ESL children moving to NC school system (Raleigh)

Hello Everyone,

My name is Rhonda, and I have just joined the forum. I apologise if I am posting in the wrong area! If so, please let me know :)

A little about myself, family, and why I am here! I am an American / British citizen. I currently live in Switzerland with my British husband and our three boys ages 13 and 8 year old twins. I have lived abroad for a total of 23 years. Eighteen of those years in England and five years ago, we moved from England to Switzerland.

All of our children attend the local school system in Switzerland. They speak Swiss German, High German, and English. Our eldest reads and writes in both High German and English. Our 8 year olds have a basic level of reading and writing in English at the moment. During their first 3 years of school we wanted to allow them to concentrate on learning Swiss German and High German.

Moving to Switzerland was a great opportunity for our family to experience a new language, culture, and one of the most beautiful places on earth. We chose to send our children to the local schools as we wanted to completely immerse them in the local language and culture. This has been an amazing and sometimes very difficult experience for all of us from both a language and cultural point of view! I am proud to say that the children have adapted beautifully to life, language and school here!

I have joined this group, as we are considering a move to the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Having done two international moves, I know that forums can be a great help and and true life saver in every way. Not just from local information, life as an expat, but also to meeting new friends.

I would truly like to connect with any other families on here that have moved from Germany or Switzerland to the Raleigh, North Carolina area. I am hoping to find friends that can share their experiences of moving their children from a German speaking / learning environment to an English speaking learning environment. I would also be interested in talking to anyone that has moved their children from their local non-english speaking country / school system to a US system. Moving the children and helping them adjust is my biggest concern for this move.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our family, and I hope to hear from some of you.

Best Wishes,
Rhonda