For some San Antonio children, Tuesday marked the end of the summer.
Castle Hills Elementary School opened its doors for the first day of the 2018-19 school year and these kids and parents are excited to be here.
There are nearly 500 kids who will be walking these hallways this year and they've only had a six-week vacation. Rather than waiting until September, back to school time is now for these children.
School starts in late July, but a lot of the parents are excited because it means they only have to find child care for these kids for six weeks. As for the kids, they’re excited to see their friends as well. Most parents choose to enroll their kids in this school because they say they love the education here.
We spoke to a teacher here who said with a shorter summer break, the kids retain more information and don’t have to re-learn much when they get back. This July start date is perfect timing for parents, teachers and students.
“Once they hit a certain amount of time in the summer time, they're bored, so they’re ready to get back and see their friends and learn some more,” said Norma Villareal, a special education assistant at the school. “The parents are excited because they don’t know what else to do with them in the summer time.”
This week will only be three days long. Their first full week is next week. It'll kick off with a "leader in me” pep rally. The principal here says this year’s schedule adds an extra 15 minutes to the learning time, so that means lots of education for these little ones.