Happy Holidays from Zilker Special Areas Teachers!!

Zilker's Festival of Lights

Zilker students are helping to paint a special mural that will be part of Zilker's second annual Festival of Lights. Please join us Friday, December 16th, at the front of the school at 6pm. We will have a trail of lights, food vendors, artists selling crafts, and wonderful holiday singing from our own Zilker Panthers under the guidance of Ms. Price, our music teacher. Rumors are also circulating that Santa may even pay Zilker a visit that evening! Please join us for an evening of family fun and look for the finished mural...it will be interactive!!

3rd Grade Clay Fish Sculpture

Third Graders are working hard on their clay fish sculptures. First, we sculpted the body of the fish using a baseball sized piece of clay. Then we added side fins on using another piece of clay. In order to attach the separate piece permanently, students had to first score both pieces of clay, then add slip, which is clay mixed with water that acts like a glue. Finally, students smoothed the seams between the two pieces of clay.
The next art class we were able to add details with clay tools. Students had to draw eyes, gills, and carve a mouth for their fish. Then students added texture on the bodies. Next, students used the clay pin tool to draw lines on all of the fins. The sculptures look fabulous. They are now drying and will be ready to go into the kiln the second week of December. Our final step will be painting one color of glaze onto the bisque-fired ceramic surface of the fish.