Trimester 1 Clubs
Menands School is excited to continue extracurricular clubs and sports this Fall for Grades 2-8. Club offerings occur after school every day until 4:30 and bus transportation home is available. Please see the club description for further details.
CLUBS STAY AFTER LATER THIS YEAR. CLUBS STAY AT SCHOOL UNTIL 4:30.
If a club meets its maximum capacity, all students who signed up for the club will be put into a lottery system. Through this system, students will be randomly selected to participate in the club. Those who do not get selected will be notified through the parent email that was submitted during sign-ups.
Sign-ups close September 6th at 3 pm.
MONDAY
- Soccer – Grades 7 & 8
- Docu Club – Grades 6-8
- Intro to Photography – Grades 6-8
- Girls on the Run – Grades 4-8
- Improv Club – Grades 4-8
- Lego Club-Grades 3-5
- Lego Club-Grades 6-8
TUESDAY
NO CLUBS
WEDNESDAY
- Cross County-Grades 5-8
- Tech/STEM – Grades 6-8
- Art Club Set Design – Grades 6 & 7
- Pay it Forward – Grades 3-5
- Baton Twirling – Grades 2 & 3
- Board Games-Grades 3 & 4
THURSDAY
- Soccer-Grades 7 & 8
- Middle School Book Club-Grades 7 & 8
- Dungeons & Dragons-Grades 7 & 8
- Girls on the Run-Grades 3-5
- Baton Twirling-Grades 4 & 5
- Yearbook-Grades 6-8
FRIDAY
- Cross Country – Grades 5-8
Clubs
Lego Club Grades 3-5
First Trimester: Mondays
Grades 3-5
Advisors: Mrs. Kaloyeros & Mrs. Bruce
Students learn while having fun! Creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork are some of the skills that “playing” with LEGOS can teach children.
Maximum number of participants is 20
Lego Club Grades 6-8
First Trimester: Mondays
Grades 6-8
Advisors: Ms. Ervin
Students will have the chance to work with legos and robots to make designs come to life! Through the lego kits, students will have opportunities to engage in a range of relevant learning opportunities that will immerse them in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering with FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Class Pack. Students will develop, design, build, and code LEGO® robots that navigate missions to develop an innovation project solution to a real-world problem. If your student enjoys a challenge and creative thinking this is for them! Students do not need to have experience with coding to do this club, just an interest in learning new skills and having fun!
Maximum number of participants is 16
Girls on the Run
First Trimester: Mondays, Thursdays
Grades 3-5
Advisors: Mrs. Hayes & Mrs. Nersesian
Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization that offers programs designed to strengthen girls’ social, emotional, and physical skills. Girls on the Run’s curriculum includes the following three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork, and recognizing how we can shape the world at large. Coaches will attend training over the summer months to acquaint themselves with the curriculum.
Typically, there is a registration fee to sign up for a Girls on the Run team. However, due to local funding and grant money, there is no cost for Menands School students to participate. For this club, girls will participate as part of the Menands School Girls on the Run Team with Menands-only girls. The club will meet twice a week for an hour and a half after school. Club meetings will be a combination of team building interactive lessons as well as physical activity. Girls do not need to have prior running experience to participate in this club. As long as we are moving forward, we are moving!
The celebratory event for this club is running/walking in a 5K race at a local park (TBD). The Menands School Team will race with other Girls on the Run teams from local schools/ programs in the Capital Region.
**Please note: Spots for this club are very limited and your girl’s tuition to participate is covered in full by fundraising and grant money. If your girl does not plan to regularly attend meetings and the 5K, please consider a different club. Additionally, if your girl is chosen via lottery for this club, please do not register her through the official GOTR website until a coach has reached out to you. You will be given a code for checkout when registering that makes the cost-free.**”
Maximum number of participants is 15
Improv Club
First Trimester: Mondays
Grades 4-8
Advisors: Ms. Stack
Improv Club is a fun and creative club that will allow students to feel like the next Broadway star! In Improv Club, students will learn about what improv is and how it works. They will learn how to write their own script for a short skit, proper acting skills and techniques and most importantly, working as a team. This club is a great club to join and be part of if you have been in Drama Club before or plan on joining this year or in future Drama Club productions.
Maximum number of participants is 25
Tech/STEM
First Trimester: Wednesdays
Grades 6-8
Advisors: Mr. Nagel & Mr. Bourgeois
The goal of this club is to promote student engagement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Students will engage in hands-on STEM activities and discussions. Activities may include, coding, design and production, physics (objects in motion), and competitions. The program “may” involve mentor students from the 8th grade STEM classes, who will assist with club activities, gaining leadership, and community service opportunities.
Maximum number of participants is 20
Baton Twirling Grades 2 & 3
First Trimester: Wednesdays
Grades 2 & 3
Advisors: Nurse Rosie
“What Is It?”
Baton Twirling is a unique blend of artistry and sport. Baton twirlers combine dance and gymnastics with the handling of a metal baton (or two or three!). Baton twirlers learn how to keep one, two, and three batons all twirling while artistically interpreting the music they are twirling to. They can also learn how to twirl their baton while staying in step with music if performing with a high school and/or college band.
What Are the Benefits?
Baton twirling requires stamina, strength, flexibility, and accuracy. It can promote/improve self-esteem, self-discipline, build character, and form a healthy foundation for an active lifestyle. It will also foster mental discipline and social relations. Baton twirling teaches teamwork, discipline, commitment, hand-eye coordination, and sportsmanship through group participation.
Twirlers learn how to practice to master a new skill, how to set and achieve goals, and how to persevere through challenges. Becoming a baton twirler does not happen overnight and helps students understand the value of hard work and determination. They learn how to perform under pressure and the joy that comes from entertaining an audience with their skills.
Maximum number of participants is 8
Baton Twirling Grades 4 & 5
First Trimester: Thursdays
Grades 4 & 5
Advisors: Nurse Rosie
“What Is It?”
Baton Twirling is a unique blend of artistry and sport. Baton twirlers combine dance and gymnastics with the handling of a metal baton (or two or three!). Baton twirlers learn how to keep one, two, and three batons all twirling while artistically interpreting the music they are twirling to. They can also learn how to twirl their baton while staying in step with music if performing with a high school and/or college band.
What Are the Benefits?
Baton twirling requires stamina, strength, flexibility, and accuracy. It can promote/improve self-esteem, self-discipline, build character and form a healthy foundation for an active lifestyle. It will also foster mental discipline and social relations. Baton twirling teaches teamwork, discipline, commitment, hand-eye coordination, and sportsmanship through group participation.
Twirlers learn how to practice in order to master a new skill, how to set and achieve goals, and how to persevere through challenges. Becoming a baton twirler does not happen overnight and helps students understand the value of hard work and determination. They learn how to perform under pressure and the joy that comes from entertaining an audience with their skills.
Maximum number of participants is 8
Art Club Set Design
First Trimester: Wednesdays
Grades 6 & 7
Advisors: Mr. Gottcent
For students who have a passion and interest in Fine Art, students will be able to work on more challenging projects outside of their class time. These can include portraits, figure drawing, still lives as well as experimentation with new materials.
Maximum number of participants is 10
Yearbook
First Trimester: Thursdays
Grades 6-8
Advisors: Mrs. Wroblewski & Mrs. Stanton
Students will work collaboratively to create the 2024-2025 school yearbook electronically. Students will create announcements, send thank you notes, solicit photos, brainstorm page ideas, choose design layouts, and insert photos to create the completed yearbook.
Maximum number of participants is 10
Board Games Club
First Trimester: Wednesdays
Grades 3 & 4
Advisors: Mrs. Mattice
Board game club is a club where we will get together for a recreational activity that boosts strategic thinking skills and social interaction. This club is a platform for students with a common interest in board games to come together to have fun and to build relationships. We may even create our own board games! We will play new and traditional board games, take requests and students will be welcome to bring their own games to play with the group at times. I promise you won’t be “bored” in board game club! 🙂
Maximum number of participants is 12
Docu Club
First Trimester: Mondays
Grades 6-8
Advisors: Mrs. Catini & Ms. Gibson
Calling all curious minds! Do you want to tackle real-world issues and tell stories that matter? Join our Documentary Club! We’ll dive headfirst into community problems YOU care about. Want to understand the local animal shelter? Fascinated by recycling initiatives? We’ll help you research, interview experts, and create awesome video documentaries to share your findings! Learn video editing skills, become a confident interviewer, and make a real impact – all while having a blast! This club is perfect for anyone who wants to be a voice for change.
Maximum number of participants is 12
Intro to Photography
First Trimester: Mondays
Grades 6-8
Advisors: Mrs. Trainor & Mrs. Slyer
Students will learn basic introduction skills to utilizing a DSLR digital camera. They will also become aware of space, format, and lighting. They will learn to download from memory cards and post their images to the photography club class. Students are encouraged to use their own cameras and cards if they own them.
Maximum number of participants is 10
Pay it Forward
First Trimester: Wednesdays
Grades 3-5
Advisor: Ms.Stack
Pay it Forward Club meets weekly to brainstorm different ways to give back to the community. We would select various organizations to help with and discuss key components of community service. This club helps students develop empathy and perspective, as well as develop leadership skills and become role models to their peers. Students will learn about good deeds and how they can have a positive impact on not only a person but the whole community.
Maximum number of participants is 20.
Middle School Book Club
First Trimester: Thursdays
Grades 7 & 8
Advisors: Ms. Gibson & Ms. Purdy
The Menands School Book Club is looking for readers! Whether you’re someone who reads non-stop, sometimes, never, is just looking to read more, or you’re looking to find new, interesting books, we would love to have you! This club is open to middle schoolers who want to read and discuss engaging young adult novels. The novels will vary in genre, ranging from fantasy, to graphic novels, to mystery, to realistic fiction, and many more! We will read and discuss the novels during club time. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! We will also spend some of our book club time researching genres and titles that interest us in order to find more high interest books. Student input and suggestions will be taken into consideration for all future book club titles!
Maximum number of participants is 10
Dungeons and Dragons
First Trimester: Thursdays
Grades 7 & 8
Advisors Mrs. Hayes & Mr. Gottcent
Open to all skill levels, this D&D group will act as an introduction to the tabletop Role Playing Game Dungeons & Dragons. Participants will create their own character and become part of the shared story experience as they build their own world of fantasy.
Maximum number of participants is 6
Sports
Soccer
First Trimester: Mondays and Thursdays
Grades 7 & 8
Advisor: Mr. Herrmann
Student-athletes who participate on the soccer team will have the opportunity to develop and hone their soccer skills through team practices as well as interscholastic competitions. Soccer practices will last until 4:30 and games will typically go until 5:30.
Maximum number of participants is 20.
Cross Country
First Trimester: Wednesdays & Fridays
Grades 5-8
Advisor: Mr. Buskey & Ms. Ervin
The sport of Cross Country provides students in grades 5-8 with an opportunity to participate in an activity that encourages physical fitness. Participants will be running on the nature trail along the school, individually working to improve their personal times in distances ranging from 1 to 2 miles. Practices will consist of running and building up endurance. Runners will also have the opportunity to participate in meets against other schools. More information about meets will be provided when the season starts. Cross country is a fun way to get in good physical shape and challenge yourself.
Maximum number of participants is 25.