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| Hi there,
We live in the US permanently so our kids were born and raised here. We will be moving to Zurich for 7 months in December and I wonder if anybody has experience with the transfer from a US school to a public Swiss school. In the US, the kids start school when they are 5 (Kindergarten) but in Switzerland they start 1st grade when they are 6 or 7. My kids are currently in 1st and 4th grade here. Should they go into the same grades in Zurich or would they have to be one grade up. They are both fluent in German (thank god).
Any comments on this subject are welcome.
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For such a short stay, and I am not sure that there are that many people on this forum who have been in this situation,knowing they are here for just 7 months with no possibility of extension. I know situations where one parent stayed home with the kids and let the other partner come and work here. That would be a pity. I would just look at this as an "exchange experience", the opportunity for your kids to use their German, make some friends, and experience life in a different country.
It won't be 7 months of school, taking into consideration the school holidays. In the Kanton of Aargau, where I am familiar, the birthdate is the definitive factor in determining the appropriate grade level at this age. Forget about what grade they are in now, but do check about what the situation will be when you return home. You don't want your kids to be put back a year when you go back, as if they have failed and need to repeat the year. Discuss with the school now what you should do to keep up their academics..it might be as simple as bringing the school materials they have now.