1 . The Music Educator Award, this year, went to Annie Ray, an orchestra(管弦乐队)director at Annandale High School.She was recognized for her efforts to make music accessible to all students, particularly those with disabilities.Ray got to attend the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and bring home a $10,000 prize.

Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as a parent orchestra that teaches nearly 200 caregivers a year to play the same instrument as their child.Ray also works with a local charity to give damaged instruments a second life in her classroom.

The orchestra is about much more than just making music.The most important is to give students a chance to develop their cooperation skills, make mistakes and learn the art of refining something.Ray pushes her students to be brave, go outside their comfort zone and realize they have to learn how to make bad sounds before learning how to make good sounds.And they teach her a lot in return.” They changed my educational philosophy.I understand what it truly means to meet a student where they’re at and apply that elsewhere,” she said.

The warm reception on the ceremony was meaningful.Actually, not many people understand what exactly music educators do or how much their work matters.While her administration is supportive, that lack of understanding is a problem facing the profession in general.Another is resources.She says her school “desperately” needs new instruments.She will use some of her prize money to buy more.

Ray also plans to put some of the money towards an ongoing scholarship for students who want to pursue music when they graduate.She knows of several, those particularly interested in music, and aims to offer financial support needed to realize their musical dreams” It is hard but truly satisfying,” Ray said.“And there’s nothing else like it for them.”

2 . Minor Cold: A sugary feast to get through the freezing winter

Minor Cold, or “Xiaohan” in Chinese, is the 23rd of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar     1       We’ve outlined below how people deal with the Minor Cold and its significance in Chinese culture.

Eight treasures rice pudding or “babaofan” in Mandarin is a special sweet rice dish enjoyed during Minor Cold and Chinese New Year dinner. In Chinese, the number eight is pronounced as “ba”, which is similar to another Chinese word “fa”.     2    . Because of its pronunciation, this traditional Chinese dim sum is regarded as a symbol of wealth and health.

    3    . Different regions in China have different eating habits. People in Nanjing and Shanghai usually cook vegetable rice while in Guangzhou, it is a tradition to eat sticky rice on the morning of Minor Cold.

For Chinese people, this time of year also sees preparation for the most important festival of the year: the Spring Festival.     4    . In the old days, Chinese families would usually start to purchase the necessities for the Spring Festival, write couplets and make paper cuts by themselves.

The ancient Chinese noticed the slight changes in seasons by observing the movements of the birds. Wild geese would usually start to fly back to the north while the magpies (喜鹊) make their nests. These animals remind people of the beginning of the suitable farming and life for Minor Cold.     5    . Therefore, more attention should be paid to domestic animals’ warmth.

3 . About twenty years ago, a new yoga teacher with related qualifications (资格) began her day practicing yoga on the beach. Over time, a few local beach lovers joined in and before she knew it, she was leading classes every morning and evening. After the word spread, local teachers offered to assist and the unique yoga classes were born. After that, the teacher moved to India, but her legacy (遗留) lives on. We aim to ensure people can come into contact with and afford yoga 365 days a year. Classes are all donation based. Our teachers offer yoga from the heart and do not get paid.

People around the world have practiced yoga for thousands of years, and millions of people currently enjoy its health benefits. Being outside can enhance the yoga experience in many ways, since nature inspires all the things — focusing awareness, breathing deeply, practicing stillness. We attach great importance to outdoor practice, through which you can feel the union with nature. Through every practice, we help some people who want to change.

We provide you with mostly two kinds of classes. Private beach classes include yoga, stretching, and partner yoga. We tailor the class to your requirements. If you are planning a corporate event or yoga classes, we can help make it fun, motivating and exciting.

You are invited and welcomed in our community! To know more information, you can click the link we provide. You can also email us for further questions or to request a private class.

4 . Kate Chandulal-Dee’s unique and infectious smile can brighten anyone’s day. It’s a(n)_______ she’s always had, which has helped Kate bravely face many challenges in life.

Kate was born with the rare genetic disorder (遗传性疾病), which has resulted in her having 138 _______ to date.

Kate’s many operations have _______ serious and life-threatening procedures. One important procedure when she was 14 was the _______ of a tube from her throat that helped her to breathe. After it was gone, Kate could _______ eat food. “It was like my mouth was waking up for the very first time,” she recalls.

Kate’s story was known to the public in 2010, when she was just seven years old and _______ school. Now 20, Kate is all grown up and has just finished the last of her _______ at Edgewater College in Auckland. She plans to _______ with a degree in the creative arts and media.

As a child, the thought of attending school _______ her will to live. “School has been ________ to keep me going and to help me with my self-confidence,” she tells. “Through school, I found my abilities and talents, like writing and drama (戏剧). I’ve also learned how to be ________ and interested.”

Last year, she challenged herself and ________ drama. She was cast as a nurse in a school production of Romeo and Juliet. Kate has also written four books and recently ________, and edited a documentary called Still Smiling, about the challenges that she has ________ in life.

She said, “I’m going to miss the teachers and the school community. They have taught me that I can ________ anything with enthusiasm (热情).”

The very ancient poetry that     1     (write) a thousand or more years ago was simpler and about common things like love, romance and nature that people appreciate. Though much poetry was created in the eras following the Song dynasty, it is thought that the poets became increasingly     2     (academy) and hard to understand so that modern Chinese can’t appreciate the style and meaning.

For foreigners, ancient Chinese poetry     3     (be) more difficult     4     (comprehend). One of the reasons is the nature of Chinese characters     5     (they).Often one character has many meanings,     6     makes the translation of Chinese into English a key part of reading and understanding Chinese poetry. Put simply, good translation is essential to     7     (full) understand Chinese poems.

Another point worth     8     (notice) about ancient Chinese poetry is that itis influenced by Confucian and Taoist thinking. Ancient Chinese poetry has a focus of friendship besides love or being     9     lover. Friendships, to the village, the community, the country or your drinking friends are dominant themes. The poets’ main task seems to be just writing poetry, because a life as a poet is an important thing. In this respect, Chinese poetry is all     10     the poet, the “meaning” for the poet and not what is happening around the poet.

7 . Instead of being a pacing-up time, winter is a locking-down time. Winter frees us in all sorts of ways.

I once had a neighbor named Earl. An old-timer and a self-made man, he _________ told me stories about Maine winters in the past. He suggested he had _________ the ice age. He backed up his old stories with _________ of old black-and-white photographs of heavy snowstorms that piled up to second-floor windows and completely _________ cars.

And I’ll never _________ what he said as an end to one of his stories, “A man couldn’t get much done once the snow came.” So what did he do once the snow came? He spent a great deal of time _________ to home and hearth, where he _________ the wood stove, sat with his wife, made pots of coffee, and read by the fire.

As I write these words I occasionally raise my head to _________ the window at the woodpile stacked (堆), the garden harvested, the apple tree _________, the lawn mowed, and the bicycle shed newly roofed.

As I tended to all those things, when did I have time to __________?

Some years ago a friend sent me a quote by Socrates that I try to be mindful of: Beware the fruitlessness of a __________ life.

The advice __________ me to look forward to the coming of winter, because I’ve finally learned that it is a slowing-down time, a gift of rest, a (n) __________ to acknowledge that most of the outdoor work that could be done has been done.

A friend of mine who lives in the Southeast recently called. In the course of our __________ he celebrated the climate where he lives, which __________ him to work outside year-round. “I’m always on the go.” he told me.

But I think I need a good time of winter.

10 . Safer Internet Activities

To help schools promote safer Internet messages to families, beyond Safer Internet Day, the Education Safeguarding Service’s Online Safety Team has worked with Kent Children’s University to produce a Safer Internet Day Challenge pack for children aged 5 to 14.

This pack contains 10 key challenge activity ideas, as well as useful resources for children, schools and families to access. The Challenge will run until 31 June so there is plenty of time to get involved.

The Safer Internet Day Challenge starts with schools and families today and you can find the resources here. So why not send the activities home to your parents or caregivers so families can get involved?

Young people who are part of Kent Children’s University can earn a varying number of Learning Credits for each activity completed outside normal school time.

For more information about Education Safeguarding, please visit the Education Safeguarding Service website.

If your school would be interested in finding out more about Kent Children’s University (either the school or family models or both), please email kcu@theeducationpeople.org. For more information, please visit the Kent Children’s University website.

We encourage teachers and staff working with children and young people aged 3 to 18 in educational settings to share their Safer Internet Day stories, displays or activities on the Safer Internet Day website! Don’t forget to tag@UK_SIC and @TheEdPeople into any posts you share.