JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall brought together representatives from Northern Virginia school districts, base school liaisons and military parents for its first education town hall meeting Aug. 14 at Brucker Hall.
At the town hall meeting, which was also streamed live on JBM-HH’s Facebook page, parents were introduced to representatives from Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Schools and Alexandria City Public Schools, as well as school liaison officers from JBM-HH and Fort Belvoir. Parents came to learn about the schools’ programs for children of military members and to voice their concerns on a range of topics.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to speak with the families of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall as we prepare to open the new school year,” said Brian Stockton, chief of staff of Arlington County Schools.
“Engaging with these military families before school starts strengthens our community and allows us to ensure we provide their children with the necessary support and resources they need to succeed,” he said. “Their unique experiences enrich our schools and we are deeply committed to helping those who serve our country.”
SLOs Allison Montalvo from JBM-HH and Ayesha Mahaffey from Fort Belvoir introduced themselves and talked a little about what they are doing to help children new to the area get started in school.
“We are the liaison between the base communities and the school communities. We are there to help people transition in and out of the bases and connect them with the resources they need to register,” Montalvo said. “When you leave, there are school liaisons all over the world, so we connect you with them so you can get the information you need.”
Maintaining open communication is an essential part of the job of school liaison Marie Bailey, a Fort Belvoir SLO.
“As a school liaison officer, it is very important that we reach out to military families and the community and communicate extensively with them to ensure a smooth process throughout,” Bailey said.
Dr. Francisco Duran, APS Superintendent, said that a large percentage of students attending APS schools come from military families and that a very important part of the educators’ job at the schools, aside from teaching the children, is to create an atmosphere where military families feel welcome and part of the community.
“We know there is a lot of stress, worry and questions throughout the year as students come into our school system,” Duran said. “We take great pride at Arlington Public Schools that once we know a military family is coming into our school system, we offer a variety of wraparound support services at each of our schools to make sure we are meeting all of their needs, whether academic, social or emotional.”
Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, superintendent of ACPS, announced the opening of the new high school in Alexandria and spoke about the opportunities students in Alexandria schools have to explore career options through academy programs where students learn skills in areas such as fine, performing and applied arts, STEM, or business and government.
“Our students will be ready to come back and impact the region (Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia) with their skills,” Kay-Wyatt said. “They will be ready for the workforce.”
Dr. Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, said FCPS is deeply committed to the more than 14,000 military youth in its schools and has moved to online enrollment to better support families who frequently come and go from the area.
After the presentation, the discussion was opened for questions and comments. Many parents expressed concerns, such as a lack of communication and frustrations with the registration process. Throughout the Q&A session, school officials expressed gratitude for parents’ ability to bring their issues to their attention and vowed to find out where the discrepancy was and find ways to resolve it.
Parents also had the opportunity to speak with school officials and liaisons after the town hall meeting to further ensure that their concerns were being addressed.
“Open forums like JBM-HH’s Education Town Hall are so valuable for understanding what is going on in our community and highlighting the unique challenges of PCSing with school-age children,” Montalvo said. “Part of the school liaisons’ responsibilities is to always seek feedback on how we can better support our families. I am extremely grateful to the families who spoke up and helped me find new ways to better serve them, and to the district officials who attended to listen to their concerns.”
Where to find help
If you are preparing to PCS with school-age children, your first point of contact should be the school liaison officer at your institution. They will help you connect with the school liaison officer at your new duty station.
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Allison Montalvo
[email protected]
Fort Belvoir
Ayesha Mahaffey
[email protected]
Pharnice “Marie” Bailey
[email protected]
Northern Virginia schools are committed to helping military families integrate into the region.
Arlington Public Schools
https://www.apsva.us/military-families/
Alexandria City Public Schools
https://www.acps.k12.va.us/
Fairfax County Public Schools
https://www.fcps.edu/services/family-academy/military-families