18 May 2012

Fort Drum has been selected to participate in The Army Youth Net-work Survey. Only 5 Army Garri-sons have been selected to par-ticipate in this survey. The pur-pose of the survey is to learn about how Army youth 11-18 years of age feel about themselves, their families, and their friends, and what kind of programs and so-cial supports are helpful to them. To be successful Army is request-ing 350 youth, from Fort Drum, to participate in the survey. Youth eligible to participate in Child Youth and School Services are eli-gible to participate in the sur-vey. CYSS Membership is not re-quired. The survey will be con-ducted Monday, 21 May through Fri-day, 25 May at the School Age Cen-ter, Youth Center and the McEwen Library. Please talk to your peers, friends and neighbors and encourage participation.(See flyer on left) Both consent and assent forms must be turned in prior to taking the survey. Please visit the web site below for additional information. Thank you, Kristie Smith Youth Center Assistant Director DFMWR Fort Drum, New York 13602 315-772-9897

Task Force Tigershark FRSA Flash

www.facebook.com/TF Tigershark Government Organization

We need your help to reach our

goal.

http://www.drummwr.com/CYSSYouthNetworkSurvey.html

S c h e d u l e o f F R G E v e n t s P a g e 2

18 May Task Force Evening Out. Join your fellow families at the Spiritual Life Center

Friday evening for kids activities and adult time. Bring a dish to share and enjoy

some time with other Tigershark families.

30 May HHC FRG meeting at Hillside Lodge 1730-1900.

13 June Family Day in the simulator. More information to follow in next weeks flash

19 June Change of Command for the Task Force Commander 1000 in the hanger.

Please send me your FRG calendar events by Wednesday of each week.

May 2012

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Our Hero’s Hard at Work

Thanks to Cpt. Timmons for the pictures.

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Moving Your Kids during PCS Season

Moving to a new area can be hard on you, but it can be especially hard on a child. Below are some help-

ful tips to help make your child’s transition from one school to another easier;

If you are moving out of a current location: (at the end of the school year)

Communicate with your child’s school is critical. Out-process with school at least 2 weeks prior Students will receive grades up to last day If PCS’ing obtain SLS (School Liaison Services) information on new duty station

Departure prior to school year completion:

Report card is not issues Schools provide a report showing grade status and may suggest if student should be repeat grade

over Grade promotion is determined by receiving school

Hand carry the following information for your child:

School report card IEP Birth Certificate Social Security Card Custody agreement Achievements and certificates Volunteering record Any information that is above and beyond normal school activities (i.e. clubs, sports, extracurricular

events) Immunization record

School Liaison Officers: Michele Carlton, 772-3214

Terri Spencer, 772-1311

Top Ten PCS Don’ts

Tis the season to be moving. Yes, summer is approaching, and military families all over the world are preparing to pack their bags and PCS. Are you one of those families? Here it goes … 1. Don’t forget to take pictures before, during, and after the PCS. For practical purposes, you need to take pictures of your valuable items before the movers pack them up. But don’t pack up that camera just because the movers arrive. Snap fun photos of your house and your family throughout the process of packing. 2. When traveling with children, don’t forget to have at the ready baby wipes, antibacterial gel, a change of clothes for everyone in the family, reading material, food, drinks, toys and gadgets, a cell phone charger, a sense of humor, a whole lot of patience, and possibly a set of earplugs. 3. Don’t wait until you reach your final destination to research the area you will soon be calling home. . By the time you reach your new duty station you should already knows the ins and outs of the entire city — in-cluding the best schools, hotels, parks, neighborhoods, routes to work and things to do on the weekends. Your installation’s Relocation Center at ACS can help you obtain all this information. Call them at 315-772-6553/6902 for help, and knowledge truly does make life a little easier. 4. Don’t decline offers to help. Whether friends offer their babysitting services, a hot lunch, a place to crash, an air mattress or a stiff drink, take it! This is no time to prove how skilled you are at multitasking. 5. Don’t hold your breath that your shipments will arrive on the estimated arrival date you were given. They may not, so be prepared for long hotel stays, picnics on the floor, and elevator music while you sit on hold with the personal property office. 6. Don’t leave things lying around your house that you don’t want packed. The movers can’t read your mind. If you don’t want your underwear packed, hide it in your suitcase. If you don’t want the diapers packed, put them in your car. If you don’t want to find a trash can filled with trash on the other end, make sure all gar-bage is at the curb. Designate one room in the house for the items you don’t want packed and place a “Do Not Enter” sign on the door. If you can’t find a place to hide stuff use “Post-It” notes with big X’s. Even movers in foreign countries know that that means hands-off. 7. Don’t let friends see you off on departure day. It’s just too hard. Say “goodbye” and shed your tears the day before. Then make a clean getaway on departure day. You can’t make a fresh start with mascara dripping down your face. 8. Don’t expect your husband to be there to help. Whether he misses the pack-out or the pack-in or the travel in between, you should prepare yourself to deal with any and all portions of the PCS by yourself. But that’s no problem. After all, you’re a Military Spouse. You’re used to doing things on your own by now, right? 9. Don’t be too hard on yourself. PCS’ing is stressful, and exhausting, and frustrating and makes you want to poke your eyes out with a fork. You’ll forget to pack something that should have been packed. You’ll get lost the second you pull away from the airport. You’ll mortify the Japanese moving men by nursing your newborn because no one told you that in Japan public breastfeeding isn’t as acceptable as it is in the States. But it hap-pens. Life goes on. And you’ll have a funny story to break the ice with the new people you meet at your next duty station. And, most importantly …

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TF KNIGHTHAWK/RENEGADESTRONG BONDS MARRIAGE

RETREAT

SYRACUSE, NY1-3 JUNE 2012

“ACTIVE RELATIONSHIPS”CHILDCARE, LODGING, MEALS ARE ALL PROVIDED

PLEASE CONTACT COMPANY 1SG

POC 2-10 AVN: SGT YOUNG-347-243-8614/315-774-1529POC HHC BDE: CH JOHNSON-315-405-6810/315-774-2940

NOTE: IF WE ARE TIGHT ON SLOTS PRIORITY GOES TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT RECENTLY ATTENDED A

STRONG BONDS EVENT.

UPCOMING ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Sat. 5/26 - Thousand Islands Winery Grape Blossom Festival - Volunteers will assist with many aspects of the event (wine pouring, parking, check-in, security, etc). T-shirts will be provided. LOCATION: Thousand Islands Winery in Alexandria Bay. Shifts 1130-1600: or 1530-2000. Sat. 7/24 - Thousand Islands Winery Birthday Bash - Help celebrate the 9th Birthday of the Thousand Islands Winery. Volunteers will assist with the same tasks as noted above. LOCATION: TI Winery in A-Bay from 1630-2100. Sat. 8/18 - Greater Watertown Walk to End Alzheimer's - Sackets's Harbor This is the largest fundraising events in the area and need many hands to make it a suc-cess. Individuals and Group Volunteers are welcome! Volunteers assist with the day in many ways; registration, walk guides, serve refreshments, assist with incentives and more! LOCATION: Sackets's Harbor Central School from 0700-1200.

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Safety Awareness Day Safety Day Walk/Run

When: 24 May 2012 Where: See map below for Safety Awareness Day Run Route. The civilian walking group will form at the corner of Euphrates River Valley Road and S. Riva Ridge. The distance from this point to the reviewing stand at Hays Hall is 6/10 (.6) of a mile. Mile markers will be along the route marking the entire 4 mile route. Why: To show support for Safety Day, to promote health and wellness and just to have fun. Parking: In coordination with the DES Traffic Section, the closest available parking lot to the formation point is the USO Club/Heritage Center, Bldg 10502 on S. Riva Ridge. Please be parked by 0645. Vehicle access to this lot will be closed for the installation run from 0700-0800. 10th Mountain Division Drive will be closed from the north to traffic but open from the south. Dress: Comfortably for walking. PT reflective belt or vest required. Who: All Fort Drum civilian employees are invited. Note: Any civilians who would prefer to run the four miles is invited to do so by assembling/forming up behind HHC, USAG. (See run/walk route) Questions: Contact the Command Safety Office at DNS: 772-5352. 1. Installation Run. Civilians are encouraged to participate in the 4-mile run as runners or walkers. Both runners and walkers must be in formation NLT 0645 for the 0700 start. The run should complete by 0800-0815. However, the civilian walk-group walk will not begin until the conclusion of the run. Therefore, the walk actually begins at 0800-0815 to walk all or any portion of the four miles. The GC has established participation in the run/walk as a place of duty and a report for duty time at the organization to be NLT 1000. A report time short of 1000 can be established for those are not completing the full course.

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Safety Day Mountain Thunder Ride

24 May 2012

This is open to All Active Duty Military (Who have completed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course), Family Members, DA Ci-vilians, and Contractors who possess a DoD Identification Card. **This is not an event for novice riders due to tight bike forma-tions**

The 17th Annual Safety Day 2012 Fair

Magrath Gym on 24 May from 0900 through 1500. See attached flyer for a list of topics/demonstrations that will be available through-out the day.

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Free Park Passes

for Military Families

The Obama administration is stepping up its court-

ship of active-duty military personnel and their

families by offering them a free pass to any na-

tional park, officials announced Tuesday.

The annual passes will be made available to members of the military free of charge beginning Sat-

urday, Armed Forces Day, officials said. The pass, which usually costs $80, allows entrance to

more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands.

The plan was announced Tuesday during a ceremony at Colonial National Historical Park in York-

town, Va., where Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, director of the National Park Service Jona-

than B. Jarvis and assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy distributed the first

passes to one member from each of the military's five branches.

"Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices and

put their lives on the line to protect our country and preserve our freedom," Salazar said. "In recog-

nition of their contributions and service, we are putting out a welcome mat for these brave men and

women and their families at America's most beautiful and storied sites."

The National Park Service estimated that giving away the annual passes to service members and

their families will cost between $2 million and $6 million in lost revenue a year. The government

usually collects about $150 million in annual park fees nationwide.

The free pass will be made available for activated members of the National Guard and Reserves,

but not for military veterans or retirees.

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AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL - THE NATIONAL PARKS & FEDERAL RECREA-TIONAL LANDS PASS PROGRAM

**IMPORTANT! FEDERAL RECREATION AREAS WHERE INTERAGENCY PASSES ARE ISSUED ~ This list is not comprehensive and may include errors; some Federal recreation sites are only open part-time or may

change what passes are issued or be out of passes. Most Sites that sell the Annual Pass will also have the Military Pass available. Please contact the site(s) prior to traveling to obtain the most current information on availability of all passes.

NEW YORK PARKS

(KEY: NWR = National Wildlife Refuge; BLM = Bureau of Land Management; NF = National Forest;

NRA = National Recreation Area; NHS = National Historic Site)

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Part Finger Lakes NF - Hector Station , Hector Fire Island National Seashore , Patchogue Fort Stanwix National Monument , Rome Gateway National Recreation Area (also NJ) , Staten Island Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS , Hyde Park Iroquois NWR ,Basom Long Island NWR Complex, Shirley Martin Van Buren National Historic Site , Kinderhook *FOR THE COMPLETE LIST CONTACT YOUR UNIT FRSA

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They who wait

Also Serves!

Military Spouse

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Contents of this newsletter are compiled from multiple Military Family news sources. Material presented

does not represent the views or endorsement of TF Knighthawk or the United States Army. This material is

for personal use of the readers. All readers are encouraged to do further research for all applicable restric-

tions and guidelines.

Ft. Drum Employment Readiness Program upcoming Events and Workshops All classes will be located at the ACS building. Please RSVP

**Finding a Job Using Social Networking - 16 May- 9:30-11:30 **Federal Employment Workshop - 24 May - 9:30-11:30 **Computer Basics for Job Seekers - Intro to PowerPoint - 30 May - 9:30-11:30 Basic Excel - 4 June - 1:00-3:00 **Employment 101 - 30 May - 1:00-3:00 **Employment 101 - 7 June - 9:30-11:30 **Build Your Own Business - 13 June - 9:30-11:20 **Resume Writing Computer Lab - 11 June - 9:30-10:30 - ACS

For more job announcements and job searching tips, we post 5-10 jobs daily on our face book page! http://www.facebook.com/fortdrumemployment