WWYD about school and moving

PrincessMickey

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Jan 27, 2009
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Here's the dilema. We are moving next month from PA to Denver. The house we are moving to will not be available until Sept 1. Job starts the 1st as well. DS starts Kindergarden this year. School in PA starts Aug 26 or 27. School in CO starts Aug 18. DH thinks we should just forget the first 2 weeks of school and have him start on the 1st. I think it's important for him to be there but we don't really have a plave to stay. The closest we could stay would be at my brothers but that is over an hour away. Or find a cheap hotel for two weeks but would get a little pricey because we would also have to store our stuff for two weeks also. So if you've made it this far what would you do in this situation. Miss 2 weeks of school or find a place to stay for 2 weeks. Oh and it's only half day kindergarden if that makes a difference. Thanks for you opinions.
 
We have had this issue before and our kids just started later. It wasn't two weeks though, more like 4 days. I think for kindergarden I would just let him start late.
 
I would probably skip it, but just to be on the safe side, I would call the new school and see what they say.
 

I honestly would just have him wait. It shouldn't hurt anything for him to miss the first 2 weeks and it would be less confusing and stressful on him.
 
Sorry I must be tired how is that 2 weeks? I am only counting 1 week and possible 1 day.

PS I would call the new school district and ask them.
 
For kindergarten, I'd say just skip the first couple weeks.

If you do want to be there for the start of the year, though, you might be able to find a rental on VRBO.com or someplace like that. It would probably be cheaper than a hotel. We know a family that did that in our area; rather than start their kids (upper elem & middle school aged) late, they found a weekly cottage to rent in our area so that the mom & kids could come a couple weeks ahead of the dad's job transfer. I personally don't think the first days of K are worth that much trouble, but if you do that might be a way to find a place to stay.
 
I am a teacher and my "professional" opinion (:lmao:) is to just wait until the 1st. As a mom I would do the same thing!
 
Since he would be a new student, just moving into the area, he won't be penalized for starting late. I'm inclined to just have him start late.

HOWEVER, (isn't there always a "but"? :goodvibes), the thing tht gets to me is this is Kindergarten. Certainly far from a big deal, but it will be the first time of getting used to "the big kid school". They'll start getting to know each other and the teacher will already have the ground rules established in two weeks. Even just half days, it will put him behind.

I guess I'm no help. Unless one of you can just move down early while the other stays to pack up the house. Then I'd probably go with a cheap hotel v. driving an hour each way twice a day. Any way to see if the old owners can move out early?
 
Start him on Sept 1st.

I started 8th grade two weeks late for this exact reason. My old school would not start until after Labor day, but the new school started middle of Aug. There was no way my parents were able to move by the middle of Aug.
 
I'll go against the grain. I think maybe you should base it on your son. Has he been in preschool with a group of friends? Is he social or shy? If he doesn't have any difficulty making friends and will easily get into the swing of things and make friends, then wait the 2 weeks. If he is shy or slow to warm up then I would go for the start of school. Could one parent go for the start of school and then the other join up Sept. 1 to avoid storage costs? I have 1 child that is shy and slow to warm to others and not starting off with the group would be very difficult for her, but my boy? He would find the only other child in a 100 mile radius and be best friends with him by lunch!
 
I would not wait. I would definitely find a way for him to start kindergarten the same day as everyone else. This is strictly for social transition reasons. I think if it were me, I would go early with him and find somewhere to stay for the two weeks.
 
Thanks everyone for your opinions. I'm still undecided. I do plan on calling the school but their offices are closed for the month. DS was in Pre-K all day last year. He did very well and made friends easy and I think he will adjust well but it does still concern me a little bit. I guess the advantage of skipping the 2 weeks would be 2 more weeks to pack! Again, thanks for the opinions, I'm still undecided and will wait to call the school.
 
I am a registrar for an Elementary school and as much as I beleive that they schould be in school (at our house we consider it their job) I don't think that waiting that amount of time would be an issue under these circumstances. By then the teacher will have the other kids settled into a routine and they will be excited to have a new student in their class and I promise that one of them will volunteer to be his "buddy" and show him all the ropes. I have never seen it fail. If he has been in a school setting like you said then the transition should be fairly easy. Good Luck.
 
BTDT - when we moved overseas, we had to switch schools unexpectedly and the boys started 3+ wks late. I had more problems than I ever expected, and it wasn't with the ADHD/Aspergers 2nd grader, it was my uber-social K kid that had problems.

Unfortunately, in that 3+ wks, the boys had already started to bond and form groups, and my little social butterfly, type-A leader had a rough time fitting in. It was so bad that the K teacher repeatedly asked us to have him evaluated for anger management issues - issues which have never surfaced after that year. This should have been a non-issue for us. They were going to an American school with a turnover of 20-30% each year due to parent transfers in and out. they were used to dealing with kids showing up at all ages and stages and times of the year, with many speaking little or no English and reading/writing even less English. And they still were not able to help us with this transition. I do believe that if he had started the first day, some of these problems would have been avoided. Not all, after all we moved 4000 miles to a country where English was not the primary language and where they didn't get to see their grandparents, plus their mommy became a SAHM. It was stressful.

I'm certainly not saying that your child will have these problems. But you do need to consider his personality and the make-up of the new school. Even if you decide not to have him enrolled until Sep 1, ask if he can visit on the first day of school (if your official move date is not until Sep 1, he will not be counted absent the other days b/c he won't be officially enrolled, and I know from experience you have to have a utility bill or lease to enroll and it will not be official until Sep 1). Get him assigned to a classroom and give the teacher a picture of him. That can be a reminder to the other kids that their room is not complete. Be sure to have him meet the child who will be his "guide" (even if it's not school policy, the teacher will do it if you ask), and maybe he can even find that person on his own that first day.

Anyway, that is my dissenting opinion, based on experience. The move will be stressful for your son anyway; if you can do some things to make it easier on him, that will make it so much better. So, try to do some of the transition items I've mentioned above if you can't enroll prior to Sep 1, and be sensitive to your son during this exciting time.

The good news is that my kids really loved our experience with the move, and when we moved back to the US after 2 yrs, the transition was flawless. Granted, we moved during the summer, but taking care to consider their needs a little more that time made the transition easier (we brought them on our househunting trip [they stayed with relatives while we toured homes] and showed them the new house, let them pick their bedrooms, took them to their new school to meet the principal and see the facility, etc).
 
Also, as a kid who moved from KY to NJ in 6th grade, showing up 2 wks into the NJ school year, it was hard to "break in" to a group. Granted, most of those kids had been together for 5+ yrs already, and I was a hick moving to a sophisticated town, but it's still a hard transition. So was the January transition in 9th grade when we moved back.

Some kids are going to be just fine (my 4th and then 7th grade sister had no problems with either move); some need more care and support.

Evaluate your son and make your decisions based on that.
 
Here are my thoughts.
Wait and start him Sept 1.

In the meantime,

Call the school, try to get the lessons sent to you that the teacher will be doing during the 2 weeks so that your child can do at home before he starts the new school. This will put him basically at the same level as the rest of the kids.

I would also check with the school to see if they would allow you to make a video of your child introducing himself, telling about his move, when he will be starting school, how he feels about moving, and something about where he currently lives, and what the first thing he wants to do when he gets to his new home that could be watched by his class. This would let the kids "meet" him and create some excitement as to his arrival.
 
I am a teacher and my "professional" opinion (:lmao:) is to just wait until the 1st. As a mom I would do the same thing!

I am a teacher as well. I agree, just start him on the first when you arrive. Just like someone stated earlier there will be no penalty for missing (the days will not count as absences) since he will not be officially enrolled until he starts.

He will be fine starting on the first. I would just try to have contact with his teacher and see if the teacher could have the two of you arrive 15 minutes or so before his actual class time starts so that he can meet the teacher and get a tour of the classroom.
 
DH and I decided to wait. We decided to get into town on the Thursday before and go to my brothers. Friday we will drive down to get him enrolled, I already have our rental agreement. After we find out what teacher he has I will call her and see if maybe on Monday we can visit the class or at least the classroom after school gets out. Thanks for that idea, I wouldn't have thought to call the teacher. Then Tuesday he can start and hopefully he will transition well. So thanks again for all your advice and opinions. I really appreciate it.
 

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