nicola75

We are moving to New Jersey in July, my daughter will have just finished year 5 and my son will be completing year 2 (in the UK). We are only moving for 2 years and then will return. Shall I put them into 6th Grade and 3rd Grade respectively as that's what they would be doing in the UK or should I put them into 5th and 2nd with children of their same age. I'm worried they will be going over old ground and that on our return they will be behind in the UK.
They both have October birthdays, so they are amongst the oldest in their year.
Help!

franki

I would say 6th and 3rd. Just interested where you are going in US? I'm not far from Blackpool and that's where my dad is. We're in the process of returning to US after being back for 2 years. Good luck!

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

Have the school they will be attending given you a choice? Why do you think they'll be going over old ground? My daughter went into 6th grade...she was 11 the previous May...therefore she was with children her own age. Your children may go over some old ground but there will also be loads of new ground for them to cover.

nicola75

Hi Franki, thanks for your reply, My husband's office is in Murray Hill NJ and 2 years ago we lived in Bridgewater. We will probably try to find somewhere in the same vicinity.

nicola75

Hello Jerseygirl, thanks for the welcome. I haven't actually approached a school yet, last time we lived there was only for 6 months and my daughter slotted into 2nd grade as she was in year 2 here, funnily enough they didn't even try to put her into 1st grade! I suppose I'm concerned they'll be covering the same maths and literacy again if she repeats the year, although the history etc will obviously be all new! There's so much to think about!!

jumping doris

My daughter had just finished Year 5 when we moved here and she went into 5th grade. She didn't really repeat anything. So much was new...just the way it was taught or the whole subject. She was with children her own age and they had all just started at middle school.

I also have teenagers and one is classed as gifted. She went into the age appropriate grade and didn't feel she was repeating anything.
If anything they had some catching up to do and we came from good schools.

All our schools where I am are IB so I don't know if that made a difference.

Pennywell

If I were you I would err on the side of caution and look for places in the lower grade. My eldest is an October birthday and was one of the older ones in her year in the UK, she is now the baby of the senior year of 200 in her high school. The younger one being an August birthday was always one of the youngest and in most school systems always will be!
I think we were so focussed on both of them being "challenged" by school we overlooked the emotional impact that the whole move would have on them. I often think that their "settling in" period would have been so much easier and not as lengthy if at least, at school they felt good about themselves in that the work was easy. It would have given them more to be confident about and concentrate on the adaptation to a new country.

sambapink

My 2 children would have been going into grades 6 & 7 in the UK.. So I just presumed () that they would go into 6th & 7th Grade here. The school didn't tell me otherwise either. On the registration day it was clear that the kids in the Grade they were going into were a year older. When I talked to the school they said it was up to me!! Because children start at different ages here, and its not uncommon for kids to retake years etc (more so than in the UK maybe) the school wouldn't advice me. I choose to put them in their age bracket i.e. 5th & 6th Grade. Has worked well.. they are with kids of their own ages and the work seems on par.

nicola75

Thanks everyone, I feel better now!! There's alot of time between now and the move, just need to get Christmas out of the way and get organised!!