Creating a free classroom website using Weebly.

1. Creating a FREE Classroom Website
Using Weebly
Christine DePetrillo
Old County Road School
Smithfield, RI

2. Why should you set up a website
for your classroom?
• From Rhode Island Educator Code of Professional Responsibilities:
4. Responsibility to Parents and the Community
Rhode Island Educators are committed to collaborate with families and
communities to offer a quality education to all students. Rhode Island Educators:
• Make concerted efforts to communicate with parents and families in a way
that shares all information necessary to become meaningful partners in the
child’s education.
• From Rhode Island Educator Evaluation Professional Responsibilities Rubric:
PR 4: Works toward a safe, supportive, collaborative culture by demonstrating
respect for everyone, including other educators, students, parents, and other
community members in all actions and interactions
• Interactions with colleagues
• Interactions with parents or other community members
• Parents can check what homework students are expected to complete each night.
• Important documents and student work can be uploaded to the website for
parents and students.
• It creates a web presence for your classroom.
• It provides a spot to direct parents and students for information about your class.
• You can link to useful sites related to curriculum.

3. What will you accomplish
in this workshop?
• View free Weebly websites.
• Brainstorm content for your classroom website.
• Sign up for a free Weebly account.
• Learn the basics of navigating through Weebly.
• Use “drag and drop” technology to build a free
website for your classroom.
• Network with other educators.
• Realize that this was time well spent even though
the beach was calling your name today. 

4. Some Weebly sites to check out.
• www.ocrsfifthgrade.weebly.com
• www.creatingcharacters.weebly.com
• www.christineteaches.weebly.com
• www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com
• www.woodlandlodge.weebly.com
• www.nighteternal.weebly.com

5. What should you put on
your classroom website?
• A background theme that will blend with your classroom’s personality.
• A HOME page that lets visitors know where they have landed and
welcomes them. You can tell about yourself as an educator and put your
contact email here too.
• An INFORMATION page that hosts all the important “stuff” you want
parents and students to know about life in your classroom/school.
• A HOMEWORK page that lists all homework assignments each day.
• A SCHEDULE page/section that parents and students can consult to see
how each day is set up.
• A TOPICS page/section so parents and students know what areas of study
will be covered during the school year.
• A GRADING page/section so parents and students know how students will
be assessed in your classroom.
• A STUDENT WORK page?
• A BLOG?
• A PHOTO GALLERY?

6. Website Planning Sheet
Home Information Homework Schedule Topics
Grading

7. 1. Sign up for a FREE account.
www.weebly.com

8. 2. Pick the focus for your website.

9. 3. Choose a theme which can be
changed later.

10. 4. Choose your website domain.

11. 5. Watch video, then choose Build
My Site.

12. 6. Start “dragging and dropping” to
add content to your website.

13. Use royalty-free images or your
own photos.
• www.123rf.com

14. Get parent permission before
posting student photos,
videos, or work.
• Send home a simple permission form for parents
to sign indicating they will allow their child’s
photo, video, and/or work to appear on your
classroom website.
• I usually tell parents that I will only use students’
first names when identifying their work.
• I never put a student’s name with his/her picture.

15. 7. Add other pages.

16. 8. Click the page you want to edit
and add content to your page.

17. If you want to change your theme,
click Design at the top. Select a
new theme.

18. 9. Click “Publish” when you are done!

19. 10. Add editors to the site
if you choose. Click Settings, then
Editors.

20. 11. Click Add Editor and enter
email addresses of editors.

21. 12. Click the three horizontal lines next
to “Publish” and select “Exit Editor.”

22. 13. Log out completely.

23. 14. After logging back in…

24. If you want help…
Click the question mark at the top
and choose Support Center.

25. That will open this page…

26. Be Super Cool with a QR Code!
Make the QR code at http://keremerkan.net/qr-
code-and-2d-code-generator/ then download a
free QR reader for your phone or iPad.
Qrafter works well.

27. Make bookmarks with your
website address and QR code.
OCRS Fifth Grade Online!
www.ocrsfifthgrade.weebly.com
Check us out for news, supply lists, topics of study, and much more!

28. If you have any further questions…
Contact me at cdepetrillo@smithfield-ps.org.
Christine DePetrillo
Old County Road School
Smithfield, RI
Grade 5