Bryan County Schools - Committed to Excellence & Success In All We Do

Today is the day! Who do you have living in your house today? Let the Census 2020 know and be counted! Bryan County only has a self-response rate of 33.1% as of now. Over the next decade, lawmakers, business owners, and many others will use 2020 Census data to make critical decisions. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children.The Census data is used to draw congressional and state legislative districts, county seats, Board of Education seats and so much more! The results will also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs. Complete yours today - it takes less than 10 minutes. Be counted Bryan County! https://2020census.gov/en.html

Message from our Superintendent: As we enter our second week of Digital Learning Days (DLD), we want to thank teachers, students, staff, and parents again for their amazing work during our attempt to maintain some sense of normalcy with our day-to-day activities. In keeping with the spirit of “normalcy”, we will be following our adopted 2019-2020 school calendar by taking our spring break holiday from April 6th through April 10th. This is a much needed break for teachers, students, and parents who all need an opportunity to recharge their batteries. Since Bryan County Schools will not be in session during Spring Break, April 6 – 10, we will not be providing Meals on the Bus or Curbside food service at this time. This prescheduled break in our 2019-2020 school calendar will give our extremely dedicated school nutrition staff, bus drivers, and others involved an opportunity to catch their breath and prepare for our Meals on the Bus and DLD return on April 13th. Kudos to this team, who we anticipate will have served over 50,000 meals by this Friday! If you still have a need for food during Spring Break, please reach out to one of our community partners that will be available to assist families in both north and south Bryan during this time: Bryan County Family Connections 912-653-3824 United Way of Coastal Empire for Bryan County 912-651-7750 As the safety and health of all students, staff and our community continue to be the top priorities of Bryan County Schools, please continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local, regional and national health agencies regarding COVID-19. Thank you for your commitment to your families, Bryan County Schools, and the amazing community where we reside. We have embedded a link from the CDC that provides tips on keeping children healthy while school’s out. Caring for Children: Tips to keep children healthy while school’s out. https://www.cdc.gov/…/2019-…/daily-life-coping/children.html

This week's Employee Spotlight is the Cafeteria Crew from Bryan County Elementary School. Join us in thanking these ladies for exemplifying "Excellence in Everything!"

Reminder: The Curbside Service edition of Meals on the Bus happens every day from 11:00am-1:00pm at Richmond Hill High School and Bryan County Elementary. All children 18 years and younger may eat at no cost. Come on by to pick up lunch and the next day’s breakfast. We provide service with a smile! 😊

Yesterday, Governor Kemp signed an Executive Order closing all public schools through April 24th. As a result, Bryan County Schools will remain closed through April 24th, with the hope of reopening on Monday, April 27th. We appreciate your continued patience and flexibility as we work together to navigate these unprecedented waters. We want to thank teachers, students, staff, parents, and our Board of Education for their amazing work as we all attempt to maintain some sense of normalcy with our day-to-day activities. It is our hope that the digital learning days, along with opportunities for all students to receive breakfast and lunch, have provided a sense of structure in your child’s day. Through our Meals on the Bus and curbside service that began on Monday, we have served over 23,000 meals so far. A huge shout out goes to our bus drivers and school food nutrition workers, who are reporting to work every day at 6:00 a.m. to cook, pack, load, and deliver food on a daily basis. As the safety and health of all students, staff and our community continue to be the top priorities of Bryan County Schools, please continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local, regional and national health agencies regarding COVID-19. Thank you for your commitment to your families, Bryan County Schools, and the amazing community where we reside.

Bryan County Schools will be distributing “to go” breakfast/lunch meals starting on Monday, March 23rd. Meals are open to all children 18 years or younger. Children must be present to receive meals. Times and locations will be announced by Friday evening.

Following our closure decision yesterday, Governor Kemp announced his Executive Order to close all public schools beginning on Wednesday, March 18 and carrying through March 31. Bryan County Schools will now be closed for students from March 18 until April 13. The ending date of closure for Bryan County Schools is a result of our pre-scheduled spring break from April 6 – 10. We will not require students to return to school from April 1 – 3, only to be dismissed for spring break on April 6 – 10. Dismissal and return dates for staff will be communicated directly to staff at a later time/date. This could all change based on the impacts of COVID-19. Considering this lengthy school system closure and in an effort to limit disruption and reduce loss of instruction, we will move to a digital learning environment. This will reduce our need to institute make-up days and help us maintain some sense of normalcy with our school calendar. Detailed information from your student(s)’ school(s) will be sent to you that addresses the digital learning process and expectations for completing assignments. Some of our schools may be able to assist through lending a Chromebook or other electronic device to support digital learning at home. If so, that information will be included in their communication. Also, schools will work with you through Friday to pick up essential medications from the school clinic. Beginning Monday, March 23, Bryan County Schools will be providing breakfast and lunch to families that are part of our free meals program. We look forward to providing a “meals on wheels” service where we will deliver breakfast and lunch via school bus. Additional information regarding this process will be sent to families that might be impacted by this free meals program. Once again, we appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work together to navigate these unprecedented waters. Please continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local, regional and national health agencies regarding COVID-19. Thank you again for your commitment to your families, Bryan County Schools, and the amazing community where we reside.

As the safety and health of all students, staff and our community continue to be the top priorities of Bryan County Schools, our district will implement school closures beginning on Thursday, March 19. We are waiting for guidance from the state before we are able to forecast a date for returning to school. Please keep in mind that tomorrow, March 17, is a pre-scheduled school holiday and April 6 – 10 is spring break. In anticipation of a lengthy school system closure and in an effort to limit disruption and reduce loss of instruction, we will move to a digital learning environment. This will reduce our need to institute make-up days and help us maintain some sense of normalcy with our school calendar. In order to finalize preparations for this digital learning environment, our staff will be working with students on Wednesday, March 18 to prepare them for this alternative form of instruction. Detailed information from your student(s)’ school(s) will be sent to you that addresses the digital learning process and expectations for completing assignments. If you feel the need to keep your child home on Wednesday, March 18, this will be considered an excused absence. However, please know that every school and bus will have been disinfected prior to their return on Wednesday. Beginning Monday, March 23, Bryan County Schools will be providing breakfast and lunch to families that are part of our free meals program. Additional information regarding this process will be sent to families that might be impacted by our school breakfast and lunch program. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work together to navigate these unprecedented waters. Please continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local, regional and national health agencies regarding COVID-19. Thank you for your commitment to your families, Bryan County Schools, and the amazing community where we reside.

Please click the following link for a message from our Superintendent regarding COVID-19 and the CDC Considerations. http://www.bryancountyschools.org/o/bcs/page/covid-info

Bryan County Schools has no higher priority than the health and safety of our students, staff, and families in our community. We remain in close contact with local, state, and national agencies regarding the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S and actions we can take to help prevent the spread of the illness. We have put into place additional resources for preventive cleaning and sanitizing our facilities and vehicles. We are also exploring the feasibility of online learning in the event it becomes necessary. BCS encourages students, parents, staff, and the community to follow the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in taking precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus including washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and dispose of used tissues, and call your healthcare provider if you are sick. To learn more about COVID-19, visit www.cdc.gov for current information and how to protect yourself and your family from getting and spreading the virus. Again, our most important concern is the safety and well-being of our students, employees and community. We will keep you informed of developments that impact you and thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation during this time.

This week's Employee Spotlight is Delia Blocker from Bryan County High School. Join us in thanking Delia for exemplifying "Excellence in Everything!"

Bryan County Schools continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 coronavirus situation and is actively following guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Georgia Department of Public Health, and the Georgia Department of Education. In addition, the District maintains a standard operating procedure and is prepared to respond as necessary. Bryan County Schools is providing this information, so parents/guardians and community members have information regarding what the virus is, how to protect yourself and your child, and what to do if you suspect a possible case. Applicable information may be found at the following link https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

March 4th: Bryan County Schools will observe regular dismissal times; however, all after school activities including athletic contests and practices are cancelled for this afternoon. ASP and Community Ed classes will follow their normal schedule.

This week's Employee Spotlight is Theresa Poinsett from McAllister Elementary School. Join us in thanking Theresa for exemplifying "Excellence in Everything!"

This week's Employee Spotlight is Nancy Mosley from Lanier Primary School. Join us in thanking Nancy for exemplifying "Excellence in Everything!"

Find out all the information on the upcoming PreK registration here: http://www.bryancountyschools.org/o/bcs/page/pre-kindergarten

Friendly reminder of the long weekend for students - see you on Tuesday, February 18th. Enjoy and stay safe!

Bryan County Schools is currently conducting a district wide lockdown drill. The lockdown is a planned exercise and is not in response to any type of threat. The purpose of the lockdown has been clearly communicated to all students and staff.

This week's Employee Spotlight is Shelby Cook from Bryan County Middle School. Join us in thanking Shelby for exemplifying "Excellence in Everything!"

Come one, Come all! We want to see you at our Job Fair! We are looking for candidates for all types of positions! If you want to be a bus driver, parapro, childcare center worker, substitute, custodian, school nutrition worker, teacher - you name it - join us at RHHS on Thursday, March 5th from 4:00-7:00! Please RSVP to: https://forms.gle/hT5Lm1WBsufkHPnJ9 See you there!