Currently, more than 7,000 children with parents who are connected to the military attend schools in the Northside Independent School District. Led by the efforts of school counselors, NISD school communities work diligently to support military families and address their unique educational challenges.
Support Programs for Military Children and Families
Counseling Support Groups
Because children experience a variety of concerns at different ages, Northside Independent School District offers school counseling services to all children in grades Kindergarten through 12. The purpose of school counseling is to help children make maximum use of their educational experience. Schools offer different kinds of groups to help children with the following topics: self-esteem, decision-making skills, coping and life skills, peer pressure resistance strategies, and social relationships. In particular to help support our military children many schools offer a small group called “We Serve Too.”
Clubs
In several Northside schools where there is a large number of military children, military pride clubs are established. The focus is providing military children and their families an opportunity to socialize with other students/families that have similar concerns.
Counselor Training
The Northside ISD Guidance Department offers additional training opportunities for counselors about the specific needs that military children face. This counselor training also teaches specific strategies/techniques that can be used when working with military children.
Military Children and Family Task Force
The Northside ISD Guidance and Counseling Department formed a task force made up of school counselors who meet several times a year specifically to discuss current military concerns as well as any resources available to our military families.
Curriculum
The NISD Guidance and Counseling Department developed a book bag filled with children’s books and curriculum specifically designed to target handling change (i.e. deployment, moves, loss, and coping). Counselors use this book bag as a resource to develop guidance lessons, small group sessions, and individual sessions.
Parenting Sessions
Northside provides many parent education opportunities throughout the district.
Events
Many of our Northside schools sponsor military events such as: Celebrate Freedom Week, Veterans Day Assemblies, Hall of Honor, Trevor Romain and the Comfort Crew, Salute Night, and Purple Up! Day.
Service Projects
Northside service projects in support of military causes include: Cup of Joe for a Joe, Linus Project, Fisher House, and Wounded Warriors.
Organizations for Military Families
- Army Reserve Family Programs
- Armed Services YMCA
- Blue Star Families mission is to Support. Connect. Empower-for military families by military families
- Build a Sign provides one free sign to welcome your hero home. You only pay for shipping
- Camp C.O.P.E. is designed to help young heroes cope with the effects of war and deployments
- Find care and services for your children, adults, pets and for your home using care.com
- The Comfort Crew for Military Kids helps with support for the social and emotional resiliency of military kids
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress has resources and articles for military families
- Fisher House Foundation provides housing when you have a service member hospitalized for injury, illness or disease
- American Gold Star Mothers Inc. is an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country
- Gold Star Wives of America Inc. provides support for widows/ widower of service members who died on active duty
- The American Legion is the nations largest veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth
- Love and Logic has resources for parenting/raising responsible children
- Screening for Mental Health is a resource for mental health tools
- Military's Interstate Children's Compact Commission includes the Interstate Compact
- Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) Resources for military families
- National Military Family Association provides free camps for children in military families
- Military Impacted Schools Association serves school districts with a high concentration of military children
- Military One Source has free books, DVDs, resources, handouts, etc.
- Military Officers Association of America provides financial assistance for students who are children of former, current or retired military
- National Resource Directory connects Service members, veterans, and their families with support
- Clarity Child Guidance Center strives to educate the community, parents, professionals, and leaders about mental illness
- Operation Military Kids provides support for children and youth impacted by deployment
- Operation We are Here has resources for military families
- Our Military Kids provides grants for the children of National Guard/Military Reserve who are currently deployed
- American Red Cross provides emergency aid and support for military families
- Sitter City Military Program provides child care programs for military families
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
- Tutor.com has online tutoring and homework help
- United Through Reading helps parents record reading books online/via video/tape recorder to be sent to their child
- United Way of San Antonio
- USO Transition 360 Alliance is an initiative to help U.S. Military personnel and their families transition back into civilian life after service ends
- The Trevor Romain Company has DVDs and curriculum for military families