From 8-year old Hilda’s diary:
I forgot to say that yesterday was the last day of school until August. I am promoted to the high third grade and I got a pink certificate instead of a plain white one. That means that I was a very good pupil not an ordinary one. Grandfather said that even though I was a special star in my class, I still don’t know everything. Tonight when I go to bed I’ll try to think of just how many things I don’t know.
When I attended in elementary school in San Francisco in the 1960’s, we had low and high grades like Hilda. I don’t know if such a system existed in other places. Instead of all children beginning the school year in the fall, a child might start in spring instead, based on one’s birthday. Hilda’s birthday in January and mine in March meant that we started school at the beginning of the calendar year.