To help new military families who might be new to the area feel prepared for the upcoming school year, Great Falls Public School district hosts an annual military information fair.
“As we have families that have moved in and are trying to get everything coordinated, it's really hard to go from school to school, especially if you have children at multiple levels. This allows people to see what services are available all in one spot,” said Shanda Brown, principal at Loy Elementary School.
Colette Getten, administrator at Skyline Early Learning Family Center, said this fair allows families to see and understand the tools available to navigate the Great Falls school district.
“A lot of the families are moving here in the summertime and didn't get the opportunities maybe for the spring open houses or jump starts. So, this is another opportunity that's very specific to them and lets them know of all the resources that the school district has,” Getten said.
Among the available resources are food service and nutrition, special education, and transportation for the students needing bus pick-up and drop-off on base.
"It gives parents kind of that ease, like ‘okay, now we can go on and enjoy the rest of our summer, and then we know what’s going to happen for school’,” Getten added.
During the Malmstrom Air Force Base Enrollment and Information Fair, families are able to tour the school, visit with faculty and ask any questions they might have for their incoming students.
“It also gives us an opportunity to interact with our incoming families so that they have a familiar face when they come on to the school property on the first day of school, instead of everything being new,” Brown added. “We like to utilize this time to build those relationships and be able to answer any questions in kind of a low-stress environment.”
Children in military families get used to moving schools fairly often; however, Great Falls Public School District is dedicated to ensuring all students feel seen and known while they are here.
“For us, we are very kid-centered, and this allows kids to understand we're here for them and they get to see all the great stuff and all the great hard work that the teachers do to make them feel welcome,” Brown said.
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