecting photos and awards for individual school pages, building a "Panther communicator" network of PTO members, principals and active parents to share approved content on Facebook and Instagram, and exploring video reels and student involvement to increase reach.

The director told the committee she is working on a survey for inclusion in the newsletter for both parents and staff to clarify preferred channels and times for communications and to identify whether non-parents in the broader community should be offered a separate subscription. Committee members discussed technical limits related to enrollment data in PowerSchool and the district's messaging platform; the director said contact preferences and opt-ins are managed in PowerSchool, and opt-outs (for example, text messages) account for some inconsistent receipt of alerts.

Committee members also discussed operational items the director plans to pursue: a style guide with Pantone color specifications and a PowerPoint template for presenters, consolidation of staff contact pages, and a plan to spotlight community volunteer work by students. The director said she will post flyers and "guerilla market" upcoming events at local businesses and municipal outlets and will use the communicator network to expand reach.

The director highlighted a community cleanup and other ongoing volunteer activities involving students; she said she will continue to document and promote those efforts over the summer months when in-school activity slows. She also reported membership in professional communicators' organizations for access to ready-made templates such as emergency-preparedness plans.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the communications items during the meeting. The director said she will circulate the draft survey to the committee for feedback and continue to update analytics and school pages.

The director closed by noting continued progress on analytics-driven content and that video reels are driving much of the recent traffic gains.