Moving to USA... how to select a school?

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Moving to USA... how to select a school?

Dear all,

First of all, tks for the opportunity to be here.

I´m moving to USA in the next month.
As the school system is quite different from mine (Brazil), and my kids here attend a private Catholic School that I really love, I´m a little bit confused about which area choose to live due to public school district system...
I´ve heard a lot about the report cards, how they can fail, about blue ribbon schools...
I have 2 kids - 9 years old (4th grade??) and 13 years old (in September),... 8th grade?
I´m also confused about names (elementary, secondary, junior high)... the brazilian schoolyear started in january...

Oh, weel... I need some advice and help!

What do you think about Teanfly Schools? ANd Ciffside Park? North Arlington? Any other area near with easy commute to NYC?

TKS!

Image of mahaila Posted by:
mahaila

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Reply from: JSorrentino Date: Jun 25, 2007 at 8:35 pm

Good luck with your move. I play Capoeira and would really like to visit Brazil some day. I attended American public schools and have some family in New York, so here's what I know:
 
Normally, 9-year-olds are in 4th grade and 13-year-olds are in 8th grade, but the curriculum in Brazil may be different, so the school may need to test your kids to see what grade they should be in.
 
Elementary school means kindergarten (for children around 5 years-old) through fifth grade (for children around ten years-old). Middle school, also known as junior high school, is sixth grade (for children around 11 years-old) through eigth grade. High school is ninth grade (for children around 14 years-old) to twelfth grade (which ends at around age 18).
 
Primary school means every grade up to eigth grade. Secondary school means high school.
 
In the U.S., the school year usually begins late August and runs until the middle of June.
 
I don't know much about schools in New York. If you're looking for another Catholic School, there are several. Holy Trinity Elementary School is a kindergarten through 8th grade school for boys and girls located in Hackensack, NJ. It recieved wonderful reviews on yelp.com.
 
Hope that helps

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Reply from: JSorrentino Date: Jun 26, 2007 at 2:18 pm

Also, if you go to the homepage of this site, on the left side you'll see the Reference Desk section. The second heading is a piece on "Choosing A School." It's a great resource for you in finding the right school for your children. Best of luck.

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Reply from: mahaila Date: Jul 3, 2007 at 11:04 pm

Hi, Johanna! Tks so much for your answer! Loved to hear you played Capoeira!!! Brazil is a nice place, with nice people, governants should be better... anyway...
Im moving temporarely (almost 2 years), and looking for public schools.
Tks so much for all the explanation!
Ill look at yelp for other stuff, I didnt know this website!
 
Best of luck for you! And tks again!! :o)

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Reply from: marykulka Date: Jun 26, 2007 at 8:48 pm

You may want to try http://www.greatschools.net/--you can search for individual schools, compare schools in different cities and states, and find the best schools in a particular area. It's really easy to use...I LOVE IT!!

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Reply from: mahaila Date: Jul 3, 2007 at 11:06 pm

Hi, Katherine! Im already in there, its a wonderful website!!
Im quite worried on finding different reviews from them X parents... same school is 5 for the website and 10 for parents, and vice versa... But Im still looking there! Tks :o)

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Reply from: marykulka Date: Jul 5, 2007 at 8:38 pm

I think their Web site ratings are based on test scores, which might be different from how real parents review the schools. Two different perspectives can be helpful in making your decision!

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Reply from: Seann Date: Jul 6, 2007 at 1:53 pm

Thanks for the pointer Katherine.  We've found that there are an increasing number of resources available on-line that are designed to help parents compare and choose schools.  Several others that are worth checking out include:  www.schoolmatters.com - a service of Standards and Poors; http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l - Google Local (enter "schools" in the left box and the city you are considering in the right box); www.just4kids.org - The National Center for Educational Accountability; www.psk12.com - a service started by two parents; and a number of others at the state level (for example, in New York - https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/ and in California - http://www.schoolfinder.ca.gov/).  My suggestion for Carla and other parents looking to choose a school is to start with your state's department of education website, and then check out the other services to find the one that best fits your needs.  Ultimately, in my opinion, the best way to get a feel for a school your children might attend is to call the principle and/or to set up a visit.  Good luck Carla!

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