hsmom84 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I have never moved out of state before and if any of you have any tips that would help I would appreciate it. We will be moving to an area outside of Mesa not sure exactly where yet but a friend suggested Gilbert. We are all looking forward to the move so that is more than half of the battle I am sure. Are any of you in AZ or familiar with their homeschooling laws? I did go to the HSLDA site and it seemed pretty lax as far as regulations. What do I need to worry about getting done for this school year, because we will be moving at the end of Aug so I won't have much time to find out the information and do what needs to be done. Also we have been told that AZ school districts have charter schools, is this a workable situation or are they designed more for trouble students with social workers and counselors? Thanks for all your help. Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 We are in AZ, in Gilbert actually. It is a very homeschool friendly place. I'll link you to a FAQ page about homeschool rules. http://www.afhe.org/faqs_getting_started.htm Charter Schools are not just a place for troubled kids. There are many for arts or technology or other things. There is also the Arizona Virtual Academy which is a k12 charter school that you do at home. If you have more questions please ask, there are several board members in Arizona. I hope you enjoy the heat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5wolfcubs Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I'm in East Mesa! And considered putting one of my children in this Classical charter school. If she had wanted to go, I would have sent her (well, put her on the waiting list). The charter schools I have heard about are very good, if you need/want to go the p.s. route. When you arrive, you will need to file an affidavit w/ the county. The info is on the AFHE website -- all you need is the printed form (notarized) and original birth certificate (county mails it back). Make sure you have birth certificates before you leave WA! AZ is a great state for homeschooling -- lots of opportunities & support! If you're looking for more info on AZ, here is a link to our realtor's page. When we moved from IL to AZ (almost 8 years ago) he was such a big help in learning about the area! And it is definitely a buyer's market here right now!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 We are in Tempe, right next to Mesa. As mentioned, all you have to do is file an affidavit, the Maricopa County Superintendent of schools' website has the forms, as well as a list of homeschool support groups and programs. My DD is attending Ealeridge in the fall, a homeschool enrichment program by the Mesa school district. She'll be in a classroom environment one day a week. They also have a virtual school a friend of mine is enrolling her kids in in the fall. There are a lot of educational options here, including very uncomplicated and hands off homeschool laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 In December 2006 we moved from Oregon to AZ. Just be prepared for climate-shock. :) I sure miss the green. But, you know, this summer we have been driving a car with no A/C. And we are surviving. I think we can call ourselves true residents now! I have never moved out of state before and if any of you have any tips that would help I would appreciate it. We will be moving to an area outside of Mesa not sure exactly where yet but a friend suggested Gilbert. We are all looking forward to the move so that is more than half of the battle I am sure. Are any of you in AZ or familiar with their homeschooling laws? I did go to the HSLDA site and it seemed pretty lax as far as regulations. What do I need to worry about getting done for this school year, because we will be moving at the end of Aug so I won't have much time to find out the information and do what needs to be done. Also we have been told that AZ school districts have charter schools, is this a workable situation or are they designed more for trouble students with social workers and counselors? Thanks for all your help. Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 My DD is attending Ealeridge in the fall, a homeschool enrichment program by the Mesa school district. When I lived there Eagleridge began as a homeschool thing that many of my friends had their dc in, then quickly became the place troubled kids from public school were sent (my friends took their dc out so fast it wasn't even funny). Has it gone back to its original focus/purpose? I envy you moving there! I don't miss the weather one bit but I do miss 5wolfcubs :) and the P.E. group is absolutely unbelievable...Athletes In Training is what it is called I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 As far as moving goes, that is a big one. Will you be moving yourselves or will someone else be moving you. I ask because we are moving from TN to CA in a month and the cost of renting a truck (UHaul even :thumbdown:) is going to run us close to $4000 for the biggest truck and gas (and I think we figures hotels into that figure, but I am not sure). So, we are getting rid of a lot of stuff and trying to get a smaller truck which will be cheaper and use less gas. If it isn't absolutely necessary or we can replace it cheaply if/when we need it, then it is not coming with us. Also, you may want to look into ABF for moving. We used them on our move from WA to TN. They will drop a trailer (a small semi truck one) in your drive way, you load it up, (I think you are allowed 12 ft...but they are HIGH! There is a secure way to block off your stuff so no one can get to it) they pick it up and drop it off at your new place. It was pretty reasonable and you won't have to worry about driving a big truck! Good luck with your move!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom84 Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 Sorry it took so long to respond to your question about trucks, we are going with Penske because they were about $400 less than UHaul. We are still looking at about $3000 to move with the truck, gas & hotel. For those of you that live in the Mesa, Gilbert area I was wondering if Queen Creek is a decent place to live? Thanks Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 In December 2006 we moved from Oregon to AZ. Just be prepared for climate-shock. :) I sure miss the green. But, you know, this summer we have been driving a car with no A/C. And we are surviving. I think we can call ourselves true residents now! :lol: THe summer i went to summer school at ASU and wore a jacket my family thought i was nuts. I knew i was "home" (I love being warm - but FL has become home more than AZ did). Sorry it took so long to respond to your question about trucks, we are going with Penske because they were about $400 less than UHaul. We are still looking at about $3000 to move with the truck, gas & hotel. I was going to suggest Penske too - 4 years ago there was a HUGE difference when my parents moved to FL from CA. Like over $1000. Make sure you get a diesel truck. Gas is cheaper, but gets way worse mileage. We bought a trailer and made 3 trips (back when diesel was $1.28/gallon... sigh....) and it was cheaper than doing it any other way overall. Good luck with all the moves ladies!! Moving while homeschooling was interesting (it was my first year too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamarley Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 in Johnson Ranch, but I still keep up with everything that goes on in the San Tan area. At the time, we had to drive into Mesa or Gilbert to do *anything,* but it's built up quite a bit since we've moved. Hunt Highway, the main street used to get out of Queen Creek, would get very, very congested during rush hour it could take people well over an hour to get to their jobs if they worked in the surrounding cities. I'm not sure if that's changed or not. Because of the mortgage crisis, you'll find a lot of renters (we were). We took great care of the home that we lived in and respected our neighbors, but the renters next door did not. Even with an HOA, you can definitely get some people that you don't want next to you, but I suppose you can get that anywhere. Unfortunately, grafitti, vandalism, and gangs have become a little more prevalent in that area in recent months. At least in Johnson Ranch. We did enjoy all of the amenities; pools, tennis, golf course, neighborhood parties. Overall it was a very enjoyable time for us. BUT, and this is coming from a girl who lived in Southern California's high desert for ten years, so I'm no stranger to heat; the unbearable triple digit numbers that we would get day, after day, after day, in Queen Creek drove me crazy! The rest of the year was beautiful, but I will never forget my Arizona summer! BTW, this is my second summer in the south and even though we're going through a humid heat wave right now, when people ask how I'm handling the heat I can still say, "I've lived in Arizona...this is nothing!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 We just moved to AZ 2 years ago and we love it. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the heat, but it's fine. One of my friends told me before I moved out: "It's not like CA where you have to think about whether or not to run your air - you just run it." I absolutely love that!!! It also is a dry heat (I know everyone says that) but it truly is different than a humid heat. Much more bearable. Although, coming from WA, do you have heat? :) AZ is extremely homeschool friendly, like someone mentioned, you just have to file an affidavit and then your set! Our state homeschool website is AFHE and it helped me out a lot when I first was investigating homeschooling in AZ. Also, I joined them to attend their big convention last month and they actually sent me a bunch of paperwork, including the affidavit I needed to fill out. Kind of nice! I haven't actually been to the east side of the valley, but they seem to always get the worst of the monsoon storms. Queen Creek is always on the news about to have another storm. We personally love the monsoon storms, but we also live on the west valley and have never had our power knocked out or severe flooding. We also hired a moving truck when we came out. We ended up going with Penske; we were misquoted and ended up getting a huge deal. Yay! Our biggest advice would be to rent first. We are so thankful we rented first. We came to the area b/c of some friends were starting a church, but not knowing the "good" neighborhoods and not so good ones, where was more high traffic locations, etc. We're actually house hunting at the moment because we finally feel confident in choosing a location that is central to dh's work (Phoenix), the church, friends, etc. The flip side of that, of course, is that the market is absolutely ideal right now to purchase. Good luck with your move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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