User: Based on the following passage list when schools close and resume from summer holidays in Russia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Assistant: 1. In Russia the summer holiday begins at the end of May and ends on 31 August.
2. School summer holidays in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa begin in early December and end in early February, with dates varying between states. In South Africa, the new school year usually starts during the second week of January, thus aligning the academic year with the Calendar year.