The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting every organization throughout the world and has created trying times for school administrators overnight. Most schools and student activities have been suspended indefinitely, and eLearning is the new ‘normal’ for educators. While creating online courses and ensuring that children continue to learn, School Leadership is also looking for ways to prepare for the day when students return back to school and for the next school year.

During this rapidly changing, unprecedented time, how do K-12 Administrators engage with prospective students, facilitate re-enrollment and new student enrollment, and manage student health? To help answer these questions, here is a list of digital solution recommendations that will allow your school staff to continue to operate schools remotely while preparing for a successful 2020-2021 school year! 

Continue to engage with prospective students

The social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak has caused canceled shadow days and prospective student interviews, as well as postponed school campus visits for many families. Thankfully, there are many tools that schools can use to engage with prospective students remotely:

    • Virtual campus tours To showcase their campus to prospective students, K-12 schools are replacing in-person visits with virtual tour videos. My Tours app builder is a great way to create stunning multimedia tours. Families will love exploring your campus and discovering the history of the area. You can even include custom maps and multi-lingual content in 18 languages, including most European and Asian languages!

    • Welcome Messages from Admissions or the Head of School Since currently staff is unable to introduce your school in person and welcome the prospective family to your campus, administrators are creating Welcome video messages. Wave makes it easy to create, host, and share videos for your social media, emails, website, and blog with just one tool. Sign up for free!
    • Video chat with current students In place of shadow days with current students, schools are arranging individual and group video chats. Kids already love talking to peers using Facetime and other social media apps, so schools are setting up video calls between current and prospective students. Zoom CEO is currently giving K-12 schools his video-conferencing tools for free!

    • Prospective student interviews While schools are closed, Admissions staff is conducting interviews with the prospective students and their families using various conferencing tools. GoToMeeting is a web-hosted online meeting service that allows desktop sharing and video conferencing in real time. Check out their 14 Day Free Trial! 

Implement An Online Enrollment and Re-enrollment Process

Most K-12 schools already utilize some sort of online enrollment process. Some just request general family information, while others have a more extensive survey in place. However, many schools still rely on paper enrollment forms! Administrators around the country are looking for ways to streamline their enrollment process while their school is closed due to the coronavirus. 

Magnus Health provides a secure and simple way for schools to collect, track, and manage student forms. While Magnus software is best known for its cloud-based Student Health Record (SHR) solution, it also allows schools to digitally collect student enrollment and re-enrollment forms. Basically, any form that you currently have in paper form can be converted into a custom online form with conditional questions… best of all – it is securely stored and can be accessed remotely by any authorized school user. Parents submit all of their information from the comfort of their home and your staff reviews it while working remotely. No need for printing, mailing, and collecting paper forms! You can even set auto-reminders to notify parents of missing forms and approaching deadlines. More importantly, your school will also be ready to better manage student health…

Efficiently Manage Student Health

In light of the rapidly developing COVID-19 situation, K-12 schools were forced to make quick decisions to ensure the safety of their students and staff. For many, it became apparent that they are not equipped to quickly produce student health visit reports or to alert parents regarding emergency closings, etc.

Magnus Health software allows schools to digitally collect and manage all types of student health and medical information, including immunization records, sports physicals, emergency and allergy action plans, consent to treat forms, and permission slips. During an unexpected school closure, the authorized users can continue to access and utilize Magnus remotely, even if they are unable to physically be on campus. Magnus features that proved to be most helpful during the onset of the coronavirus:

  • Reports The Magnus Reporting tool allows staff to generate lists based on student treatments, therefore making it possible to see patterns in health office visits and illness.

  • Push Notifications Staff can notify a parent or guardian when their student’s Treatment Note has been shared with them.

  • Clinic Alerts Reminders alert staff regarding students experiencing health issues.

  • Emergency Response System With a click of a button on any mobile device, schools can notify parents and guardians regarding an emergency situation, or share an important school announcement by using a Smart List.

  • Immunization Tracking In the event of an outbreak of illness such as the flu, staff can quickly run a report for immunization compliance, exemptions, waivers, or titers. 

Magnus software seamlessly integrates with SIS solutions and requires minimal IT support for implementation. As you navigate your options for digital enrollment and prepare your school for the next school year, we would love to discuss how Magnus can help! You can read Magnus case studies, hear what our clients have to say, watch educational webinars, or Request a Live Demo. Our knowledgeable team would love to offer your school assistance during this challenging time.  

Wishing all of our friends at K-12 schools, staff, and your students good health and perseverance as you navigate through these turbulent times!