Our family is likely to move this fall. My daughter starts 1st grade on Monday, but the place we will move to, the year starts Sept. 4th. I want her to start at her old school Monday because there is a chance the move could fall through.
My concern is that she will have to start at three different schools in the next 4-5 months. She will start somewhere new while we find a house, but we are moving to a big city - over 140 elementary schools - so she will have to start someplace else new when we do find a house. (I don't want to keep her at the first school if it is a 30 minute drive from our home.) The move can't be postponed until the end of the year because it is in conjunction with a job transfer. Our family is also not willing to live 1500 miles away from Dad to wait out the school year.
Any suggestions on how to give my daughter less disruption in her schooling? Can she miss a month of school in the new state because she started a month earlier in the old state? Will the school district let her start at a school as soon as we have a house picked out or do we have to actually close on the house first? Should I homeschool until we get a permanent location? (I have a degree in education and she performs well above her grade level, so I am not worried about her academically. I just want to give her consistency.)
Should we keep the family behind until we find a new house? We don't want to rush into buying a home like we did last time and regret our purchase, but I can't keep flying back and forth to look at houses either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
What if you waited to buy a house for the first year in the new area, that way too, you really get to know the new city before you decide where you want to permanently live in it.
S. -
this is definitely a tough one. With four kids, I'm not sure homeschooling is the best option for you and your daughter. Why not approach the idea of consistency from an entirely different standpoint? Start her in school here, and establish a morning ritual that can be continued after you move. It may be something as simple as sharing a cup of tea in the morning, or making her some cocoa or letting her choose a special breakfast once a week. It needs to be something simple enough that you can do it easily and juggle everything you have to juggle with your other children and the upcoming move. Maybe she can pick the music you listen to in the car every day on the way to school. Something that gives her a sense of control and consistency - that will allow her to cope with all of the other changes facing her in the coming year.
Iw ould most definitely go with the "home-school until you get to your final destination" option. Changing schools once during mid-year is hard enough, even for an older child - multiple changes that close togther for a little one will only stress her unnecessarily.
We are a military family and we have moved 8 times in the last 14 years. My oldest daughter had to switch school in the middle of first grade and then again in the middle of third grade in the past. Moves in the middle of the school year are pretty hard for children.
Things to consider are .... Is this a move within the same State? Because the curriculum varies from State to State. Some schools are further along than others. It also depends on the new teacher if this transition will be easy or hard on your child.
Then children, depending on the school district, are only allowed to miss so many days per school year to move to the next grade. So I would not keep her out of school for long.
We moved last year from Germany to the US. We were lucky this time, because our move was scheduled at the end of the school year. So my children were able to finish the school year at their old school and start together with all the other children in the new school.
As for homeschooling..... I was considering it last year because my daughter was ill for some time. You have to make up your own curriculum (which is no big deal to you, since you have a degree in education) and once you are ready to return your daughter into school, she has to go thru some testing before she can start public school.
I do have to agree with, I think it was the first poster, who mentioned waiting one year before you buy a house. I would recommend the same. Because after one year you know the area, and you know your likes and dislikes.
Or, another option, let your husband go ahead, let him pick out a house, you could look at it online, and once the house is bought you follow with the children.
I totaly agree with the previous post. I am in the same boat you are. My husband has a job interview Tuesday in a new city, so if he gets the job, we will be moving, and the kids will have to start a new school. I've been researching the schools in areas around the city where my husband will be working. So we will be finding a school first, then a house.
Go to http://www.greatschools.net/. And type in your city, and you will be able to get all kinds of info on the schools in that area and surrounding areas. Hope that helps, and good luck on the possible job transfer!!
Personally, I would either start your child now and not move her until you are within a week of closing on your new house, or homeschool. The only other option would be to choose a school district in the city you are moving to and choose a home in it, that way your daughter will not have to change schools a third time. Most school districts will allow her to start once you have an accepted contract on a home with a set closing date. This is what I did last fall, there are 30+ schools here and I choose the two school districts I wanted and choose a home there, that way I knew what specific areas I wanted to be in and my daughter would have been able to stay either way because the schools were right down the street from one another but took in different neighbohoods.
What city you are moving to will also make a difference, I would go to that states department of Education website and research the school districts prior to ever setting foot in a realtor's office.
HTH,
M.
S., if I were you I'd homeschool until you have everything settled. If it's consistency you're worried most about, that will be the most consistent education for you, and what better way to answer her questions and bond with her while you're up in the air with so many things. There are great curriculum programs out there, and I'd guess if you talk to your current school about it they'd be willing to give you curriculum to work with her until things settle down. We are in a career where we need to be able to move in short notice, and that option is always in the back of my mind. Good luck!
With all of the disruptions coming for her I would homeschool for a year, or even half the year (assuming you could be settled by Dec?). She's awfully young to handle that many changes, even if she is mature for her age.
I hope your move and all of the transitions that come with it are smooth!
S.
The best advise that I could give you is to call both school boards and ask them this question, I would think you could keep her home until the move and just home school her, every school district will be different in studies and school, but I would just check with the school board.
