In many countries, schools have long summer holidays, with shorter holidays in between. However, a new report suggests shortening school holidays to stop children forgetting what they have learnt during the long summer break. Instead of three school terms, it says, there should be five eight-week terms. And there should be just four weeks off in the summer, with a two-week break between the other terms.

    Sonia Montero has two children at primary school and works full-time. She supports the idea. “The kids,” she says, “have much longer holidays than me and I can't afford to take several weeks off work, so I need someone to take care of them. But nobody wants the work in the summer months — they all have holidays of their own.”

    Not surprisingly, some young people disagree. Student Jason Panos says “It's a stupid idea. I would hate staying at school in the summer. It's unfair, too. The people who suggest this had long school holidays when they were young, but now they want to stop us enjoying the summer. The kids in Spain and America have much longer holidays than here, but they don't forget everything they've learnt in a few months.”

    Nadia Salib agrees. “Sure,” she says, “the first week at school after the summer is never easy, but you soon get back into it. The real problem round here is that kids get bored after so many weeks out of school, and then some of them start causing trouble. But the answer is to give them something to do, not make everyone stay in school longer.”

NO PLANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS?

Special Story Time for All Lower Primary Pupils

SCHOOL LIBRARY

READING ROOM

June 6,2 p.m. —3 p.m.

Mr.Stephen Keene will impress you with stories from his famous New Kids Next Block series.

FREE ADMISSION

LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR IN 4 EASY LESSONS!

Venue: Music Room

Time: 9 a.m. —12 p.m.

Dates: June 6,13,20,27

Instructor: Miss Katsumi from Japan

Fees: $ 40 for 4 lessons *

($ 20 for members of the school band and school choir)

Register with Mrs. Mary Mi , the Choir Mistress, NOW.

*It is compulsory(强制性的) for students who sing up to attend ALL four lessons.

JOIN THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB'S TWILIGHT CRUISE(黄昏巡游)

June 19,5 p.m. —8 p.m.

·View Singapore's wonderful skyline by night.

·Cruise past Kusu Island and Pulau Tekukor (Dove Island)

·Enjoy a great dinner under the starlit sky.

HURRY! VACANCIES(空缺) ONLY FOR THE 1ST 20 PUPILS WHO SING UP.

Get your consent forms(同意书) from Miss Yu and return the forms with your payment($20) by 30 May.

* If there are more than 20 pupils interested in the cruise,priority (优先权) will be given to Geography Club*

Do you think you would work out more if you were offered money to do so? Science has shown that money can give people motivation to work out, but perhaps not in the way that you think.

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine Journal, the best strategy isn't offering money; it's giving someone money, then threatening to take it away.

Researchers gave 281 people the goal of walking 7,000 steps every day over 13 weeks.

To motivate the people who took part to reach the goal, researchers divided them into three groups.

People in the first group received $1.40(9 yuan) each day as long as they finished 7,000 steps, the second group was only able to collect the $1.40 if they had reached 7,000 steps the day before, and the third group was given $42 at the beginning of each month and $1.40 was taken away every time someone failed to meet the goal.

The third group met their daily fitness goals 50 percent more often than the other two groups, showing that people were most motivated to walk by the fear of losing money.

    “People are more motivated by losses than gains, and they like immediate gratification.” study author Dr Mitesh Patel, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, told CNN. “They want to be rewarded today, not next year or far into the future.”

    Our brains tend to avoid wanting to lose things more than they try to get the benefits from gaining them, Patel explained. “It makes people think like the money is theirs to lose from day one.”

In addition, in most programs, many participants will drop out quickly and only the motivated will stay involved, Patel said.

    “In ours, we were pleasantly surprised that 96 percent stayed.” he added.

The study provides evidence that what matters is not only the money incentive （激励）, but also how you think about them. This is important to how effective they are. The evidence could have a big effect on health promotion programs in the future, according to the study.

“Incentives themselves are not all you need,” Stephanie Pronk, a health and wellness consultant with the Aonplc corporation, told The Wall Street Journal. “It's really important to change up the incentive design and keep people on their toes.”

    Believe it or not, we all have an inner-child living inside of us. One of the greatest problems is people's desire to silence the inner-child. Instead, welcoming this voice to the conversation can be very beneficial and help you in many areas of your life.

    Why is it so important to listen to your inner child?

    Do you remember you wanted to be an adult more than anything else when you were young? But now you're an adult, and do you ever find yourself thinking, "I wish I were a kid again?" That's where your inner-child comes in. That's the voice inside of you telling you to have fun, be silly and let loose. Adult life is full of important responsibilities, but once in a while you just have to let go and have fun like a child. It's healthy and good for the soul to not take things so seriously all the time.

    We can tell bad choices and mistakes of the past, but unless you help your inner-child heal and recover, planning for the future will always be difficult. The inner-child will relive these painful experiences until you learn to accept them, forgive and let go. We must show love and acceptance to our inner-child, as this is the only way to heal, move on and not continue to suffer from the pain of these unpleasant times. This is the opportunity to go back in time and let you know just how wonderful, beautiful and special you truly are.

    One of the most common times your inner-child is likely to appear is when you're facing a decision you are unsure about. Naturally, when we were children, doubt and uncertainty scared many of us. So, it's no surprise that when faced with these moments as adults, the inner-child decides to show up. Don't let this scare you; instead, listen to that voice as it is trying to guide you in the decision-making process. Ask it questions, speak with it.

    When you can start to see your inner-child as your partner who helps guide you through this crazy life, it's amazing what can happen. Don't fight it. Go with it and see how it changes your life for the better.

    LaVonn was helping out in her dad's store when a little boy, about five or six years old, came in. He was wearing a brown and oversized coat with dirty, old clothes beneath it. His shoes were broken, and only one had lace (鞋带). The boy looked around the store, picked up several items, examined them one by one and then carefully put them back on the shelf.

    LaVonn's dad walked over to the child and asked if he could help. The little boy said, "I'm looking for a gift for my brother." After 20 minutes, the child picked up a toy airplane. He held it carefully in his hands as if it were made of glass and carried it to LaVonn's father.

    "How much is this?" he asked. "My brother loves airplanes." LaVonn's dad answered, "How much money do you have?" The little boy reached into his coat and pulled out some small change (零钱). He spread his money out on the table and began to count. "I have twenty-seven cents," he answered. Her dad picked up the coins and said, "The airplane costs exactly twenty-seven cents! Wait here and I'll pack it up for you."

    The little boy walked out of the store with the gift and a smile of total satisfaction on his face. LaVonn made her way back to the shelf and she found the plane was priced at $11.98.She never mentioned it to her father. Her father didn't say anything more about it either, but she realized later, "My best gift that Christmas was seeing my dad's love in action."

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

—at Piedmont Middle School's celebration of kites!

    Come and learn how to build all sorts of kites, from the simplest diamond-shaped kites to the most complex(复杂的) box kites. Stay as long as you like and build as many kites as you want. Once you have finished a kite, get advice on flying techniques from kite expert Lorena Hallsberg. The celebration will be at Piedmont Middle School, 151 Piedmont School Drive.

    The Piedmont Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has organized a refreshment(茶点) tent. All profits(收益) will benefit future PTO activities. Take a break from kite flying and drink some lemonade! While you are doing so, why not join the PTO? Membership is free; you just donate(捐赠) your time. Show your support for Piedmont Middle School by joining the PTO this Saturday!

    When: Saturday, April 11, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

    Where: Piedmont Middle School

    Why: For fun!

    Cost: Free, thanks to a generous gift from Bizarco Kite Company!

    Schedule

    9:00 am: Kite-building booths open. All materials are supplied for kites.

    10:00 am: Kite-building shows by Lorena Hallsberg in the courtyard. Come by and learn how to build box kites and kites that look and fly like butterflies.

    11:00 am: Kite-flying shows on the school track. Learn all the most important skills.

    12:00 pm: Kite-flying competitions on the school track.

    1:00 pm: Presentation by Dr. Brian Lehrman in the show tent: "The History of Kites".

    2:00 pm: Best Kite competitions and judging in the show tent. Come see the most artistic kites and the most interesting theme kites.

    3:00 pm: Presentation by Dr. Lehrman in the show tent: "Kites and Science".

    3:30 pm: Awards(颁奖) ceremony conducted(主持) by Headmaster Seward on the football field. The results of the day's judging will be announced, with awards such as Best of Show, Most Artistic, Highest Flyer, and others. Winners will receive gifts from the Bizarco Kite Company!

    4:00-5:00 pm: Let's all go fly a kite! Everyone flies kites at the same time, creating a wonderful sight for all to enjoy.

    Come to the kite celebration, enjoy yourself and learn more.