JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA. – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall brought together officials from Northern Virginia school districts, installation school liaisons and military parents for its first education town hall Aug. 14 at Brucker Hall.
The town hall, which was also streamed live on the JBM-HH Facebook page, introduced officials from Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Schools and Alexandria City Public Schools and the school liaison officers from JBM-HH and Fort Belvoir to parents who came to hear about programs schools have for military children and to voice concerns about a variety of issues.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to speak with the families from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall as we prepare to open the new school year,” said Brian Stockton, Chief of Staff for Arlington County Schools.
“Engaging with these military families before the start of school strengthens our community and allows us to ensure that we are providing the necessary support and resources their children need to thrive,” he said. “Their unique experiences enrich our schools, and we are deeply committed to serving those who serve our country.”
SLOs Allison Montalvo from JBM-HH and Ayesha Mahaffey from Fort Belvoir introduced themselves and talked a little bit about what they do to help children coming into the area get settled into school.
“We are the connection between the base communities and the school communities. We exist to help people as they transition in and out of bases and connect you to the resources you need for registration,” Montalvo said. “When you’re outgoing, there’s school liaisons all over the world, so we connect to those so you can get the information you need.”
Maintaining open communication is a key component of the school liaison’s job Marie Bailey, a SLO from Fort Belvoir.
“As a school liaison officer, it is very important that we connect and thoroughly communicate with military families and the community to ensure smooth outcomes during the entire process,” Bailey said.
Superintendent for APS, Dr. Francisco Duran, said a large percentage of the students who attend APS schools are from military families and a very important part of the work of educators at the schools, aside from teaching the children, is creating an atmosphere where military families feel like they’re welcome and part of the community.
“We know that as students come into our school system throughout the year there’s a lot of stress and concerns and questions,” Duran said. “Something we take great pride in at Arlington Public Schools is that once we know a military family is moving into our school system, we have a lot of wraparound support services that we put in place at each of our schools to ensure that we meet all their needs, whether it’s academic, social or emotional.”
Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, superintendent of ACPS, announced the opening of Alexandria’s new high school and talked about opportunities students at Alexandria schools have to explore career options through academy programs where students learn skills in fields such as visual, performing and applied arts, STEM or business and government.
“Our students are going to be ready to come back and impact the (Washington, D. C., Maryland, Virginia) area with their skills,” Kay-Wyatt said. “They will be ready for the workforce.”
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid, said FCPS has a strong commitment to the more than 14,000 military connected youth in its schools and has shifted to online registration to better serve families who frequently transfer in and out the area.
Following introductions, the floor was opened for questions and comments. Many parents voiced concerns such as a lack of communication and frustrations with the registration process. Throughout the question and comment session, school officials expressed their gratitude that parents were able to make them aware of issues and problems they were having and vowed to find where the disconnect was and find ways to correct it.
Parents were also able to speak to school officials and liaisons after the town hall and get additional assurance that their concerns would be addressed.
“Open forums like JBM-HH’s Education Town Hall are so valuable to understand what is going on within our community and highlight the unique challenges of PCSing with school-age children,” Montalvo said. “Part of the responsibilities of school liaisons is always looking for feedback on how to better support our families. I am extremely grateful for the families who spoke up and helped me to identify new avenues to better assist them, and for the district officials who were present to listen to their concerns.”
Where to find help
If you’re getting ready to PCS with school age children, your first contact should be your installation’s school liaison officer. They will help connect you to the school liaison officer at your new duty station.
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Allison Montalvo
allison.r.montalvo.naf@army.mil
Fort Belvoir
Ayesha Mahaffey
ayesha.d.mahaffey.naf@army.mil
Pharnice “Marie” Bailey
pharnice.m.bailey.naf@army.mil
Schools in Northern Virginia are eager to help military families transitioning into the area.
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