Can't move until after school starts..scared for DD

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Crossing fingers - we are in the process of buying get a home(so happy!!).... but won't get it until after school starts...
I am wondering if we should just ride out the whole school year in the current town(we rent, can afford both if need be), or move during christmas break??

We will get the home by the end of September - but wouldn't be able to move in until Dec due to renovations needed....

I was thinking maybe have her visit her new class a few times then switch during the holidays? I really really don't want to delay this move for so many reasons(money, lifestyle, 2 places, etc. etc.), don't want it to be a bad experience either for my DD due to the teacher having to readjust things, etc. etc... I am trying to plan this transition be the best experience it can be - set up residency and have her go there a few times, I don't know.... my DD and myself both are high functioning... I am worse at change but when she and I get a grip on new things we kick ass;)

I want the best for my DD - that's why we are moving to this area that we love, but the timing isn't perfect(what is)...I am excited but any ideas, suggestions for a possible mid year move or wait until next summer??? I don't think I could handle not being in my new home until then but its not about me.

I know with my kid, it would be really hard for him either way (after holidays or after full year), so I might just put him in after the holidays if I was moving. But, I would make sure and have him visit the class, do some social stories, etc.

We are in a similar position, renting while doing up a new house. I would suggest spending lots of time in the new house during the renovation. You will have to anyway because of talking to builders etc, so bring DD with you and let her see everything that's happening (reassuring her that it's going to be much cleaner when you move in!), with little trips to local parks/ice creams at cafes etc at the same time. You don't say how old she is, but four months is a long time to most children and she will be very familiar with the home and street by Christmas.
Then I would suggest getting your transfer visits in early in the New Year (when you are less stressed about the renovation) and making a mid-year move at the Feb half-term time. Waiting another six months seems a really long time to me, and you are still going to have to make the move at the end of it. You may even find it is "hanging over" her as a stressful event in the future. Might be better to just get it over with?
good luck whatever you decide!

I would think it would be easier to have a planned transition in the middle of the school year, perhaps late January? That way it's not getting lost in the shuffle and craziness of the beginning of the school year. You'd be able to contact the school in say November and see if you could set up some dates for her to visit, etc.

Moving during christmas break seems good.
You can her used to new house and new school in the meantime.

I think Christmas break is a good time to transfer schools.

We actually moved during Christmas break when my daughter was in 1st grade. It was hard for her, I won't lie. But I am not sure it would have been any easier at any other time of the year. On the one hand, the kids already knew each other, so she was the "outsider," but on the other hand, she was a novelty, so kids were interested in her.

There has been a really good long-term effect of this, however, and it has made me proud every year since then (she is entering 5th grade this year.) Every year, when a new kid has started in her class in the middle of the year, her teachers have reported that she is particularly kind to the kid. She sits with them and lunch (boy or girl) and does her best to be "friendly." She has very vivid memories of how hard it was to move in the middle of the year, and it has really helped her in the area of developing empathy and being able to put yourself in the shoes of another. Whenever she says a new kid started in her class, all I have to do is remind her about how hard that was for her, and she gets to work to make sure the new kid feels welcomed. One of my proudest moments was when I went to a birthday party and a mother approached me and told me that the year before, her son was new to my daughter's class in the middle of the year. She said her son still talked about how nice she was to him. While I didn't know this at the time, she actually stood up for him when kids were teasing him. Back then, my daughter was not known for doing things like that.

Anyway, I think during Christmas break would be fine.