I'd leave him where he is, unless you have a bit of an idea where you might move to in '09, you might be able to enrol him there early.

To make friends he could join a sports team or other out of school activities (Scouts etc).

Academically you could extend his education at home, either you doing it yourself or hiring a tutor (it would still be cheaper than Private school).

If he becomes unhappy I'd change schools though.

I would leave him there for now.  Let him decide if it is right for him.  A second language is always great to have.  My sister speaks 3 now!  We prefer the public system over private too, but that's more the cost than anything else.  You do what you feel is right for you and your family.

personally, i'd let him have a less than challenging first grade year, especially with so many changes coming up.  he's still young.  if he isn't challenged to the max now it won't ruin him.  also, my kids attend schools where most of the kids come from immigrant and non-english speaking families--i've found friendship is possible just a little messier on the communication side of things.  good luck!!!

For your son, he will pick up that second language really well if he is listening to it all the time.. It is a fantastic thing to have two languages and you'd be surprised how wonderful it is to watch your kids speak two languages..

I know it can be difficult as I myself was thrown into french (by choice I married a french canadian).
But if language is your biggest concern,  I'd stick with it... Two languages are fantastic to have...

But it really is up to you and how comfortable you feel keeping your son at that particular school...

I like the idea Izzy had, if you can find the school that will be his school when you move, if its not too far away, means only one change. That way he can still stay at the school for first grade and then change to the permanent school near your new home. Another thing to keep in mind, as I had to switch my son out of one preschool into another just recently. How is your child's feelings about his kindy. If he loves it, it may be best to keep him there for grade 1, he'll make friends you can still see after he moves out of grade 1.

Good luck, if this helps, I can't remember moving at that age, but apparently I moved schools 3 times in the one year, then across state...and I turned out okay. I would go with your "mothers" instinct and how your son is progressing in kindy. good luck.

Hi, perosnally I think that you should keep him where he is as being in a cuturally diverse school will be a lesson in it's self and will provide him with many good challenges. 

Sorry, but how do you know that he won't be challenged accademically?  You are not giving his teacher much credit when he hasn't even been in the class yet, you might find that he/she challenges him and meets your child's need beautifully, or that the program might be too challenging for your son  (Sorry if that sounds harsh but I am a primary school teacher and I would hate if I new parents were judging me as a teacher before they even gave me a chance to show them what i can do!) If  however, for whatever reason you believe your child's needs are not met (with evidence) then bring it up with his teacher and between the two of you, you maybe able to come up with ways to challenge him more. 

I believe the main thing is that your child is happy.  Too many changes could actually hinder him academically as just when teachers begin making progress the child is taken out of that school and hence has to start all over again and learning to make new friends.  I have found that children who come into a new school later in their primary years sometimes struggle especially when making friends as strong friendships within the classroom are already formed. 

I wish you and your family the best of luck and in the end you know what is best for your children. 

Coming from a schooling back ground where I spent at most 1year in every school I went to, I feel I am qualified to give you this advice.

Keep him where he is......

In answer to your 4 points see below.

1) We know he will be safe, and reasonably happy in the current school for 1st grade but we also know he won't be challenged academically or develop strong friendships (80% of the students speak English as a second language which makes organizing activities outside of school difficult). - Challenged academically - well I think learning another language is a big challeng for any kid and a great experience to have at a young age. Strong Freindships - how many of your grade 1 friends do you still know? Kids meet at school and 1 week later there best friends 2 weeks later they hate each other.

2) We know he will be changing schools for second grade (We're renting a house until we get a good sense of the area and plan to buy a home in summer '09. When we move into our “permanent” house he’ll attend that public school) - I think if you already know he will be changing then letting him have this little bit of stability could be a great benifit after such a big move already.

3) Our son historically handles “big changes” really well (getting a baby brother, moving across the country, starting kindergarten, etc) - wether or not he handels changes well If you can avoid an unnesasary change isn't that best.

4) We really prefer public school over private - Public or Private, having gone to both I would agree Public is better it gives children a better idea of what the world is really like with out being sugar coated in money.

I hope this helps and if not then I'm sure whatever decision you make will be the right one for you son.

If your child is doing well where he is now and you are otherwise comfortable with the school, I think I would suggest to keep him in there so that he moves less. 

On the other hand, if you sort of know the general area where you may want to live, maybe you can go ahead and find a school in that area. That way you can move your child there, and keep him there even when you have purchased a home.