Parents stay connected through new website

As children return to school for a year of academic challenges and extracurricular activities, local parents will have a new way to stay informed about what's going on there.

They can now get information via Moorpark Unified School District's new website at www. mrpk.k12.ca.us/.

"It's part of our overall commitment to communicate well with the community and share who we are as a school district," Smith said.

The district developed the website, which enables school employees to post information immediately, in response to parent requests.

"Websites are a major channel of communication with the community and to the world. We want to make this website a very rich source of information, and we also wanted to make it a place where people can go to during an emergency with up-to-the-minute status," said district Superintendent Ellen Smith.

The website allows for multiple users to input information simultaneously and lets parents in turn communicate with the district.

It offers links to all schools and to several organizations serving Moorpark youth. Spanishspeaking residents will be able to stay informed through the Spanish page.

The website is still a work in progress, according to Smith, indicating that some pages are not yet complete and that individual schools will be updating their online pages within the next six months so the interactive format is consistent across the board.

Now that half of California's school districts face declining enrollment and must compete to attract and retain students, the Moorpark school district also hopes to use the site as a gateway for prospective students, said Smith.

- Sylvie Belmond