| Moving Away
We're always sorry to say goodbye to an SAS student, but unfortunately moving on is a part of life when you are attending an international school. With the exception of Mr. Baker, no one gets to (or has to) stay in high school forever.
Once you have determined for certain that you will be transferring from SAS, you should notify the Admission Office of yoru plans. This can be done online. A couple of days before you leave, you should stop by the Counseling Office so you can be pick up a check-out form. You will take this form around to all of your classes and once you've turned in your books, your teachers will indicate your transfer grade on the form.
Moving to a new location and finding the right school can seem like a daunting task. To help you get started, we suggest you consider the following.
1st Gather Information
A good place to begin would be to browse the following websites:
- GreatSchools offers preschool, elementary, middle and high school information for US public, private and charter schools nationwide. They use standardized test scores to come up with their numbers. So an "A" Florida school (rated A by the state) should come up high on greatschools.net, too. Be aware that a school that rates a "10" in Florida may rate a "5" in another state and vice versa. It's all relative to the individual state and which standardized test scores it uses. What you may find valuable are the parent comments.You should probably disregard the least detailed complaints, since usually it is the most unhappy who go out of their way to complain on sites like that. But often there are very specific comments (both positive and negative) that help, and an overall parent rating can help.
- The American School Directory is an Internet guide to all 108,000 K-12 schools, providing information for families planning a move.
- The School District Data Book, from the National Center for Education Statistics, is an electronic library containing social, financial and administrative data for each of the 15,274 public school districts in the United States.
- Peterson's provides a directory of private secondary day and boarding schools, Christian, and special needs schools.
- The Association of Boarding Schools allows you to search among the 300 boarding schools in the U.S., Canada, and overseas.
- International Schools Services provides a directory of all international schools along with links to their websites.
- The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a major international school organization that also provides a directory of all overseas schools.
2nd Make a List of Schools
Using guides, real estate agents, and the Internet, begin making a list of schools that are in the area of where you will be living. Ask that these schools send you information. All schools should be able to provide you with a "High School Profile" (take a look at the SAS profile), Course Guide, and Student Handbook. If you’re looking at a private school it’s a good idea to call, fax, or e-mail the admission office early since some have limited spaces. Public schools are required to admit all students who live within their boundaries so for these schools, no application will be required.
3rd Decide What is Important
Together with your child, decide on your goals for the search. For one family, finding a school with a state-of-the-art computer program is a high priority. For another family, a strong music or dance program is important. Others will be concerned about finding a school with an impressive record of college acceptances.
4th Determine Academic Needs
Each student has a different range of abilities. It is important to be realistic about the kind of school that will allow your child to flourish. Ask for a copy of your child’s transcript and take that plus any achievement testing results with you when you visit schools. If accelerated, support, or other kinds of courses are required, you’ll want to make certain the schools you are considering provide these programs.
5th Check on Admission Tests
Some US private schools ask prospective students to complete the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). Both of these tests can be taken in Singapore.
6th Visit and Ask Questions
If at all possible you should visit the schools you are considering. If you are looking at private or international schools, complete an application and forward it along with transcripts and testing scores to the admission office prior to your visit. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the issues that are important to you. The following are some typical questions parents frequently ask during their school visits:
- What is the school’s largest, smallest and average class size? Are the facilities modern?
- What Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses are offered? Are they offered each year?
- How are students who need extra help assisted? Are teachers available to help students outside of class?
- What is the level of diversity found in the school? Do upper division classes have a reasonable number of both males and females?
- What extracurricular activities are available? Do all students get to participate in athletics or are many students "cut" from teams? Do students involved in athletics, music, or other activities seem to get special treatment?
- Does the school have a strong PTA or similar organization for parents?
- Do the counselors have the skill and time to provide college counseling?
7th Trust Yourself
While schools can provide objective data (e.g., SAT’s, number of computers, extracurricular activities), it tends to be the intangibles that determine a family’s decision on a school. Trust your instincts. Do people in the school community like where they are, do they trust each other, and do they feel comfortable there? Is it a family you would care to join? Don’t underestimate the importance of how the school "feels" to you. As you go through the process of changing schools, please let us know if we can help.
|
