The school calendars in Latin America are sometimes different from the US school calendar.  In most places in Mexico the school calendar is similar to the United States with the school year beginning in August – September and ending in May-June.

In El Salvador the school year is just beginning now in January.  In El Salvador there is usually a week ‘s vacation in the spring during Holy Week, the week before Easter.  There is a week’s vacation the first week of August for las fiestas agostinas.  The national holiday celebrating Salvador del Mundo is August 6th and the country celebrates somewhat like we celebrate the 4th of July in the United States with parades and fireworks.  School then continues in El Salvador until Oct-Nov.

When we lived in El Salvador in 2001 the school year did not end until the end of November because of the earthquakes in El Salvador that year.  In the United States in snow country we sometimes extend the school year for snow days, in earthquake countries they suspend school for a time after an earthquake and then extend the school year.  It takes weeks sometimes for the earth to settle after an earthquake so schools are suspended until the earth settles down a bit.  There is too much danger of school building collapsing.

In Colombia there is a A term and a B term for the school calendar.  In Bolgota many schools follow a similar calendar to the United States but in the city of Cali for example, the school calendar is similar to that of El Salvador.

In Chile school usually begins at the end of summer in March with a two week winter vacation in July.  (Remember that in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite the northern hemisphere.)  Students then continue with the school session until the middle of December.

BiLingo Kidz refers to the school calendar and vacation days in the El Salvador, Colombia and Chile stories.