http://www.health.mil/blog/10-06-24/Family_Resiliency_Webinar.aspx.

Providing policy, tools, and resources to further enhance the quality of life of service members and their families.

This Week in MC&FP August 20, 2010

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August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Some of us here in MC&FP

are old enough to remember (and are not too embarrassed to admit) the deadly consequences of life

without vaccines for childhood diseases like polio, whooping cough, and the measles. A lot has changed

in the past few decades – for the good. Immunization is critical to maintaining health and preventing

diseases among people of all ages. Take time to check your records and if needed, take action. After

all, it‟s your health!

Need more information? See DoD‟s Military Vaccine Office‟s Web site:

http://www.vaccines.mil/default.aspx?cnt=IAM/ImmunizationAwarenessMonth

Have a good week and take care.

Your MC&FP Team

Please note: Some hyperlinks in this text are lengthy, sometimes extending more than one line. For best results,

cut and past the entire link into your Web browser.

Save the Date! DoD/USDA 2011 Family Resilience Conference “Forging the Partnership”

Mark your calendar now to be in Chicago on April 26 - 29, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency. The

interagency conference, Forging the Partnership, will bring together professionals from DoD

and USDA and will build connections, competency and the capacity of our agencies and

programs.

The conference will feature keynote speakers, current youth and family research presenters, interactive

workshops and computer labs. The call for proposals will be published in early fall and registration will

open sometime in January. We‟ll keep you posted. For more information, see

http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/service/conferenceandworkshops/fy2011

Military Spouses Invited to Participate in „Don‟t Ask Don‟t Tell‟ Survey

Coming Soon: Don't Ask Don't Tell Survey for military spouses. This month, 150,000 military spouses

will receive a 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' survey. Spouses are asked to take the survey and return it; their

participation is vital. Survey responses are due by Monday, September 27th. See

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6393772&id=114648515718&comments&ref=mf and

https://www.militaryonesource.com/MOS/About/Announcements.aspx

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Got an idea on how the Defense Department can be more efficient and effective? Please share!

Secretary Gates is asking all DoD military and civilian employees for their ideas on how the Department

can be more efficient and effective. OSD P&R strongly supports Secretary Gates‟ overall campaign for

greater efficiency and encourages all of us to submit our ideas for consideration. Ideas both small and

large are welcome, and they can be for our part of DoD, another component, or the Department as a

whole. All ideas will be evaluated without a name attached, so please be candid, leaders advise. See

www.defense.gov/invest.

DoDEA to Observe Arts in Education Week

DoDEA will join schools around the country in the observation of Arts in Education Week, September

12-18, 2010. On July 26, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation designating the

second week of September as “Arts in Education Week.” The resolution had 101 co-sponsors with

encouragement and support of Broadway legend, Carol Channing. This resolution is the first

Congressional expression of support celebrating all of the arts education disciplines – dance, music,

theater and visual arts. Study in the arts is basic to the complete education of children. It provides a

competitive edge for success, and engages students in individual and group activity, develops creativity,

problem-solving, and critical and evaluative thinking. Arts education helps students acquire skills in

production and performance, as well as an understanding of history and culture. DoDEA endorses the

observance of Arts in Education Week as an opportunity to support the purposes and practices of arts

education and encourages teachers, parents, students, and communities to participate.

Free Online Fantasy Football Season Begins Sept. 12 – Register Now to Play

Morale, Welfare and Recreation is participating in a free online fantasy football league. The participant

with the top score at the end of the season will win a trip to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas. In

addition, all participants will have a chance to win the national contest, with a grand prize of $100,000!

The contest is open to all active duty personnel, their family members, retirees, Reservist, National

Guard, DoD and Coast Guard civilians.

Registration and all drafts must be started by Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. EDT. Each player can field as many as

60 teams, each of which will draft and play a full season of fantasy football games against 11 Fantasy

Football Professionals, including Joe Namath, MVP of Super Bowl III.

http://www.armymwr.com/news/news.aspx?nid=280

2011 Strengthening Families and Communities Resource Guide to be Published Soon

Tib Campise met with family advocacy federal partners in the Administration on Children and Families

and representatives from the Center on the Study of Social Policy, Strengthening Families, to finalize

our military-family related content for the 2011 Strengthening Families and Communities Resource

Guide. This guide will be published in early FY11 and will drive community child abuse and neglect

prevention initiatives.

FY 2011 Commissary Surcharge and Non-appropriated Fund Construction Program

On August 13, the Defense Department transmitted the program to the congressional oversight

committees for review. The report contains 46 major constructions projects totaling $398M and 27

public-private ventures with potential cost avoidance of $304M. The military departments identified

and validated the construction requirements to support their commissary, exchange, lodging and

category B and C morale, welfare, and recreation programs.

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Commissary Worldwide Case Lot Sales Offer Massive Savings in September

The Defense Commissary Agency's worldwide case lot sales in September can help authorized shoppers

save 50 percent or more. There are 330 items available for the sale this year and store staffs decide

which items they will feature in their sales with plenty of items that fit the bill for back-to-school, as

well as products useful for emergency preparedness: food and beverages that don't require refrigeration,

flashlights, lanterns and emergency candles. Most commissaries participate, but schedule their case lot

sales on different weekends throughout September. Some store sales dates can occur as early as August

and as late as October, so check the schedule for your local store's sale dates by going to the special case

lot sale Web page at: http://www.commissaries.com/case_lot_sale.cfm

DeCA Delivers

DeCA is delivering the benefit at the following National Guard location:

August 28-29 New York National Guard Armory Utica, N.Y.

In the News

From the Jacksonville Daily News – DoDEA sponsors special education seminars

Onslow County teachers are learning that behavioral success in the classroom is better achieved by

changing what they do instead of trying to change student behavior. Educators from Onslow County

Schools, Camp Lejeune and surrounding counties took part in free special education training under a

new initiative for military-connected schools. Sponsored by the Department of Defense Education

Activity's Educational Partnership Branch, area teachers attended two, two-day seminars -- challenging

behaviors and secondary literacy -- this week at Blue Creek Elementary School. More...

http://www.jdnews.com/news/education-81349-county-special.html

From the Family Matters blog – Blogger Shares Back-to-School Tips

After two months of summer vacation, the natives are restless. My kids have been at home at close

quarters for weeks at a time now and the tension is mounting. While my children won‟t admit it out

loud, I think we all are secretly looking forward to the first day of school. They may grumble and moan

about it, but I know when that first day of school arrives, they‟ll head off excitedly to meet their friends

with new backpacks and school supplies in tow. More … http://afps.dodlive.mil/2010/08/16/blogger-

shares-back-to-school-tips/

From DoDEA -- DoDEA Acting Director Sets Expectations for School Year 2010-2011

DoDEA Acting Director, Ms. Marilee Fitzgerald recently set expectations for DoDEA employees in her

back-to-school message. See: http://www.dodea.edu/xcast/2010_Fitz_B2S_Teachers/popup.cfm

From the American Force Press Service – Commissary Eggs Unaffected by Recall

As of yesterday, military commissaries are not affected by the massive Wright County Egg voluntary

recall, Defense Commissary Agency food safety officials reported.

Although the commissaries may carry some of the brands such as Hillandale and Sunshine that were

mentioned in the Aug. 13 recall action, the cartons of eggs sold in military stores are not part of those

linked to salmonella contamination, officials said.

See: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60525

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Financial Tip of the Week – College Bound? Financial Aid Information a Must

The College Board says a year at a private four-year college, for tuition, room and board, now averages

$35,636 and the same year at a public four-year college averages $15,213. While the Post 9/11 GI Bill

can cover some of these costs (and can be transferred to family members under certain conditions), it

may not cover all associated costs of higher education.

Financial Aid and Savings. As part of saving for college, you need to know whether your child will be

eligible for financial aid, which reduces what you may need to save for college.

Be aware that saving for college might impact financial aid. The impact on financial aid varies

depending on whether the savings belong to the parent or the child. Savings in a parent's name can

reduce federal financial aid eligibility by at most 5.64 percent, but assets saved in a child's name can

reduce aid eligibility by 20 percent. As of 2009, 529 accounts owned by a child, or set up as a custodial

529 account, are now treated at the same 5.64 percent rate. States and private colleges may have their

own rules for financial aid, and some states give more favorable treatment to pre-paid tuition plans and

other college savings options.

Financial Aid Online Resources. To help students and parents navigate the landscape, the U.S.

Department of Education‟s Office of Federal Student Aid launched Student Aid on the Web, a robust

Web site that provides details on federal student aid programs, including grants, campus-based aid,

work-study programs and loans. The Department of Education also streamlined the process for applying

for financial aid, enabling parents and students to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid –

the FAFSA – and monitor results online. The FAFSA Web site also features the FAFSA4caster tool,

which estimates in advance how much aid your student qualifies for and how much the family might be

expected to pay, referred to as the „Expected Family Contribution.‟ Another helpful Web site for

understanding financial aid and determining eligibility is FinAid! The SmartStudent™ Guide to

Financial Aid.

Remember that financial aid is not a gift – about 34 percent of aid for 2007-2008 consisted of loans.

While savings may decrease financial aid, you and your child will likely be in a much better financial

situation on graduation day if you start saving for college now.

Military OneSource Tip of the Week – Personal Coaching

Personal coaching can be very useful in everything from finances to physical workouts. Different from

counseling, coaching stresses maximizing your abilities and minimizing your deficiencies toward

attaining set goals. As the school year begins and families gear up for a more ordered lifestyle, this is

the perfect time to get some coaching. Think of goals you would like to achieve, some in a matter of

weeks, some over months, and some more long term.

Coaching (or personal training) can be sought for physical workouts at many military fitness facilities,

and at civilian fitness centers. You may be surprised at how caring a good personal coach can be!

Financial coaching has proven to be a help to some in meeting their money goals. Check out Military

OneSource for ideas on financial goal setting; contact them at www.militaryonesource.com to get

started.

This Week in MC&FP August 20, 2010

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Relational coaching, while perhaps less common, can be a help to those who want to overcome fear of

public speaking, mingling with others, or similar challenges. Consider seeking out a group such as

Toastmasters to help achieve goals in this area.

Spiritual coaching is available under many labels by religious organizations who often work through

small groups or one-on-one mentoring. Check out a local chapel, church, synagogue, mosque, or other

religious establishment or ancillary ministry.

Nutrition Tip of the Week

Are all brown breads whole grain?

Not all brown-colored breads are whole grain. Check the ingredients – the whole grain; that is, whole

wheat, should be one of the first two ingredients listed. Make half your grains whole. For more

information on making healthy and nutritious food choices, check out the Commissary‟s Web site at

http://www.commissaries.com/ <http://www.commissaries.com/>

Parenting Tip of the Week

With active duty Service members receiving PCS – „permanent change of station‟ -- orders every few

years, moving is a part of life for military families. Help make the transitions smoother for your family

by taking advantage of Military HOMEFRONT‟s Installation and State Information feature at

www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/tf/movingandrelocation. You‟ll find comprehensive information about

your next installation and the surrounding area, as well as contact information for CDCs, youth services,

and local schools.

Military Spouse Tip of the Week – Take charge of your PCS move!

Military life involves moving - there is no way around it. That's why MilitaryHOMEFRONT has

introduced Plan My Move, a powerful new set of tools to help you and your family make your next

move a smooth one. You‟ll have access to these features and more:

Customizable

Calendar

To Do Lists

Departure & Arrival

Checklists

Overseas specific

information

Reliable resources focused on the community outside the gate

Installation Overviews including local weather, maps, photos

and informative topics such as household goods, check-in

procedures, employment and child care

Assistance moving with a family member who has special

needs

Visit www.MilitaryHOMEFRONT.dod.mil (Troops and Families/Moving and Relocation Section) for:

Installation Overviews – Have you moved enough to already know the ropes? Skip the

customized relocation tools and start getting to know your new installation.

Directories and Maps – For a complete directory and locations of programs and services at an

installation of interest to you and your family, check out MilitaryINSTALLATIONS directories

and maps.

Moving 101 – New to the military? It‟s never too early to prepare for your first relocation. The

key to a successful relocation is proper planning. Moving 101 gives you a jump start.

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