What holidays do schoolchildren have and when

How many schoolchildren would be surprised if they knew that such a familiar and familiar word "vacation" comes from the Latin canicula, meaning "dog", "puppy". Also, canicula is an astronomical term that the ancient Romans called the constellation Canis Minor while the Sun was in it. There was no need to talk about the fruitfulness of labor during this period, since it was very hot, so the Romans began to call forced periods of rest a vacation.

Currently, the word has the meaning of "a break in classes at educational institutions for summer or public holidays" ("The Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Modern Russian Language" edited by D.N. Ushakov).

How the school vacation calendar is formed

The division of the school year into four quarters originates in the Soviet pedagogical system. In the middle of the 20th century, the division for the first time appears in autumn, winter, spring and the most long-awaited and longest summer vacations.

It is already established that the beginning of the vacation period is timed to the beginning of the week. Thus, the autumn holidays, as a rule, begin on the last Monday of October and last 7-10 days. Winter - from the last Monday of December and lasts 14-20 days, and in the 2014-2015 academic year, they will begin as early as December 28 and continue until January 10. Spring breaks start on the last Monday of March and last 7-10 days (from March 23 to March 31 in the next school year), and summer holidays - from the last Monday of May to the end of August. For students in first grades, additional holidays of 8 days are provided. Traditionally, they fall in February, in the middle of the longest academic quarter. Also, the school year for first graders ends already in mid-May.

Quarter vs. Trimester

In the last decade, there has been a tendency towards an alternative division of the school year into periods. So there were trimesters - when a year is divided into 3 periods instead of 4. A feature of this approach to dividing the school year is that the trimester ends on Friday, and on Monday a new one begins, that is, the guys do not have time to think about the results of the completed study period. However, in some schools, by reducing the main vacation by 2-3 days, children are given the opportunity to rest this time after the end of the trimester.

It is worth saying that the administration of each educational institution has the right to set the terms of the holidays on their own. However, in this case, the school relies on the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in this matter.

In private schools, vacation time can differ significantly from vacation in a state educational institution. However, the holidays will forever remain a pleasant and memorable time in school life.

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