BRYAN, TX — Bryan ISD finished their first official online school week Thursday, April 9, before the Easter weekend.
As the district continues to work with families and teachers through this new normal, they also have a new motto - grace before grades.
School days are looking different. As for students, they're feeling different too because instead of entering classrooms, they're logging into their classes.
“It's called Schoology is the learning management system," explains Bryan High School Counselor Justin Estes. "We have an eight period day and so the eight classes that a kid is schedule for are sort of automatically loaded into that platform.”
With the speed the coronavirus spread throughout Texas, just as quickly, Bryan ISD had to find an online learning platform.
“We had been researching it for the last couple of years and now is the time with everything that is going on it seems like the perfect way to help families,” explains Donna Willet Director of School Counselors for Bryan ISD.
And as with any change, there are also challenges.
"In the beginning it was kind of interesting because we couldn’t just pick up our office phone or send to see the kid in class, so we were having to figure out different ways to do that,” says Estes.
Since the decision to go strictly online, Bryan ISD has been in constant communication with students to make the transition as seamless as possible.
"The first kids that we got in touch with was our seniors," Estes explains. "Just to make sure they were okay and that things were going alright and see what kind of questions or concerns that they had."
Aside from communicating with graduating seniors, Estes says they are also reaching out to parents.
"The most recent wave of communication I did was focused on parents and it was overwhelming positive. Number one they appreciated that we were checking in on them. Here and there I did hear from some parents who said its been a challenge but they are trying to work through it."
School leaders want to keep tabs on everyone because emotional support is top priority during this global pandemic. Bryan ISD counselors have created their own class that students can take to provide comfort, guidance and answers to help them through these tough times.
"From a counselors point of view those things that they need in regards to social emotional learning," explains Willet. "How do you build that resiliency what can you do when you’re feeling anxious or worried? what are those little tips we can give kids from a distance to help ease that anxiety and make sure that their day to day life is going okay.”
There is only six weeks left in the academic year for Bryan ISD schools.