moving to parma

[Deanna]

Hi,
My name is Deanna and I live in Cape Cod right now, my husband and I are going to be moving to Parma with our 2 children (and one on the way)-- We are planning on moving after the baby is born. He is from Naples and can't wait to get back to Italy, but I am terrified. I have never been to the north of Italy-- Every time we go, which is usually once a year for a couple weeks, we go to Naples. I was just wondering if there was anyone out there living in or near Parma that has any advice. Also, if you know of any baby groups that exist. I speak fluent Italian, so any resources that anyone knows of in either Italian or English would be helpful.

Thanks a lot!! Hope to hear from someone.

[melisaliana]

Hi Deanna!

I live in Sweden right now, but we are moving to Parma in June and we a few things in common. My children are aged 5 and 7 and my husband is also Italian, though from the North, and he has never actually lived in Italy! So while I don't have any answers for you, I'd love to have some company while I figure out everything from the bottom up.

We have been living in Sweden for six years, but I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, went to college on the east coast (I love Cape Cod) and lived for 8 years in Chicago. I just found out about a school called Scuola Per L'Europa which looks really interesting. There are about 400 students from the agees of 3 - 13 and there is a secondary school as well with another 100 students. The school is new -- from 2004, I think, and has English, Italian and French sections. I am really hoping we can go visit in April and get more information.

I speak some Italian, but very basic (first on my list of to-do's when we get it Italy). I think your fluency will take you far. I called the school today and their English was even worse than my Italian.

Do you know when you are moving to Parma?

Keep in touch!

Melisa

PS Don't be terrified. Italians are soooo nice, even if they are "furbo" as another poster said.

[Deanna]

Originally Posted by melisaliana

Hi Deanna!

I live in Sweden right now, but we are moving to Parma in June and we a few things in common. My children are aged 5 and 7 and my husband is also Italian, though from the North, and he has never actually lived in Italy! So while I don't have any answers for you, I'd love to have some company while I figure out everything from the bottom up.

We have been living in Sweden for six years, but I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, went to college on the east coast (I love Cape Cod) and lived for 8 years in Chicago. I just found out about a school called Scuola Per L'Europa which looks really interesting. There are about 400 students from the agees of 3 - 13 and there is a secondary school as well with another 100 students. The school is new -- from 2004, I think, and has English, Italian and French sections. I am really hoping we can go visit in April and get more information.

I speak some Italian, but very basic (first on my list of to-do's when we get it Italy). I think your fluency will take you far. I called the school today and their English was even worse than my Italian.

Do you know when you are moving to Parma?

Keep in touch!

Melisa

PS Don't be terrified. Italians are soooo nice, even if they are "furbo" as another poster said.

Hi Melisa,

Thanks for respoding to my post! My husband and I were actually in Parma in mid March, looking at schools and houses. We found an o.k. school in Rivergaro, but the school you found seems very interesting. During our trip, we decided to go to Florence for sight seeing and I actually ended up having a lot of contractions and was in the hospital there for 4 days!!!Thank goodness we made it home (against the advice of doctors there)-- luckily my ob. was ok with the idea of flying. Now I am home on bed rest because my cervix is shortened. I will be 33 weeks on wed. Anyway, at this point I'm not sure what is going on . The company is now not sure if they are opening the office there or not. I am really hoping it is not happening... we should hopefully know more this summer. I love to go to Italy for vacation, but living there is just so different from here. My main concern is activities for the kids and the schools. Why are you living in Sweden? Do you like it? Luckily, you seem like you are very flexible, so it should be an easier transition. I wish I were a little more flexible!! I would love to keep in touch!
Thanks!
Deanna

[melisaliana]

It's funny how the world flings people together. When I was 24 weeks pregnant with my first child, I discovered I had incompetent cervix. My cervix opened up and they said I might lose the baby. They did emergency cerclage to close the cervix, and I was put on bed rest immediately. I made it another six weeks, and he was born at 30 weeks. He was very very tiny! But he was healthy, and now, aged 7, he is a superstar. At 33 weeks you are already in great shape even if you deliver tomorrow!

We moved to Sweden after I had early term cerclage for my second pregnancy (which was WAY smoother, and she was born at a healthy 36 weeks). We came here for my husband's work. Sweden is an excellent place to be a mom with small children, and there are a lot of amazing things that make the quality of life very high: extremely clean and green, egalitarianism to a fault, love of gardening and the outdoors, delicious salmon, no traffic, quiet, calm, order -- there was a study that found that Sweden is the single most honest country in the world. My husband dropped the equivalent of a 50-dollar-bill on the bus and he got it back from the Lost & Found. Can you believe it??

All that said, culturally Sweden is not really my cup of tea. I think I will be much happier in Italy where people are not afraid to say hello to you on the street, and everyone loves to talk, and the food...oh, the food!

As for the kids in Italy, the school I found has a parents association which has a web site where they list at least half a dozen activities for the kids -- judo, art classes, basketball, gymnastics, photography, music, hockey, etc. I am very optimistic.

We are now official -- we will arrive in Parma on June 6, and I am really looking forward to it.

I can well imagine how stressful it is for you now, but it will get better! Good luck with everything, and do let me know if you move to Parma.

melisa

Originally Posted by Deanna

Hi Melisa,

Thanks for respoding to my post! My husband and I were actually in Parma in mid March, looking at schools and houses. We found an o.k. school in Rivergaro, but the school you found seems very interesting. During our trip, we decided to go to Florence for sight seeing and I actually ended up having a lot of contractions and was in the hospital there for 4 days!!!Thank goodness we made it home (against the advice of doctors there)-- luckily my ob. was ok with the idea of flying. Now I am home on bed rest because my cervix is shortened. I will be 33 weeks on wed. Anyway, at this point I'm not sure what is going on . The company is now not sure if they are opening the office there or not. I am really hoping it is not happening... we should hopefully know more this summer. I love to go to Italy for vacation, but living there is just so different from here. My main concern is activities for the kids and the schools. Why are you living in Sweden? Do you like it? Luckily, you seem like you are very flexible, so it should be an easier transition. I wish I were a little more flexible!! I would love to keep in touch!
Thanks!
Deanna

[K4ty]

Hi Melisa and Deanna,

We've been living in Parma for just over a year now and have two boys (5 and 2) the eldest of whom is at the school you mentioned.

If you need any information before you come over, just mail!

Parma's a great place to be, really nice town, you'll find there is quite a good expat community here and with the parents at the school, and you can get most places by bike! The only downside is the mossies in the summer...

Katy

[Deanna]

Originally Posted by melisaliana

It's funny how the world flings people together. When I was 24 weeks pregnant with my first child, I discovered I had incompetent cervix. My cervix opened up and they said I might lose the baby. They did emergency cerclage to close the cervix, and I was put on bed rest immediately. I made it another six weeks, and he was born at 30 weeks. He was very very tiny! But he was healthy, and now, aged 7, he is a superstar. At 33 weeks you are already in great shape even if you deliver tomorrow!

We moved to Sweden after I had early term cerclage for my second pregnancy (which was WAY smoother, and she was born at a healthy 36 weeks). We came here for my husband's work. Sweden is an excellent place to be a mom with small children, and there are a lot of amazing things that make the quality of life very high: extremely clean and green, egalitarianism to a fault, love of gardening and the outdoors, delicious salmon, no traffic, quiet, calm, order -- there was a study that found that Sweden is the single most honest country in the world. My husband dropped the equivalent of a 50-dollar-bill on the bus and he got it back from the Lost & Found. Can you believe it??

All that said, culturally Sweden is not really my cup of tea. I think I will be much happier in Italy where people are not afraid to say hello to you on the street, and everyone loves to talk, and the food...oh, the food!

As for the kids in Italy, the school I found has a parents association which has a web site where they list at least half a dozen activities for the kids -- judo, art classes, basketball, gymnastics, photography, music, hockey, etc. I am very optimistic.

We are now official -- we will arrive in Parma on June 6, and I am really looking forward to it.

I can well imagine how stressful it is for you now, but it will get better! Good luck with everything, and do let me know if you move to Parma.

melisa

Hi Melisa,

Your story was very reassuring to me- I'm glad that everything turned out good for you. There is nothing scarier than going into labor so early. I am doing pretty well, my mother in law is helping with my other 2 kids and with the house, so I have been pretty lucky. I go to the doctor again on the 27th. What is the web site of that school? That is awesome that they have so many activities for the kids. Are you going to Parma before June to look for housing or will you look for it when you get there? I will definitely stay in touch and let you know if we are coming or not. Let me know if you need any help with Italian.

Talk to you soon,

Deanna

[Deanna]

Originally Posted by K4ty

Hi Melisa and Deanna,

We've been living in Parma for just over a year now and have two boys (5 and 2) the eldest of whom is at the school you mentioned.

If you need any information before you come over, just mail!

Parma's a great place to be, really nice town, you'll find there is quite a good expat community here and with the parents at the school, and you can get most places by bike! The only downside is the mossies in the summer...

Katy

Hi Katy,

Did you mean La Scuola per L Europa? Things are pretty much up in the air for us right now, but I will let you know if we are moving! Thanks for your response.

Deanna

[melisaliana]

Hi Katy!

Thanks so much for getting in touch. I would love some more information about the school! We are going in May for a visit to look at housing options, visit the school, etc., but I wonder if you could tell me more. I know I can get answers to most of these questions when we go for our visit, but if you happen to have the time, I would love any perspective you can offer on some of the following;



which neighborhoods school families tend to live in -- are there viable options within walking distance of the school?

How much instruction is in the native language (English in our case) and how much is in Italian?

Are there provisions for kids new to Italian (second language intensive training, for example)

What is the academic caliber of the school? (Teacher quality? Level of sophistication of school work? Homework?)

What are school hours and are they different based on age? (my kids will be 6 and 8 for the next school year)

Should we be worried that we won't get in for next year (long queues?) or is it reasonable to get in?

How big are the classes/what is teacher/student ratio more or less

How are the facilities (good/bad/average)

Do the kids "mix" or stick to their native language groups?

How much turnover is there more or less (kids coming and going -- my son lost his best friend this year to a move and I'm sure this gets harder the older they get)

Do most moms work or stay at home?

As you can see I have loads of questions so obviously don't feel obliged to answer them all. There are just so many unknowns, and the prospect of someone who is there in the school with children close to the age of mine is very encouraging!

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!

Best,
Melisa

[K4ty]

Hi Melisa,

No problem! Someone helped us via one of these sites before we arrived so glad to pass on the favour! so answers to your questions:

which neighborhoods school families tend to live in -- are there viable options within walking distance of the school?

If you live within Parma, most places are within walking or cycling distance! It's not a big town. The most popular places for families tend to be to the east side (around Emilia Est, Piazza Lubiana), around the park Cittadella or in the centre. Depends what you want really. The centre's obviously not so green, but less of a distance to the school. We're around Lubiana and love it - it's a 10-15 minute cycle to the school, a very green area with a nice park.


How much instruction is in the native language (English in our case) and how much is in Italian?

There are three language sections - English, French and Italian. Children should be enrolled for their mother-tongue section, in your case English. At age 6 children start their first foreign language (which must be one of English, French or German).


Are there provisions for kids new to Italian (second language intensive training, for example)

This year the school introduced an extra-curricular activity for Italian language. But our son's also picked it up from outside activities, the playground etc.


What is the academic caliber of the school? (Teacher quality? Level of sophistication of school work? Homework?)

Hmmm... The school has only been set up for 5 years and is still experiencing 'teething problems'. Hopefully things will improve.


What are school hours and are they different based on age? (my kids will be 6 and 8 for the next school year)

The timetable is on the school website and is slightly different for the different years - I'd suggest you take a look. There are also extracurricular activities available though until 4.30pm or 6pm depending on preferences.


Should we be worried that we won't get in for next year (long queues?) or is it reasonable to get in?

At the moment, due to space restrictions (there are plans for a new school but it's not even started yet), you might find it difficult to get a place unless you're coming here for work in an EU or international organisation (ie you're children would be 'Category 1' or 'Category 2'.


How big are the classes/what is teacher/student ratio more or less

The classes are rather different throughout the various years. for September for the 6 year olds I think the class size will be around 22 or so (to one teacher), but can't say for sure. Higher up the school there are fewer in the classes.


How are the facilities (good/bad/average)

Could be better. The new school should improve things.


Do the kids "mix" or stick to their native language groups?

There's a mix in the English classes of various nationalities as if there is no mother tongue section, children go into either the English or French sections.


How much turnover is there more or less (kids coming and going -- my son lost his best friend this year to a move and I'm sure this gets harder the older they get)

Same here really. But it's easier when the class size is bigger. it's harder higher up the school when there weren't many in the class to start with.


Do most moms work or stay at home?

It's a bit of a mix.

Good luck with everything! What's bringing you over here then?

Katy

[lisav]

Originally Posted by k4ty

hi melisa and deanna,

we've been living in parma for just over a year now and have two boys (5 and 2) the eldest of whom is at the school you mentioned.

If you need any information before you come over, just mail!

Parma's a great place to be, really nice town, you'll find there is quite a good expat community here and with the parents at the school, and you can get most places by bike! The only downside is the mossies in the summer...

Katy

hi katy,
we have a 2 yr old daughter and we are moving to parma this week.

Have you got any advice about playgroups/ludoteca etc.. ??????
We'll be living not far from the cittadella area. I have lived in milan and cassino but i don't know much about parma.

Are there any expat groups or english speaking clubs???

Lisav