I'm with everyone else on this. When I was in fourth grade, I insisted that everyone must call me Mac after a character with that nickname in a book. I'd get ultra-snippy when people refused to, so they just wouldn't do it. My mom once said, "Nobody is ever happy with their name. They always think the grass is greener on the other side." That's how it is most of the time. Anyway, hope my little quote helps, if that's the problem.

~Izzy~

Look, I think that you shouldn't make a big deal of it. When I was in fifth grade, some kid called me Renee, and I started to call myself it. That's what most people pronounce my name anyways. I didn't really like it, but it was better the Reine (rainy), so I started introducing myself to people as it. So when I came into sixth grade, I told everyone my name was Renee. But since like January, I started to really hate it. But all my teachers already knew me as that, and I didn't want to get in trouble by telling I made up a fake name. So some people call me Renee, my friend's I knew since fifth grade, Reine. I don't mind it, I respond to both.

It is the last year at elementary school, right? Honestly, let her be. All I should recommend is she waits until she goes to middle school and she can go by whatever she wants. And really, the school is pretty ignorant. It doesn't seem like the move.
If the school does something stupid like say Ava will get in school suspension if she doesn't stop, then you could either: A) Press this issue to the school board. She can call herself whatever she wants. It doesn't interfere with the learning environment. Just change her name, or add a middle name! Then she can go by her "middle name" which several kids go by. C) Did they tell you the name she was going by? Is it her middle name or a nickname of her middle name?

Good luck. Ava will need it.
And, as a last note, I hate my name. I am actually trying to get my parents to change it or add a second middle name. Sometimes a name does not describe a person. I have gotten ridiculed off my name, which brings me to ask is someone making fun of the name Ava to her face?

Thanks for the responses ladies! I will try to reply back to everyone. Hopefully Zoey or.Addie don't.wake up. Bare with me I'm on my cell.

Emily- thanks. I didn't even think about Luca and I affecting the kids but they never knew. Weve never fought in front of them but they probably.sensed it. And she has so many nicknames that Ava is just rarely used.Luca and i are doing amazingly well now.

Meaghan- yeah youre right i do know her better then them. its just hard y'know with them pretty much telling me im a bad mum.

Kaismummy- I.didn't think about her trying to define herself. But its not really her wanting a.different name but taking on a new persona. She's.created this character in her head and she's going by that.

Charlotte- I feel bad that she's in a new school and her little sister but i dont feel bad that I moved my children back to England. The school systems are.way better here my family is here and this is where my daughter was born so was Luke and lola. She spends every.summer.here.she has tons of friends here. she thanks me for finally moving us back she loves England and her dad is here we are back together and have been for about a little over a month. it may be stress.. i know she.stresses out a lot with school even though she has perfect grades..

Angeldolllogic- the school sucks but at such short notice that was the only.school that would take them so quickly. Everything happened very very quickly. We went out today just her and o and she was doing amazingly well..

izzy- its not her just wanting. a different name. It's her taking on a completely different persona is what they are so concerned about.
Shadowlove- same thing i told izzy.. and here in england the school systems are different..She isn't going by one of her middle names no one would care then. She's not in elementary school. Here primary school ends year 6 so the same there. She's in year 7 so her first year of secondary school (6th grade in american terms till 10th grade)

I wouldn't worry too much about it!

She'll be fine! Do what you think is best! The school sounds stupid, you said yourself your kids are going to a different school next year and summer is coming soon! She has what a month left?

If you say it's not the moving a country thing then it probably isn't! haha the UK is sooooo much better! Haha, no I'm kidding but I'm daughter like your daughter and don't like the states too much either. Anyway I'd just let you and your husband handle it. Tell the school to back to the hell off.

They could be making up an issue! I've always gone to boarding school in England and my dad lives in Wales so at the begining of the school year on year the school knew I was coming from Wales and they'd make up an issue just to make my dad think they were "doing their part" I ended up going to a different boarding school somewhere near by..

Maybe she's worried about a sixth form school?? I knew at year 7 I was afraid and felt stressed out a lot about it.

Hattie, do you know anything at all about the personality of your daughters alternate persona? If you do, that could give you further insight into why she developed this persona in the first place. For example, is the alternate persona child more assertive than your daughter? If so, then perhaps your daughter feels as if she's not being heard and her needs are not being met. The more assertive alternate personality would then assure this would happen. Try to see what quality the alternate is providing that is also, lacking in your daughter. Maybe, that's the key!