Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - Moving to and living in the Lakes Region year round... whats the reality of....

Argie's Wife · 02-27-2011, 10:52 AM

Sounds like your biggest concern is for your children and keeping them busy.

I have two boys, ages 9 and 6. One of the things I love about living in this area is that we're close to the lake, mountains, cities, and whatever else we choose to do. Scouting is HUGE in Alton and the oldest boy is a Weblo; the youngest boy will join next year. Both boys play baseball/t-ball and soccer.

There's a lot of programs available through the school, such as LEGO League, chess club, Destination Imagination, etc., as well as sports. When the boys sign up for a club I volunteer to help out, just to be a part of what they're doing and to help support the youngest boy (he's special needs). There's also PTSA (you may know it as PTA in your area), and Alton Youth League (separate from the school - sports program).

Someone said it well when they said: It's what you make it.

As far as the caliber of the public schools in our area, I think we have some very good public schools and I wouldn't recommend basing your choice on test scores alone. I'm not going to get into the problems with the use of the NECAP test - the only measurement used by the State of NH - for NCLB (by 2014 ALL schools will fail the test - that's the setup of NCLB!), but I do suggest you set up an appointment with the school districts' offices that you may be moving into and ask for a tour/interview. Bring a list of questions and decide what is going to work best for your children.

02-27-2011, 10:52 AM	#28
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	Sounds like your biggest concern is for your children and keeping them busy. I have two boys, ages 9 and 6. One of the things I love about living in this area is that we're close to the lake, mountains, cities, and whatever else we choose to do. Scouting is HUGE in Alton and the oldest boy is a Weblo; the youngest boy will join next year. Both boys play baseball/t-ball and soccer. There's a lot of programs available through the school, such as LEGO League, chess club, Destination Imagination, etc., as well as sports. When the boys sign up for a club I volunteer to help out, just to be a part of what they're doing and to help support the youngest boy (he's special needs). There's also PTSA (you may know it as PTA in your area), and Alton Youth League (separate from the school - sports program). Someone said it well when they said: It's what you make it. As far as the caliber of the public schools in our area, I think we have some very good public schools and I wouldn't recommend basing your choice on test scores alone. I'm not going to get into the problems with the use of the NECAP test - the only measurement used by the State of NH - for NCLB (by 2014 ALL schools will fail the test - that's the setup of NCLB!), but I do suggest you set up an appointment with the school districts' offices that you may be moving into and ask for a tour/interview. Bring a list of questions and decide what is going to work best for your children.