While your out-of-state relocation for a job promotion may have you ecstatic, your children are probably less than thrilled. Relocating with children, particularly preteens and teens, can be challenging, at best. While coping with the attitude your children may give you due to you uprooting them from their friends and life as they know it, you need keep your wits about you to make sure all t's are crossed and all i's are dotted so the transition to a new school is easier for them. Here are several things to investigate.
Curriculum
Obviously, the most important thing they will need is documentation from their current schools so they can be enrolled in a new school. Unfortunately, it's very rare for two school districts to use the same curriculum for all subjects. The differences in the curriculum between the schools can make it challenging for your children to be placed into classes without needing to catch up on some education materials. Alternatively, they may end up sitting through material they've already gone over. When selecting a school district and school, compare the curriculum.
Class Scheduling
It's also a good idea to consider how classes are scheduled. Schools utilize various class schedules, which could make it challenging to fit in academically. Some schools have 7-8 class periods on a daily basis, with most classes on the schedule through the entire school year. Another school may have only 4 classes schedule every day, with certain subjects being focused on during one quarter or one semester, instead of throughout the entire school year. Therefore, if your children have been taking year-long classes, but their new school schedules a full year's worth of a subject into one quarter, your children may have a more difficult transition than if you find a school that uses a similar scheduling structure.
Extracurricular Activities
If your children are involved in extracurricular activities, enrolling them in a school where they can participate in the same activities can help smooth the transition. It can also help them find friends who have the same interests. If your children are athletes, don't forget to get copies of their sports physicals from their current school before moving.
Try to place your children in the school that uses a similar structure and curriculum and provides them with the same extracurricular activities they enjoy. A relocation service like 50 State Relocate can help you gather the information you will need regarding all area schools in and near your new location to help you make the decision.
Share28 March 2017
My husband is in the military, and our family has had to move across the country a few times throughout his career. The first time we faced a move, I was so overwhelmed that I felt like I was going to burst! We had accumulated so much "stuff" that I just didn't know what to do with it all. We ended up hiring a moving company, and we put all of the "stuff" we didn't use often in a storage unit. Once I got through the process once, our next couple of moves seemed like a breeze. I know there are other families out there facing their first moves feeling unprepared and overwhelmed, so I decided to make a blog to share moving tips and tips about using storage units wisely. I hope I can help make your move less stressful!