Military-connected students adjusting to a new school commonly experience feelings of isolation, confusion, and searching for support. Students switching schools during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to experience these feelings even more intensely.

In an online round table discussion, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona hosted a Zoom call with a dozen military-connected students from across the globe to chat about how their lives have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. What was learned from students and their experiences can be applied not only to schools that are still in hybrid or virtual environments, but also as a basis for programming to help military-connected students feel more welcome when entering a new school anytime in the future.

During the round table discussion, which included students ranging from elementary school kids to seniors in high school, every child, without exception, talked about their struggle to finding their footing after a move and the need for a universal student sponsorship program.

Erik,* a high school freshman in Northern Virginia, moved during the summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic. He describes his experience as confusing and isolating.

“Moving from a state that stayed in person for five days a week to a state that went 100 percent virtual for seven months—it was confusing. The entire community seemed locked down. I understood why, but it felt like no one could see me. For a new student, how are kids supposed to process and embrace a new school when they don’t even know I’m here?”

Other students echoed Erik’s experience and concerns. Students and parents attending the call said there was a need for connecting new students with their school, peers, and community—especially during school closures. PCSing during the pandemic exaggerated feelings of isolation for new students. There was a resounding consensus that a student sponsor program would help new students—military-connected or not—feel more supported in school.

Many schools already have a student sponsor or student ambassador programs in place. And military kids remembered fondly their past experiences with sponsor programs and how they connected them with peers when they most needed it.

“One way our school helps military students is by having a military student ambassador welcome the new student. This helps ease some of the socialization stress we face from going from one school to another in such a short period of time,” says Elizabeth, a twelfth-grade student at Knob Noster High School in Missouri.

Abby,* a seventh-grade student in Virginia, says her experience with student sponsor programs made her feel more accepted into the school community more quickly. Her last school in Florida had a family match program set up by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), which matched similar families—fourth grade with fourth grade, military families with military families, and so on. Existing families in the district “sponsored” new families.

“It was fun. We had ice cream socials with our new friends, and they were someone we could call if we had questions, too. It really made a difference how new kids felt about being new,” Abby says.

Ways to Create a Student Sponsor Program

A student sponsor program can work at any age and any grade and through a range of platforms and executions. While PTAs are great for organizing sponsor programs because they are often more flexible in planning events and providing funding, a school can easily adopt a sponsor program in the form of a student ambassador program through their Student Government Association (SGA) or through after-school clubs. As a tool for SGA or a club, a sponsorship program can offer leadership roles for middle and high school students and allow new students, once settled, to pay it forward to the next family.

However, the most overlooked place for a student sponsor program is likely in the classroom. Teachers have an opportunity to let students take the lead in helping a new classmate feel a little more settled. Small gestures like sitting together at lunch, showing new students around the school, and handing out a helpful guide of the area can bolster confidence in students that are new to the school. The class can develop a living document, like a community fact sheet, where students can jot helpful tips and tricks, favorite places to eat, or best places to have a birthday party. That information can be given to new students upon arrival as a welcome packet.

Support Students Upon Arrival, During the Year, and When They Leave

A good start to any student sponsor or ambassador program is to support the student as soon as they arrive at a new school. Then students need support throughout the school year too—and many military students leave before the end of the official school year. A student sponsor program should help those students when they exit a school as well. In the military, it’s called “Hails and Farewells.” And it’s an easy way to emotionally support students who live a highly mobile lifestyle like military kids.

Hails: A student sponsor program’s priority is to welcome all new students—military connected or civilian—to their school with a welcome. It could be as small as assigning one peer to help the new student find their way around the building or have a buddy to sit next to at lunch. Or it could be a larger, broader program that allows student sponsors to have socials, school spirit wear, and more. The goal is to make new students feel welcome, connected, and included on their first day so they can focus more on school and less on being new.

Farewells: It’s hard to leave a school mid-year or before school has officially ended. A student sponsor program focuses on ensuring all moving students feel like they were valued at the school and will not be forgotten by giving them a send-off gift from the school. From ensuring they get a yearbook at the end of year to coordinating letters of farewell from their teachers or gifting a simple school t-shirt, any supportive gesture will help a student who is feeling anxious or emotional about leaving their school.

Benefits for Students Who Stay in the School

A school student sponsor or ambassador program is an essential program for supporting highly mobile students like military kids. But it’s also a great way to teach empathy and build leadership for students who will stay in the district for a long time—perhaps the entirety of their school career. Students who volunteer as sponsors will better understand the challenges of their military-connected friends, which will broaden their perspectives in their own lives while also helping them welcome the next new student even better.

Benefits for Military-Connected Students (and Other Mobile Students!)

It’s vital for the emotional well-being of tweens and teens changing schools to land at a school that understands the challenges of being in a military-connected family. Sponsor programs need to be more than a plan on paper. Programs need resources and commitment from school organizations like the PTA or from the school and parents themselves. Student sponsor programs help all new students thrive in school faster so students can focus on academics rather than the social and emotional part of settling into a new community. For military families that’s important, because orders to move often come when they least expect it.

In whatever way a school plans and executes its student sponsorship program, the most important aspect is to truly commit to helping new students and providing resources they need at the time they really need them. When the Secretary of Education asked for final comments, Abby said it best: “My school said they wanted to start a school wide student sponsor program, but they didn’t do anything that related to helping new kids settle. My mom did all the work for them, and they didn’t really try. Nice teachers, but they didn’t get us military kids.”

*Erik and Abby are the children of the author.

Stacy Huisman is a mother of two, Air Force spouse, and freelance writer. An advocate with a passion for military-connected children and their families, Stacy is coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers. She’s dedicated the last decade to understanding the challenges military kids face when changing schools. 

More about supporting students during transitions:

• • Early Planning Helps School Transition
  • Five Ways Military Kids Clubs Help Students and Schools
  • How to join the Seasons of My Military Student Cultivation Team

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Building a strong student-advocacy team is essential for military-connected students. As the school year begins in a pandemic environment, now more than ever, the team-building strategy should include supporting teachers, as well as students.

Military-connected students at new schools won’t be the only ones navigating a new learning landscape this year. Teachers are also feeling uncertainty and stress. For educators, going back to school in a pandemic environment is a new frontier, whether classrooms are virtual, in-person and socially distanced, or a combination. In addition to welcoming new students, teachers are preparing new ways of learning for all their students, while balancing personal concerns about staying healthy and managing their own children’s education.

Becky, a military parent and a district school psychologist in Virginia, encourages parents to advocate for their children while also giving grace and understanding to teachers.

“There are a lot of uncomfortable feelings around the start of school in many places,” says Becky. “Things keep changing. The uncertainty affects everyone and can be unnerving for teachers and parents. If educators also have kids in the district, they may be feeling what parents are feeling. They’re struggling alongside parents.”

Educators who are also parents may be experiencing the same struggles as the parents of their students.

Sarah is a high school teacher in a military-heavy district in South Carolina, which has opted for in-person classes with a virtual option. She says there is some uncertainty around how the requirements for masks and social distancing will work out when classes actually begin in September.

“Our administration is trying to have a plan for as many contingencies as possible, but just not knowing how it’s really going to be plays a role in beginning-of-the-year fears.”

Becky’s district, which also serves many military students, is beginning the school year with virtual-only classes, which presents its own challenges. Like other working parents, teachers may also have their own children attending virtual classes from home.

“There’s also a learning curve for the technology,” says Becky. “It’s exciting, but also intimidating for those who haven’t been teaching in this manner to now have to do that. Offering that grace is so important. Remember a lot of these things that are frustrating (to parents) aren’t even in the teacher’s control. Technology issues, even decisions about virtual versus [in-person] school.”

Stress management and support are important for teachers as well as students, says Becky. As part of a clinical team in her district, she is available to support both students and educators, to be a listening ear, or offer professional development for stress management.

Stress management and support are important for teachers as well as students.

“There’s a big push for social and emotional learning (for students) in our school curriculum,” she says. “As our teachers are teaching their students, they are also reinforcing those skills for themselves, about feelings identification and how to manage big emotions. Emotional wellness is a critical part of learning. Your emotions will respond before your thinking and learning brain can activate.”

In spite of all the uncertainty, military-connected students and their parents can proactively help create an environment of understanding at a new school with good communication at the outset.

Becky and Sarah both advise military-connected parents to introduce their students to new teachers ahead of time, just as they would in any move. If a face-to-face meeting is not available, an email will serve to share any information that would be helpful for teachers to know up front.

“Let teachers know your concerns as a parent,” says Becky. “Put those in the first email, especially anything not in their records. Let teachers know your child is new. It’s true that everybody is new to this (pandemic) situation, but it’s important for teachers to know who is totally new to a community. Keep it short and clear.”

The pandemic situation is new to everyone, but teachers still need to know when students are new to their school and community.

Students attending class virtually may have a harder time connecting, Sarah adds, so an introduction, even by email, is even more important this year for connecting teachers and students.

“If the student is in middle or high school, encourage him or her to begin advocating for themselves, if they don’t already.” Older students can send an email to their teachers to introduce themselves.

Having an Education Binder of information about a student is ideal, says Becky, but if school is virtual and that’s not possible, send key information by email. Perhaps a face-to-face meeting can be planned at a later date, when parents can discuss the binder with teachers.

Sarah, who grew up in a military family and changed schools many times, knows from experience as both educator and student the importance of knowing a student’s military background. Limited contact in a virtual or hybrid classroom may make it more difficult to get to know students, so the more information a teacher has, the better. Knowing a student has attended multiple schools lets the teacher know to look out for potential gaps and overlaps in curriculum or learning.

Limited contact in a virtual or hybrid classroom may make it more difficult to get to know students, so the more information a teacher has, the better.

After classes begin, parents can support teachers by encouraging their students to engage fully in their new classes, whether virtually or in person.

“Work with your child, encourage them to participate,” says Becky. “Make sure your child is holding up their end of the bargain, getting work done, attending virtual or real classes. Teachers may feel deflated when they are trying to reach students virtually and don’t get a response back.”

Sarah will be teaching in person and will have students attending online as well.

“I am going to have to encourage those who are doing school at home to remember that they are in school,” she says. “I can only help students if they show up.”

Both students and teachers may struggle with the virtual environment, especially when it comes to getting to know one another, says Becky.

“Teachers want to be with kids, to build relationships. So much is missing when you’re doing it virtually. This is hard for them too,” she says. Becky offers a few more ideas for ways to show support for teachers while advocating for students:

• Extend extra grace, patience, and understanding whenever you can. Remember, everyone is traveling a new path together, and everyone is feeling more uncertainty and stress than usual.
• Let teachers know you are there to support them. Ask how you can support them and offer to share your areas of expertise or time if you are able.
• If you have concerns about your child, talk to the teacher, and don’t hesitate to reach out to school mental health resources as well: a counselor, social worker, or psychologist.
• Keep teachers informed about difficulties, whether technical, personal, or academic.
• When emailing a teacher about an issue or to request a time to talk, give the teacher 24 to 48 hours to respond. They may not be able to respond during non-class hours when they are at home caring for their families.
• Send teachers random notes and emails of gratitude and support. Let them know what is working well for your student and when you appreciate what they are doing.

“Remember that many of us are parents too,” says Sarah. “We came into this profession because we love kids. This is a super weird and stressful time for everyone. When we enter into community with anyone, the best default is to trust. … I want what parents want—the best for their kids. If we can keep an open dialogue, things will start better.”

Terri Barnes is the mother of three military children who attended a combined twenty-seven schools, K-12. She is the author of  Spouse Calls: Messages from a Military Life and editor of  Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

More about supporting families and educators:

• Q and A with School Superintendent Jesse Najera
• How Schools can Help Military Kids Moving in a Pandemic by Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman in Military Times
• The Pandemic’s Toll on Teachers is Palpable by Marc Brackett, Mark Cannizzaro, and Scott Levy in EdSurge

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Moving can be a difficult time for any military family. We say goodbye to our friends, our neighbors, our routines, and our support system.  But for high school students, changing schools because of a military move—or permanent change of station (PCS)—could mean saying goodbye to much, much more. A move in high school can put students at risk for repeating courses and losing credits, resulting in delayed graduation, which in turn can affect college acceptance.

But help is available. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children has a lot to say about allowing military-connected students to graduate on time! Knowing the provisions of the Interstate Compact and how to use those provisions can lessen the negative impact of a move during high school. Parents and educators need to know the Interstate Compact and the solutions it offers, as well as take some proactive measures.

Repeating Classes

Challenge: Each state has graduation requirements that may only be able to be met in that state, for example a state history requirement. Students PCSing in their junior or senior year have probably met this requirement in the sending school but have not taken the state history for the state they will graduate. Repeating courses like these could delay graduation.

Provisions: The Interstate Compact, Chapter 400, covers graduation requirements. Provisions in the compact allow schools to waive graduation requirements if those same requirements were met at a previous school. This means a student should not be required to take a class in state history in more than one state when moving to a new state on military orders. According to the compact, if a waiver cannot be granted, the school has the responsibility to provide alternative options to ensure the student will graduate on time.

Testing Requirements

Challenge: Just as states set their own mandatory courses, they also have their own system of testing required for graduation. States might call these exit exams or standards of learning, or they might use national achievement tests as a graduation requirement. Many times, military-connected students take various equivalent tests at each high school they attend.

Provisions: The Interstate Compact, Chapter 400 on graduation requirements, also allows schools to accept tests taken and passed at a previous high school in lieu of those required by a receiving school. If the student has passed the exit exam requirement in one state, the requirement should also be valid at subsequent schools. If the student was not required to take a state exam but took a national assessment exam, the school might be able to accept the national exam to fulfill the testing requirement. Students and parents should discuss these possibilities with school counselors and administrators, and carry a copy of the Interstate Compact.

Credit transfers

Challenge: Military-connected students often find some classes on their transcripts do not transfer to a new school, because of varying course descriptions. Courses in each school may be similar, but the titles and descriptions vary and may not offer enough information about class content. When course titles and learning objectives are unclear, core classes a student has taken may transfer as electives, and the student may have to retake a core class, if the receiving school can’t determine the class content and whether it meets their requirement.

Provisions: Interstate Compact Chapter 500 covers placement and attendance, and helps keep students from repeating courses so they can graduate. While the Interstate Compact does offer some help, students and parents should also be proactive.

<A high school student’s Education Binder should include course descriptions, lists of textbooks, and course standards taught. The sending school or teacher can provide this information. These will help the receiving school determine course content, align the course descriptions with their own, and determine how to give credit.

Specialized Courses

Challenge: Not all schools offer equivalent classes.  These classes often come in the form of higher-level math, language, or specialized courses only offered in specific schools across the nation.  This challenge is often seen when a student needs multiple years of the same language for either graduation or college applications, but the new school does not offer the same language options.

Provisions:. The Interstate Compact, Chapter 500 on placement and attendance, also helps with this challenge. According to the compact, the receiving school may allow the student to attend similar educational courses in other schools if the courses are not offered at the new school.

Parents and students may also explore:

<Local dual enrollment options that allow a student to college-level courses while in high school.

<Online courses that allow the student to take courses not available at their brick-and-mortar school. For example, Department of Defense Education Activity Virtual High School. Students eligible to attend DODEA schools are also eligible for this online school, including students who started their courses in a DoDEA school but cannot complete them in their new location.

Challenge: Students may transfer into a new school and not be able or eligible to continue in their honors, advanced placement, gifted, special education, or support classes.  The receiving school may not offer the same courses for the grade level or may require prerequisites to enter into a program.  Required teacher evaluations and recommendations vary, and may delay or deny a student’s enrollment in special courses.

Provisions: The Interstate Compact, Chapter 500 on placement and attendance, helps with this too. The compact states that incoming students are to be enrolled in the same level of classes as those at a sending school. Receiving states or districts do have the right to retest students to ensure proper placement, but according to the compact, students are to be first to be enrolled in equivalent level class and then moved if needed after testing takes place. This keeps eligible students from missing valuable instruction time while waiting for testing.

Many frustrations and challenges come hand-in-hand with a PCS during the high school years.  While declining orders or choosing a geo-bachelor solution may be an option, the compacts protections and provisions can help the students as they move with their families.

The first step is to read and re-read the Intestate Compact. Know the solutions it mandates, the solutions it suggests, and what solutions it doesn’t address. Start the conversation with a new school as early as possible to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone.

Amanda Trimillos, EdD, helps education colleagues integrate military-connected students into the classroom.  She is a military spouse, mother, National Board-Certified Teacher, and the coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

• Power of the Education Binder Goes Beyond Graduation
• Student Resume: Collecting Skills and Materials

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In meet-the-teacher sessions at new schools with my children, time and time again I heard teachers use the term “proactive communication.” Teachers offer parents several ways to communicate – email addresses, phone numbers, and notation areas in student agendas. They emphasize the importance of proactive communication with all parents.

But, sometimes as parents, we aren’t one hundred percent sure when to use proactive parental communication and when to encourage our kids to advocate for themselves. This uncertainty is compounded for parents of military-connected families when deployments and PCS orders throw extra challenges in our kid’s lives. Both parent- and student-initiated proactive communication are necessary. Parent, teacher, and student are all part of the student-advocacy team and must communicate effectively.

As a teacher, the most common question I am asked is “When should parents reach out to a teacher?” Should they immediately call when they see a potential challenge, or should they wait to see how their student handles the situation first? The answer lies both in the age and maturity of the student as well as the severity of the situation. Parents of elementary and middle school students typically use proactive communication more often than parents of high school students.

Sometimes as parents, we aren’t one hundred percent sure when to use proactive communication and when to encourage our kids to advocate for themselves.

For military-connected students of all ages though, a parent’s best indicator on how to answer the proactive communication question is the student’s placement in the Season of Transition^TM.  In each season it is good to encourage students of all ages to use student-initiated communication, but often proactive communication from parents is critical to how quickly the student progresses to the Season of Thriving.

Season of Leaving

The Season of Leaving calls for both proactive communication by the parent and student. When parents are ready to disclose that PCS orders are here, it is time to reach out to the teacher to ensure he knows of the upcoming move. This can be done via the student or the parent so long as communication is also open between parent and teacher. Be open both about social and academic concerns.

“What skills do we need to focus on to be sure my daughter is ready for a new school?”

“We are living in a hotel with no quiet place to do homework.”

Talk about ways to help the student say goodbye in healthy ways. Work together to prepare the student for the new school and new curriculum expectations. Request the teacher write a teacher-to-teacher letter for use at the new school. Discuss with the student how to help him finish his time at this school feeling successful and confident for a new school location.

Season of Arriving

In the Season of Arriving, proactive communication from parents is particularly essential. In this season a parent should connect with the teacher before the student’s first day at a new school and again at the two-week point. At registration, parents should give the school the student’s Education Binder, which includes the teacher-to-teacher letter, information about past schools, experiences, accomplishments, and challenges. Schedule a short conference for the second week of school to introduce to discuss any class placement challenges or integration with peers. Being respectful of the child’s personality, try phrasing challenges into positive discussions.

“My daughter had a strong group friends and was active in clubs at our last school, what is the best way for her to become active here at this school?”

“My son is repeating classwork here. Will the curriculum move to a new skill soon or is there a better fit for his needs?”

In the conference, set a plan and timeline of when the school anticipates the student should feel fully integrated with friends and the classwork. Discuss ways the school encourages all students to approach teachers on especially challenging days; and set the student up for productive conversations with teachers.

Season of Growing

The Season of Growing calls for both proactive parent- and student-initiated communication. By the time a student reaches the Season of Growing, teachers and classmates may forget the military-connected student is still new. A buddy program that helped the student in the Season of Arriving is ending, and the student is on his own to navigate his school experience, to connect with friends and with learning.

The goal of the student-advocacy team is to encourage students to work toward self-advocacy, and to help them use student-initiated communication successfully. In this case a parent can use proactive communication with the student, encouraging and helping him or her to seek solutions. Teachers can also present ways students can reach out to teachers on especially challenging days and set the student up for productive conversations.

The goal of the student-advocacy team is to encourage students to work toward self-advocacy, and to help them use student-initiated communication successfully.

If your daughter’s classes are too far apart, and she’s having trouble getting to classes on time, encourage her to speak to her teachers to set a plan for success.

If your straight-A-student son is coming home with D’s and C’s, encourage him to speak to the teacher about tutoring programs.

Parents should be prepared to step in with proactive communications to be sure the student receives the help he needs and not wait for a challenge to create lasting consequences. In this season, it is still vital for parents and teachers, as well as students, to partner on topics like gaps or overlaps in learning. Consider that perhaps this season is exactly why teachers give parents their contact information in the first week of school.

Season of Thriving

The Season of Thriving is prime time for student-initiated communication. In this season the student is fully integrated into her school, probably has one or more committed friends, and is adjusted to the curriculum. Feeling confident to approach teachers directly and participating in extra activities are good markers that the student has reached the Season of Thriving. Communication between parents and teachers occurs less often. Students are ready and able to use student-initiated communication.

“I was invited to apply for a student leadership camp, but first I have to talk to my teachers about missing five days of class.”

“I don’t understand the assignment. Can I come in after lunch for help?”

This does not mean that parents and teachers stop initiating communication. The partnership between teachers and parents continues, as does the work of the student-advocacy team. In every season, the team continues to support the student’s ability to initiate communication and advocate for themselves. Then parents and teachers can enjoy seeing the student grow in confidence and independence.

Amanda Trimillos, EdD, is a military spouse, mother, National Board-Certified Teacher, and the coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

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Kindergarten is a magical year, when eager little ones head to school for the first time. Ready to learn, ready to be independent, ready to grow. But not all children are ready to take the leap of freedom or pace of learning. Not all parents are ready either. How do you know if your military-connected child is ready for kindergarten?

Read more from Military Spouse magazine

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In the Season of Leaving, parents, teachers, and students work together to build an exit plan to cultivate a smooth transition from one school to another. A strong exit plan takes into account all the events, tasks, and actions leading up to the student’s last day of class, ensuring a healthy transition academically, socially, and emotionally.

If military orders require a student to leave before the school year ends, the student might miss final exam and project due dates or end-of-year celebrations. An exit plan helps the student-advocacy team to recognize potential conflicts and meet them proactively.

For any departure date, it’s essential for parents, teachers, and students to build the exit plan together. Elementary school students may have only one teacher, while middle and high school students will have several teachers and classes. A school counselor or lead teacher can help coordinate and consolidate all important dates, expectations, and events. A strong exit plan begins with team conversations and questions to consider on these key topics:

Exit Date

The date of a move is the starting point for building the exit plan, whether the student will remain until the last day of class or leave early. Talk about all important dates, such as packing household goods, family events, and farewell parties.  Questions to consider:

• When is the student’s last day of class?
• When is the earliest a student can depart and still receive credit for her courses?
• What activities, field trips, or school celebrations need to be considered?

Paperwork

As soon as orders are official, parents should initiate the process of withdrawing students from school. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children has provisions to allow military families to request hand-carried transcripts to avoid delays in enrollment at a receiving school. Questions to consider:

• What are the school’s withdrawal policies and requirements?
• How can parents obtain paperwork and transcripts to hand-carry to the new school?
• What paperwork does the receiving school require for enrollment?

Education Binder

Review and organize the contents of the student‘s Education Binder. Questions to consider:

• What materials should be added to the binder before departure?
• Does the binder include textbooks and curricula the student has used?
• Request teacher-to-teacher letters from sending to receiving educators.

Learning timeline

Discuss any learning gaps and academic challenges. Teachers can tailor final assignments specifically to the student’s needs. Parents and students can focus on areas needing attention. Questions to consider:

• Is information available about programs and curricula at the receiving school?
• Does the student need to focus on particular areas of skill or knowledge?
• Ask teachers to build a review pack to help the student build and maintain learning during the move.

Assignment due dates

Discuss what assignments and projects the student must complete before departure. Perhaps there are assignments the student can miss in order to focus his attention on the upcoming PCS. Questions to consider:

• What are the due dates, and do they need to be adjusted?
• What supplies will the student need to complete projects and assignments?
• Are those supplies and projects set aside at home so they won’t be packed with household goods?

Final exams

Planning ahead is essential when it comes to final exams and standardized testing. Special approval or waivers may be needed to provide alternate dates for state-mandated tests. Check the calendar as far ahead as possible to plan for any necessary accommodations. Questions to consider:

• Is there conflict between departure dates and final exams or end-of-year testing?
• What is the district policy for adjusting test dates for military students with conflicts due to PCS orders?
• Who is the point of contact for requesting date changes?

Good goodbyes

Last, but certainly not least, the exit plan should include opportunities for students to say good-bye to friends and teachers. Saying goodbye is important in the social and emotional component of departure. Ask and act on the student’s preferences as much as possible, and make goodbyes a priority in the busy Season of Leaving. Questions to consider:

• What class or school events does the student want to attend?
• How and when would the student like to say goodbye to classmates and peers?
• Are there some goodbyes the student would like to say one-on-one? In a large group?

A solid exit plan recognizes what the student needs for a strong Season of Leaving and allows the student’s support team to agree on how to meet those needs. The plan balances school responsibilities and time with friends with practical concerns, such as packing up household goods and cleaning out school lockers. The exit plan ensures projects and assignments arrive promptly on the teachers desk ready for grading, rather than accidentally packed in the back of a moving truck. The plan also offers the student opportunities for saying goodbye to friends, mentors, and classmates.

The exit plan brings closure academically, socially, and emotionally for the student in the Season of Leaving, preparing the way for success in the coming  Season of Arriving.

Amanda Trimillos, EdD, is a military spouse, mother, and National Board-Certified Teacher with extensive experience teaching military students in the United States and overseas. She is coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers and wrote the essay “School Choices and Changes” in  Stories Around the Table: Laugher, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.

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In military life, the color purple represents all branches of service. In April, Month of the Military Child, the Purple Up campaign shines a spotlight on the unique lifestyle of military-connected students. Wearing or displaying purple during Month of the Military Child is a way to show support for military kids.

Schools can find all kinds of ways to celebrate military kids throughout April, with  school-wide events and classroom activities: Plan events all month or set aside one Purple Up Day. By celebrating Month of the Military Child, schools recognize the connection between a school and the military community goes deeper than the numbers of military-connected students on the roster.

For Month of the Military Child, the reasons for celebrating matter more than the size of the party.

Schools, support organizations, and teachers can choose many ways to celebrate with their students, according to their school population, calendar, and budget.

A few ideas for celebrations of all sizes:

Highlight April as Month of the Military Child on the school’s marquee and in staff and parent newsletters and social media.

Choose a day to celebrate Purple Up! Ask students and staff to wear purple: t-shirts, ribbons, flowers, or hats. Decorate the school with purple balloons and streamers.

Host a breakfast or lunch for military-connected students. Include those with parents or other close family members in military service. Don’t forget to include teachers and staff with military connections.

Dress up throughout the month of April to highlight different aspects of military service. Identify one day each week and designate those days to wear purple, patriotic colors or costumes, yellow ribbons, or clothes that represent the branches of the military.

Broadcast a daily or weekly announcement with facts about military families or military service. Ask a military-connected student to give these announcements or share an interesting fact about their military experience.

Decorate display cases and bulletin boards throughout with military memorabilia. Ask military-connected students and staff to loan items that reflect their experiences: places they have lived or traveled, past schools attended, uniform pieces, patches, coins, models, and more.

Display a world map with flag pins to show where military-connected students and staff have lived or visited.

Create posters thanking military kids for their service. Ask students to help create the posters. Ask military connected students to make posters about their military lives and experiences.

As a service project for a class or the whole school, fill care packages for deployed troops. Packages can be sent to deployed service members connected to the school or to a unit identified through the school or community. Don’t forget notes, cards, pictures etc. For ideas of what to send, ask a military family member, local military installation, or the Red Cross.

Invite a military member to be a guest speaker to talk about military life, responsibilities, and duties.

Make a time-zone wall with a series of clocks displaying time zones from deployment locations around the world, and locations where military-connected students have lived or might be moving.

Add books about military life to the school library. Have a story time with books about military kids’ experiences, the military lifestyle, being the new kid in school, or appreciating differences in one another.

When planning Month of the Military Child and Purple Up events, parent teacher groups, school staff members, or teachers may take the lead. Each has an important supportive role to play for military-connected students.

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman is an Air Force spouse, writer, mother, and military child advocate. Stacy has nearly ten years of experience hosting or participating in Purple Up celebrations throughout her children’s school years. She is the coauthor with Amanda Trimillos of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Tips for Parents and Teachers.
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Every summer, students lose some of the skills and information gained over the school year. In some cases, this can mean up to two months of lost learning. Teachers refer to this regression as the summer slide. This can be particularly problematic for military students transitioning to new schools because of a PCS move or a deployment.

While all students struggle to maintain math and reading skills during the summer, military students face additional challenges. Even when military kids aren’t going through a move, they still experience social changes from friends moving, visits away with family, or a change of schedule from deployments. These social challenges can affect their learning, even when a child isn’t going through a move.

Read the full story at MilitaryFamilies.com

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A portable Education Binder can supplement official records that–on their own–may not provide a complete picture of a student. The binder is a portable repository of important information, a record of a student’s strengths and needs. It can hold any information parents, teachers, and the student consider necessary. An Education Binder is also useful to maintain a detailed record of education completed at home or online.

To build an Education Binder, begin with vital documents often needed at enrollment, such as:

• Birth certificate
• Shot record
• Unofficial transcripts
• Proof of residence

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Students includes a provision to allow sending schools to provide unofficial transcripts for military students as necessary. The compact also allows receiving schools to accept unofficial transcripts for conditional enrollment until official transcripts are available. A copy of the compact is another important addition to the binder.

Other documentation in the Education Binder can provide more information about a student and assist in accurate placement in classes, clubs, and specialized programs. These items are often helpful:

• Schoolwork samples
• List of textbooks or workbooks used in class
• Standardized assessment results
• Documentation of needs for special services
• Report cards from previous school years
• List of activities and awards

Creating an Education Binder can begin with a parent, teacher, or student. However, a binder will be most complete and helpful when all work together to create, maintain, and use the binder. The binder helps receiving schools know and integrate the new student, and helps the student to transition more easily from school to school.

Adapted from Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers by Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman.

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The parent-teacher team is built on trust, respect, and care for the student. It all starts with a few simple questions to understand one another’s perspectives:

Teacher to parent

• How many times have you moved?
• How do you think your student is handling this move?
• What are your student’s biggest concerns about this move?
• What can I do to support your student?

Parent to teacher

• Is my child making friends in class and relating well with classmates?
• Are there any other military kids in your classroom?
• What are my child’s strengths and areas that need improvement?
• Is there anything I could be doing at home to better support my child?

Parents and teachers don’t have to wait for scheduled conferences to communicate. Instead they can use email and phone calls to connect regularly and stay in touch, planning face-to-face meetings as needed.

Adapted from Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers by Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman.

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