Wintersong

Elementary goes through 5th, then middle school is 6th through 8th. That may make the move easier for her, as it'll give her a year to adjust and make friends before she's thrust into the hormonal whirlwind of middle school (can you tell I'm not looking forward to that?)

Hope you enjoy your visit here, and excuse the rain - El Nino is currently refilling our reservoirs for us

Parisangel

Ha, my nine year old thought she was almost done with elementary school! Gotta say, I'm not sure I was ready for the middle school years yet so it's fine with me! What are class sizes like there? Are you in the same, school district as Walnut Creek?

Wintersong

No, I'm in a different district. I don't know what WC is like in this regard. In Martinez, we have max 24 in K-3 and then 30 in 4 & 5.

Bear in mind that some WC schools fall into Mt Diablo school district and some are Walnut Creek. Mt Diablo is a huge district - if you're set on Walnut Creek, I'd definitely recommend making sure that you're actually in WCSD. It might be worth calling the 2 district offices and asking about their class size limits. My guess would be that once they're into 5th grade, it's going to be 30 since that appears to be fairly standard around here.

Parisangel

Thanks for the reply! Sounds like class sizes are a little bigger then, it's around 20-22 here. Do you have any experience of the schools dealing with dyslexia? My son was just diagnosed so I need to find out if the support offered is similar to here.

Do you find people friendly there? I've found people super friendly here in Texas.

Wintersong

Tbh, education funding is a big issue in California generally. It appears that a lot of programs were lost when there were big budget cuts a few years back and they haven't been replaced. That being said, they are under a legal obligation to provide support if you have an IEP but the quality of that support will be very dependent on the school district, the school and the individual teachers. You'll definitely need to be prepared to "fight" for what your son needs if necessary but you'll usually find that if you simply have a meeting with the classroom teacher at the beginning of the year they'll be willing and able to work with you (hence 'fight' being in inverted commas!)

I've had issues with my older daughter not being challenged enough - long story short, but at first I was pushing for change across the whole curriculum and got nowhere, but when I've sat down with the individual teachers I've found them all to be very accommodating, invested in my daughter's needs and happy to go the extra mile to make sure she has more appropriate work. So, cliff notes: funding is an issue but we have some amazing, dedicated teachers out here, which at the end of the day is what is most important.

Another point to note - since funding for extra programs is usually community driven, the more affluent communities will, generally speaking, be the ones with the money to invest in these kinds of things. Walnut Creek is definitely towards the upper end on that score

Yes, I've found that people are generally very friendly in the East Bay. I'm not sure how it compares to Texas but it's definitely the friendliest part of the Bay Area! I've found it very easy to integrate into the local community. It's the first place we've lived where the neighbours have come round to introduce themselves when we moved in. It's a very family-oriented area; lots of amenities, clubs, youth sports opportunities etc. Fwiw, my husband is Indian and around here is probably the least multi-racial part of the Bay Area (there are quite a few latinos but other than that it's predominately white) but he has never felt anything other than welcome and accepted.

Parisangel

Thank you for such useful information!

Well. We just had a nice weekend in the area but the goalposts have changed somewhat. Seems the company my husband would be working for may be relocating their office to San Mateo. I think I'm right in thinking that Walnut Creek area is not a viable commute to there?

Sigh. Back to the drawing board!

Wintersong

I wouldn't consider it, personally. I replied to your other thread - there are some other nice towns to look at. If you liked Walnut Creek, I think you'd like Danville

Parisangel

Thanks! I'm wondering whether the move would be worth the extortionate rent now, but we will see!