Pulaski

Skip school for two years to wait for everyone to catch up?

scrubbedexpat097

That was good, bad, but good!

tancan...contact the school for a list of what is required (as in what school supplies you have to buy) Every school district is different.


As for fitting in, they will be fine. Probably be a novelty for a while with everyone wanting to be their friend

jackattack

WHOAH.
Yes, maybe the UK and the US regulations are different. And the US car seats are probably cheaper than the UK. BUT....

...when you're getting off the plane and into a rental car, I would want those car seats regardless of whose regulations they violate and even if the chance of getting caught is slim. You don't want to get into a car accident without kids in some kind of car seat. Bring them and get new ones when you're more settled.

Edit: I've just seen that the kids are 12 and 10 so I'm not quite so freaked out as I was when I read the original post. Call me paranoid, but I've got two 8 month olds and a 5 year old. I'm not even getting in a car without car seats.

kodokan

No doubt a bit late for the OP, but for future searchers... We had air freight as part of our relocation, but traded it off instead for a number of additional checked suitcases (actually, some were plastic crates sealed with duct tape - seemed silly to buy suitcases when we'd likely never need that many all at once again).

Our relo people said that the air freight often took almost as long as the land shipment, so it could be 3-4 weeks before we actually got it; consequently, they gave us the choice to spend the same amount on more bags on the plane instead. We had, I think, 9 'suitcases' between the 4 of us, plus carry ons, and we easily fitted in everything we needed for the first 6 weeks, plus a ton of stuff we just thought we needed.

GeoffM

Whoa. You invented something I did not say.

I had car seats for both my kids when they landed. I'm sure it's not beyond the wit of the OP to ensure the same.

Pulaski

I'm not sure why they'd say that - our air freight trunks were shipped a couple of days before we left and we collected them from the agent's warehouse within 48hrs of our arrival in NY. I shipped some tools I inherited a few years later, to another major airport further south, and that also only took 3-4 days door-to-door.

Pulaski

One thing you could do which will certainly help them fit it at school is to have them learn, by heart, the Pledge of Allegiance as I believe that it is a daily part of the schedule at most schools. Apparently 45/50 states mandate the Pledge be recited, and it is likely that many schools do even in states that do not mandate it.

kodokan

I think it was quite a recent thing (this was late 2011). They did explain why, but I forget exactly the cause - increased security of some sort, probably.

For the kids, make sure they know fractions inside and out, up to being able to multiply and divide them, and that they're really familiar with imperial measurements (called standard measurements here). The 12 yr old could do with a nodding acquaintance with the meaning of things like main idea, topic sentence, and the standard 5 paragraph essay format too, as these get banded around as a sort of shorthand. Although don't worry overmuch, as he'll pick this up in days as his writing will almost certainly be streets ahead anyway.

My sample 12 yr old tells me that the Pledge of Allegiance isn't done in his middle school; it was just an elementary thing.

If it's anything like when my kids started, they'll be like rock stars - my then 11 yr old was followed around by a couple of dozen supporters each recess, wanting him to say things like 'Harry Potter' and 'Awright, guvnor?'.

jackattack

I must have misread your quote. In my sleep-deprived brain, I read it as 'don't bother with kids car seats because the regulations are different'. Apologies.

Pulaski

A little on-line research suggests that may not be compliant with AZ law - schools are required to set time aside the Pledge, however students have the option not to participate. BTW Rhode Island's requirements are the same as for Arizona.

GeoffM

Thank you. At least at 10 and 12 they'll presumably only need booster seats which don't need fitting as such. I wonder if the 12 year old will even need one - OP will need to determine the rules for her state, which might depend on height and weight as well as age.

tancan

They won't need booster seats according to http://www.dot.state.ri.us/programs/safety/laws.asp. They're also big for their age.

Our stuff got picked up this morning, and anything I haven't taken we won't need (I hope). I was mainly worried because we hadn't packed enough - our allowance was 350lbs, and the first load I had set aside was only 100lbs, so I was running around finding extra things to pack - boots, shoes, roller skates for kids, toys, etc.

Thanks for the ideas on the kids. I'm sure they'll pick up the pledge quickly when at school. Love the idea of them being followed around.

Tea_and_biccies

We arrived 3 days before the start of term last September. My kids were 8 and 11, so grades 4 and 6. My OH had been here for a month so had dowloaded the school supply lists and gone to Staples to buy everything needed. However, we seemed to have mistunderstood all the file/binder sizes and types so it took a few trips for them to have what they needed and wanted. My eldest Does get asked to say 'Harry Potter'!

The level of the middle school work seems lower than the UK system, except for maths. This is a ridiculously good school district though. My now 9 year old is struggling with the 4th grade maths level in her elementary school

Our Wii is hooked up to an old crt tv in the basement and works in black and white, it should work fine on HD tv. We brought our dvd player too, and just reprogrammed it. I wish I'd brought more electronic stuff, as more seems to work than I thought, e.g. hair straighteners. My bedside lamp is half as bright! I just got a new power supply put in the PC for $25. We went to Target a lot. Good luck with the move

Tea_and_biccies

Oh, and I wish I'd put several jars of pickle/chutney in my case. I really didn't realise I'd miss it so much. So much so that I'm going to have a crack at making caramelised onion chutney..

Speedwell

Stupid expensive over here, but not unobtainable by any means (I am actually eating some right now): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...nston%20pickle