Schools in Italy

It's me again, Giovanni. It is a new day in Italy and I am about to go to school. I am in the 9th grade. Over in Italy, schools work differently than they do in other countries. In Italy, a person must attend school until he or she is 16. Schools start from September to mid-June. We have Christmas and Easter vacations. We don't have uniforms, but you can tell us by the large bookbags we have to carry around that are full of books we have to buy. Scuola materna, or kindergarten, is for three to five year old kids. Then, the children spend three years at scuola media (junior high). The children take an imortant exam at the end of junior high. In high schools, there are a lot of studies for students to take. At the end of high school, students have to write an exam called the maturita. It is a difficult exam that the national government prepare since they control the education system. I am glad I have a couple of years until I have to take it. I will dread taking it. Well, my parents are calling me to get ready for school. I will be blogging later. So, see you.