Moving to Lehigh Valley - easier to move in middle of 8th grade or start of high school? (Chester: condo)

[momof2teens9498]

[SIZE=2]I am leaning toward Parkland, Emmaus and Southern Lehigh high schools. My gut preference would be SLHS, but I am concerned about moving with a daughter that is going to start new at the high school level. Some questions/concerns that I have and hope some of you in the SLHS area can help out:

1. Will she be able to make friends, considering the size of the school and that everyone came from the same middle school?

2. Would it make more sense to move part way thru her 8th grade year so that she has friends prior to starting high school?

3. She is a field hockey and lacrosse player and so how hard is it to get on those teams at the HS level? I am guessing at Parkland and Emmaus it is very hard considering the size of the school.

4. She is currently (7th grade) in 3 gifted and talented classes (math, science and english). In MD that is two grades above, so I want to make sure she has that opportunity at SLHS.

5. Lastly, this is the first time we have moved with no children in elementary school and so I am concerned about myself and my husband making friends! It is really easy when the kids are young, but when in HS, it seeems more difficult. We are both very social and our current neighborhood has book club, dinner club, summer bbq's, happy hours, etc. and so it is easy. Any suggestions/ideas?

I filled out the questionnaire, if that helps as well. Thank you!

When are you moving? 1 year to 15 months

Where are you coming from? 25 miles west of Baltimore, MD (western Howard County)

Why are you moving? My husband just took a job in Easton, PA

Where will you be working? Husband in Easton and I would be working from home.

Have you been here yet? No, but my husband starts his new job in a couple of weeks.

Will you buy or rent? Buy

If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? House

How much can you spend? $500K - $750K (4 bed, 3 bath, 3 car garage)

Are you married or single? Married

Do you have children? One will be in college, one starting high school

Do you prefer public or private schools? Public

Do you have pets? dog

Do you want or need a yard? prefer between .5 to 1 acre

Are you keeping a car? Yes

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Friendly neighborhood with lots of socializing and kids middle school to high school age.

What do you want to be closest to? Schools first, shopping and basic services next.

Work - would like to be within 25 miles - 30 miles from Easton.

Shopping - currently I have to travel 15 - 20 min to major shopping, so that is fine with me.

Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) - prefer within 15 min. and can't wait to be near a Wegman's!

Nightlife - no preference

Near Bus stop? Please note that there is NO rail service in the Lehigh Valley. Don't need.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Very social neighborhood with middle school and high school kids.

Phillies or Mets? Phillies! I grew up in West Chester, PA.
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[toobusytoday]

I'm not really sure what would be best, but it's not true that all the kids will know each other from the MS. There is actually a large group of 9th graders that come in from private, parochial and home schooling situations. In general, I think the 9th graders would be more welcoming because the school itself will be new for all of them. There's a new welcome group that's started recently too, just to help kids new to the district and the HS.

The sports angle is something else. I think that the field hockey set-up is going to change next fall. For years, girls have played field hockey in the fall and soccer in the spring, but I think they are going to make them both fall sports, which should really open up some spots on both teams. The parents and students got really excited (not happy) about that when it was announced and I think they pushed the start date back a year. I haven't heard anything about it recently. I think try-outs for the fall sports must be pretty early though because they some of them go away to a College for summer camp. I would suggest contacting someone at the HS about that. Athletics

Academic- wise, there is no problem being accelerated in math, even in MS. Kids can take anything from pre-algebra up to Algebra II through 8th grade and it's the same textbook and tests that are done at the HS. In HS all students must go through at least Alg. II, and the school offers AP Calc and AP Statistics and all the ones in between. Students can also take classes at the area colleges (usually Lehigh or DeSales) if they qualify. My son took a class last semester at the local PSU campus. English is also leveled. Science is a different story. There is no advanced Science in MS. HS is much better and the slackers are generally cut out of all the honors and AP classes because of the prerequisites. There are grade prerec's for all honors and AP classes and teachers must sign off that a student can handle the harder classes. There is also summer homework for all AP classes and summer reading for all English classes.

Home wise, you might want to check out Blue Ridge Estates in Center Valley off of Blue Church Road. They do alot of socializing there with block parties, bunco, etc. Also, Tara Lea just outside of Coopersburg. Both of these neighborhoods are a bit older, but you will find people your age and quite a few transients so you won't be the only new people. The neighborhoods are very well maintained with all the bells and whistles and may be at the top of your price range. Unfortunately, there may be few houses available just because neither development is large.

That's probably enough for now!

[momof2teens9498]

Thank you so much for all the info! I have read many of your posts and you always provide some great insight. My husband starts his job on Monday and so we will most definitely be coming out there to visit and settle on the school first, then neighborhood and finally house. Thankfully, we have a minimum of a year, if not more to make the move. I have no issue with an older neighborhood - actually that is our preference. We built a house once and really don't want to do it again anytime soon, also we want don't want lots of empty lots around us!

[momof2teens9498]

Toobusytoday,

Can you tell me what streets make up this neighborhood? We are getting closer to making a decision and we have found a home in Blue Ridge Estates, but trying to see where this neighborhood is.

Thanks!

[KristyLiz]

I really think it's better to move during the year this way they get the benefit of being "the new kid" everyone wants to know the new kid :

[toobusytoday]

Tara Lea would be Primrose Lane, Blossom Lane, Ridge Avenue and Vista Drive. I have several friends in Blue Ridge Estates - can't go wrong there!