moving with kids to Alaska

Alaska is the size of Western Europe.

Where is your job ?

Please be more specific.

It looks like I’m going to be moving to the land between Cork, Hammerfest and Samara, Russia with my family in 2-3 months. Can anyone help with information on good child-friendly areas to live/ schools etc. I’m coming from Alaska and I know very little about how things like the schooling system works. I’ve got 2 kids that will be 4 and 6 years in June.
Any help on areas/ schools etc would be great.

This is how absurd your question is, robur. Where in Alaska are you moving?

I think #1 made the point Woodsy - no need for overkill is there?

sorry about that!! Moving to Anchorage.

Anchorage? That is about like moving to any other mid sized city in North America. It is full of nice homes, chain stores, good schools, good restaurants and bars, good roads, great parks, and just about anything you could get in any other mid sized North American city. A couple of differences are noteworthy:

1) The scenery is far more spectacular than most any city I have seen in North America (I have driven to all 49 N. American states) including my former homes, Denver and Salt Lake City.
2) It is a long way from the lower 48 states, so getting things sent tends to be rather expensive and is often time consuming.

Schools are closed in summer, unless the kids are going to be in special summer sessions. So if you are there from June to August you won't need to know anything about schools, right? There are plenty of very nice neighborhoods, but where you live depends on whether you want to be in the middle of the city, in the suburbs, or in the forest. All choices are possible in Anchorage and its metro area. You have provided pitifully little information for anyone to help, short of writing a book for you and guessing about everything you left out of your post.

talltravel, the robur's family is moving to anchorage IN 2-3 months, not FOR 2-3 months. that is why schools are a concern. before you start criticizing what's left out of the post, you might want to actually read the post. clearly robur is looking for a safe, family-friendly neighborhood that features a bit of what makes anchorage a special city. because this is a travel site, presumably access to hiking trails, water, etc. also would be of interest. obviously, more information is always appreciated, but really there is no need to be willfully obtuse in our responses. robur, in the unlikely event you are still reading, i apologize for my fellow posters. not everyone on thorntree is so unfriendly and unhelpful.

Robur, I've never been to Anchorage. But these sites are decent places to start for school info:
http://www.asdk12.org/<BR>http://www.greatschools.net/city/Anchorage/AK<BR><BR>In the states, there are of course public and private schools. If you are interested in enrolling your kids in private school, you should start contacting them immediately. For public schools, the school your kids attend most likely will be determined by the neighborhood you move to. school ends at the end of june. ideally, you will arrive before then - it's much easier to find people to deal with in the district. i'm not familiar with the anchorage system, but in most US cities enrolling is quite easy. you simply show up at the school for your neighborhood with proof of residency (for example, a lease or utility bill) and with your kids and sign them up. if they don't speak english, the district may give them some tests or put them in an english as a second language class. you could call the district now and get more info: 907-742-4000.

You can also check out crime stats by neighborhood on this site:
http://www.muni.org/apd1/DensityMaps.cfm<BR><BR>According to an ex-Anchorage acquaintance of mine, the Southeast and Southwest sides of town are safer. She says Hillside is very nice, but expensive. She also suggests checking out Eagle River, a 20-30 minute drive to the north.

Hope this helps, and good luck, robur. sounds like you're in for a great adventure.

sorry - just noticed that in anchorage, public school classes begin in august and end in may.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I think #1 made the point Woodsy - no need for overkill is there? <hr></blockquote>

Sorry, I made a 20 minute post while eating. #1 indeed made the point.

robur, the best parts of town are the Hillside, south Anchorage, and Eagle River/Chugiak. In the US, the quality of schools is linked to the wealth of the neighborhood. And your kids will go to a public (free) school in the neighborhood you live in. You can also enroll them in private schools for a fee. Or you can home school them yourself in Alaska. But the public schools in Anchorage are fine. Just avoid living in Mountain View or Fairview.

Housing in Anchorage is not cheap so be prepared for price shock. Since programs for non-English seaking kids are
even in Alaska oriented toward Spanish speakers the children usually are from families with low educational levels and
frankly little interest in kids achieving academically I would frankly put your kids in a private school if you can find one
that's not full up. Your four year old would likely be in a pre-school program unless he or she is nearly five years old by
August in which case he/she would be starting compulsory kindergarten.