Sorry I haven’t clarified sufficiently, I guess:
After speaking yesterday with the present Catholic school, I’ve determined that she WILL be going into the jr.high at 7th grade rather than keeping her at this school (in a different district) until 8th or 9th grade. She WILL be in that jr.high at the start of 7th.
The question right now is whether to change her to the closer Catholic school for two years, for 5th & 6th, so when she goes to that jr.high she’ll already have a constellation of friends in the new area from activities and grade school when she arrives at the jr.high, eg, two more minor changes: one at 5th and one at 7th. The alternative is waiting for two years, and her having to deal with not only the jr.high education and “fish in a big pond” that everyone has to deal with, but in addition to that, having to deal with the social, friend, cultural (coarser, non-Catholic), educational factors ALL at the same time... however, only having to deal with a single shift of environment.
When is it better, socially, for a [girl] child to get the friend shift?
Be back later... gotta hit another consult...
You know, my kids have moved around a lot. Before each move we discuss it and the kids are rather open with us about their feelings. There is no question that they would rather not have moved. When the question was posed to them in isolation, they liked the familiar, the status quo. The reason we did move was that is the nature of this type of work they’ve always adapted and made friends.
But, if possible, I would have avoided uprooting them until it was absolutely necessary. IMO, wait until all the other kids are making the transition as well. Then she won’t feel victimized.