Welcome Military Families
Northside Independent School District (NISD) welcomes our military families! We support our military students and families to help ease the challenges they face due to deployment and relocation. This page was created to provide you with valuable information.
NISD welcomes military students and families who have been transferred to a local military installation. Parents or guardians who a dependent is a current or former member of the United States military, Texas National Guard, or reserve force in the United States military or who were dependent of a member of the United States military, Texas National Guard, or reserve force in the United States military who was killed in the line of duty.
Counseling Services
Counseling Services supports all students in the NISD community by providing counseling for academic, emotional, and personal development. We focus on each student's potential for growth.
Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Students in Northside’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs spend much of their time learning through a hands-on approach that prepares students for occupations and further study. CTE programs are available in middle and high school and in many career areas of interest to students.
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Programs
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
Military pride clubs are established in several Northside schools with many military children. The focus is providing military children and their families an opportunity to socialize with other students/families with 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 of school counselors who meet several times a year specifically to discuss current military concerns and 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 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 supporting military causes include Cup of Joe for a Joe, Linus Project, Fisher House, and Wounded Warriors.
Resources
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 nation's 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
Student2Student Program (S2S) is a student-led, faculty-advised program that aims to care for new students. The S2S program offers military and civilian students opportunities to build friendships and introduces them to their new community. It provides fun ways for new students to connect with other students, build new peer-to-peer groups, and encourage new students to perform better in school.
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
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
Joint Base San Antonio School Liaison
Dianna L. Fryer is the School Liaison Program Manager for JBSA-Lackland, San Antonio, TX. She connects schools, families, and communities to meet the unique needs of PreK-12 military-connected students by serving as the installation point of contact for all local military child education matters. By working with local schools and other agencies, Ms. Fryer cultivates communication pathways between families, schools, community stakeholders, and the military. She also customizes real-time solutions for military-connected students facing transitional barriers and educational gaps by staying connected with agencies that provide education services to our military-connected families.
Dianna Fryer, JBSA-Lackland
Email: dianna.fryer@us.af.mil
Office: 210-671-8388
Cell: 210-850-5737
Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)
View essential digital resources for students, parents, education professionals, and influencers in multiple formats: videos, webinars, and downloadable documents.
Elrod Elementary School Military Family Liaison
Celeste Parra
Professional School Counselor
Email: celeste.parra@nisd.net
Phone: (210) 397-1800
