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Originally Posted by Allos
Greetings from Hong Kong!
First of all, sorry for the long post.
Our family will be moving from Hong Kong to Calgary by next Summer. We have 2 kids, one is 7 and one is 12. They will be attending grade 3 and grade 7 when we arrive in Canada.
We have not bought a house yet. My wife has done some research. Brentwood/ Charleswood/ Edgemont/ Hampton/ Hawkwood are places that we are interested in. Most likely we will move to one of these communities.
My wife is a little concern on schools they are going to attend.
Reason that I am asking is because in Hong Kong, parents are paranoid and are fighting (literally) to get the kids into the best school possible. Here in Hong Kong people believe that elementary/ high school will determine that chance of getting into universities.
Shall we expect similar learning/ social experience among schools in different neighborhoods?
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When I moved to Calgary from HK many years ago, I was in pretty much the same situation as your kids. I was 9 years old, going into grade 5. I had no idea what my parents asked and who my parents asked, but I somewhat understand the educational system in HK.
A majority of the time, people will go to their designated school within their area. Whether it be a Catholic school or a public school (There is the choice of private schools as well). Each school has its pros and cons. I can almost guarantee that there is not going to be any fighting, waiting in line, etc.. when it comes to schools. Universities will look less at what school your kids attended, but on their grade, so ultimately, it is really up to your kids.
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As parents we understand that we are the ones responsible for their behavior. However, we would also like to make sure that schools they are going to attend will have a good and healthy learning environment.
Some people we talked to said the we worry too much and all schools in Calgary are fine. Do you agree?
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If some people that you talk to in Calgary say you worry too much, in their sense, you probably are, especially if they don't understand how competitive it is in HK to get into certain schools. Those are valid concerns for many parents, whether they're locals or immigrants.
Drawing on personal experience, grades 5 and 6 weren't really good for me, it wasn't until I was into Junior high that things started to look up. Of course, back when I went to grade 5 almost 14 years ago, I was one of 2 Asian people in the class, my English wasn't very good, so I was usually the one that got picked on. Looking at it now, times have changed, classrooms in most schools are very diverse culturally. Your kids will have a good, healthy learning environment.