Last Thursday,a series of colourful activities were organized to extend our warmly welcome to our guests:a group of foreign teachers from our sister school.

The foreign friends attend quit a few optional course representative of our school.But they visited the school gallery.It is housed a lot of art works created by students from Grade 3,included calligraphy(书法),and Chinese paintings.Which impressed them most was the pleasant learning atmosphere of his school.

Apart from strengthening the friendship among the two schools,these activities gave us better understanding of our own culture.

Our school came up with an innovative program to promote a traditional value of honesty. We introduced an activity calling the “unsupervised examination” for some of the classes. That means during this examination, there is no teacher present to oversee the student. Before taking this examination, students need to sign up a letter of commitment. Students expressed that it’s good to feel trusted but they enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in the examination. We also introduced what is called the “honest umbrella”. Printed on each umbrella was short statements about honesty and other values. At the end of the term, all the umbrellas were returned in one piece, none of them had been lost or damaged. The program works so well that we plan to introduce to another branch of our school. Build a culture of honesty needs the participation of everyone. We hope more teachers and students can get involved.

5 . Some teens are disapproving of compulsory BMI (body mass index) （身体质量指数） checks in PE classes. Do BMI checks at school do more harm than good? Two teens take sides.

Maya Meade, a high school freshman in Ohio, says yes. “I understand that schools want to weigh students because they are concerned about their physical health. That’s not a bad thing! But what about their mental health? For many students, appearance and self-image are huge sources of stress. Forcing teens to be weighed at school will only increase the pressure they feel to fit a certain mold (模子)”, says Maya.

In Maya’s opinion, weight is a personal matter that should stay between a doctor and a patient. She says, “Just imagine someone who struggles with body image being told that his or her BMI is too high as classmates look on! Even if other kids can’t hear, no student wants to feel judged by his or her teacher. That’s not why we go to school.”

Maya thinks if a school wants to have an impact on a student’s physical health, there are better ways to do it, such as providing healthy but filling meals, encouraging physical activity and teaching students about nutrition.

Ben Bagbek, a second-year student in a high school in New York, holds a different opinion. “There is no reason why a school should not be allowed to weigh its students and teach them how to calculate BMI! Obesity (肥胖症) is a huge public health concern in our country. And schools are in a position to help students understand what their weight means to their health -- before they’re at risk of life-threatening conditions.”

“A school’s job is to help students reach their full potential, and your health undoubtedly plays a role in your academic performance. BMI is not a perfect measurement, but it can help you identify the need for healthier eating habits or more physical activity.” says Ben.

The bottom line is: When you feel good, you learn better. As long as the actual number on the scale stays private, it should be viewed as an important part of your health education.

6 . Going back to school can be an anxious time for many students. But one institution in Texas is doing its part to make sure middle schoolers are returning refreshed and inspired to learn.

Through a process called the "bathroom inspiration project," teachers and administrators at Warren Middle School, spent their summer beautifying the school's restrooms by painting motivational murals (壁画) on each of the stalls (小隔间).Forming messages like "Your mistakes don't define you" and "Scatter (撒播) kindness," the brightly colored words are exactly what a young student needs to see when having a rough day-or any school day for that matter. And now that classes are officially in session, people are already noticing a positive impact.

Since posting photos of upgrades to the school in July, Principal Joshua Garcia says that the alterations have aroused a great response.

"Students have been talking about the murals from the moment the pictures had been posted. Some even took the time to find a reason to come up to the campus to see the murals," he says."I think what makes this small little action so valuable is that it has set the tone for our campus."

And not only is that important to students, parents, and fellow staff, but it is also vital for the school's new principal, who is trying to gain the trust of the community during a time in which trust is so necessary for schools.

"Being new to the campus, I think the parents were able to see how much I value their children and have their best interest at heart,” Garcia continues. “I have had many parents tell me how they can just feel a difference in the campus climate and how much they are enjoying seeing their children wanting to come here. These murals have put trust back in the campus and its teachers, and by doing so we are able to build a culture in which our students want to be here and learn.”