2012 08 20 cyp update cnrse newsletter recap 2011 2012 school year

1 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

Academic

Anchor

Anchoring military families from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast

YEAR IN REVIEW:

Transition Support 2 Special Needs Navigation 3 Around the Region 4 — 5 Communication & Connections 6 — 7 Partnerships in Education 8 — 9 Deployment Support 10 Homeschool Linkage 10 Florida Family Café 11 Commander, Navy Region Southeast SLO Directory 12 - 13

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

2012 Bay at the Bay


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Pensacola JS2S

Presents Awards

The Escambia County JS2S teams consist of student volunteers who are supervised by classroom teachers and Carissa Bergosh, NAS Pensacola SLO. The program participants received on-site training from MCEC on the needs of inbound and out-bound students with particular attention paid to “Academics, Relationships, and Finding the Way.” This student-led club provides school tours, offers community information about the local culture, and hosts a “lunch buddies" program so no one has to sit alone in the cafeteria.

Sponsors of the JS2S (Junior Student 2 Student) and S2S (Student 2 Student) programs in Bay District Schools gathered for a time of camaraderie and learning best practices during a Symposium that was held on 13 December 2011. The Symposium, which was facilitated by Lynda Kent, School Liaison Officer at NSA Panama City (seated center), also served as a welcome and training experience for new sponsors of the programs.

Photo: Faculty and students in Escambia County display the

certificates each was awarded following the completion of

JS2S training.

Transition

Planning in

Panama City


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June is Exceptional Family Member

Program (EFMP) month. Throughout the

entire month, school liaison officers and

EFMP liaisons/case managers will be work

to promote this program and share important

information with qualifying military families.

The Exceptional Military Family Program

is designed to provide support to military

family members with special needs. The

EFMP is a multidisciplinary assignment tool

that interfaces with other military and

civilian agencies to provide comprehensive

and coordinated medical, educational,

community and personnel support to

exceptional military families. EFMP goals

are as follows:

coordinate with overseas screening to

confirm the availability of medical and

educational support at overseas locations,

identify those who require assignment

with major medical areas, and

identify those who are eligible for home-

steading.

This program requires mandatory

enrollment per OPNAVINST 1754.2C series

for any family member who resides with the

sponsor, is enrolled in DEERS and who

meets the following criteria:

is affected by a physical, mental health,

or education condition, or

Requires ongoing special medical care or

special education services not generally

available in isolated or overseas location.

Once enrolled, qualifying military family

members will be placed in one of six cat-

egories based on the type, severity, and fre-

quency of medical and educational inter-

ventions required. Detailers will use this in-

formation for future assignments.

Category 1: Enrollment for monitoring

purposes for medical, mental health and

educational needs.

Category 2: Pinpoint overseas and remote

continental United States (CONUS)

assignments. Care is usually available at

most locations.

Category 3: No overseas assignments.

The exceptional family members medical

condition, mental health condition, and

educational needs preclude assignment to

most overseas locations.

Category 4: Major medical areas with

continental United States to include Ha-

waii. Military assignments must be within

50 miles of a major medical treatment

facility.

Category 5: Homestead Program. The

EFM’s needs are highly specialized,

complex and/or severe requiring continuity

of care.

Category 6: Temporary category. The

EFM’s condition requires a stable environ-

ment for six months to a year due to

ongoing treatment or diagnostic assess-

ments.

Military families interested in gathering

more information about this program may

contact the installation EFMP Liaison or

local school liaison officer.

EFMP means Exceptional Service!


Success...from the East

Coast to the Gulf Coast

Kevin Byrd, the School Liaison Officer for CBC Gulfport facilitated the partnership between the training command and a local elementary school in need of a sponsor. These types of Partnership in Education events help strengthen community bonds.

CBC Gulport

Partners with

Local Schools

Florida Educators Celebrate

Purple UP! Day

April is the Month of the Military Child. To

celebrate the contributions and recognize the

sacrifices of military children, Operation: Mili-

tary Kids (OMK) challenged educators around

the country to wear purple on Friday, April 13,

2012. The employees and administrators of Bay

District Schools (Florida) did just that! Every-

one in the district wore the color purple in sup-

port of the military children and their families

serving at NSA Panama City. Purple UP!


NAS/JRB Fort Worth School Liaison

Officer, Michael Arnett, was contacted

by Como Montessori Middle School to

assist with the school’s Operation Shoe

Box activity. The students learned

lessons of selflessness and joyful giving

as they filled shoeboxes with toiletry

items for deployed military troops

sacrificing for our nation. The students

were excited to present to military

service members from the base the boxes

they had filled. Arnett stated, “It was

nice to see students learning important

lessons about patriotism.”

Parent Workshops in

Florida’s Panhandle Written By: Chris Hendrix, NAS Whiting Field SLO

The School Liaison Officers for NAS Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field decided to team up and offer parent workshops every month. The times and the locations of the workshops will change in order to make it convenient for as many people as possible to attend. The first meeting was held November 2011 at the Crosswinds, the conference center located on board Corry Station. The topic for this workshop was Home- School Support and included guest speak-ers from the Escambia County School District, the Family Fitness and Wellness Center from Corry Station, the Pensacola LIFE Home School Assoc., the new National Flight Academy, Tutor.com, S.O.A.R., and the NASP Library. Military home-school families were able to network with each other and ask questions from county personnel, and use this valuable information to help educate their children. The December workshop was hosted at Pace High School in Pace, FL. This workshop focused on Response to Intervention (RtI), Early Steps (Ages Birth-3yrs), Child Find (Ages 3yrs & up), and other special education programs. The program directors for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and RTI for the Santa Rosa County School District as well as representatives from the county Health Department were available to explain to parents what the county does to help their children who have special needs. The parent workshops continued for the next several months and included topics such as postsecondary planning, financial aid, and anti-bullying programs.

Operation: Shoe Box

Gives in Fort Worth

Photo: Mike Arnett, NAS/ JRB school liaison

officer (left) joins Sailors in accepting students

holiday gifts.


Kevin , the School Liaison facilitated the partn Kevin Byrd, the School Liaison Officer for CBC Gulf-port facili-tated the partner-ship be-tween the training command and a lo-cal ele-mentary school in need of a sponsor. Partner-ship in Education events help strength-en com-munity bonds. ership be-tween the training command and a lo-cal ele-mentary school in need of a sponsor. Partner-ship in Education events help strength-

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s NAS Jacksonville Initiates

N.A.V.Y Mentoring Program

Written By: Kaylee LeRocque, NAS Jacksonville

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

A ceremony was held November 29, 2011 at

Nathan B. Forrest High School to kick off Project

Navy Appreciating and Valuing Youth

(N.A.V.Y.), a pilot program which promotes

mentorship of students by Navy personnel.

Sailors from NAS Jacksonville and NS May-

port commands are partnering with four Duval

County Schools – Forrest High School, Ribault

Middle School, Stillwell Middle School, and

George Washington Carver Elementary School to

connect with students and provide positive role

models.

Duval County Public Schools Superin-

tendent Ed Pratt-Dannals thanked those in

attendance and offered his remarks. “We are very

fortunate that the Navy has chosen to partner with

these schools. Navy personnel are exemplary

citizens and outstanding role models in providing

service to our community and to our country and

will be great mentors to our students,” said Pratt

-Dannals.

Also attending the kick-off event was NS

Mayport Commanding Officer, Captain Doug

Cochrane who gave the students a short history

lesson about the Wright brothers and how they

fulfilled their dreams doing something they loved.

“On a cold, windswept day on the North Carolina

dunes, they changed the world forever. They were

dreamers. Their previous business ventures failed

because with great achievement there frequently

comes failure,” he said.

Cochrane also talked about Capt. Scott

Speicher, a Forrest High School graduate who

was killed during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq

and whose remains were recently returned home

to Jacksonville. “Like the Wright brothers, he

dared to dream too; he dared to be brave, and he

dared to change the world,” said Cochrane.

NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer

Captain Jeffrey Maclay stated, “We in the Navy

do what we do around the world to make sure that

our children and all of you inherit a safer and

more peaceful world. What you do with that

world depends in large part on your teachers and

their commitment to making your education the

most meaningful they can. We in the Navy hope

to help with that commitment and to promote

excellence in each of you by acting as tutors and

mentors.”

Forrest High School Principal Dr. Alvin Bren-

nan closed the ceremony by saying, “I’m sure my

colleagues will agree and understand the signifi-

cance of partnering with the Navy, and what it

will do for our schools. I know that at Forrest

High School, it will bring a wealth of opportunity

for our students as they transition into adulthood.

I’m really excited about this collaboration and the

benefits it will provide.”

“It’s a win-win partnership and a great idea to

get our Sailors involved in the schools to help

these students,” added NAS Jacksonville School

Liaison Officer Dawn Mills.

Photo: Forrest High School AFROTC Unit presents

colors during the playing of the National Anthem and the

Pledge of Allegiance.

Photo: Dr. Alvin Brennan, Forest High School Principal (far

left), is joined by Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals (center),

and Captain Jeffrey Maclay (right) at the inaugural event for

the N.A.V.Y mentoring program.


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Identifying the educational issues facing military families is a complex matter given the diversity found among the branches of service and the unique communi-ties served by them. Finding solutions to those issues can be as simple or as daunting as bringing the right people to the same table. That is exactly what happened at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay! In an effort to facilitate the communication among military and community stakeholders, Clainetta Jefferson, the school liaison officer, coordinated the first Georgia Military Family Education Forum in October, 2011. The two-day event began with guest speaker Mr. Dan Carter, then Georgia’s Assistant Superintendent of External Affairs and Policy, meeting with Camden County School System administrators and touring several local schools. The following day, Mr. Carter, military leaders from the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, state legislators, and school administrators from around the state of Georgia were taken on a private tour of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and one of the Navy’s finest submarines. With over 100 in attendance, Mr. Carter shared important information about changes taking place in Georgia’s educational system at that the state level. Seeing the value of this statewide forum, the Robins AFB school liaison officer is working with Air Force leadership and other school liaison officers around the state to host this event in September, 2012.

Kings Bay Host Education Forum

Photo: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay School Liaison Officer, Clainetta Jefferson (far

right), stands with legislators, educators, and community and military leaders at the 2011

Georgia Military Family Education Forum.


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“It takes a community to raise a child!” said Santa Rosa County School Superintendant Tim Wyrosdick when asked about the impact that NAS Whiting Field’s partnerships has had on education in Santa Rosa County. One of those partnerships was recently celebrated when the Training Wing Five Commodore, COL. Grace and the STUCOM LCDR Sallee were invited to a breakfast at Milton High School to honor the work officers who tutor at the school as part of the mentoring pro-gram. For over two years, Training Wing 5 officers who were either waiting for training to begin or waiting for a follow-up assignments, have served as full-time tutors and mentors at Milton High School. Principal Mike Thorpe has credited this partnership with helping the school’s rating improve from a “D” to an “A”. He also credited the partnership with helping the school achieve a 100% pass rate on the winter end-of-course tests for algebra. He said, “Without these officers working every-day with these students, most of whom are no longer in an algebra class, there is no way we would have been the only school in the county with a 100% pass rate.”

NAS Whiting Field Celebrates Partnerships

Photo: NAS Whiting Field SLO Christopher Hendrix (standing far left) is joined by Colonel Grace (second from

left) Commodore of Training Wing 5, Student Control Officer LCDR Ttoy Sallee, mentors and educators at a

breakfast hosted by Milton High School. Faculty in appreciation of Navy mentors.


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Kings Bay Host

Partnership

“Meet and Greet”

At the invitation of the NSB Kings Bay SLO

Clainetta Jefferson (left and with Kelly Wirfel

(right), Deputy Public Affairs Officer, school and

district educators met with command volunteer

coordinators to align program needs and available

command resources. With over 45 in attendance

this event was a huge success!

NAS Corpus Christi

Sailors Give Back!

This past February , Mary Garza, NAS Corpus Christi SLO arranged for nearly 20 Sailors to visit Smith Elementary School. For two hours the Smith Elementary students and the military volunteers learned from each other. During their time together, students and Sailors read books to each other and shared lunch in the school cafeteria. Local educators appreciated the time and effort invested by these active duty service members.

Navy and Air Force

SLOs Join Forces

Talk about ‘force multipliers!’ The

collaboration between Florida’s Navy and Air

Force SLOs has provided great opportunities

for the school liaison officers to share best

practices in addressing the needs of military

families moving the Florida Panhandle area.

Each quarter these school liaison officers

meet to share ideas about how to use

resources, assist families, and build more

meaningful and long-lasting partnerships with

local education agencies. What collaboration!


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For many military families the choice to homeschool children is an easy decision to make. Homeschooling offers scheduling flexibility, more parental control, individual-ized instruction, and fosters a sense of family unity. Although homeschooling may suit the demands of military life, it is not for everyone. The decision to homeschool must weigh several important factors such as family size, children’s ages, and the availability of time for instruction, curriculum development, and record-keeping. Consideration must also be given to the costs associated with purchasing books, resource materials, and other needed instructional supplies. In order to help balance the demands of active duty service and homeschooling responsibilities, many military homeschool families form tight networks in which they find support and encour-agement. In addition to sharing creative ideas with each other, homeschool families work closely with School Liaison Officers (SLO) to identify local, state, and national homeschool resources. For more information about homeschooling and how to get started, contact the School Liaison Officer at the installation nearest you.

School Liaison Officers work to help

educators understand how the emotional

experiences associated with long-term

separation or deployment can impact

student behavior and academic progress.

Together, local educators and SLOs work

to identify strategies which will help

students cope and adjust to the deploy-

ment experience. Through professional

development opportunities and one-on-

one interactions, School Liaison Officers

educate school leaders and classroom

teachers on what to expect in the class-

room as military school age children deal

with deployment-related issues.

Developed by the Office of the

Superintendent of Public Education

in Olympic, Washington, the diagram

above shows the five stages of

deployment experienced

by military families.


Navy school liaison officers from all across

the Southeast region headed to Orlando, Flor-

ida in June, but not for the reasons you might

think. Joined by Army, Air Force, and Marine

school liaison officers, they attended two

professional development trainings — Florida

Networking Conference on Supporting

Military Children with Special Needs and the

Family Café.

The Florida Networking Conference, held

from June 13—15, was sponsored through

grant funding made available to Operation

Military Kids. This training provided school

liaison officers, EFMP liaisons, service agency

representatives, and parents updates from

guest lecturers on legislative initiatives, pro-

gram funding, and other issues impacting

exceptional military families. Additionally, this

conference provided a venue for service

providers and families to discuss critical issues

and share best practices.

During the two and a half day conference,

attendees heard from guest lectures such as

Dr. Maria Barkmeier of the Office of Commu-

nity Support for Military Families with Special

Needs (OSN), and Curtis Jenkins, Florida

State Department of Education School

Guidance Consultant. Many of the attendees

were also invited to participate in panels to

share insights into available services offered

to military families.

Immediately following the close of the Florida

Networking Conference the Family Café began.

The Annual Family Café is a three-day statewide

event designed to meet the need for information

and networking among people with disabilities

and/or special health care needs.

The 14th Annual Family Café brought together

state agency partners, not-for-profit organiza-

tions, subject matter experts, and family members

in order to offer a series of informative breakout

sessions organized into ’tracks.’ The tracks

included Military Families, Smart Money, Mental

Health, Employment, Disaster Preparedness,

Advocacy, Youth, Recreation, and Birth to Age

Five.

In addition to the informative breakout

sessions, the Family Café also included keynote

speaker and parent advocate Julie Beckett and

Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President

for Disability Policy within the Office of Public

Engagement. The Family Café also included an

Employment Expo where attendees could sharpen

their job search skills. With over 5,000 family

members in attendance, the Family Café was

successful in bringing together service providers

like the school liaison officers with exceptional

families from around the state and region.

Photo: Michael Arnett, JRB Fort Worth school liaison officer,

assist family with important school resource information at the

14th Annual Family Café.

12 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter CN

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Dawn Kaunike CNRSE Regional School Liaison E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (904) 542-4566

NAS Corpus Christi Mary Jane Garza, SLO Phone: (361) 961-3311 E-mail: [email protected] NAS / JRB Fort Worth Michael Arnett, SLO Phone: (817) 782-5832 E-mail: [email protected]

NAVSTA Guantanamo Bay Christopher Dickson, SLO Phone: (011) 5399-3664 E-mail: [email protected]

CBC Gulfport Kevin Byrd, SLO Phone: (228) 871-21 E-mail: [email protected]

NAS Jacksonville Dawn M. Mills Phone: (904) 270-6289, Ext. 1305 E-mail: [email protected] NAS Key West Suzanne Bryant Phone: (305) 293-2621 E-mail: [email protected]

NSB Kings Bay Clainetta Jefferson Phone: (912) 573-8986 E-mail: [email protected]

NAS Kingsville Jeanie Alexander Phone: (361) 516-6906 E-mail: [email protected]


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NS Mayport Judith Cromartie Phone: (904) 270-6289, Ext. 1305 E-mail: [email protected] NAS Meridian Cynthia McDonald Phone: (601) 679-2473 E-mail: [email protected]

NAS / JRB New Orleans Treva Lynn Walters Phone: (504) 678-3654 E-mail: [email protected] NSA Panama City Lynda Kent Phone: (850) 234-4334 E-mail: [email protected]

NAS Pensacola Carissa Bergosh Phone: (850) 458-6588 E-mail: [email protected]

NAS Whiting Field Chris Hendrix Phone: (850) 665-6105 E-mail: [email protected]

Anchoring military families

from the

East Coast to the Gulf Coast

2012 08 20 cyp update cnrse newsletter recap 2011 2012 school year

Education

military assignments

school liaison officers

exceptional military

qualifying military

school liaisonofficer

school photo

educational needs

overseas assignments