School

Learning to Play Basketball

By: Sanjay P.

The Basketball Club started in Feb 2024. Ms. Smith, the coach for the Basketball Club, started playing basketball because it was an exciting sport. And she started to teach basketball to give others the excitement she got from it.

In Basketball Club, students work with the fundamentals to be ready to play an actual game. When Ms. Smith teaches them how to play, they play mini-games. That helps with fundamentals like keeping their heads up and not look down while dribbling. The skill(s) that she wants her players to know are reviewed at the end of practice. She hopes students are able to remember what they learned the previous Tuesday to continue learning new fundamentals.

When I asked her what she thinks about her skills, she said she is an 8 in shooting, 8 in passing, 6.5 in dribbling, and a 9 in defense.

Students are there to learn, not to shoot around the whole time. She is making a difference by the way she teaches them. One thing that they need to improve on in the Basketball Club is that they need to dribble better. Even Ms. Smith, who has been playing for years, still needs to practice with this skill.

The Club of Props and Plays

By: Arwin E.

Have you heard of the Odyssey of the Mind? Unlike other clubs, Odyssey of the Mind, or OM, is a competition where students have to act out a skit to solve a problem. Participants compete in regions, states, and possibly nationals. During Odyssey of the Mind, students make all the props and write the whole play script without any adult help!

What is it?

In Odyssey of the Mind, children are given a long-term problem and present their solution to a group of judges. One of last year’s problems was creating a play that had to have a person losing something and a character that wasn’t living. Odyssey of the Mind is good for helping children with being creative, writing, designing, constructing, and acting.

Joining the Club

In order to join the club, students first need to sign up. Then, during tryouts, Mrs. Blair or Mrs. Sileski asks students to perform a small improvisational skit with a partner. In the skit, students receive a small note of what the skit has to be about, and then they have to quickly decide their performance in one minute. Other activities include creative drawings or solving a verbal spontaneous problem. Students may have to continue this cycle until the coaches decide who is in.

Menlo’s New Group

This year’s fifth grade Odyssey of the Mind groups are excited for the competition coming up. Ayan V., a new member, stated, “I believe we can get past the first few rounds because we are creative, we have creative minds, and creativity is the key to winning.” This shows truly how optimistic the group this year feels.

OM Teachers

Mrs. Blair, one of the Odyssey of the Mind teachers who has been running the club since 2010, thinks that this group of students has most of the qualities she expects. She states, “They seem pretty excited, friendly, and look like they are ready to work hard as a team.” Mrs. Blair has taught OM in multiple schools and has been teaching OM in Menlo Park School since 2019.

Mrs. Blair enjoys watching the students change throughout the process. “I like to watch the team members’ growth and creativity from October to March.”

Timings and Dates

At Menlo Park, the one to two teams chosen have meetings after school, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays. As they approach competition, they might meet several days a week and sometimes until eight o’clock at night!

This year, the first regional competition this year takes place at J.P. Stevens High School. The state competition in New Jersey takes place in the northern region of New Jersey, while the world finals take place at Iowa State University in Iowa.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Odyssey of the Mind is an interesting club. It teaches students important qualities and is fun. Many people in our school try out every year, and the students who are the best fit are admitted into the club. If a student didn’t try out this year, there is an Odyssey of the Mind in the middle and high schools. For upcoming fifth graders, Kavya C., a student who tried out for Odyssey of the Mind says, “Don’t give up.”

What is your Favorite Subject?

By: Shruthika J.

Fifth grade is ending soon so I was curious to know what subject most fifth graders adore, so I sent a form to see who likes what subject and got interesting results.

It turns out most students in fifth grade like writing! Many kids have mentioned how writing helps them express themselves, their ideas, and their feelings.

Of course, the second was math. Some kids also like math because there are a bunch of strategies. "I like math because it is fun" counts for half the responses I got.

I was thinking about how most people would like

math and/or English because they don’t whine while doing these subjects, and my inference was partially right. I also think that people like these the most because we get to do fun projects.

Menlo's Specials

By: Arwin E.

In Menlo Park School we have four school provided activities. They are Spanish, Music, Art, and Physical Education (or Gym). These four activities are called specials. Students have a special every day, and they cycle through once a week, except for Gym which is twice a week.

Our Specials

The Specials in Menlo Park School are special study areas that the school provides for the students everyday. As previously stated, they are Spanish, Music, Art, and Physical Education. Many students enjoy this idea while others think that this is good practice for if they want to invest in Spanish, Art, Music, and Physical Education.

Art

Art is a well-known hobby and many people enjoy it in Menlo Park Elementary School. We have two teachers who teach art. They are Mrs. Nordensvan, Mrs. Wolenter, and Mrs. Benavides. A fifth grade student, Anurag M., says, “It is calming and relaxing to draw and put anything on paper.”

Another art-loving student, Shrutika. J, says, “I like that sometimes the teacher lets me draw whatever I want and it helps me express myself.”

Music

Music is an excellent way to express yourself if it is playing drums or singing your favorite heavy metal tune. The teachers who teach music in our school are Mrs. Ruiz, Mr. D’sousa, and Mrs. Zheng. In Music, we express culture if it is singing a Native American heritage song, or playing with Dandiya Sticks during Diwali.

A fifth grader in Menlo Park School, Vidyut. V, who joined Menlo Park in fourth grade, says, “Music helps me calm down, especially at the end of the day.”

Phys. Ed.

Physical Education is a great way to stay fit and is a good way to get active and sprint around. Our three teachers are Ms. Smith, Mr. McCarthy, and Mrs. McIntyre. Unlike

other Specials, we have two to three classes being taught all at once, with each class having one of the three teachers teaching them.

Ayan. V. loves Gym. He says, “You have loads of fun while getting your exercise and energy to go on about your day.”

Spanish

Spanish is the second most common language in the United States aside. Menlo Park School believes it is important and includes it in its weekly routine. Our teachers are Sra. Murrillo, Sr. Ballon, and Prof. Bazan.

Sannibh B., a Menlo Park student, says that Spanish is “fun because learning the language is fun [in] the way our teacher teaches it.”

Conclusion

Specials can help students when they grow up and they even help them learn and grow right now. Students love all of them, if it comes to Spanish, Physical Education, Art, and Music. Hopefully, future generations with feel the same way about Menlo’s Specials.

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