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There's also the possibility of sending your younger child to private to work around the school cutoffs, and then really pushing for a temporary rental in Orinda so that you can start your older child at the middle school--there's only one middle school and one high school, vs. several elementary schools, so then it doesn't matter where in Orinda you ultimately buy a house. Then at least she gets to stay with the same group of friends! You may well find that you need a signed lease (rather than temporary stay apartment) to get a spot in the public schools, though. Orinda has some of the strongest schools in the region and they are sticklers about making sure people are actually residents. Perhaps consider a one-year rental (or check out sabbatical listings) while you househunt? (Added benefit: Spring and summer are peak time for houses to be listed and pickings are sometimes slim in the winter months [although in fairness, so is competition!], so then you could wait till next spring to buy if need be.)
Just a quick correction on school years--your younger child would normally go into kindergarten, not first grade, per California's school cutoff dates (children must turn six by September 1st for first grade). Many districts have policies where they will not waive the age cutoff for kindergarten or first grade, in which case you would need to do a year of private first grade this year and then second grade in public school next year. After that, they will let you start with proof of completion of the previous grade in private school. Orinda may be more flexible on this than the bigger districts, though. (I would not try to get your child placed in second grade no matter what, because she'll be two years younger than her classmates, even if she's ready academically for the work. But I would definitely push for first grade, especially since she's only a month behind the cutoff.) If you're living in Orinda, school assignments shouldn't be a huge deal--everyone gets a place and the schools are all quite strong. You'll be assigned based on your address once you arrive, so there's not too much you can do before then, beyond talking to the main district office to let them know you're coming. You do need an address to register, even if it's a temporary one.
If there's a possibility your rental might not be in Orinda while you're househunting, I'd probably do a year of private school this year, assuming that's feasible financially--that gives the kids some consistency while you figure out where you'll be living. Also, if your older child is placed in the eighth grade, that means she'll have a partial year of middle school and then will begin high school--so could be smoothest for her if you do private for that year and then she starts high school next year. Many private schools are K-8 so it's normal for students to transition to high school as new students at that point. You may also find a private school is better able to help your children move into the U.S. curriculum (able to foster skills they have that are ahead of U.S. curriculum, and also identify and catch them up in areas where they are behind--there will likely be both, just because the curricula are quite different). Then they'd be prepared to enter public school in 2015. Good luck with the move and the decisions, and welcome to the East Bay!
Also very helpful, thanks.
Of course a primary reason for choosing Orinda is schools so it seems a bit contradictory to send them to private schools but you and Ruth do both make good points.
There's also the possibility of sending your younger child to private to work around the school cutoffs, and then really pushing for a temporary rental in Orinda so that you can start your older child at the middle school--there's only one middle school and one high school, vs. several elementary schools, so then it doesn't matter where in Orinda you ultimately buy a house. Then at least she gets to stay with the same group of friends! You may well find that you need a signed lease (rather than temporary stay apartment) to get a spot in the public schools, though. Orinda has some of the strongest schools in the region and they are sticklers about making sure people are actually residents. Perhaps consider a one-year rental (or check out sabbatical listings) while you househunt? (Added benefit: Spring and summer are peak time for houses to be listed and pickings are sometimes slim in the winter months [although in fairness, so is competition!], so then you could wait till next spring to buy if need be.)
Our plan is to rent for 6-12 months and get to know the area properly before buying.
I guess I need to start researching private elementary schools... Any hints/leads welcome...
Our plan is to rent for 6-12 months and get to know the area properly before buying.
I guess I need to start researching private elementary schools... Any hints/leads welcome...
I think there's one in that area. I always recommend Bentley, which is in the Oakland hills near the tunnel that goes to Orinda. So it's not that far away, compared to any other East Bay location.
Still, public schools could work out for you. Don't give up on that. You do have some factors working against you, but it still might work out. Good luck, and let us know how it all turns out after you're settled in.
And if you're going to rent for a year, how do you plan to arrange your apartment? It's possible to do that long-distance, so you can move right in when you arrive. Then you'll know what your school district is. Hopefully it won't change when you buy. Even if it does, you could ask to keep the original one, so as not to disrupt the kids.
There's also the possibility of sending your younger child to private to work around the school cutoffs, and then really pushing for a temporary rental in Orinda so that you can start your older child at the middle school--there's only one middle school and one high school, vs. several elementary schools, so then it doesn't matter where in Orinda you ultimately buy a house. Then at least she gets to stay with the same group of friends! You may well find that you need a signed lease (rather than temporary stay apartment) to get a spot in the public schools, though. Orinda has some of the strongest schools in the region and they are sticklers about making sure people are actually residents. Perhaps consider a one-year rental (or check out sabbatical listings) while you househunt? (Added benefit: Spring and summer are peak time for houses to be listed and pickings are sometimes slim in the winter months [although in fairness, so is competition!], so then you could wait till next spring to buy if need be.)
This is what I was thinking/hoping. No matter where they rent, the 8th-grader will get to stay in the same school.
I think there's one in that area. I always recommend Bentley, which is in the Oakland hills near the tunnel that goes to Orinda. So it's not that far away, compared to any other East Bay location.
Still, public schools could work out for you. Don't give up on that. You do have some factors working against you, but it still might work out. Good luck, and let us know how it all turns out after you're settled in.
And if you're going to rent for a year, how do you plan to arrange your apartment? It's possible to do that long-distance, so you can move right in when you arrive. Then you'll know what your school district is. Hopefully it won't change when you buy. Even if it does, you could ask to keep the original one, so as not to disrupt the kids.
Re rentals - I think both ourselves and any potential landlords would be wary of signing long distance. My idea was to book us something short stay but in the weeks leading up to the relocation, scour the ads so that we arrange meetings/viewings for as soon as we arrive and hopefully be able to wrap something up relatively quickly.
What you need is the Berkeley Parents Network (don't let the name fool you, it covers a LOT of the east bay). There are thousands of members and they are super helpful and I guarantee plenty have been in your shoes.
OP, I missed Artemis' posts until now. Maybe starting the kids in a private school for one year would be the best thing. Didn't you say your youngest will be 6, and will have completed first grade? I don't see anything wrong with her going into 2nd grade at 6. She won't be that far off in social development. I started 1st grade at 5, and 2nd at 6, and didn't have a problem. It's not that unusual. Better to have her working at grade level than bored witless repeating first grade.
And btw, in a private school, your youngest will get a foreign language. I don't know if she has that in her current school, but public elementary schools don't offer that, generally.
OP, I missed Artemis' posts until now. Maybe starting the kids in a private school for one year would be the best thing. Didn't you say your youngest will be 6, and will have completed first grade? I don't see anything wrong with her going into 2nd grade at 6. She won't be that far off in social development. I started 1st grade at 5, and 2nd at 6, and didn't have a problem. It's not that unusual. Better to have her working at grade level than bored witless repeating first grade.
And btw, in a private school, your youngest will get a foreign language. I don't know if she has that in her current school, but public elementary schools don't offer that, generally.
Year One in a British curriculum is equivalent to kindergarten in the U.S. curriculum, so the issue is more whether she is ready to skip ahead a year and skip first grade (and academically, she might be, if she is gifted). But my bigger concern (as another mom of an October kiddo!) is that she would effectively be starting second grade at age five (even though she is turning six a month or two in and would be six by the time you move mid-year). That's *very* young for the U.S., especially now that California has joined the rest of the country and moved the start age for K to five. You also have to think ahead--it means she'll be starting high school at age 12, which, again, is very young for the U.S.
Basically, the children her age will all be in kindergarten, and those a little older will be in first grade--so her second grade classroom would be seven-year-olds, most of whom will turn eight by the end of the year. That's a very big social gap, even if the work itself is accessible to her. I'd be much more inclined to put her in a first grade classroom (and even with that, you may have to fight for that placement since she's too young for that too) and then work with her teachers to offer enrichment activities, or supplement with things outside of school. (And honestly, I'm not even sure second grade is going to be an option for her in public school, and possibly not in private either; you'll have to petition just to get her into first grade since she is too young for that, too, so they'd have to approve her moving up two grades from where she technically should be.)
I second Berkeley Parents Network for some guidance on private schools, since I don't know the Lamorinda private options well. If you or your spouse are working in Oakland or SF and will be driving, you could also consider schools on the other side of the tunnel--many, many options in Berkeley and Oakland. Your choice may well be driven by who has space, though.
Year One in a British curriculum is equivalent to kindergarten in the U.S. curriculum, so the issue is more whether she is ready to skip ahead a year and skip first grade (and academically, she might be, if she is gifted). But my bigger concern (as another mom of an October kiddo!) is that she would effectively be starting second grade at age five (even though she is turning six a month or two in and would be six by the time you move mid-year). That's *very* young for the U.S., especially now that California has joined the rest of the country and moved the start age for K to five. You also have to think ahead--it means she'll be starting high school at age 12, which, again, is very young for the U.S.
Basically, the children her age will all be in kindergarten, and those a little older will be in first grade--so her second grade classroom would be seven-year-olds, most of whom will turn eight by the end of the year. That's a very big social gap, even if the work itself is accessible to her. I'd be much more inclined to put her in a first grade classroom (and even with that, you may have to fight for that placement since she's too young for that too) and then work with her teachers to offer enrichment activities, or supplement with things outside of school. (And honestly, I'm not even sure second grade is going to be an option for her in public school, and possibly not in private either; you'll have to petition just to get her into first grade since she is too young for that, too, so they'd have to approve her moving up two grades from where she technically should be.)
I second Berkeley Parents Network for some guidance on private schools, since I don't know the Lamorinda private options well. If you or your spouse are working in Oakland or SF and will be driving, you could also consider schools on the other side of the tunnel--many, many options in Berkeley and Oakland. Your choice may well be driven by who has space, though.
Berkeley Parents Network was a great suggestion!
OK, you're the mom with an Oct. b-day kid. My tendency is to kind of round-out the b-day, and view it still as a 6-year-old. I don't imagine 1 month makes that much difference, but maybe it does. And maybe I'm misunderstanding what the OP means as grade 1. That was an important point you made.
Still, this is very valuable feedback you're giving the OP, so now she has more info to factor into her decision. Good for you for taking the time to post all this.
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