I left a few items out of the Christmas letter that might be helpful to those of you who don't know all the details about our move to England.
1. Why are we here? Nephi works as a mathematician for the US Dept of Defense and is on assignment as an integree with the British government. We are here for 3 years.
2. Tabitha, Hannah, and Abish are attending a private Catholic school. They wear uniforms everyday and follow the traditional British school program.
3. Abish is 10 and in Year 6 at the junior school. In England kindergarten is considered Year 1, so Year 6 is actually 5th grade in the US. Next year in Year 7 Abish will start attending the senior school.
4. Hannah is 14 and is in Year 10 (9th grade) at the senior school. She is at the beginning of a program here called GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education. It is a 2 year program (Years 10 and 11)of academic qualification awarded in specific subjects. Students study for 2 years in subjects and are qualified based on assessments and course work. It is a rigorous program at the end of which based on grades on GCSEs students decide whether to go on for more schooling or finish (at age 16!) and go into a trade.
5. Tabitha is 15 and in Year 11 (10th grade) at the senior school. She is also in GCSE and her challenge is to catch up with the other students her age who have been studying for the GCSEs for a full year beyond her. She is doing very well, though. At the end of this year she will not go on to trade school and instead go into a program called Sixth Form or A-Levels which is basically 11th and 12th grades (Years 12 and 13). In this program she will study a fewer number of subjects in a more intense manner. This will be preparation for college and will be in a lecture format. Her speciality is art.
6. We will have to do some major adjusting in order for Tabitha and Hannah's schooling to fit in right with the US system, especially when it comes to applying for college. But we are confident everything will work out.
7. While in England we are allowed priviledges on the US/British military base that is about 1.5 hours away. Otherwise we are 100% living on the economy - in a British house, in a British neighborhood, going to a British church, and experiencing all things England.
Hope that help clarifies our XMas letter!
