Moving to avoid two middle school changes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the move to stay in the same middle/high school pyramid that you were expecting pre-rezoning? Any chance the dad would move into the zone and you can stay where you are but your son could attend based on his address? Does your son already have a good group of friends that will be at the school?

Middle school is the worst, being a new kid can be hard. If there are a lot of kids shifting with him it may be less hard than starting from scratch.

+1
Either get dad to move or get an exception from the school. What the school is doing is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I'm not from the local area, but, are there other kids that he goes to school with now also moving in the same school pattern? Meaning, will he be alone or will he be with a group of people he knows even though they're moving schools?
My preference would be to not move, housing prices are very high right now and a longer commute sounds terrible.

[Anonymous]

Do not move. Your kid will be fine. And if they aren’t fine, they might not have been fine even if you had moved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How far away is the dad now, how long ago did you get divorced, and how sensitive is your son?

I cannot believe that MCPS is making your son switch schools partway through middle school. That’s crazy.

Middle school sucks anyway. In your shoes, I would probably stay put for sixth grade and then muddle through seventh and eighth grade. What is the plan for high school if you stay where you are and what is the plan for high school if you move?

OP

Dad is 30 minutes away, he moved out 2 years ago, divorce was just finalized. Son is sensitive and took the split hard. I give him a lot of support and he's in therapy.

The school implementation is outrageous. The kids starting middle school this year are the same ones that started Kindergarten virtually during a global pandemic. Some genius in MCPS thinks it's acceptable to make them start middle school twice.

The High School closer to his dad has better reputation. We will be zoned for Watkins Mill and dad is zoned for Blair.

Kids change schools all the time. Blair is a better school. Why not let him go there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the move to stay in the same middle/high school pyramid that you were expecting pre-rezoning? Any chance the dad would move into the zone and you can stay where you are but your son could attend based on his address? Does your son already have a good group of friends that will be at the school?

Middle school is the worst, being a new kid can be hard. If there are a lot of kids shifting with him it may be less hard than starting from scratch.

+1
Either get dad to move or get an exception from the school. What the school is doing is ridiculous.

Why should dad move when this is a non-issue? It's a mom-created issue and lots of kids change schools and are fine. It sounds like he needs more time with dad and they should find a way to make that happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the move to stay in the same middle/high school pyramid that you were expecting pre-rezoning? Any chance the dad would move into the zone and you can stay where you are but your son could attend based on his address? Does your son already have a good group of friends that will be at the school?

Middle school is the worst, being a new kid can be hard. If there are a lot of kids shifting with him it may be less hard than starting from scratch.

My son has a good group of friends in elementary school, but they’re all going different directions for middle school—one to a magnet program, one to private school, and another family is moving out of state.

There are also no kids his age in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors are between 50–80, except for two families who recently moved in with babies. The lack of neighborhood friends and social opportunities is another factor in my thinking about moving.

His dad is settled in a paid-off home in a neighborhood full of young families and an active community. I could afford to buy within walking distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the move to stay in the same middle/high school pyramid that you were expecting pre-rezoning? Any chance the dad would move into the zone and you can stay where you are but your son could attend based on his address? Does your son already have a good group of friends that will be at the school?

Middle school is the worst, being a new kid can be hard. If there are a lot of kids shifting with him it may be less hard than starting from scratch.

My son has a good group of friends in elementary school, but they’re all going different directions for middle school—one to a magnet program, one to private school, and another family is moving out of state.

There are also no kids his age in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors are between 50–80, except for two families who recently moved in with babies. The lack of neighborhood friends and social opportunities is another factor in my thinking about moving.

His dad is settled in a paid-off home in a neighborhood full of young families and an active community. I could afford to buy within walking distance.

Based on your original post, I was anti-moving. But, being walking distance to the other parent, assuming kid goes back and forth regularly and you co-parent well, would be a big plus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the move to stay in the same middle/high school pyramid that you were expecting pre-rezoning? Any chance the dad would move into the zone and you can stay where you are but your son could attend based on his address? Does your son already have a good group of friends that will be at the school?

Middle school is the worst, being a new kid can be hard. If there are a lot of kids shifting with him it may be less hard than starting from scratch.

My son has a good group of friends in elementary school, but they’re all going different directions for middle school—one to a magnet program, one to private school, and another family is moving out of state.

There are also no kids his age in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors are between 50–80, except for two families who recently moved in with babies. The lack of neighborhood friends and social opportunities is another factor in my thinking about moving.

His dad is settled in a paid-off home in a neighborhood full of young families and an active community. I could afford to buy within walking distance.

Based on your original post, I was anti-moving. But, being walking distance to the other parent, assuming kid goes back and forth regularly and you co-parent well, would be a big plus.

Agree 100%