NRSE Academic Anchor

1. 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
1 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

2. 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
Transition Support
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
Photo: Faculty and students in Escambia County display the tours, offers community information
certificates each was awarded following the completion of about the local culture, and hosts a
JS2S training.
“lunch buddies" program so no one
has to sit alone in the cafeteria.
Sponsors of the JS2S (Junior Student 2 Student)
Transition and S2S (Student 2 Student) programs in Bay
District Schools gathered for a time of camaraderie
and learning best practices during a Symposium
Planning in that was held on 13 December 2011. The
Symposium, which was facilitated by Lynda Kent,
Panama City School Liaison Officer at NSA Panama City (seated
center), also served as a welcome and training
experience for new sponsors of the programs.
2 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

3. EFMP means Exceptional Service!
June is Exceptional Family Member Category 1: Enrollment for monitoring
Program (EFMP) month. Throughout the purposes for medical, mental health and
entire month, school liaison officers and educational needs.
EFMP liaisons/case managers will be work
Special Needs Navigation
to promote this program and share important Category 2: Pinpoint overseas and remote
information with qualifying military families. continental United States (CONUS)
The Exceptional Military Family Program assignments. Care is usually available at
is designed to provide support to military most locations.
family members with special needs. The
EFMP is a multidisciplinary assignment tool Category 3: No overseas assignments.
that interfaces with other military and The exceptional family members medical
civilian agencies to provide comprehensive condition, mental health condition, and
and coordinated medical, educational, educational needs preclude assignment to
community and personnel support to most overseas locations.
exceptional military families. EFMP goals
are as follows: Category 4: Major medical areas with
continental United States to include Ha-
 coordinate with overseas screening to waii. Military assignments must be within
confirm the availability of medical and 50 miles of a major medical treatment
educational support at overseas locations, facility.
 identify those who require assignment Category 5: Homestead Program. The
with major medical areas, and EFM’s needs are highly specialized,
complex and/or severe requiring continuity
 identify those who are eligible for home- of care.
steading.
Category 6: Temporary category. The
This program requires mandatory EFM’s condition requires a stable environ-
enrollment per OPNAVINST 1754.2C series ment for six months to a year due to
for any family member who resides with the ongoing treatment or diagnostic assess-
sponsor, is enrolled in DEERS and who ments.
meets the following criteria:
Military families interested in gathering
 is affected by a physical, mental health, more information about this program may
or education condition, or contact the installation EFMP Liaison or
local school liaison officer.
 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.
3 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

4. Success...from the East
Coast to the Gulf Coast
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!
CBC Gulport
Partners with
Local Schools
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.
4 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

5. Operation: Shoe Box
Gives in Fort Worth 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,
NAS/JRB Fort Worth School Liaison S.O.A.R., and the NASP Library. Military home-school families were
able to network with each other and ask questions from county
Officer, Michael Arnett, was contacted personnel, and use this valuable information to help educate their
by Como Montessori Middle School to children.
assist with the school’s Operation Shoe
Box activity. The students learned The December workshop was hosted at Pace High School in
lessons of selflessness and joyful giving Pace, FL. This workshop focused on Response to Intervention (RtI),
as they filled shoeboxes with toiletry Early Steps (Ages Birth-3yrs), Child Find (Ages 3yrs & up), and other
items for deployed military troops special education programs. The program directors for Exceptional
Student Education (ESE) and RTI for the Santa Rosa County School
sacrificing for our nation. The students District as well as representatives from the county Health
were excited to present to military Department were available to explain to parents what the county
service members from the base the boxes does to help their children who have special needs. The parent
they had filled. Arnett stated, “It was workshops continued for the next several months and included
nice to see students learning important topics such as postsecondary planning, financial aid, and anti-
lessons about patriotism.” bullying programs.
Photo: Mike Arnett, NAS/ JRB school liaison
officer (left) joins Sailors in accepting students
holiday gifts.
5 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

6. Kevin , NAS Jacksonville Initiates
the
Written By: Kaylee LeRocque, NAS Jacksonville
Communication & Connections
School
Liaison
N.A.V.Y Mentoring Program Deputy Public Affairs Officer
facilitated A ceremony was held November 29, 2011 at Cochrane also talked about Capt. Scott
the Nathan B. Forrest High School to kick off Project Speicher, a Forrest High School graduate who
partn Navy Appreciating and Valuing Youth was killed during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq
Kevin (N.A.V.Y.), a pilot program which promotes and whose remains were recently returned home
Byrd, the mentorship of students by Navy personnel. to Jacksonville. “Like the Wright brothers, he
School Sailors from NAS Jacksonville and NS May- dared to dream too; he dared to be brave, and he
Liaison port commands are partnering with four Duval dared to change the world,” said Cochrane.
Officer for County Schools – Forrest High School, Ribault NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer
CBC Gulf- Middle School, Stillwell Middle School, and Captain Jeffrey Maclay stated, “We in the Navy
George Washington Carver Elementary School to do what we do around the world to make sure that
port facili- connect with students and provide positive role our children and all of you inherit a safer and
tated the models. more peaceful world. What you do with that
partner- Duval County Public Schools Superin- world depends in large part on your teachers and
ship be- tendent Ed Pratt-Dannals thanked those in their commitment to making your education the
tween the attendance and offered his remarks. “We are very most meaningful they can. We in the Navy hope
training fortunate that the Navy has chosen to partner with to help with that commitment and to promote
command these schools. Navy personnel are exemplary excellence in each of you by acting as tutors and
and a lo- citizens and outstanding role models in providing mentors.”
cal ele- service to our community and to our country and Forrest High School Principal Dr. Alvin Bren-
mentary will be great mentors to our students,” said Pratt nan closed the ceremony by saying, “I’m sure my
school in -Dannals. colleagues will agree and understand the signifi-
cance of partnering with the Navy, and what it
need of a will do for our schools. I know that at Forrest
sponsor. High School, it will bring a wealth of opportunity
Partner- for our students as they transition into adulthood.
ship in I’m really excited about this collaboration and the
Education benefits it will provide.”
events
help
strength-
en com-
munity
bonds.
ership be- Photo: Forrest High School AFROTC Unit presents
tween the colors during the playing of the National Anthem and the
Pledge of Allegiance.
training
command Also attending the kick-off event was NS
and a lo- Mayport Commanding Officer, Captain Doug
cal ele- Cochrane who gave the students a short history Photo: Dr. Alvin Brennan, Forest High School Principal (far
mentary lesson about the Wright brothers and how they left), is joined by Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals (center),
school in fulfilled their dreams doing something they loved. and Captain Jeffrey Maclay (right) at the inaugural event for
“On a cold, windswept day on the North Carolina the N.A.V.Y mentoring program.
need of a
sponsor. dunes, they changed the world forever. They were
Partner- dreamers. Their previous business ventures failed “It’s a win-win partnership and a great idea to
because with great achievement there frequently get our Sailors involved in the schools to help
ship in comes failure,” he said. these students,” added NAS Jacksonville School
Education Liaison Officer Dawn Mills.
events
help 6 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter
strength-

7. Kings Bay Host Education Forum
Communication & Connections
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.
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.
7 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

8. NAS Whiting Field Celebrates Partnerships
Partnerships in Education
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.
“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.”
8 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

9. Navy and Air Force
SLOs Join Forces
Talk about ‘force multipliers!’ The
Partnerships in Education
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!
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.
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!
9 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

10. Deployment Support 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
Developed by the Office of the teachers on what to expect in the class-
Superintendent of Public Education room as military school age children deal
in Olympic, Washington, the diagram with deployment-related issues.
above shows the five stages of
deployment experienced
by military families.
For many military families the choice to homeschool children is an easy decision to
make. Homeschooling offers scheduling flexibility, more parental control, individual-
Homeschool Linkage
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.
10 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

11. 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
Navy school liaison officers from all across
sessions organized into ’tracks.’ The tracks
the Southeast region headed to Orlando, Flor-
included Military Families, Smart Money, Mental
ida in June, but not for the reasons you might
Health, Employment, Disaster Preparedness,
think. Joined by Army, Air Force, and Marine
Advocacy, Youth, Recreation, and Birth to Age
school liaison officers, they attended two
Five.
professional development trainings — Florida
In addition to the informative breakout
Networking Conference on Supporting
sessions, the Family Café also included keynote
Military Children with Special Needs and the
speaker and parent advocate Julie Beckett and
Family Café.
Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President
The Florida Networking Conference, held
for Disability Policy within the Office of Public
from June 13—15, was sponsored through
Engagement. The Family Café also included an
grant funding made available to Operation
Employment Expo where attendees could sharpen
Military Kids. This training provided school
their job search skills. With over 5,000 family
liaison officers, EFMP liaisons, service agency
members in attendance, the Family Café was
representatives, and parents updates from
successful in bringing together service providers
guest lecturers on legislative initiatives, pro-
like the school liaison officers with exceptional
gram funding, and other issues impacting
families from around the state and region.
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 Photo: Michael Arnett, JRB Fort Worth school liaison officer,
to military families. assist family with important school resource information at the
14th Annual Family Café.
11 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

12. CNRSE SLO Directory Dawn Kaunike
CNRSE Regional School Liaison
E-mail: dawn.kaunike@navy.mil
Phone: (904) 542-4566
NAS Corpus Christi NAS Jacksonville
Mary Jane Garza, SLO Dawn M. Mills
Phone: (361) 961-3311 Phone: (904) 270-6289, Ext. 1305
E-mail: mary.garza@navy.mil E-mail: dawn.m.mills@navy.mil
NAS / JRB Fort Worth NAS Key West
Michael Arnett, SLO Suzanne Bryant
Phone: (817) 782-5832 Phone: (305) 293-2621
E-mail: michael.b.arnett@navy.mil E-mail: suzanne.bryant@navy.mil
NAVSTA Guantanamo Bay NSB Kings Bay
Christopher Dickson, SLO Clainetta Jefferson
Phone: (011) 5399-3664 Phone: (912) 573-8986
E-mail: chris.dickson@usnbgtmo.navy.mil E-mail: clainetta.jefferson@navy.mil
CBC Gulfport NAS Kingsville
Kevin Byrd, SLO Jeanie Alexander
Phone: (228) 871-21 Phone: (361) 516-6906
E-mail: kevin.r.byrd@navy.mil E-mail: carolyn.alexander@navy.mil
12 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter

13. Anchoring military families
CNRSE SLO Directory
from the
East Coast to the Gulf Coast
NS Mayport NAS Pensacola
Judith Cromartie Carissa Bergosh
Phone: (904) 270-6289, Ext. 1305 Phone: (850) 458-6588
E-mail: judy.cromartie@navy.mil E-mail: carissabergosh@mchsi.com
NAS Meridian NAS Whiting Field
Cynthia McDonald Chris Hendrix
Phone: (601) 679-2473 Phone: (850) 665-6105
E-mail: cynthia.h.mcdonald@navy.mil E-mail: christopher.p.hendri@navy.mil
NAS / JRB New Orleans
Treva Lynn Walters
Phone: (504) 678-3654
E-mail: treva.walters@navy.mil
NSA Panama City
Lynda Kent
Phone: (850) 234-4334
E-mail: lynda.kent@navy.mil
13 Commander, Navy Region Southeast School Liaison Newsletter