Settling in...to school and home

We had to get organised pretty fast as school was starting just a week after our arrival. We were very lucky to find a house to rent in a beautiful place, but more importantly, within a great school district.

The crazy thing was that each of our three kids were starting three different schools: elementary (junior), middle school and high school.
We really hit the ground running ....classes had to be chosen for our high school student, but this posed a problem as all the other freshmen had made their selections weeks before and many of the classes Laura wanted were full. I would really recommend finding out how the American system works and selecting the classes as early as possible, even if you haven't arrived in the country yet. Use the phone or try online, as it will help make the transition for your children so much easier, and help prepare them for the many different terms and options.
Needless to say we were unprepared for so many differences. Finding out the correct level your child will be at in each subject is tough as high school classes here don't necessarily follow year on year. For example a freshman (1st year of high school) could be in a maths class will a senior as it depends when the student decides to take that class. Every subject earns credits towards the final graduation requirement and these are earned throughout the four years of high school. It is very different from the O level or A level exam requirements that we are used to. Even choosing a sport for Laura was a laugh! She had been a keen netball player at her English school so thought she could get on a team here.....
"What's netball Ma'am?", was the counsellor's response.
Do not fret though because the opportunities are boundless and children are resilient and adventurous. They soon settle into a new life, soaking up every new experience like a sponge. Within weeks we had a daughter on the freshman soccer team (I will never get used to calling football soccer!), another daughter in dance class and band, and a son playing youth soccer and the double bass, of all things! They were soon making friends and speaking in strange sounding accents!
One of the funny things that comes to mind about this time was how my children used to berate having to wear a school uniform in the UK. After only a few short weeks, my daughter admitted that she missed her uniform as it was so hard to have to think what to wear each day! "Being a teenage girl at school shouldn't be a fashion parade Mum. Should it?" Man, how we laughed at that one.
So another recommendation is.....find the Mall and find it quickly! At least clothes are very much cheaper here.