gaining school places in New Jersey
#17
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 72
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Where abouts are you considering moving to in NJ? I would recommend trying to get your temp accommodation in the area that you are likely to want to move to, this should help get your kids started in school once you have signed your lease.
The good news is that NJ has some of the best schools in the county so you are likely to find good schools relatively easily.
We were able to view a school in both our favourite towns but we were lucky that one was arranged via our relocation coordinator and the other school allowed as they were aware that we were very serious about that area. Both schools were lovely and we are excited that our little one will be starting in September.
Something to note if you weren't aware, they have a very long summer holiday from mid / late June until Aug/ Sept but have almost no holidays in between.
The good news is that NJ has some of the best schools in the county so you are likely to find good schools relatively easily.
We were able to view a school in both our favourite towns but we were lucky that one was arranged via our relocation coordinator and the other school allowed as they were aware that we were very serious about that area. Both schools were lovely and we are excited that our little one will be starting in September.
Something to note if you weren't aware, they have a very long summer holiday from mid / late June until Aug/ Sept but have almost no holidays in between.
#19
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Joined: Jan 2017
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Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Hi, we're moving in August to PA, but we went over at Easter to look at schools. I contacted 3 schools directly and asked if we could look round. At that point we hadn't made the decision to move over, but the schools we saw were very accommodating on showing us round. They have strict boundary areas so you have to live in the required area for the school. We decided to put our children into private school (which we also looked at whilst over there) so I could get a place sorted (we have a 9 and nearly 7 year old). And currently we don't have a house over there so wouldn't be able to apply. If you know the school district you're going to be in you should be able to look up the school and see the calendar dates.
Good luck with the move!
Good luck with the move!
#20
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Thank you....where is PA? Sorry not familiar with all the states yet....hope all goes well for you! Are you renting when you get there? My concern is we will not be resident until we get there so hoping my husband can go first and get a rental and school in place....
#21
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Thank you....where is PA? Sorry not familiar with all the states yet....hope all goes well for you! Are you renting when you get there? My concern is we will not be resident until we get there so hoping my husband can go first and get a rental and school in place....
#22
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 315
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Thanks for the info. We have looked at ridge wood, Paramus, fair lawn, summit, Montclair and are hoping for ridge wood but all depends on what rentals are available at the time we move..,,hopefully in 6-8 weeks! Can I ask where abouts you are based? I did hear about the school holidays being concentrated and it's not such a bad thing I think....time will tell though! As soon as we get the visa approved I will try to find a rental in one of our preferred areas! So much to do! Do they wear uniform?
Summit is lovely, also consider Madison, Millburn, Short Hills, and Chatham. Where do you need to access for work purposes? Those are all good options for getting the NJ transit into Manhattan. You will find there are a lot of historical homes in these towns which are lovely but smaller then we imagined but they all have great town centres, town pools and great restaurants and facilities. If you can be slightly further out look at places like Chester, Basking Ridge, Bridgewater. It is honestly so beautiful here and you will be spoiled for great schools. If you use realtor.com it will tell you which school is assigned to each property and what grade it got from 1 - 10.
I would totally recommend viewing the houses yourself and not relying on the internet pics as they can differ greatly from the pics and photos don't give a good understanding of the location of the house.
Shout if you need any help at all, it can all be a bit overwhelming but very exciting too!
#23
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
For the sake of argument, the definition of uniform is not the school uniforms that one often wears in a private school. Some districts throughout the US have mandated that child conform to certain code and color of dress, i.e. khaki or black pants, skirts or shorts with white or red tops. I know it was that way in my section of NY and yet my granddaughter who lives several towns away in NY doesn't have that uniform/dress code and it is the norm here in my area of Mississippi. The school website should tell you definitely without second guessing those your district use a dress code or not.
#24
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 122
Re: gaining school places in New Jersey
Thank you....where is PA? Sorry not familiar with all the states yet....hope all goes well for you! Are you renting when you get there? My concern is we will not be resident until we get there so hoping my husband can go first and get a rental and school in place....
Hope you get sorted.