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Military Families » Welcome Military Families

Welcome Military Families

At Big Country Elementary we support military-connected students and their families by providing a welcoming environment, academic assistance, social-emotional support, and strong school-family communication to help them navigate the challenges of military life. We recognize the unique experiences and challenges that come with being a military family and strive to meet the needs of military connected students from day one to ensure a smooth transition.   

Building a Welcoming School Climate

  • Create a formal welcome process for new military families.
  • Assign student ambassadors or peer buddies to help new students transition socially.
  • Train staff to understand military culture, deployment cycles, and the challenges of mobility.
  • Recognize military families during events such as Veteran’s Day and  Month of the Military Child.

 

Strengthening Communication With Families

  • Maintain communication with parents and caregivers, especially during deployments.
  • Offer flexible meeting options (virtual conferences, recordings of school events, translated materials if needed).
  • Ensure families understand school procedures, academic expectations and available resources after enrollment.

 

Supporting Social-Emotional Needs

  • Provide access to counselors or social workers familiar with military family experiences.
  • Create small support groups or lunch groups for military-connected students.
  • Teach coping, resilience, and emotional regulation skills within the school counseling program.
  • Watch for signs of anxiety, withdrawal, grief, or stress during deployments and reunifications.

 

Tutoring Opportunities

  • Students may receive tutoring support throughout the school year. Please contact your child’s teacher for specific tutoring days and times.
  • Tutor.com/military  is a free online tutoring and homework help service available 24/7 for military-connected students and families.

 

 Extracurricular Activities

  • STEM Club - designed to help students explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through hands-on projects, robotics, and coding. 
  • Robotics Club - students design, build, and program robots to tackle specific engineering challenges.
  • Student Council - elected or selected group of student leaders who act as the voice of the student body. 
  • iPLAY! is an after school sports program that teaches students about nutrition, character and leadership. 

 

After School Care 

  • PLAY Program 
    • The After School P.L.A.Y. Program provides a safe, fun environment for children to learn, play, and grow under the supervision of Southwest ISD-certified teachers.  Click here for more information
  • YMCA 
    • BCE is one of the afterschool care sites for YMCA. Families can click here to register online or in person at any YMCA branch.