Bettye J. Lee - Thank you...

On October 16, 2010, friends, family and colleagues came together to celebrate the retirement of Mrs. Bettye J. Lee, Principal of Queens Lutheran School. It was a beautiful and touching day for us all. We thank you for all you've done and for being a part of our lives.

And yet, we know this story is not over. There's still people that need your help, your faith, and you. We look forward to reading the next chapters...

Spread the word about Queens Lutheran School

One of the best ways to help support Queens Lutheran School is to spread the word.

On the home page of the Queens Lutheran School website, at the bottom, are icons to share the school website with Google Buzz, Facebook and Twitter. It's easy enough to share the website by email, too. That function is built into every web browser.

In the QLS Weblog, below every post, there's a row of icons: email, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and Google Buzz.

In the QLS Photo Albums there's share icons, too. You can share the pictures by email, Google Buzz, Blogger and Twitter. You can also download pictures and order prints (and all sorts of things).

You can share the QLS Calendar and QLS News and Notes, too. These functions are built in to the website. You can share the information in any other way you'd like. The point is to spread the word.

Of course, if you have anything you'd like to share with the school please send it in. You can use your email program or the form on the Contact QLS page.

If you have a website, a weblog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or any other site of your own please consider adding a Queens Lutheran School link. It all helps to get the message out.

New school year - old computer...

As inexpensive as a new PC can be these days there's no need to toss out an older computer when it can easily be "refreshed". If you have an older Windows XP computer it may not be possible or practical to upgrade it to a newer version of Windows. These older computers work well with Ubuntu Linux, an alternative operating system that comes with all the applications you might ever need. Ubuntu Linux is free!

Ubuntu is not Windows. It's an entirely different system. So, any old Windows software will not work. However, you can install Ubuntu so that it works with Windows so you have the best of both. If you can give up the old Windows system for new, then you can install Ubuntu and start fresh. It's like getting a new computer for free. If you're not sure about Ubuntu, you can download it, burn a CD, and give it a try before committing to it. You can also order a free CD from Ubuntu if your CD drive is shot.

Ubuntu is very easy to learn. Ubuntu sets itself up. Everything you need is on the menus on the top left. Ubuntu comes with Firefox and OpenOffice (a Microsoft Office equivalent). I suggest using Google Docs, instead (you'll need a free Google account - if you're using Gmail, you have Google Docs).

Much of what we do these days is web based. Ubuntu is very secure. There's no worries about computer viruses  and spyware - Linux systems (much like Mac's) don't have this problem.

One hidden "gem" is that Ubuntu can rescue files from an infected PC. Start a Windows computer from an Ubuntu CD and it can "see" your Windows files and you can copy them to a safe location. If you've ever had to reload an old Windows XP based PC you know how long and tedious this can be - if you have or can find the disks.

So, what's the catch? None other than not being able to run Windows based software and games and a little readjustment. Applications have different names but work pretty much the same. You won't be able to run AOL's software (does anyone still use that software when you can just go to the AOL website?). iPod's can also be quirky but iTunes is meant for more modern computers. Yes, Facebook will still work, as will Twitter. Those are web based.

If you have an older PC, give Ubuntu a try.

Website update...

With the new school year coming it's time to do a little website updating and cleanup. New this year is a change to the QLS News and Notes section of the website. All News and Notes, and Forms are now in Google Docs to make it easier for you to read, download and print.

Older weblog entries pointing to news, notes and forms may no longer work due to this change.

QLS Weblog Update

As you can see the QLS Weblog now has a new look. In the right column there are now links to Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz as well as other social networks. There's also an email subscription form for those that want to receive updates every morning and links to RSS news-feeds.

Queens Lutheran School has one of the most active and up to date school websites on the web thanks to all your efforts. So let's get the word out. It only takes a few seconds...

Pass the word...

Good Morning Parent or Guardian:

The message below is from our Webmaster, Ken.

Keep Up The Good Work!!!

Regards,

Annmarie Fable, Secretary
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Queens Lutheran School
(Elementary - 1st - 8th grade)
31-20 21st Avenue
Astoria, New York  11105
Tel: 718-721-4313   Fax: 718-721-7662
www.queenslutheranschool.com
info@queenslutheranschool.com
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Pass this around to everyone:

The QLS websites are doing great - there are 139 posts on the QLS Weblog. There are 67 photo albums (I'm not going to count the individual photos). This kind of thing makes a BIG difference when it comes to marketing for the school. If you look at other schools sites you'll find dead links and out of date information. This is what's making a difference - the constant updating of the QLS website.

All this exposure and marketing for about .10 a day.

Great as this all is - we need more. More entries in the weblog, more photos in the galleries, more entries on the calendar. All this is marketing and it makes a difference. What may seem like small stuff to you may be news to someone else - like someone considering enrolling their children. Other schools don't update their websites or weblogs as often so the sites go stale - fast.

Let's get more things up on the web.

Pictures for the QLS Photo Albums

It's getting easier to send in pictures for the QLS Photo Albums...

1. You can email them to the office.
2. You can use the Contact QLS form on the school website. (Look for the Attachment button.)
3. You can send them to a special photo album "drop box" and we'll review them and do the rest. (Contact the school office for the special link.)

Please note that we can't download images from most photo sharing websites.

A New Look for the QLS Website

It's been a while but the Queens Lutheran School website has a new look. Here's a sample of the new exciting colors...

Check it out! Queens Lutheran School