Registering with a school
 

I am aiming to bring my 8 year old son over from the UK, probably to New Jersey.

Can anyone advise what information I would need to bring in order to get him registered. i.e. Immunisation records, old school report perhaps?

Secondly is it usually quite easy to get a school place, or are the schools generally packed out? If so how long are the waiting periods?

many thanks.

Re: Registering with a school
 

When we registered the girls in school in PA we had to provide their immunisation records, dental records and proof of residency for the school catchment area. Look up NJ state education department and you'll get a general idea of which immunisations your son should have had by now and get them done in the UK if possible. Where we are the kids are vaccinated for Hep B, which is a 3 injection process over a 6 month time period and not routinely given in the UK. They wouldn't accept our UK dental exam so we had to get another one done here but again if he needs any work done, do it in the UK. They also vaccinate for chicken pox but since our two had had it, that was OK. To be honest all of the above is quite a good thing because if you are in the situation in the future if you go for LPR he needs to have all this done ( with the exception of Hep B and that might be yet another quirk of PA)
As far as difficulty in registering I think it comes down to making sure you choose a good school district and live in the school catchment area where you want your son to attend. Lastly I think if you can give them as much information as you can about his schooling to date it can only be a good thing. Hope this is helpful.

Re: Registering with a school
 

hiya :)

jerseygirl is from nj and she'll be looking in later and no doubt can help with the school info.

good luck :)

Re: Registering with a school
 

Here I am...good morning TruBrit. :)

You need to get your son's immunisation records from your doctor. It is state law that all children have a medical check up and all required immunisations are up to date before a child is allowed to start the school year. Therefore every summer your child will need a medical check up.

My daughter went to private school so requirements may not be the same as a state school...she was 11 when we moved here. A form was sent to the UK school, which had to be completed and returned. It was general information about the child's attitude, performance etc plus grades, subjects studied etc. They asked to see text books and written work for the last 12 months. She had to attend an interview at the school...so did we.

My daughter adjusted to school here very easily and made friends quickly. I am not aware of any bullying etc 'cos she was 'different' or the new kid.

One thing I had difficulty with is the obsession with sports in schools. It is much more important than any other subject. The school day revolves around athletics...if the kids go on a school visit they had to be back for athletics...no concern they were missing English or science but missing athletics was a no no. If my daughter was at home sick...the athletics coach would call to enquire if she could possibly attends athletic meets. :rolleyes:

Re: Registering with a school
 

morning jersey, been ironing your red christmas waistcoat again no doubt ;) :p

Re: Registering with a school
 

I sure have...the iron was out at 6.30. Have you sent me the red scrubs top...I mailed you mine earlier in the week. My bright pink scrubs just don't look right with the red christmas waistcoat. Hey ho. :o

Re: Registering with a school
 

Thank you for the reply. Could you please indicate the approximate fees charged by private schools at elementary/primary level.

Re: Registering with a school
 

Kindergarten starts at $20K+ p.a. There are lots of add ons...like books, school visits etc and a hefty donation will be expected each year.

Re: Registering with a school
 

What are the class sizes like? Can you pay with pre-tax dollars or get a tax deduction for school fees?

Re: Registering with a school
 

Maximum of 18 per class. You have to be joking!! :D

Re: Registering with a school
 

lol... just thought I'd ask :rolleyes: :D

Re: Registering with a school
 

To OP: here's a link that might be helpful to you, if you have finance queries
http://www.nais.org/admission/index....mNumber=142477

Or this one--I'm not sure how inclusive it is now, but will give you some places to look at (fees, admissions, etc)
http://www.abacusguide.com/NY%20priv...0directory.htm

Re: Registering with a school
 

I thought she was looking at NJ schools not NYC. I've just looked at one of the NYC links prices start at $26,500.

Re: Registering with a school
 

Perhaps, or as of this thread. Last weeks threads had OP asking about living in NY, living in NJ, and then was back to NY. I had a link that had schools in every state but now I can't find it.

I've seen private schools as low as 4K a term and as high as 38K a term (for exclusive schools). It depends what OP wants--private, religious based, exclusive.

Here's a NJ list from the AIS-not sure if there are better resources or not, but we used an AIS to evaluate schools in our area.

http://privateschool.about.com/gi/dy...www.njais.org/

Re: Registering with a school
 

Perhaps the O/P's keeping her options open. LOL.

We had to choose a school in a hurry and chose one which was near my husband's office...knowing that eventually we would be living in that area. I found school fees to be more or less the same. I didn't want my daughter to attend a religious school or an all girls school. The $20+K was for kindergarten...sure that increases by age.

These schools often have long waiting lists and can be very difficult to gain admittance...in our case I think they were impressed with the English accent. Little did they know Brits aren't willing to throw thousands of dollars into the annual fund raiser. :p