[welsh dragon]

Hello,

I'm a Brit. mum thinking of moving to Newtown from westport.
My husband and 2 daughters are up for it . My concerns are -

1. will I adjust to life in Newtown as opposed to Westport
2. Am I doing my children a real diservice by removing them from
the Westport school system ? they're hard working girls and don't enjoy
here , despite living here for 6 yrs.
3. My husband doesn't care about the commute just to get this heavy duty
mortgage off our backs

any thoughts ? feeling confused !!

[missmax]

I think you would find life easier in Newtown financially!The schools are good and people and children here are very friendly.However it is a little more rural than you are use to.Take a few drives around the area where the stores are.Whatever you do not see is not that far away.You get alot more bang for your buck!I have four children and we left LOng Island 3 years ago and there is such a sense of relief here!!!Good luck to you!

[Kristin85]

Please see a few responses in thread where you originally posted this.

JayCT, could you migrate responses to OP's inquiry from "Moving to Fairfield County. Where to Look?" to this thread?

[hat456]

I agree with missmax. You may feel a bit isolated but you will feel relief. I live in the area and came from Scardale, NY. There is a feeling that you can exhale when you get to this area, but then I also have moments of disappointment, like, "Did I do the wrong thing taking my kids out of those excellent schools?" Shop around in Newtown and spend some days there. It will give you a good feel of the town. And if your kids do well in school now, they should be OK. My kids were a bit bored at first, so I put them in private school. They will be leaving this year so we can save more money for a big move, so I will make sure to stay on top of them if we stay one more year. There are kids that go to great schools every year. If you will be happier, your kids will be too.

[welsh dragon]

hi,
thankyou so much for all your comments. Yes, I am concerned about feeling isolated I suppose. However , whilst not working I am still a busy person
studying horticulture with NYBG , pursuing my music etc.
I am wondering why your kids were bored at the local school ?
private school would not be an option for our kids , we want to cut our
financial burdens if we can.
My husband will be travelling to Stamford every day and swears the commute doesn't worry him.
Did you join the newcomers group ??

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by welsh dragon

My husband will be traveling to Stamford every day and swears the commute doesn't worry him.

It's a rough commute in rush hour in the southern half of the drive. Depending on where you live in Newtown (it's a big town) and where you travel to in Stamford, he would want to budget around 1.5 hours if he absolutely needs to be there on time. He should learn 'escape routes' from every exit on the Merritt for when it's backed up. Friday afternoons are the worst.

[missmax]

I happen to know alot of the people involved in the Newcomers group.Very nice friendly groups,Lots of activities.I do not think you willbe bored once you become involved in things,the children as well.My husband drives to Manhatten everyday so I think Stamford is not that bad!Westport is great but you can always take a ride there when you miss that busy liife.Newtown is not as remote as you may think!

[hat456]

welsh dragon - My daughter came from a Montessori school to the public schools here, and her first year was very easy, not demanding at all compared to what she was used to. She started to drift a bit because there is a lot of free time/social time/assemblies, etc... that take away from learning time. My son is still in private, but this will probably be his last year, also because of financial concerns. He is very good with numbers, and he thrives in a demanding atmosphere. We plan on moving down south, so we'll see what I will do with him. My wife always has enrichments going on, but when the kids go to school with lots of kids that are just sort of cruising thru, they do get affected. Don't get me wrong, there are kids that do very well, but the general atmosphere is like, "Don't push them too much." As parents, we don't agree with this all the time. There have been articles in the News Times recently about Newtown schools. Its a nice town, but coming from Westport, you will feel the "letdown".

[missmax]

hat456 makes a good point however I know you mentioned the children were not happy in Westport.Your children will thrive where they are happy, not by reputations of schools.