US Army Europe K-12 INBOUND PCS Handbook Aug 2016 | Page 4

Often military families are so preoccupied 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 orders, notify your child’s school in
writing. Provide the date of your
child’s last day. It’s never too early 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 location 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 folder. Before you pack all of your
important papers, place the papers 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, & special needs evaluations.
DO NOT PACK THIS FOLDER!
Hand carry it!

4. Research the area where you
are moving. You should investigate the schools BEFORE you
choose somewhere to live!
Some locations have multiple
schools. Your SLO can help you
with any questions and zone information.

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 different. A school/teacher that is not a
good fit for one family can be another 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 Education Teacher. Ask that they contact the new school personally if
need be. Be sure to get a copy of
your child’s up to date IEP, evaluations, 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 information 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 perhaps 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 program 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 moving. 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!