How did you handle school (in U.S.) for your repatriated kids?

My son will complete nearly the year of Reception by the time we repatriate.  But according to his birthday, this means he starts Kindergarten in the U.S. in August/2007.

From the look of the curriculum, he has covered everything in Reception already.  Done the full day of schooling, etc.

Is it expected that repatriated kids just repeat a grade?

There are certainly a ton of education options in the States for us, compared with here, so he could do a charter, or magnet, or otherwise specialised programme (like IB) in the States, that could help.

Thanks!

I have to say in advance that I don't have much experience with this, but I think you might be able to have your son "tested" or even just have one of the kindergarten teachers sit with him to figure out his level. If anything, you can ask to meet with the principal of the school he will be attending and express your concerns. The last thing they would want is a bored child in their class, so if you could bring some sort of proof, maybe even a letter from his current teacher on what he has already learned, you may be able to have him enter straight into 1st. I would think especially for kids who may be a little gifted, they would have some kind of testing process. If not, a letter would prove that he has already essentially completed "kindergarten" as they teach it and there would be no need to make him go through it all again.

I could be wrong, but that was my thought.

From my own experience with my daughter, it is better that he go into kindergarten regardless.  Then he'll be at the top of the class, good at everything and that will give him super confidence that will carry him through his entire education career.  IMO that would be much easier an adjustment for him than putting him in a class where the kids are all a year older and he will be working hard just to catch up socially. 

There is much more to kindergarten than learning abc's and 123's.

By the end of 1st grade, all the kids pretty much level out anyway.

Everything else, you can supplement at home.   

I may be mistaken, but don't British school kids just start at an earlier age and finish everything a bit earlier overall in school?

I personally have a problem with that, but that's another thread!

I would consider carefully if you feel you child could skip ahead to 1st grade (how old is he?). 1st grade is a very different kettle of fish compared to kindergarten. If you aren't comfortable with him starting 1st grade early, perhaps he could do the half day of kindergarten under the understanding with his teachers that he may need more challenges. And then in the latter half of the day, perhaps he could do some sort of day camp or other activity?

Just a thought!

ETA, just saw MrsPink's post... and I'd agree. Being the youngster and the 'bright' one is very difficult.

ETA, just saw MrsPink's post... and I'd agree. Being the youngster and the 'bright' one is very difficult.

I didn't think of it that way, and I would say that is something to consider for sure. I graduated when I was 17, and was a year younger than everyone else. It was hard for me when I started college, as I wasn't even a legal adult yet. I did feel very accomplished though because I felt like I had finished ahead of the curve. My parents really didn't motivate me academically though. I remember my mom once telling me "It's okay to get a C. C is average and there's nothing to be ashamed of if you're average." For some reason, I always pushed myself to be the best I could be, and I would get upset when I had B's. I have no idea why though, as I mentioned I had no parental motivation. I wouldn't say that it was because I started early though. Who knows!

I think it also depends on how your child reacts in school. Is he quiet or really talkative? Is he shy or very outgoing?

My son Alex had literally just turned three years old when he started nursery, and it was really hard for him because I felt he wasn't ready to be around so many other children and it took the teachers nearly a year for him to open up and join in with the class. I had one quiet little boy and because of his birthday being so late in September he did not go up into reception the following year as his birthday missed the cut-off date and is spending this year in nursery as well and was the best blessing in the world for him.

Now I have a little boy who wants to go to school seven days a week and practically runs to school every day and all of this is because he feels comfortable in his environment and he is never bored. And so I completely agree with Mrs. Pink!

Thanks, everyone, I sincerely appreciate the input.  This is a difficult move and the education part of it is massive!  Sigh.

I agree that school is much more than academic learning.  My son will have enough to deal with in adjusting to all these different terms for things, his strong English accent (we're moving to the South), different home, missing his friends, etc, etc.  It's going to be a big deal just managing the cultural differences.

There are 49 magnet programmes alone, and charter schools, then private options (such as British school).  So, in addition to vanilla Kindergarten, he could be in a specialised programme.  We're leaning toward making use of these options.  Providing we can get in the application by the end date (did I mention how overwhelming this all is? )

I certainly don't want to put him in over his head.  He has done so well in Reception, he's on target for all the learning goals, and does beautifully in the social areas as well (both adults and peers).  Nothing of concern whatsoever.  Which makes leaving this wonderful education so very difficult, but that's another thread.

The kindergarten decision was the hardest parenting decision we have made thus far.  I totally understand. 

DD's birthday is in Nov and the year before she was set to go to kindergarten, she was in preschool. When we asked her about kindergarten, she said "kindergarten, why would I want to go to kindergarten?"  I put her in preschool for another year and at the end of that year, she was saying "yay kindergarten.  I love kindergarten!" 

It was the best decision we ever made.  She's now 15 and excels academically AND socially and she has been through 4 school systems in three countries and has been to 5 schools in the last 5 years. 

The advice we got when we were making the decision about when to put her in kindergarten, came from a friend of mine who was doing her phD in ed psych at the time.  Her professors said, if you have the slightest doubt, keep her back, because it will give her a social edge which will give her the confidence to carry her through.  They were absolutely right.  Better to have a kid who is over-confident than a kid who is always struggling to keep up.

Also, the social gap doesn't necessarily show up in the early primary years but it will show up in Jr. high. Another friend of mine is a jr. high teacher and she thought we were making a huge mistake, keeping DD back.  She was so upset with us that she went to talk to her school counselor who simply said to her "who are the youngest kids in your classes?"  My friend could answer immediately and funny, all of them had the late birthdays and almost all of them were struggling socially. 

I think also, you'll find that kindergarten is very different in the states, depending on where you'll be living, of course.  In San Diego, for instance, it is all-day and the kids have a placement test and are placed according to ability.  And you can now fail kindergarten.  I know that if my son knew how to read, he would have been given tons to do.  The programme was designed for every different level.  But for him, his biggest challenge was just getting through the day.   

my little sisters started reception & 1st form here in the UK.  they then transferred back to the UK... they went right into 2nd grade.  they have done really really well- so i think every child/situation is different. 

my little sisters started reception & 1st form here in the UK.  they then transferred back to the UK... they went right into 2nd grade.  they have done really really well- so i think every child/situation is different. 

I'm thinking you intend 'back to the US', so I'll take it that way.

Thanks for the input.  And thanks, Mrs. Pink for your lengthy post.  There isn't testing for placement in the schools where we're going, but yes, it will be all day Kindergarten so my son is very used that having done that for eight months.  Fingers crossed he has to wear some kind of uniform in the U.S. school!  I love uniforms.  Thankfully, so many schools we've researched have strict dress code or uniform (and these are public schools).

It may be that an IB programme for Kindergarten is enough of a challenge for my son, coming off a year at Reception. 

I'm a teacher and I agree with Mrs. Pink. I've moved around a lot as well and have had to deal with the social changes as a child. There are enough cultural and educational differences between the US and UK that if he's at the Kindergarten age, I would recommend having him do kindergarten here. Kindergarten also does teach a lot of social skills, there's the poem "Everything I need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" and it's true. If he's bored academically, then you could talk to the teacher about it and try to find some ways to challenge him.

You could look into a Montessori program that can challenge him at his level of learning and skills while still being with a group of 5 years to help with the social skills too.

Another thing to consider is that even though kids in the UK start school earlier, IME, they are a lot more immature than kids in the US.  That is just my experience, mind you but I've worked with a lot of kids in the US and the UK. 

You could look into a Montessori program that can challenge him at his level of learning and skills while still being with a group of 5 years to help with the social skills too.

Thanks, and great idea!  Unfortunately, we missed all the lottery deadlines for the Magnet Montessori programme and it's beyond full now.  But maybe for next year, or our pre-K child.  My 5 year old really enjoyed Montessori nursery here in England.

The Montessori programme in the States has all different ages in the class, don't know if that is typical, but they seem to feel it is better than being with just a group of 5 year olds.

hi, well i have been asking this- my daughter starts reception in september just before her 5th birthday and through all this jargon you may make out something- it could be different state to state though the best idea is to talk to the department of education in the state that you will be living in.

Section 160.053, RSMo provides that "any child who completes the kindergarten year shall not be required to meet the age requirements of a district for entrance into grade one."  State statute does not specify the type of kindergarten program which must be completed prior to promotion to the first grade.  Most school districts accept successful completion of kindergarten at any accredited public, private or parochial school as sufficient basis for promotion to the first grade.  A child transferring from an unaccredited school, such as a home school, may be subject to additional evaluation to determine promotion.  Parents should contact the school district in which they intend to enroll to determine that district's policy.

Some districts recognize other states’ laws and regarding kindergarten enrollment if a student attends kindergarten in another state and transfers into Missouri during the kindergarten year or for first grade.  Districts may enroll the student on the theory of giving "full faith and credit" to the other states' laws. You will need to contact the local school district to see if they give full faith and credit to other states' entry laws.

this is from Missouri, so like i said check it out- I'm assuming this means if she finishes reception she can start 1 st grade regardless, but half way through its up to the school on whether or not they will accept her.

hope thats a help?