Milton High School and summer transition for new kids in town (Atlanta: vacation home, middle school)

[charlotte67]

Hi there- I have gotten such great info from people on this site, it's truly been an enormous help.

We broke the news to our three kids- 15, 13, and 9, that we will be moving from Winnetka, Illinois to Milton in June. My daughter who is currently a freshman at New Trier took it the hardest. She is flipping out about walking into the cafeteria the first day next fall and not knowing anyone. She is a joiner, upbeat and outgoing by nature, so I think she'll do just fine.

Has anyone moved at the beginning of the summer to Milton ( I know its not ideal, but it is what it is) and what have they done with their kids to get them involved and acquainted? My boys both play lacrosse, so I am looking for some local camps, and I'm thinking drivers ed for my daughter??

Around here, many people live at their cc's all summer, travel, or go to vacation homes up north. Wondering if this might be the case in Milton as well.

Any tips much appreciated!

[Mattie]

We moved to Milton 5 years ago during the summer. My middle son was going into his freshman year.I can tell you with all confidence, your daughter will be fine. My kids very quickly made friends, and love it here.

There is recreational lacrosse in town (as well as the high school and middle school feeder teams, but they do require try-outs) through Stars Soccer and Lacrosse off of Birmingham Hwy. I don't know when their season runs though. Roswell also offers rec lacrosse, and out-of-towners can join for a slightly higher fee.

We received an email today from the Milton HS principal with excerpts from letters he had gotten this week commending the behavior of the Milton kids at the high school basketball finals this past weekend at the Gwinnett Center. He heard from the Gwinnett PD, the arena security dept, a concession worker, and Kathy Cox, the Fulton Cty Bd of Ed president. They all said the Milton kids were the best behaved out of all the schools, and showed the best sportsmanship.

Although there are some spoiled brats, by and large our dealings with the local kids have been very positive.

[BobKovacs]

Wait til they find out that they're getting out of school in June, and starting the first week of August instead of the first week of September like they're probably used to- they'll have a whole 5 or 6 week summer vacation....

[Mattie]

Didn't they just change the start date to the 3rd week in August?

[rackensack]

Milton's still a young place as an incorporated municipality, so the city's parks and rec department offerings are not as extensive as other places nearby. But as Mattie mentions, programs in other nearby locations are available, albeit with slightly higher cost. The City of Roswell's (City of Roswell, GA - Official Website) offerings are probably the most extensive, both in terms of competitive and recreational athletic programs and in a wide range of summer camp programs, and some of the programs at facilities like Roswell Area Park and Hembree Park are not very far from Milton, even with Atlanta traffic. Alpharetta also has a number of programs, as does the Newtown Recreation Association (located in Johns Creek, mainly at Newtown Park at the intersection of Haynes Bridge and Old Alabama Roads).

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Mattie

Didn't they just change the start date to the 3rd week in August?

Dunno- they might have. It's still likely at least a few weeks prior to what they're used to in Illinois, though.

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Dunno- they might have. It's still likely at least a few weeks prior to what they're used to in Illinois, though.

True, but that would be a good thing for the OP. The sooner the kids get into school, the sooner they meet a bunch of kids.

[charlotte67]

Thanks for the park district info, and I'll double check on the early start....I would LOVE that!! And honestly the kids probably would too, but they'd never admit it!

Plus, thanks for the positive info on the Milton students. Same at New Trier, mostly good kids, but always the unsupervised train wrecks who have parents who give them way too much "stuff" and not nearly enough of their time.

[208happystreet]

The schools in Fulton county are starting around the 3rd week in August next year.

There are tons of camps around here. This is our first summer here and there seems to be plenty to do.

[greenagg]

My kids are the exact same ages as yours and we're awaiting confirmation about a move (back) to Alpharetta ourselves. Its been 5 years since we moved away, and as far as the kids are concerned... a lifetime. If we do, I'll get in touch so maybe our kids can be friends in misery until they find their new friends....
I was an expert on life there with 3 preschoolers/elementary kids, but now its a whole new ballgame.
Life was good there and we had more than we have here in CT for a lot less money!