Share your helpful thoughts, experiences and advice with other military students and parents. We want to set a positive tone with this blog, so please refrain from maligning any person, school, military installation or other. The SchoolQuest staff reserves the right to remove negative or hurtful entries. What did Mom always say? “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”
Kindergarten Enrollment . . . Is My Child Ready?
The first day of spring is here and for many of you that signals the time to evaluate whether your child is ready for Kindergarten. Not sure where to begin? Check out the SchoolQuest.org Library for some great tips on getting started!
Preparing for a College Fair
The season is upon us . . . that time of year when many school districts organize a college fair for high school students and their parents to attend. If your district is anything like ours, several colleges and universities will be present to offer information and answer questions. So . . . where to begin? How can you make the best use of the time allocated? We’ve got some great tips, so let’s get started!
When thinking about the whole idea of searching for a college, are any of you as overwhelmed as we are?! The very thought of working on this issue wears me (and my teenagers) out before I’ve/we’ve even gotten started! Perhaps you are a student (or have a son or daughter) who knows exactly what you want to study in college. Congratulations! It would seem that your search will be easier as you can zero in on schools that specialize in your field of interest. However, if your major is undecided, never fear . . . you are not alone and you can still begin your college search now. In fact, the process of evaluating your college options may result in giving you a better idea of your interests and strengths!
State Education Resources
Here’s a scenario . . . you live in California and have a Gifted & Talented (G & T) student. Soon you’ll be moving to Virginia and you’d like to find out about that state’s G & T policies. Questions you have might include: “Will my child be able to continue in a G & T program in their new school?”, “Will my child have to be tested again in order to participate in his or her new school’s G & T program?”, “Does my child’s new school even have a G & T program?” This is when SchoolQuest.org’s “State Education Resources” (SER) page comes in handy!
MCEC Partners with the National PTA
You may have already heard of the Military Child Education Coalition’s Student 2 Student program for high school students, or their “younger sibling” program at the middle school/junior high level called the Junior Student 2 Student program. These programs exist in several schools where a significant number of military-connected students attend, and they provide a way for new students to quickly get connected at their new school. (Visit the MCEC website for more information on S2S and JS2S.)
What about those students who live beyond the reach of these fantastic programs? . . . Students who live on Main Street America but are still affected by the deployment of Mom or Dad? (Such as military-connected students whose service member isn't stationed at a large military installation or who are more remotely located due to service in the Guard or Reserves.) How can programs created with this special student population in mind reach them? Through a partnership with an organization whose reach is broad and deep in our education system . . . the National PTA!
Space Camp Scholarship!
Consider this . . . the President has pledged that the United States will send astronauts to an asteroid by the year 2025, and to Mars by the year 2030. Who will these adventurous explorers be? The young people training today at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp!
What Is It?
The Bernard Curtis Brown II Memorial Space Camp Scholarship which was established in 2001 by the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). Recipients are provided an opportunity to have a week-long experience that brings together the worlds of science, service and learning. While only one scholarship was awarded in its first year, the program has grown and 10 scholarships were given in 2011. Thanks to generous donations over the years, a total of 117 scholarships have been awarded thus far!