Executive Summary
The St. Joseph Marquette Catholic School website is an important communication tool for current families, prospective families, and the broader community. Parent survey feedback shows that while the current website contains valuable information, the structure and design make it difficult to quickly locate key resources. Common concerns include difficulty finding the calendar, scattered parent resources, limited visuals, and navigation challenges on mobile devices.
This proposal outlines a modern WordPress-based website rebuild designed to address those issues. The new website will improve usability, highlight the school’s mission and community, and provide a central digital hub for parents, faculty, prospective families, and donors.
The recommended approach is a staged rebuild. Phase 1 focuses on the most urgent parent needs: calendar clarity, navigation, parent forms, mobile usability, and a more modern design. Later phases add deeper parent functionality, enrollment marketing assets, and community engagement features.
Why This Project Matters
The website is often the first impression prospective families have of St. Joseph Marquette Catholic School. It is also one of the primary tools current families use when they need quick access to information. The website should do two things extremely well.
1. Help current families find key information quickly
2. Tell a compelling story that supports enrollment and community confidence
Right now, the site does neither as effectively as it should. A WordPress rebuild will provide a cleaner, more flexible, and easier-to-manage platform that better serves both audiences.
Parent Survey Insights
A survey of 50 parents provided clear direction on how the current website is being used and where improvements are needed.
| Survey Insight | Finding |
|---|---|
| Parents who visit only when they need specific information | 60% |
| Parents visiting for calendar and events | 76% |
| Parents visiting for contact information | 48% |
| Parents visiting for forms and documents | 40% |
| Parents visiting for school announcements | 38% |
| Parents visiting for tuition and financial information | 38% |
| Parents who find the site very easy to use | 18% |
| Parents who say it is somewhat easy | 40% |
| Parents who are neutral or find it difficult | 42% |
What This Means
Most parents are not browsing the website casually. They are using it as a quick-reference tool when they need something specific. That means the website must be organized for speed, clarity, and ease of access.
- Calendar access
- Parent forms and documents
- Contact information
- Mobile usability
- Simple navigation
- Fewer clicks to reach common tasks
Key Issues Identified by Parents
1. Calendar Confusion
The school calendar was the most common frustration.
- The calendar feels incomplete
- The website calendar does not match the PDF calendar
- It is difficult to find days off, half days, and school-year schedule details
- Upcoming events are hard to locate quickly
2. Parent Information Is Scattered
Parents described having to look across multiple places for information, including the website, Option C, Wednesday letters, email, and Facebook. This creates confusion and increases the chance that families miss important details.
3. Navigation Is Confusing
Menu paths were described as cluttered and inconsistent, especially on mobile devices. Parents want fewer clicks and clearer sections.
4. The Site Feels Text-Heavy and Outdated
- More photos
- More personality
- Stronger visuals
- Updated design
- More color
- Better storytelling about student life and academics
5. Staff Information Needs Improvement
- Staff photos
- Easier staff contact access
- Teacher and staff bios
- A better directory experience
6. The Website Should Better Support Enrollment and School Positioning
- What makes St. Joe’s special
- Academic strengths
- Catholic identity
- Community life
- Why families should choose the school over public school options
Strategic Goals for the New Website
The redesigned website should support six major goals.
1. Improve Parent Usability
Create a clear digital home for current families with simple access to forms, calendars, policies, and school communications.
2. Support Enrollment Growth
Build stronger admissions pathways that help prospective families understand the school’s value and take action.
3. Showcase School Identity
Visually communicate St. Joseph Marquette’s Catholic identity, academic excellence, and vibrant student life.
4. Simplify Content Management
Give staff a system that is easy to update without requiring technical expertise.
5. Improve Mobile Experience
Design the site mobile-first so parents can quickly find information on their phones.
6. Unify Communication Touchpoints
Provide a clearer central resource that reduces confusion across calendar, announcements, forms, and parent resources.
Recommended Platform: WordPress
WordPress is the recommended content management system for this project.
Why WordPress
- Easy for school staff to update
- Flexible page-building and content management
- Excellent support for news, events, and forms
- Strong search engine optimization capabilities
- Large ecosystem of reliable plugins and integrations
- Scalable for future growth
- Cost-effective compared to many proprietary systems
WordPress gives the school long-term control and flexibility while making day-to-day content management easier.
Proposed Sitemap
The new website should be organized around three primary audiences: Current Parents, Prospective Families, and Community / Donors.
Primary Navigation
- Home
- About
- Admissions
- Academics
- Student Life
- Parent Hub
- News & Events
- Support St. Joe’s
- Contact
Home
- Hero message and calls to action
- Key parent shortcuts
- Admissions highlights
- Upcoming events preview
- News preview
- Student life visuals
- Contact footer
About
- Mission & Catholic Identity
- School History
- Administration
- Staff Directory
- Employment Opportunities
Admissions
- Why St. Joseph Marquette
- Schedule a Tour
- How to Apply
- Tuition & Financial Aid
- Frequently Asked Questions
Academics
- Pre-K Program
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- Curriculum Overview
- Academic Outcomes & Student Success
Student Life
- Athletics
- Clubs & Activities
- Faith Life & Service
- Arts & Drama
- Photo & Video Gallery
Parent Hub
- School Calendar
- Parent Forms
- Dress Code
- Student Handbook
- Volunteer Hours
- Lunch Menu
- Supply Lists
- Tuition & Billing (Option C)
- School Policies
- Sports Forms
News & Events
- School Announcements
- Wednesday Letters
- Event Calendar
- Event Photo Galleries
Support St. Joe’s
- Fundraising Events
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Capital Campaign
- Donate
Contact
- Main Contact Information
- Staff Emails
- Map & Directions
Homepage Wireframe Strategy
The homepage should serve both current families and prospective families without overwhelming either audience.
Recommended Homepage Sections 1–5
- Top utility navigation
- Parent Hub
- Calendar
- Option C
- Contact
- Donate
- Main navigation
- About
- Admissions
- Academics
- Student Life
- Parent Hub
- News & Events
- Support St. Joe’s
- Contact
- Hero section
- Strong welcome message
- School photography
- Calls to action: Schedule a Tour, Apply Now, Parent Hub
- Quick access cards
- Calendar
- Parent Forms
- Tuition & Financial Aid
- School Announcements
- Why Families Choose St. Joe’s
- Key selling points
- Catholic identity
- Academic strength
- Community and student life
Recommended Homepage Sections 6–10
- News & Upcoming Events
- Recent announcements
- Featured upcoming events
- Link to full calendar
- Student Life Showcase
- Athletics
- Arts
- Faith life
- Service
- Classroom moments
- Testimonials
- Parent and student quotes
- Admissions call to action
- Tour invitation
- Inquiry button
- Tuition aid reassurance
- Footer
- Contact details
- Address
- Quick links
- Social media links
Recommended Core Features
Parent Hub
A centralized parent resource area should be one of the most important improvements.
- Calendar
- Parent forms
- Student handbook
- Dress code
- Volunteer hours information
- Sports forms
- Lunch menu
- Supply lists
- Tuition and billing links
- School policies
Interactive Calendar
The new website should have one primary calendar system that is easy to use and kept current.
- Monthly and list views
- Full-day and half-day indicators
- School breaks and holidays
- Sports and events categories
- Clickable event details
- Downloadable or subscribe-able calendar
Staff Directory
- Staff photos
- Roles/titles
- Contact information
- Optional bios
News and Announcements
- Wednesday letters
- School updates
- Important reminders
- Event recaps
Admissions Funnel
- Schedule a tour
- Apply now pathway
- Tuition and financial aid information
- Frequently asked questions
- Parent testimonials
- Clear explanation of school value
Visual Storytelling
- Student life photography
- Classroom photos
- Event galleries
- Faith life moments
- Athletics and activities
- Student work and achievement highlights
Design Direction
The new site should feel
- Welcoming
- Modern
- Faith-centered
- Professional
- Easy to navigate
- Warm and community-driven
Visual Priorities
- Strong photography
- Clean spacing
- More color and personality
- Better mobile layouts
- Less text-heavy page structure
- Strong calls to action
- Visual proof of student life and academic excellence
Staggered Development & Budget Strategy
To make the project financially manageable and easier to approve, the website can be built in phases. This strategy addresses immediate parent needs first, then adds next-level features over time.
Timeline: Immediate rebuild
Purpose: Solve the biggest parent frustrations right away.
Includes: WordPress CMS setup, Responsive design, Mobile-first navigation, Homepage redesign, Parent Hub, Interactive school calendar, Staff directory, Parent forms and document library, Core admissions pages, News and announcements system, Basic SEO setup, Staff training.
Timeline: Approximately 6 months after launch
Purpose: Improve family convenience and communication.
Includes: Volunteer opportunity dashboard, Enhanced calendar features, Website search, Teacher classroom pages, Staff contact forms, Downloadable school-year calendar, Better links to Option C and billing.
Timeline: Approximately 9–12 months after launch
Purpose: Strengthen enrollment marketing and storytelling.
Includes: Testimonial sections, Video highlights, Academic stats and comparison graphics, Student life landing pages, Campus photo galleries, Social media integration, Better visual admissions storytelling.
Timeline: Approximately 12–18 months after launch
Purpose: Expand donor and community support tools.
Includes: Fundraising campaign pages, Online giving tools, Volunteer sign-up pages, Alumni highlights, Community bulletin features.
Estimated Total Over Time: $21,000 – $32,000
This allows the school to begin with the core needs and scale up as budget and priorities allow. The phased approach reduces upfront financial pressure while still delivering immediate usability improvements.
Budget Justification for the Board
A phased approach is recommended for four reasons.
1. It Solves Immediate Parent Problems First
Phase 1 addresses the issues parents mentioned most often: calendar confusion, scattered forms, poor mobile usability, and outdated design.
2. It Reduces Upfront Financial Pressure
Rather than requiring a large one-time project approval, the school can start with the most important improvements and defer advanced items until later.
3. It Provides Measurable Wins Early
The school can launch a better parent experience quickly, gather feedback, and decide which secondary features are most valuable.
4. It Supports Strategic Growth
Later phases turn the website into a stronger enrollment and development tool, not just a parent information portal.
Estimated Project Timeline for Phase 1
Total Estimated Timeline: 10–12 weeks
Expected Outcomes
By completing Phase 1, the school should expect
- Easier access to calendars and parent resources
- Better mobile usability for busy parents
- Fewer clicks to reach common information
- A more modern and trustworthy first impression
- Improved communication consistency
- Better staff control over content updates
By completing later phases, the school can also expect
- Stronger admissions storytelling
- Better visual marketing for enrollment
- Increased donor and community engagement
- A more complete digital representation of the school’s strengths
Recommendations
Proceed with Phase 1 – Core Website Foundation as the immediate priority.
This phase directly addresses the most consistent parent concerns while creating the foundation for future improvements. It balances cost, usability, and strategic value. Once launched, the school can evaluate usage and feedback before moving into phases 2 through 4.
Next Steps
- Review proposal with school leadership and board
- Confirm project scope and Phase 1 budget range
- Approve sitemap and homepage direction
- Begin discovery and content planning
- Start design and development
Appendix: Parent Feedback Themes
Most Commonly Requested Improvements
- Easier-to-find calendar
- More complete and updated events
- Parent forms in one place
- Better mobile navigation
- More staff information
- More photos and visuals
- More personality and a more modern feel
- Better explanation of academics and school value
- Better visibility for volunteer opportunities and fundraising
Commonly Mentioned Needs
- Current family obvious buttons
- Better access to Option C and tuition info
- Lunch menu access
- Staff photos and bios
- Stronger social/event photo storytelling
- Easier access to sports and activity information
- Search functionality
Closing Statement
St. Joseph Marquette Catholic School has a strong story, a strong mission, and a dedicated community. The website should reflect that. A thoughtful WordPress rebuild will not just modernize the school’s web presence — it will improve parent communication, strengthen admissions, and better represent the heart of the school online.