Schoolzine Knowledge Base
Your website will often be the first thing someone sees about you. Schoolzine's Website Platform provides an easy to use interface and a range of beautiful designs, allowing you to take control of your own website.
If you have any questions or wish to begin the setup for one of our other features, please don't hesitate to contact our Support Team and one of our members can assist you as soon as possible.
The Blueprint templates allows you the option of updating your own Website Slider with new images and videos via the Control Centre.
To make updates to your Slider, follow the steps below:
PLEASE NOTE: If you are using our Legacy templates, you will still need to contact Schoolzine to update these images.
To ensure your slider images will display correctly online, it is important to consider the dimensions of your images when selecting them for use in your website. These dimensions will vary depending on your chosen template.
Note: We always recommend using large landscape images for your slider.
These images will be resized automatically to fit.
This template does not include a website slider.
The default dimensions of this slider are 1903px by 937px.
The default dimensions of this slider are 1903px by 837px.
If you would like to add an additional image to the slider, you can do this by following these steps:
The process for linking a video to your slider is much the same as is mentioned above in the ‘Updating the Website Slider’ section, however there are a few things to note to ensure your website is performing as best it can:
To link your video to the Slider, follow these steps:
The Menu Settings are used to control where the Web Page is shown on the website.
To make a Web Page appear along the top menu of the website, follow the steps below:
To make a Web Page appear in the drop down of a main navigation item, follow the steps below:
There are multiple types of content that can be linked to a Web Page, such as:
PLEASE NOTE: You can add as many Content Holders to a Web Page as necessary. There are many reasons for splitting your content into multiple Content Holders, however the most common is to accommodate having a large section of text and a Web Form on one page.
Listed here are how to add each of these to the web page:
Click here for the Navigating the Toolbar Tutorial
PLEASE NOTE: The form must be created within the Control Centre before being able to link it to the Web Page.
PLEASE NOTE: The poll must be created within the Control Centre before being able to link it to the Web Page.
Don’t forget to click Save.
If you would like to save your work but aren’t ready for the Web Page appear on the website, uncheck the Status box to make it inactive.
Content Holders are used for displaying information within the Side Panel of your newsletter. We recommend populating content here that you need available to your community, but don’t necessarily want in the body of your newsletter. This can include information such as Term Dates, Upcoming Events, Office Hours, Important Information or Forms & Documents.
The following steps can be used to insert a Youtube or Vimeo video:
NOTE: Some videos that are embedded from other sources such as Facebook or Panopto, will not render correctly in your PDF print version so may need to be hidden from your content. For more information on hiding elements of content from your print version, see the PDF Formatting Options section of the Navigating the Toolbar & Content Window Knowledge Base Article
If you are copying content directly from an email or web page, to avoid errors, you’ll first need to clean the text. The easiest way to do this is to paste the content into Notepad, and from Notepad into the Article Content box.
For Mac users, you are able to use TextEdit for this.
If you are copying formatted content, such as from a Microsoft Word document, some formatting will be copied across from your document. However, if you’re starting with clean text, here is a guide to formatting your content using the toolbar.
PLEASE NOTE: When viewed in different areas, not all features of the toolbar will be available.
Through this tab, you’ll be able to Undo (Ctrl+Z) and Redo changes (Ctrl+Y), Select All (Ctrl+A), and Find and replace text (Ctrl+F).
You will be able to access options such as Cut & Paste through keyboard shortcuts. A quick guide to the shortcuts can be found below:
Select From System
Upload New
Please Note: Schoolzine recommends resizing your images before uploading them. Resizing the images before uploading will decrease the file size of the images, allowing your newsletter to load in a timely manner.
You can download and view more information regarding the Schoolzine reSZizer here.
Select From System
If your gallery has already been uploaded into the Media Downloads section of your Control Centre then you will be able to use this popup to browse for the folder.
Create New
If you have not yet uploaded the gallery, you can do so now by selecting the Create New button.
The following steps can be used to insert a Youtube or Vimeo video:
If you have been given an embed code for a video, such as a WISTIA video, this can be added through the Embed Code tab then selecting the OK button.
NOTE: Some videos that are embedded from other sources such as Facebook or Panopto, will not render correctly in your PDF print version so may need to be hidden from your content. For more information on hiding elements of content from your print version, see the PDF Formatting Options section of this Knowledge Base Article.
This option is used to add a PDF file to your newsletter.
This option is used to create a button.
Border Box
A Border Box is used to create a coloured border around your content.
Colour Box
A Color Box is used to create Colour Filled Box around your content.
Line Break
A Line Break is used to create a divider line between content.
There are a few different ways you can format the printed view of your Newsletter. The options available are outlined below:
PDF Break
PDF Break is used to move all content underneath the Element to the next Column.
PDF Hide
PDF Hide is used to hide a piece of content from the Print view of the newsletter.
PDF Only
PDF Only is used to show a piece of content only in the Print view of the newsletter.
This option is used to stop content such as floated images from effecting the content beneath them. They can be placed directly below content to avoid any overlap.
You can add a table to your content by using the Table menu option. Tables are a great way to space out and organise your content (rather than using the 'Tab' key). Please note: it's not recommended to copy and paste tables from somewhere straight into your articles.
When you click on your table, a little toolbar pops up which allows you to quickly make changes to your table. E.g. Adding in an additional rows and columns.
You are able to adjust the size of your columns and rows by using Table Properties within Table from the drop down menu.
You are then able to apply the appropriate Width and Height to your table. You can also alter the Cell spacing and padding here.
Simply have your cursor placed within one of the cells, navigate to Table in the menu and then Table colour. Once you have clicked on your chosen colour, it should be applied to your table.
If you would like to merge multiple cells together:
By selecting this Tool you will turn on spellcheck for your content, allowing the Schoolzine System to show any spelling errors that may be found within your content.
If you have copied content that has both text and images, if you have this Tool active it will only paste the text based content.
You can use this option to hyperlink text within your content.
If you are wishing to link your text to a PDF file you will be able to use this option.
If you are wishing to link your text to a URL (web address) you will be able to use this option.
If you are wanting to link a Webform that has been created in the Control Centre, you will be able to use this option.
Please note: If you have an email within your content, placing your cursor at the end of the email and pressing the Space Bar will automatically link the text to the email.
Please note that you will not need to apply colours to your headings, and this will be automatically added based on your account colours.
These options allow you to change the styling applied to your text. From left to right these options are:
It is important to note that the Alignment options are not limited to text based content. They can also be used to adjust the alignment of images to create floated images.
Web Pages can be secured with a password through the Control Centre. Doing this will force users to enter a password when attempting to access the Web Page. This is especially helpful for staff only pages that contain sensitive content.
To enable a password for a page, first contact the Support team with an initial setup request. Once a default password has been put in place, you will be able to edit the password at any time through your Control Centre by following these steps:
The feed is a quick and easy way to update your website with your latest news. Follow these steps to add an item to your Latest News feed:
You can use your Control Centre to create a Web Page thats purpose is to contain links to other Web Pages. This is a container. To create a container, follow the steps below:
Follow these steps to create a link on your website’s navigation that goes to an external Web Page, PDF, or another form of multimedia content.
Weighting determines the order in which items such and Web Pages in the top menu or Media Downloads in an automated list are displayed.
When creating a new item within the Control Centre, it will have a weighting field. Enter a number into this field to assign a weight.
The higher the number assigned to the weighting field, the more important it is.
The system will review all relevant items when it creates the view for the website, assess what weightings have been given to the items that appear on the page, and will order them appropriately. The weighting will follow these rules when displaying items with and without a weight assigned:
When editing the URL (web address) for a Media Download item or Web Page, there are a few rules that must be applied to make sure the URL (web address) functions correctly and looks nice on the screen.
Each website is provided with a privacy policy. This privacy policy has been set up to be generic as possible in order to make it universal for all accounts, regardless of the purpose for the website. By having this privacy policy on your website, you’re also liable to maintain the rules and practises set with the policy. Please ensure that those associated with the maintenance of your Schoolzine account have read the policy and are aware of the requirements.
If you own a legacy account the following steps are required for changing the policy.
If your account is set up with our modern templates released in 2020, the following steps are required for changing the policy.
Once you have informed Schoolzine that you wish for the new website to be made live, you will be sent the Content sign off form. This form must be completed and returned for the live process to begin. In this form, you will notify us of the domain (URL/web address) that you are wanting the website to appear on.
From here Schoolzine will setup our servers to accept your provided domain name. Please allow up to one business day for this step. You will then be supplied with Schoolzine’s IP address. You or your IT team will need to log into your domain manager and setup two A records pointing to the Schoolzine IP address. Schoolzine does not take control of your domain during this process. Your domain will now direct to the new Schoolzine website. This may take up to 24 hours to propagate across all computers. Once you are able to view the Schoolzine website from your domain, please notify us by sending an email to websites@schoolzine.com
Lastly, we will need to setup an SSL certificate for your website. This step is completed by Schoolzine and requires no further action from you. You may receive a security warning when attempting to access your website prior to the SSL certificate being setup. This is a temporary message and will only display until the SSL certificate has been applied. Please allow for a two business day turnaround for the certificate to be setup.
A domain is the URL or website address used to access your website. For example, Schoolzine’s domain is: www.schoolzine.com
There are three possibilities for who has control over where your domain is being directed: Your school IT team, your Education department or a third party from where the domain was purchased. Schoolzine does not take control or setup new domains for schools.
Once your website has been made live (your Schoolzine website is appearing on your domain), Schoolzine will be hosting your website. This will mean that unless you have a website on another domain or are hosting other resources such as email hosting, you will no longer need to keep your previous hosting.
An SSL certificate keeps your personal information such as email address, passwords and credit card numbers private when sending them over the internet. It is the first line of defence when hackers attempt to access your personal information. Websites with an active SSL Certificate will start with HTTPS. Once your website is set up with an active SSL Certificate, you will be able to confirm this by clicking the padlock icon beside the website URL (web address).
A cookie is a small bit of code that is saved on the viewer’s computer that saves information about the user. This information is then returned to the website while browsing the site. Each cookie is coded differently to provide different information.
It’s important to note that Schoolzine websites are very light on cookies. Typically, the only cookies being used are those used by 3rd parties such as Google analytics.
The cookie policy can be found in the footer of your website.
If you wish to have a different cookie policy, you are able to add your own and overwrite the default policy.
PLEASE NOTE: If the Cookie Policy and Cookie Pop-up are not already enabled in your account you will need to contact Schoolzine.
The privacy policy covers how you handle the information of your students, parents, clients and web users. The privacy policy can be found in the footer of your website.
Sections within the policy include:
If you wish to have a different privacy policy, you are able to add your own and overwrite the default policy.
You will also be able to adjust the height and width of your images to fit various other features within the Control Centre, such as Side Panels, Emails, Websites and SZapp Notifications.
This software is free and allows you to resize all of your images at the same time.
You can install the program by clicking one of the links below. Once downloaded, launch the file and follow the installation steps.
If you recieve an alert box with the below message, then you are using an older 32 bit machine and should use the second download link. Should you continue to experience issues, please let us know.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are having trouble installing the Image ReSZizer due to administration access permissions, you will need to speak to your I.T. Department. |
This should only occur for Windows 10 users, however, upon running the ReSZizer installer, you may be greeted with a "Smart Screen" prompt (see image below). If this occurs, just click more information (if applicable), followed by "Run".
Before you get started, make sure your Images folder contains all relevant image files and galleries.
This function is the easiest way to create image files from your PDFs and is perfect for if you'd like a visual to accompany your downloadable file.
You are able to control what dimensions your images are sized to by assigning a Profile before you click Process.
Occasionally when you start your ReSZizer, you will be prompted with an update dialog that looks like this:
When you see this dialog, it is recommended that you click "Update Now" in order to download and update to the latest version of ReSZizer which will include the latest bug fixes and software updates
Before uploading your newsletter content, we recommend first reducing the file size of your images by processing them through the Schoolzine Image ReSZizer. This will cut down on the time it takes to upload your files.
You will also be able to adjust the height and width of your images to fit various other features within the Control Centre, such as Side Panels, Emails, Websites and SZapp Notifications.
This software is free and allows you to resize all of your images at the same time.
You can install the application in the Desktop App Store by searching for ReSZizer, or by clicking the link below:
Click here to install the ReSZizer
PLEASE NOTE: If you are having trouble installing the Image ReSZizer due to administration access permissions, you will need to speak to your I.T. Department. |
Before you get started, make sure your Images folder contains all relevant image files and galleries.
The ReSZizer will save the resized images over the top of the original files, so if you think you will need the original images later, save a copy of these files to another folder.
You cannot resize PDF or video files. The Image ReSZizer is for image files only.
Make sure you run your images through the Image ReSZizer before zipping the folder.
You are able to control what dimensions your images are sized to by assigning a Profile before you click Process.
The Blueprint templates offer the ability to add new kinds of content to the Website Slider at the top of your website’s pages, such as articles from your newsletter. Displaying a feature article on your website home page is a great way to get people interested in reading the newsletter, and to prominently display important information.
To add an article to the Website Slider, follow the steps below:
To keep your website looking professional, we recommend that the following article fields are filled in:
The new Blueprint template provides accounts with the ability to display a banner of articles on a web page, also known as the Featured Articles. This means that important or relevant articles can be easily found by people viewing the website.
To create a Featured Article Section, you will need to insert the following code into a Content Holder and link this to the web page you wish the articles to appear on:
{! streamzine_preview_blueprint1;1;web_article !}
PLEASE NOTE: When pasting this text into your Content Holder, highlight it and select the Clear Formatting icon in your toolbar to ensure it works correctly.
It is possible to change the layout of your Featured Articles section by amending the code slightly.
By adding a number between 1 and 5 after the word “blueprint” in the above code, you can select which layout the Article Section is going to use.
Example: {! streamzine_preview_blueprint5;1;web_article !}
It is also possible to create more than one Featured Article section for groups of articles you would like displayed on different pages. Each section you make will need to use a unique tag to tell the linked articles where they are meant to display. In this instance, you would need to replace the default article_section with the relevant tag value for your chosen Featured Article Section.
Example: {! streamzine_preview_blueprint5;1;tag_value !}
PLEASE NOTE: Make sure you are using the tag value and not the display name. The tag value can be found by going to Settings > Manage Tags and editing the tag you wish to use. Copy the text from the Tag Value field to ensure it is accurate.
Click here for the Managing Tags tutorial
Once you have finished customising your code, it can be pasted into the text section of your Content Holder. When the code is added, the Content Holder will appear blank until the tag has been added to an article.
Click here for our Adding Articles to a Featured Article Section guide
The new Blueprint template provides accounts with the ability to display a banner of articles on a web page, also known as a Featured Article Section. This means that important or relevant articles can be easily found by people viewing the website.
PLEASE NOTE: Adding articles to a web page requires that a Featured Article Section has been setup and linked to a page on your website. If you are unsure whether a Featured Article Section has been setup, please send an email to websites@schoolzine.com.
You are also able to set this up yourself by following the steps in the Creating a Featured Article Section guide.
To add an article to the Featured Article Section, follow the steps below:
To ensure your website article looks professional, we recommend that the following article fields are filled in:
This guide will take you through the basics of how to create a Remote Learning Resource Web Page to contain information and uploaded documents from your Schoolzine Control Centre.
For more information on this process, please read the following article.
A Remote Learning Web Page can be created to contain inforation and uploaded files from your Schoolzine Control Centre. Uses for this page are, but not limited to:
To create your Remote Learning Resource Web Page you will need to do the follow steps:
You are able to create your own custom tags to link files to your Remote Learning Resources Page. The Tag will be used to make your Media Files display on the page you have added it to.
Examples of different types of tags could be any of following:
To create your Media Files Tag, follow the below instructions:
For more information on Managing Tags, please refer to our Knowledge Base article linked here.
A Web Page will be required for your files to accessible by your readers. Web Pages can then be linked to your Website, SZapp, or simply sent to your readers as a link they can bookmark on their computer.
The below process will assist you in setting up the Remote Learning Web Page.
The Tag field is used to control where the Web Page is going to display. You can apply any off the tags below if you wish.
You will then need to create a new Content Holder to setup the content of your page.
This is where you can add your Media Files Tags.
To add in your Media Files Tags and setup your page content, follow the below instructions:
1. Scroll to the Page Content section
2. Select the New Content Holder button
Please note: You can link a previously created Content Holder by using the drop-down box on the left
3. Input your Content Holder Title
4. Add in any headings and content you wish to display on the page.
You can find the guide on Navigating the Toolbar here.
5. Add the Tag Code: { !media_by_tag:XXXXX! }
Please Note: You will need to replace the XXXXXX with the Tag Value of your Media Files Tag which can be found when you go to the Tag in your account. See the below example screenshot for further information
For further information on Creating a New Web Page, please refer to our Knowledge Base article linked here.
For more information on the Media Library, please refer to our Knowledge Base article linked here.
The SZ Widget lets you easily embed links to your Schoolzine features on your website. The links for your SZ Widget are fully customisable depending on what you want to display.
You can adjust the width/height of the widget to match the size of the area you will be adding it to. Listed below are the options available for editing the size of the widget.
Fixed Width: This option requires a specific dimension. The dimension for the width is measured in pixels.
Responsive Width: A variable width that expands to the size of the containing area (meaning you don’t need to know the dimensions of the area adding the widget to).
Note: This also adjusts itself when viewed on mobile.
We recommend the use of this option.
The height of the widget must be a fixed height. In order to remove any scrollbar the height must be large enough so all content within the widget is shown. The dimension for the height is measured in pixels.
Once your widget looks correct, click ‘Get Embed Code’ to reveal the embed code required for your site. Copy and paste the embed code to your site’s webpage. If you’re unfamiliar with code, it’s recommended that you speak to your IT or website team before adding the widget to your site.
1. Log in to your Control Centre and select 'Content'.
2. Once expanded, select 'Web Pages'.
3. Click on the name of the page you wish to link.
(Alternatively, you can create a new page which is explained in this article.)
4. Click ‘Edit Page’.
5. Select an icon for the link under ‘Menu and App Icon’.
6. Go to ‘Menu Settings’ and on the field ‘Tags’ select ‘One’. If this tag doesn’t appear in your list, please contact our Schoolzine Support team who will be able to assist you with having it added.
7. If you wish to change the position the link appears in the widget you may order the link by applying weighting. For more information on how weighting works view this article.
8. Click ‘Save’ when complete.
1. Log in to your Control Centre and select 'Content'.
2. Once expanded, select 'Web Pages'.
3. Click on the name of the page you wish to remove.
4. Click ‘Edit Page’.
5. Go to ‘Menu Settings’ and on the field ‘Tags’ remove ‘Widget One’.
6. Click ‘Save’ when complete.
Below are some answers to commonly asked website questions.
If you can't find what you're looking for in this article, please Contact the Support Team.
The answer to this will depend on whether you have a Hop, Skip, or Jump Website subscription. These details will also be included in your Website Pages Document, which will be provided to you as the first step of your Website build.
Click here to see examples of our Hop Templates
Click here to use the Template Builder
Click here to see examples of other custom-made Home Page designs
Some additional options are available to customise your website to suit the way you want to utilize it. These options include:
Click here to find more information about Featured Articles
Click here to find more information about the Latest News Feed
No matter what Website package you have, in addition to the 5 pages of content Schoolzine will format for you, there are also a list of System Pages that you’re able to choose from. These pages are built into your chosen template and won’t count towards your total page count. Your System Pages are as follows:
Website tiles are found at the base of the home page. Your tiles are a great way to make the links to important web pages, documents, newsletters, etc. really stand out. They are also a great way to personalise your website with images from around the school.
There are five rounds of changes included in your Website package. This means that once you have received the first proof of your website, you can send your content and any requests for changes to the Support team a total of five times.
Note: We always recommend sending through as much of your content in one submission as possible.
With your very first submission of content, we ask that you include the school’s branding colours, logo, and up to 5 large landscape images to use in the slider at the top of the website. Additionally, here are some more ways to personalise your website design:
You’re welcome to provide Schoolzine with additional images to be used for your tiles on the Website’s Home Page.
The slider is a series of images or videos that displays at the very top of the website in a revolving banner.
Each slide can be accompanied by a title, a small amount of text, and a link, as seen in this example:
One of the most effective ways to customise your website is through the content that is added to your web pages. This content could be text, images, videos, galleries, embedded maps, etc.
If you’re unsure if something is able to be included in your page content, contact the Support team for advice.
Click here to find out how to contact the Support Team
Once the Website has been approved, you will be provided with access to edit your website content. Website training is also offered in the form of a phone call with someone from our team to walk you through how to manage each section of your website. You will be able to make changes yourself to the following areas:
Click here to view the Website Guide for information on how to make these changes