It was the first day of school at Maple Elementary and surprisingly the students seemed happy to be there.

"It's good to start early because then kids don't forget what they already learned in the previous years." says 6th grader Dakota Wright.

The school is on a modified calendar so they start three weeks before most schools. This allows them to take three two week breaks during the school year in which the students have the option to take extra classes like softball or self defense.

"At the end of every quarter the students have a break. There's a definite ending and there's a new beginning so when they finish their first quarter they're going to have a two week time where they can reflect on what they've learned. When they come back it's a fresh start." says Principal Becky Girard.

In Ms. Lindberg's class the students spent the first day reviewing study techniques to help ease the transition from summer to school. Ms. Lindberg worked at the school before and after they made the switch to shorter summers and she says it's something every school should try.

"They seem to do better with the review at the beginning of the year and I feel that we have a little bit of an edge over schools that don't go back until the end of the month." says Lindberg, a fifth grade teacher.

Judging from the smiles on their faces, eight weeks of summer break is enough for the kids at Maple Elementary.

The inter-session classes are taught by teachers who volunteer. Fifth grade teacher Christine Lindberg sees these classes as an opportunity to get to know some of the younger students before they are old enough to be in her regular class.

State standardized test scores have risen by almost 10 points since they implemented the modified calendar in 2001, but their numbers still trail the Harlem School District as a whole by 9 points.