Army Europe K-12 PCS INBOUND Handbook PCS Handbook ARMY OUTBOUND SY17-18 | Page 3

Often military families are so pre- occupied with the logistics of PCSing, that the academic needs of the child gets overlooked. Here are a few quick tips to help your child have a smooth take-off from their current school, and a soft landing in his/her new school. 1. As soon as you receive or- ders, notify your child’s school in writing. Provide the date of your child’s last day. It’s never too ear- ly to do this! 2. Contact the School Liaison Officer (SLO) at your new duty station. Your current liaison can help you make a smooth exit at your old duty station. Your new Europe SLO can help you with information about your new lo- cation and answer any questions you may have. 3. Create a School PCS folder for each child. In the folder, place the PCS checklist attached (pg 3) and all of the items you collect listed on the checklist in this fold- er. Before you pack all of your important papers, place the pa- pers you will need to register your child in his/her new school in this folder! Include: copy of birth certificate or passport, shot record, copy of transcript, & spe- cial needs evaluations. DO NOT PACK THIS FOLDER! Hand carry it! 4. Research the area where you are moving. You should investi- gate the schools BEFORE you choose somewhere to live! Some locations have multiple schools. Your SLO can help you with any questions and zone in- formation. 5. Remember that data is only 9. If you know where your child ONE indicator of a school’s quality. If at all possible, go to the school and observe…see for yourself. Most importantly, do not form an opinion about a school or teacher based on the rumor mill. Every family, child, and situation is differ- ent. A school/teacher that is not a good fit for one family can be an- other family’s perfect fit. will go to school at the new duty station, contact the school to get calendar information, registration 6. If you have a child with special needs, meet with your Special Ed- ucation Teacher. Ask that they con- tact the new school personally if need be. Be sure to get a copy of your child’s up to date IEP, evalua- tions, notes, etc. for the School PCS folder. If you haven’t already, be sure to enroll in the Exceptional Family Member Program. details, course selection, and even sports try out deadlines! Your SLO can assist you with making those contacts and accessing that infor- mation as well. 10. Be patient ! Settling in takes time, and some kids take longer to make new friends. Find activities and opportunities to connect with other kids. ( CYS Services can help you with this!) Before you know it your child will be telling you about his best friend and the cool thing they did in school that day! 7. Network! Touch base with the local FRG, spouse’s club, or per- haps your sponsor or sponsor’s spouse to get some insight. Your child can “network” with a youth sponsor. Child ,Youth and School Services Youth Sponsorship pro- gram can help your child “network” Complete an online request for a youth sponsor on the SLO website. 8. Talk to your child about the social/emotional stresses of mov- ing. Let them share their concerns. Plan a “farewell” party or at least designate a time to allow your child a chance to have closure and say good bye. You may want to provide your child with a notebook in which he/she can collect names, photos, email addresses and phone numbers. Go to Military Youth on the Move website for more ideas. With a little planning, you can turn your PCS into a POSITIVE CHANGE OF SCHOOL!