Fort McCoy School Liaison Office

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
DMWR-IMWE-MCY-MWB-C
2187 SOUTH J STREET
FORT McCOY, WI 54656-5150

PHONE: COM (608) 388-6814 / DSN 280-6814
FAX: COM (608) 388-5011 / DSN 280-5011
Email: mcco-dl-schoolliaison@conus.army.mil
Office: School Age Building, Bldg 1751
Hours: Mon - Fri 0830-1700

With the Army (and Department of Defense) committed to addressing school and transition issues of the mobile military child, the Army has tasked the School Liaison Officer (SLO) to manage, coordinate, and facilitate education support services that maximize the opportunity for academic success for military children.

Please visit these links:
Role of the School Liaison Officer
Helpful Links
Checklists
Tips for Transitioning Special Needs Children
CHILD AND YOUTH SERVICES YOUTH SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
Frequently Asked Questions

Role of the School Liaison Officer
1. Serves as the primary point of contact for school-related matters.
2. Represents, informs, and assists Command.
3. Assists military families with school issues.
4. Coordinates with local school systems.
5. Forges partnerships between the military and schools.

Vision
“Leveling the playing field” for transitioning military children and youth.

Mission
The School Liaison Services mission supports the Child and Youth Services mission by:
1. Mobilizing and using community resources to reduce the impact of the mobile military lifestyle on military children/youth.
2. Implementing predictable support services that assist children/youth with relocations, life transactions, and achieving academic success.
3. Providing A-C-C-E-S-S for parents, children/youth, schools, commanders, and communities to a wide range of resources that facilitate school transitions.

Goals
1. Identify barriers to the academic success and smooth transition of Army children/youth and develop solutions to barriers.
2. Promote parent and community involvement in youth education.
3. Develop and coordinate Partnerships in Education (PIE) initiatives.
4. Provide Army parents the tools to overcome obstacles to academic success that children, encounter as a result of the military lifestyle.
5. Educate local schools and communities about the needs of military children/youth and the military lifestyle.

Helpful Links
Sparta School District - http://www.spartan.org
Tomah School District - http://www.tomah.k12.wi.us

Installation Programs:
4-H - www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/monroe/4h/index.html

Special Needs Information:
Army Exceptional Family Member Program
Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP) Project

Home schooling Information:
Home School Legal Defense Association (WI)
Wisconsin Homeschooling Articles and Resources

Other Resources:
My Army Life Too - www.myarmylifetoo.com/skins/malt/home.aspx?AllowSSL=true
Military One Source - www.militaryonesource.com
Military Impacted Schools Association - www.militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org
Army MWR - www.armymwr.com
School Matters - www.schoolmatters.com
Home Schooling Legal Defense Association - www.hslda.org
Interactive Customer Evaluation - http://ice.disa.mil/
Link to other installations - www.armymwr.com/portal/myinstallation/
Military Child Education Coalition - www.militarychild.org
Operation Military Kids - www.operationmilitarykids.org

Checklists
These may help you when you leave a school to transfer to a new one. Obtaining proper clearance from the local school system will speed up enrollment at the incoming school.

Elementary
1. Notify school as soon as you have received an estimated departure date.
2. Visit school prior to departure to officially withdraw.
3. Return all Books (library and textbooks).
4. Clear all charges or fines.
5. Receive copy of records (Can only be received after completion of withdrawal process).

*Student’s Name
*Signature of School Personnel/Date/Campus

Middle School
1. Notify school as soon as you have received an estimated departure date.
2. Visit school prior to departure to officially withdraw.
3. Ensure student has followed proper withdrawal process of school to include the following:

Return all books (library and textbooks)
Clear library
Clear all charges or fines
Clear clinic
Receive copy of records (Usually can only be received after completion of withdrawal process).

*Student’s Name
*Signature of School Personnel/Date/Campus

High School
1. Notify school as soon as you have received an estimated departure date.
2. Visit school prior to departure to officially withdraw.
3. Ensure students have followed proper withdrawal process of school to include the following:
Return ID/library card
Return all books (library and textbooks)
Clear library
Clear all charges or fines
Clear clinic and attendance office
Clear extracurricular activities
Receive copy of records (Usually can only be received after completion of withdrawal process).

*Student’s Name
*Signature of School Personnel/Date/Campus

Tips for Transitioning Special Needs Children
1. Contact your local special education counselor/director and request assistance as to what should be done before the transition to the new school. Write or contact the special education director for the state that you are going to and request local policies.
2. Contact your local Army Community Service (ACS), Exceptional Family Member (EFMP) Program Coordinator. They can assist you with identifying resources at your new duty station.
3. After informing the current school of the pending move, get complete copies of educational and health records, including IEP and evaluations, shots and others.
4. Along with the name, phone numbers, and e-mail address of the teacher who knows your child best, get a list by subject of textbooks and instructional resources.
5. To facilitate the records process for the new school, gather the current school’s address, phone numbers, website, fax number and contact information.
6. Find out if an Interactive Counseling Center is available. (See ICC school list at http://interactivecounselingcenter.org/Locations/
7. Send school records to the new school and set up a discussion time prior to arrival. On arrival, make an appointment to introduce your child.
8. Be sure to take any special equipment and refill medication prescriptions that your child may need for the next few months.

Keep an open mind! Programs and services may be different at the new school. Some of these tips were taken from STOMP (Specialized Training for Military Parents)

CHILD AND YOUTH SERVICES YOUTH SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
Matches youth ages 6-18 coming to Fort McCoy with volunteer sponsors their age you will help them become familiar with post and surrounding area. Below is information on becoming a sponsor and requesting sponsorship.

WHAT DOES A YOUTH SPONSOR DO?
Helps other youth by providing them with information they would like to know about Fort McCoy and the surrounding community. Being a youth sponsor will provide the youth with a less stressful and challenging move. It is a fun, exciting, and rewarding program that helps youth transition from HERE TO THERE! The most important part of being a Youth Sponsor is to be a friend and to make them feel welcome in their new community.

HOW DO I BECOME A YOUTH SPONSOR?
To become a youth sponsor fill out the Youth/Teen Sponsor Profile and mail or email it back to the School Liaison Officer. When a youth requests sponsorship we will match you up according to your age and interests.

Request for Youth Sponsorship: What is it? If you’re between the ages of 6 and 18 and are on your way to Fort McCoy, someone of the same age can help you become familiar with Fort McCoy and the surrounding communities.

How to I request a sponsor? Fill out and email or mail the Fort McCoy Youth Sponsorship Request form to the School Liaison Officer. After we have your request, we will match you up with one of our sponsors who will be around the same age and share the same interests.

Frequently Asked Questions
What programs does your installation offer for my child/children?
Child and Youth Services program provides programming for children ages 4 weeks-18 years old. Fort McCoy’s Child and Youth Services program provides four program options:

Child Development Center (6 weeks-5 years old)
School Age Services (Kindergarten-Fifth Grade)
Family Child Care (4 weeks and up)
Middle School/Teen (Sixth-Twelfth Grade)

What school will my child attend?
We do not have any schools on post. If you live in government housing (801 housing) your child will attend the Tomah school district, if you live on South Post your child will attend the Sparta school district. If you do not live in government housing it will depend on which city you live in.

More questions and answers will be posted after more questions are frequently asked to the SLO.

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Fort McCoy School Liaison Office

Middle School 1. Notify school as soon as you have received an estimated departure date. 2. Visit school prior to departure to officially withdraw. 3. Ensure student has followed proper withdrawal process of school to include the following:

Return all books (library and textbooks) Clear library Clear all charges or fines Clear clinic Receive copy of records (Usually can only be received after completion of withdrawal process).

Middle School
1. Notify school as soon as you have received an estimated departure date.
2. Visit school prior to departure to officially withdraw.
3. Ensure student has followed proper withdrawal process of school to include the following:

Return all books (library and textbooks)
Clear library
Clear all charges or fines
Clear clinic
Receive copy of records (Usually can only be received after completion of withdrawal process).