2024-2025 News Articles

1st grade students have been learning about and experiencing animal life cycles. Specifically, they have been discussing chicken life cycles and how some animals look like their parents from birth and how other animals, like caterpillars, do not. (They turn into butterflies!) To support this learning experience, one 1st grade class took on incubating and hatching some chicks! 

The incubation process began on April 2nd. Students would routinely record their observations when the teacher would candle the eggs. They also wrote about “a day in the life of an unborn chick” and wrote about what they would do in the egg as a chick. The chicks hatched in late April. When the chicks were hatching, the students wrote about the process that was happening: like how the chicks had to break the egg first, and then once they were out they had to dry up before they could be taken out of the incubator. Students also wrote about how their teacher taught the chicks to eat and drink. 

The students were extremely excited to see the chicks grow inside the egg and when they hatched. They were worried that many chicks would not hatch, but 11 out of 12 of them did. The chicks stayed in the 1st grade classroom for a week before going to the teacher’s family friend’s farm. 

This experience was such a fun way for students to experience science concepts and demonstrate their learning through discussions and writing opportunities. 

What started at the beginning of the year as a group of six 5th graders bringing the morning announcements to Spring Hill has now become a school wide effort. The Shark Morning News team is directed by 5th grade Dual Language teacher, Ms. Mansilla, and includes students from grades Pre-K to Fifth. 

The Shark Morning News is a student-led project that includes a variety of roles and responsibilities. Each day, one group of students records segments from 7:00 to 7:20 a.m., taking turns with the camera. Another group works on designing the background and producing the video during a 15-minute station rotation in class. Ms. Vandelook, our school counselor, also contributes a section called the “Social Skill of the Week,” which the students edit to fit the schedule. Occasionally, other teachers and staff step in to make special announcements as well, especially when students are unavailable to record. Other segments of the morning announcements include weather reports and Shark Ticket reports. 

Ms. Mansilla hopes to enhance the experience of the morning news with a proper green screen and some puppets. Her goal is to also incorporate read-aloud sessions, turn-and-talk opportunities, and daily motivational messages using puppet characters. Students have also requested a “Joke of the Day” segment, and she would also like to include poetry readings as well, particularly student-written pieces. “Our campus is filled with incredibly talented students, and I want to provide them with a platform to showcase their creativity,” states Mansilla. 

The Shark Morning News has become a wonderful way for students to be aware of not only what is happening at school, but to also be reminded of school expectations and the mission and vision of learning here at Spring Hill. Ms. Mansilla has done a phenomenal job with centering student abilities and voices with this project, and Spring Hill would not be the same without it. Now, remember: to be safe, be respectful, and be responsible. Thank you to Ms. Mansilla and the members of the Sharks Morning News team for reminding us of that every day.

Youth Art Month is a nationwide event that happens every March. Youth Art Month is a nationally recognized program that emphasizes the value of art education for all children, encourages support for quality school art programs, and promotes the importance of art appreciation for all people.  

Arts education can help kids:

• Engage with school and reduce stress.
• Develop social-emotional and interpersonal skills.
• Enrich their experiences.
• Handle constructive criticism.
• Bolster academic achievement.
• Improve focus.

While YAM is all of March, it is often celebrated on Big Art Day - one day in March when schools have special events, programs, or projects that celebrate campus-wide art making.  

At Spring Hill this year, we studied the artwork Synecdoche by Korean American artist and Yale professor Byron Kim.  Mr Kim's work uses swatches of skin tones to "paint a portrait" of a group of people.  Synecdoche means a part that represents a whole.  Spring Hill students mixed paint to create their own beautiful, diverse skin tones on a small card.  The cards will be assembled into a giant mural titled "The Beautiful Colors of SHES".

Ms. Wallace's (SHES Art teacher) hopes for Youth Art Month, Big Art Day, and EVERYDAY in our art classroom is for students to see the beauty in themselves and the world around them; to harness their own creative power to add to that world; and to feel that they belong to the world-wide community of artists we call the human race. We are so grateful for Ms. Wallace and the safe and inclusive community she has created for all student artists here at Spring Hill. 

This past weekend, many Spring Hill Sharks participated in UIL and the following students placed in their categories. 

18 students participated in the Dual Language events. The following students placed in their events: 

Y. Idrobo Becerra placed 3rd and M. Guadalupe Rivera placed 4th in Oral Reading. 

J. Alonza Tome placed 4th in Storytelling. 

N. Escott Olvera placed 4th in Ready Writing for 3rd/4th grade.

D. Aguilera Velazquez placed 4th, D. Barbosa Espinoza placed 3rd, and P. Alvarez Proena placed 1st in Ready Writing for 5th grade. 

10 students participated in monolingual events. A. Nguyen placed 2nd in Chess Puzzles for 2nd/3rd grade. 

We are so proud of all the students who competed at UIL. They worked very hard to prepare and did such a great job representing Spring Hill Elementary. Way to go, Sharks!

The Spring Hill Chess Club is an exciting place to be! At the beginning of the year, Ms. Rivera posted a list in front of her classroom, spread the word to teachers, and had 42 students across 2nd to 5th grade sign up. (2nd grade was the most enthusiastic to join!) Now, a select few are preparing to participate in the UIL Chess Puzzles event this January. Last year, three students placed at the District meet. This year, there are only two divisions instead of four. Although Ms. Rivera is unsure of what to expect, it is apparent that the team has worked really hard, and she is proud of them for sticking with it. 

Many of the students started out learning names, moves, and values of the pieces to start. As they advanced, they learned special movies like En Passant and Castling. Students gained experience by taking turns playing and watching each other. Ms. Rivera also incorporated programs such as First Move Chess to help her become a better chess teacher and to give students the opportunity to improve and practice their skills on their own time. 

During a Chess Club meeting, the first 15-20 minutes are used to solve 3-4 chess problems. The students race to see who can solve the problem first. Whoever is first, gets to explain why it’s the correct answer/move to the class. Ms. Rivera varies the difficulty levels of the problems. This portion of the meeting allows students to experience the format of the UIL event, which is not a chess match, but rather solving a series of 16-20 Chess puzzles. The rest of the meeting time is spent playing chess. Ms. Rivera says, “It gets so competitive and loud! I love that they’re really into it. It’s better than watching a football game.” 

Spring Hill Elementary students recently commemorated our veterans, specifically two close to home: our very own Mr. Caress and Ms. Acosta. 

Mr. Caress is one of our 4th grade teachers. He served in the Army for 6 years (1995-2001). He served in the United States Army because he wanted to contribute to something larger than himself. He felt driven by a deep sense of patriotism and a desire to give back to the country that had provided him with so many opportunities. He said, “I felt a strong calling to protect the freedoms and values we hold dear, and I knew that the Army would allow me to serve with honor while making a meaningful difference.” From his experiences in the Army, Caress gained invaluable life lessons that helped shape him into a more focused and determined individual. His experiences participating in a humanitarian aid mission to the Dominican Republic where he got to interact with the students there and see their eyes as they eagerly learned about the world beyond their village left a lasting impression on Caress. Their thirst for knowledge and the impact he had on their lives is what inspired him to pursue a career in education.