In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
schools
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/16/2005 - 09:47In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
hi karen,,
we are just about to move over to italy,,pontremolli, and we have 2 daughters,,7+9 ,,and are quite worried about how it all works for the kids,,as they dont speak italian yet,,my husb is italian,,i am from london,, are the schools good? how long did it take yours to settle? and so much more,,be great to hear anything,,
thanks,
a very worried mum,
joany ;)
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=joany inzani]hi karen,,
a very worried mum,
QUOTE]
Although we live in a different region and our experience will not be exactly the same as yours I am sure that the girls will be fine. We have two children (ages 5 and 8). Clearly it will take them a month or so to settle in, as it would anywhere, but they will soon find their feet. Having an Italian in the family will be a huge bonus with homework etc and even if they do not yet speak Italian they will soon pick it up. Don't forget that they will be entitled to extra Italian lessons funded by the comune, but you have to ask it is not automatic. We have found the Italian primary & materna schools to be of an excellent standard. Class sizes are small and the teachers still feel able to hug/cuddle the children when appropriate, and to discipline a child when appropriate. Under the new education laws, the child's behaviour is a part of the school report and teachers will give extra homework if a child does not behave appropriately in school. Remember that school finishes at lunchtime, so ask around, there are bound to be plenty of extra curricular activities in the area, not well advertised, but this will help the girls to feel they are joining in.
So basically, don't worry, they will be fine.
Good Luck
Anne2
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=joany inzani]hi karen,,
we are just about to move over to italy,,pontremolli, and we have 2 daughters,,7+9 ,,and are quite worried about how it all works for the kids,,as they dont speak italian yet,,my husb is italian,,i am from london,, are the schools good? how long did it take yours to settle? and so much more,,be great to hear anything,,
thanks,
a very worried mum,
joany ;)[/QUOTE]
hi Joany :)
Well this is my 3rd attempt to reply to you - mainly because my computer is rubbish and cut me off after I had written 2 replies to you ! So apologies for taking so long to get back to you ! I just wanted to say that I dont think you should worry. Firstly as Ann said, you have an Italian husband and thats a big help (so you get him to do all the niggly beaurocratic things that the Italians are so fond of !) And then your children are a perfect age.....a) they wont forget their English and b) they will be bilingual in no time !
Children are much more adaptable than us adults I think ! My 2 youngest were 12 and 5 when we came and now the little one is completely bilingual. He goes to school from 8.30 to 4.30 everyday except Friday (just am). You'll find that schools differ in their timetables, so it may pay to have a look around. The 12 yr old had a huge struggle, but he did his final exam for Media School this week, and he came home beaming ! He's done really well and I think its been character forming for him (well thats what his teacher told me anyway!) Dont think it will be a smooth changeover - you have to be realistic and undertstand that you will have ups and downs. But stick with it, relax when faced with yet more paperwork...., and just enjoy the whole thing.
Remember if you feel a bit blue, then just come on this forum and you'll always find someone who has been through a similar thing and can help you or advise you.
I wish you and your family all the very best with your move and let us know how it goes.
Ciao
Karen
ps: didn't know where Pontremoli was and had to look on the map - looks like a good location and not too far from the coast you lucky things!!!! Specially when theres a heatwave like the one we're having at the moment!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Buongiorno
Good luck with your renovations in Nizza Monferrato - we are in the other direction in the Pinerolese area.
Ciao for now
Karen
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=Karen]Hi Buongiorno
Good luck with your renovations in Nizza Monferrato - we are in the other direction in the Pinerolese area.
Ciao for now
Karen[/QUOTE]
Hello Karen,thank you for your good wishes,can't wait to get started on the house so we can spend lots of time out in Italy,who no's maybe make it permanant one day[eldest son 17,give him time!] Kind regards James.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I come from Piemonte, I was born in Casale and lived in Torino until 4 years ago.
I am pleased to read that people are starting to know it and enjoy our beutiful hills.
Paola
[QUOTE=Karen]Hi
My name is Karen and I live in Piemonte. Married to an Italian and have 3 children. Moved back here 2 years ago (hmmm......???) Eldest child is about to go to Uni in UK and the younger two are in italian state school (one is just finishing Scuola Media and the other is in Scuola Elementare ). I used to buy the mag when we were still in the UK and now I enjoy reading all the messages on the forum (helps keep me sane ! ).
Ciao for now
Karen :)[/QUOTE]
Hi ,where about in piemonte are you,We have recently bought in a small village not far from Nizza Monferrato,have loads of work to do on it ,but looking forward to getting started good luck to you and your family .