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Military Connected Families

Military Connected Families

 

Our Resolution

At Stephen F. Austin Middle School, we recognize the unique challenges faced by military-connected students and their families. We are dedicated to creating a school community where these students feel welcomed, supported, and valued. Our staff is committed to learning about the needs of military-connected families, providing tailored support, and building strong partnerships with local military organizations to ensure that every student can thrive. Through this commitment, we aim to strengthen the bonds between military-connected families and our school community.

Military Families New to Stephen F. Austin Middle School and PSJA ISD
On behalf of our entire Bruin family, we are honored to welcome you to Stephen F. Austin Middle School. We proudly embrace and support our military-connected students and their families, and we are committed to making your transition into our school community as smooth and supportive as possible.

At Stephen F. Austin, we have teachers and staff who are military veterans or children of veterans, and we understand the unique challenges that come with military life. Whether it’s frequent moves, deployment, or adjusting to a new environment, we are here to walk alongside you every step of the way.

Through our growing partnership with the JBSA School Liaison Office, student ambassador program, dedicated support committee, and ongoing events like Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and our community-engaged Career Fair featuring military recruiters, we ensure every military-connected student feels seen, valued, and empowered.

We are here to ensure that you have access to every opportunity and the high-quality education you deserve. Welcome to our community—you are now part of the Bruin family.

Challenges Faced by Military-Connected Students

Military-connected students often experience a range of academic, social, and emotional challenges that can impact their educational journey, including:

  • Frequent School Transitions: Frequent relocations due to military assignments can disrupt academic progress and social development, as students must repeatedly adjust to new environments and expectations.
  • Family-Related Stressors: Deployment, reintegration, injury, or the loss of a parent can create emotional strain that affects concentration, behavior, and mental well-being.
  • Special Needs Services: Navigating special education services can be particularly challenging due to varying regulations, testing requirements, and available resources across school districts.
  • Policy and Curriculum Adjustments: Understanding and adapting to new school regulations, policies, and curricula—often different from previous schools—can create confusion and stress.
  • Social and Emotional Adjustment: Building new friendships and becoming part of a peer group in an unfamiliar setting may increase stress and anxiety, especially in the early stages of transition.
  • Mental Health Risks: The ongoing cycle of relocation and family separation puts military-connected students at a heightened risk for anxiety and depression.

Austin Middle School Liaison Officer – Andy Aranda

Email:  andy.aranda@psjaisd.us
Phone: 956-354-2570

 Campus-based Military Liaison

The campus-based military liaison assumes the duties of the campus transition liaison. In this capacity, they oversee staff development initiatives and coordinate a range of events, such as Purple Up activities, Veterans Day Programs, and various other activities for our students. Additionally, they serve as sponsors for our student ambassadors with military affiliations and provide assistance in drafting the annual district board proclamation.

Military Liaison duties

The Military Family Liaison’s major duties and responsibilities: 

  • Serves as advocate for the military community and integrates the military student into campus.
  • Provides resources and program information support to military families.
  • Interacts with military families and students. 
  • Serves as the primary point of contact for school-related matters, assists military families with educational issues, coordinates with local school systems and forges partnerships between the military, community and schools.

Duties of Campus Military Liaison

Point of Contact which works collaboratively between military-connected students and their families and the campus.
Ensure Military connected students receive assistance from the campus student leadership.

Joint Base Stephen F. Austin Middle School Liaison Program Manager

Joint Base Stephen F. Austin Middle School Liaison Office (SLO) helps parents ease the transition of the mobile military lifestyle and can assist prior to your PCS, upon arrival, while at your installation and when you prepare to depart for your next duty station. They specialize in serving military families with K-12 school-age children and are able to provide information about the local school systems and community. The SLO will support parents and school districts with the Interstate Compact for the Education of Military Students interpretation, information on schools and boundaries, Home School, Deployment Support, provide School and Community Outreach partnerships. These military-dependent education professionals serve as a link between military families and all surrounding school districts ensuring maximum educational opportunities for academic success.

Andrea Black, JBSA School Liaison Program Manager

Email: andrea.black@us.af.mil
Cell:         (210) 823-6500
Address:  2514 Funston Road, Building 2515
JBSA-       Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234
JBSA Lackland (210) 671-8388 or JBSA-Randolph (210) 652-3081

Resources

2024 Veteran's Day Celebration

Three women standing in front of a %22Happy 4th of July%22 backdrop, dressed in red, white, and blue outfits, posing for a photograph.
The image shows a crowded school cafeteria or event space, with students and adults gathered around a table selling various food and drink items, including orange juice and other snacks. The background features colorful walls and a basketball hoop, indicating this is likely a school setting.
A crowded gymnasium filled with people seated at tables, surrounded by colorful decorations and a large %22Bruins%22 banner on the wall.
The image features a vibrant and patriotic design celebrating Veterans Day, with the text %22HAPPY VETERANS DAY%22 prominently displayed against a backdrop of red, white, and blue decorations, including fireworks, balloons, and American flags.
A group of people, some seated and some standing, are gathered in a colorful room with yellow and red walls, watching a presentation on a large screen.
The image shows three people sitting at a table, with a red tablecloth and a plate of food in front of them. In the background, there appears to be a gymnasium or indoor sports facility with people visible.
The image shows three people standing together in a gymnasium-like setting, with a colorful background and decorations indicating a celebration or event.
The image shows three people posing together in what appears to be a community center or school setting. The two individuals in the foreground are smiling and appear to be of Hispanic or Latino descent, while the individual in the background is wearing a red top and is also smiling.
A group of people, some holding musical instruments, stand in a brightly lit gymnasium with a yellow tiled wall in the background.
Two young individuals, a boy and a girl, are standing together and holding a framed photograph of a person in military uniform.
A group of people, some in wheelchairs, sitting together in a colorful room with a large screen display visible in the background.

2025 Career Day

A military service member is standing in front of a classroom, presenting information on a large screen behind them, with students seated in the foreground.
A military service member is standing in front of a classroom of students, with a projection screen displaying what appears to be a presentation or video.
A classroom setting with students seated at desks, listening to a teacher standing in front of a large screen displaying information.
The image shows a classroom setting with students seated at desks, and a person in military uniform standing in front of a large screen displaying what appears to be a video presentation.
A group of uniformed individuals, likely law enforcement officers, posing together in front of a backdrop of balloons and decorations celebrating a career milestone.
The image shows a military service member standing in front of a festive backdrop of blue and gold balloons, streamers, and decorations, celebrating a career milestone or event.
A large group of people, mostly young adults, gathered together in a colorful and vibrant classroom setting, with various decorations and signage visible in the background.
A military service member stands in a classroom setting, surrounded by students seated at desks and engaged in various activities.
A classroom setting with students seated at desks and a uniformed individual, likely an instructor, standing in the foreground.
A military service member is standing in a classroom filled with students, with a television screen displaying information in the background.

2025 Memorial Day Celebration

Three people, two men and one woman, are standing together outdoors on a grassy field. They are wearing casual clothing and appear to be at some kind of event or gathering, with a background of buildings and structures visible.
A group of five people, including three women and two men, are standing together on a grassy field with a large white tent and other structures visible in the background.
A crowded outdoor event with people gathered on a grassy field, surrounded by tents, booths, and tall lighting structures in the background.
A bustling outdoor market with various vendors selling an assortment of fresh produce, crafts, and other goods, set against the backdrop of a large white tent and a grassy field.
A bustling outdoor market with various vendors selling an assortment of goods, including jewelry, trinkets, and other handmade items, while a crowd of people browse and interact with the stalls.
A group of people, likely friends or family, posing together in what appears to be a storage or utility room filled with various household items and supplies.
A group of people in military uniforms holding American and Texas state flags on a grassy field with a stadium in the background.
Two people, a man and a woman, are standing at a table outdoors. The background shows a parking lot with cars and buildings in the distance.
A group of people in military uniforms are standing in front of an American flag and a white flag with a red cross, on a grassy field with a stadium-like structure in the background.
A group of people standing together in a grassy field, with a large tent and other structures visible in the background.
A group of people in uniform holding and waving a large Texas state flag on a grassy field, with palm trees and a clear blue sky in the background.