Help! Need advice about Irvine (and Tustin schools)-QUICK!

N

new2oc_IHB

New member
Hello,



We are relatively new to Irvine and have been renting that past 2 years. We figured we would have bought by now, but since the prices have and are going down, renting seemed to be ok with us. The confusion lies with which school to attend. We have 6 year old boy/girl twins and would like to go to a great Irvine or Tustin school with good teacher and parental support. My son has a harder time adjusting to change, so we would like school/teacher that nurtures this. Also, as important to go to a top school, I would like it to be well rounded. I have heard that Uni and Northwood High are great, but perhaps is that too much competition? I know there are many top students there, and if our kids aren't at the top, will they be able to go to a decent college after? Or perhaps is it a better route to go to a good high school, so maybe they can stand out more. I believe our children are smart, but when you have parents who have their preschoolers tutored I don't know how you compete with that and give them a well-rounded education.



The problem lies in that we are thoroughly confused about where to go. Everyone has an opinion, which we appreciate, but it makes the decision so much harder. So after 2 years we are still not sure where to live. We are currently renting in Westpark and have enrolled them in Westpark Elementary for first grade (They are going to Northwood Montessori for Kinder). However, we need to either renew our lease for another year, or move out in a month. Need to make a decision quick! Any recommendations?



Thanks!!
 
Renew your lease for another year. Doesn't sound like you have a compelling reason to move out.



You can always move into your car BK style.
 
new2oc,



Welcome to IHB. Just a tip that you only need to post the same thing once (this is in Irvine Real Estate thread as well.) Go ahead and renew your lease. This will give you ample time to do two things: sit out the housing market, and investigate potential schools for your children. Use the search feature at the top-right of your screen to type in the name of any of those schools you want more info on. You will get a lot of information there. Your kids are six years old so picking a high school today is probably not an emergency situation especially since you're looking to continue renting and not for your long-term / permanent home.



I was just having a conversation the other day with kayochan and she was telling me about block scheduling at Northwood High, which I was not aware of. I don't think this has been discussed on the forums yet so I'll let her chime in if she wouldn't mind. To me, it could be a compelling reason to choose Northwood over Uni or Beckman.



My advice - don't put yourself under the gun. Take all the time you want to make a decision that is important to you. Good luck!
 
Westpark Elementary is a very good school. I know parents that have kids there and they have been absolutely satisfied.



Not really sure I understand why you'd be thinking about high schools when your kids are so young. The dynamics at each school could change over the next eight years so making a decision today about a high school with so much intervening time seems premature to me.



That being said, when we buy a place, I don't think we'll buy a home in Uni's district. It's a little too hardcore there and there is quite a bit of academic pressure. If we had to pick today, we'd put our kids into Northwood first, then probably Woodbridge second. Both seem a little less stressful than Uni... Any Irvine high school is more than capable of equipping your kids for college.
 
Westpark Elem is a great school, our daughter is currently attending K there. She won't be attending for 1st grade as we moved out of Westpark and across town late last year, she is enrolled in Myford for 1st grade in the fall. That said, the quailty of the Westpark Elem had nothing to do with our move.



I've met all the 1st grade teachers at Westpark, and they are really top notch. And the current Kinder class (which will be 1st graders with your kids next year) is fantastic. Very diverse and fun group of kids, with some really involved parents. Lots of stay at home moms who organize different functions for the kids (talent shows, etc). As two working parents who unfortunately don't have as much time to volunteer at the school as we would like, we really appreciated the other parents who had more time to invest in making the school a better place. Another upside is the school is relatively uncrowded. There were 66 kinders this year, that's less than half the population at our new school. We will miss that. So in summary, you can't go wrong there.



Are you going to the Open House at Westpark Elem tonight? If not, you should consider it. You will be able to tour all the classes, meet the teachers, and observe the students (and their parents). It's from 6:30pm - 7:30pm tonight. I'll be there, look for me --- I look just like Brad Pitt, and I'll be with a woman who looks like Zhang Ziyi. Our daughter looks like what Angelina Jolie probably did at 5 years old. You can't miss us. ;)
 
[quote author="CK" date=1242950540]I'll be there, look for me --- I look just like Brad Pitt</blockquote>


Just in case you need a visual aid to help track down CK...



<img src="http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/61/61/fat_celebs_brad_pitt.0.0.0x0.400x671.jpeg" alt="" />
 
Thanks so much for all of your responses. They were very informative. We did go to the Westpark Elem Open House and was impressed with their program. Still on the fence. I have a friend who has a home in Northwood Pointe to lease, so we will consider this. I know it seems ridiculous to look so far ahead, but just wanted to give our kids some stability with regard to schools. This weekend, we are planning to investigate some of our target neighborhoods and decide where to live. Wish us luck!
 
[quote author="new2oc" date=1242997901]Thanks so much for all of your responses. They were very informative. We did go to the Westpark Elem Open House and was impressed with their program. Still on the fence. I have a friend who has a home in Northwood Pointe to lease, so we will consider this. I know it seems ridiculous to look so far ahead, but just wanted to give our kids some stability with regard to schools. This weekend, we are planning to investigate some of our target neighborhoods and decide where to live. Wish us luck!</blockquote>


If you are worried about well-rounded schools, pressure, competition, and stress levels, the elem that serves NW Pointe is probably not a great choice. It is supposedly the Uni of elementary schools in IUSD...
 
[quote author="new2oc" date=1243027075]By the way, I did not see my post in the Real Estate Section, was it removed?</blockquote>


Yes, it, along w/ no_vas's comment, was merged into this thread. No worries.
 
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