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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Moving/ Relocating
South Bend, IN



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amother


 

Post Wed, Feb 25 2015, 11:29 pm
Hi. We are considering moving to South Bend. We are in touch with the recruiter, who has been a tremendous help. Still a few questions though:

I get the school is co-ed and split by gender for the older grades. How does this work while maintaining tsnius and seperation of the s-x's. It seems a huge impossibility. Maybe someone living there can explain it.

Special ed- what are provisions available for someone that is currently in a special ed program, receiving services? My daughter has some behavioral issues as well as speech/language disability. She has improved tremendously over the years which is why I am now able to consider OOT. What type of services do they have in South Bend? Is there any separate program for special ed kids?

I get the housing prices are very cheap, but what about renting? I would not feel comfortable buying until I am settled there for a few years.

Thanks for all info!
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amother


 

Post Thu, Feb 26 2015, 9:50 pm
bump
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amother


 

Post Sat, Feb 28 2015, 11:26 pm
Seriously?! I know there are South Bend imamothers here. Please help. TIA.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2015, 10:09 pm
I am not in South Bend and know nothing about how they run their school, but if it helps you, I can tell you a little how it works in my community school (this year the 3rd and 4th are co-ed, and 5th for secular studies).

My 3rd grader's classroom is mixed up with boys and girls in terms of seating. They have one gym class together, and one separate with each gender joining that group from 4th grade. I hear about a lot of interaction (although it doesn't help that my son has a female cousin in the class, so he naturally gravitates toward some of that part of the class), but they sit separately at lunch, and enjoy different activities at outdoor recess. For partners in activities, they are usually matched up boy/boy, girl/girl

My 4th grader's class is very different (it also happens to be about half the size). The boys and girls sit on opposite sides of the room. They pair up with those of their own gender (my son recently had a group project that started out mixed due to his secular teacher not really thinking about it, but was changed through parental involvement to be separate gender as it involved a lot of outside school preparation). Gym is completely separate. Lunch is completely separate. They have some separate kodesh (for mishnayos).

I have no idea what equivalents are done in South Bend, but in general, it seems like the type of community that would make similar provisions to separate when possible, even if forced to have co-ed classes.
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amother


 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2015, 10:35 pm
I don't live there, but I know the South Bend community--have relatives who've been there for quite a while and I've visited at least once a year. I've heard my relative say over and over again, for a co-ed school, the boys and girls have very little to do with each other--in fact they, in general don't go near each other. From the kids themselves they maintain the boundaries.

I know there are some children who receive services, but they are a minority, there's definitely no separate program. I know that some kids receive speech services, the tricky part comes that the school and the community are in 2 different municipalities so I know that created some issues in the past, but they try to work it out.

I know that there aren't too many renting options, there are no "apartments" unless you consider the building and houses right by the shul--which are basically apartments without the building, but I've been told that the area is not great--there have been incidents in the apartment buildings right near the shul, but the community and police are aware of the situation, and nothing major has happened in a while from what I'm told.
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amother


 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2015, 10:52 pm
It can be tough to find a rental. Many people buy, even students, if they are there for long enough (like 3 years, 5 years). There are some rental homes but it's not as financially worthwhile and the quality of houses varies. However, many people do prefer to rent for a year or two before buying and there are houses to rent. It's best to get in touch with people there directly.

Regarding the boys and girls - also ask, but they really have very little to do with each other.

There are children with special educational needs to varying degrees but no separate program. I imagine it would all be less formal.

I do not live there but am familiar with the community.
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amother


 

Post Mon, Mar 16 2015, 4:43 pm
Op here. South Bend is a very serious possibly for us right now. But we'd feel more comfortable talking to some one that lives there, besides the recruiter. Would any imamothers be willing to facilitate a phone call? I can post an email address as a starting point, if that would help. Thank you.
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amother


 

Post Mon, Mar 16 2015, 4:53 pm
I am from south bend and would be happy to talk to you. please post an email address so we can be in contact.
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amother
Navy


 

Post Mon, Mar 16 2015, 4:54 pm
amother wrote:
I am from south bend and would be happy to talk to you. please post an email address so we can be in contact.




Thank you
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amother


 

Post Mon, Mar 16 2015, 5:18 pm
may be pm some of the amothers from southbend who have posted on other threads with their username. That's what I did when I was looking in to communities and I found it helpful. Hatzlacha!
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amother


 

Post Mon, Mar 16 2015, 10:00 pm
OK emailed you.
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amother
Navy


 

Post Mon, Mar 30 2015, 10:51 pm
OP here. BH we are making quite nice progress with planning the move and making it a reality. We are going to be in South Bend on chol hamoed to interview for jobs and look at houses.
My current dilema is housing. We can rent a house or buy and monthly payments will be similar. My husband doesn't like the idea of wasting money on a rental when you can buy for the same amount (so dissimilar to NY). OTOH, we are a bit tight money-wise now and although we can probably scrape up down payment and other buying expenses like closing fees, etc, we'd be scrambling a bit. I'm very torn. I'd love to hear from other imamother's whether they bought right away or rented first when making this move. Any advice would be welcome. TIA.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 30 2015, 11:15 pm
When moving to a new community, while buying may be more financially worth it in the long run, sometimes it's better to rent to get a feel of where you prefer to live. I can't speak for South Bend in particular, but in general. It's also harder to come in right when you need to buy, and renting gives more flexibility to move in when you need and without pressure. We bought when we moved, but we stayed elsewhere for 2 weeks till the closing went through....but we knew all we needed to know about the location!
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amother
Turquoise


 

Post Mon, Mar 30 2015, 11:33 pm
There are houses available for rent that are owned by members of the Jewish community. They have usually worked well for new families who just want to rent for 1-2 years or even 6 months before buying. Also, houses to buy are not always so easy to find since the entire community has to live within walking distance to the shul. I would recommend you rent first, get the feel for the various areas and types of houses available.
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amother
Sienna


 

Post Sun, Apr 12 2015, 5:45 pm
New amother here. I'm curious about South Bend too. I've been reading these threads and looking into the cost of living in the area which seems very affordable. My question is about the overall neighborhood - is it a good area? Safe? Can you walk around at night, let your children play outside/at a park? Is there a lot of crime? Concerning school vouchers, is this indicative of a failing public school system?
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