The School Year in an American School

The school or academic year usually starts in early September and runs through to early or mid-June. Generally, 180 days of class are required by law.

Academic years are typically divided into two semesters, which may be further divided into quarters.

Apart from summer vacation, children also get one or two weeks off at the end of December and during the spring as well as all the national holidays such as Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Presidents’ Day (Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays in February) and traditional Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

Colleges and universities are divided into quarters (sometimes called trimesters) or semesters. In the quarter system, the school year is three periods of roughly ten weeks – fall, winter and spring – with a summer quarter offered but not required. In the semester system, there are two semesters of roughly fourteen weeks, usually with a break for the month of January, when optional short classes are offered.

SOCIAL WORKER: JOB DESCRIPTION AND ACTIVITIES

A social worker deals with people who have been socially excluded or who are experiencing crisis. Their role is to provide support to enable service users to help themselves. They maintain professional relationships with service users, acting as guides, advocates or critical friends.

Social workers work in a variety of settings within a framework of relevant legislation and procedures, supporting individuals, families and groups within the community. Settings may include the service users' home, schools, hospitals and the premises of other public sector and voluntary organizations.

Qualified social work professionals are often supported by social work assistants. They also work closely with other health and social care staff.

Typical work activities

Over 50% of social workers work with young people and their families. They may also work with the following groups:

- young offenders;

- people with mental health conditions;

- school non-attenders;

- drug and alcohol abusers;

- people with learning and physical disabilities;

- the elderly.

Government legislation focusing on the integration of health and social work services means that social workers often work in multidisciplinary teams.

Tasks typically involve:

- undertaking and writing up assessments (often with medical staff), which meet specified standards and timescales;

- conducting interviews with service users and their families to assess and review their situation;

- offering information and counseling support to service users and their families;

- organizing and managing packages of support to enable service users to lead the fullest lives possible;

- recommending and sometimes making decisions about the best course of action for a particular service user;

- liaising with, and making referrals to, other agencies;

- participating in multidisciplinary teams and meetings, for example child protection, mental health;

- maintaining accurate records and preparing reports for legal action;

- giving evidence in court;

- participating in training, supervision and team meetings.

(https://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/social_worker_job_description.jsp)