The Important Thing About Menlo Park

By the First Grade of St. Raymond School
Menlo Park, California

The important thing about Menlo Park is that there are lots of trees. Some trees give us fruit and some trees grow beautiful pink blossoms. Some trees provide acorns for squirrels to store for winter food. Some trees wave when the wind blows and some trees have leaves that change color. In fall, the leaves fall off some of the trees and we can jump and play in the leaves. Some trees give us shade from the sun and some trees can be homes for animals. All trees give us oxygen. There are about 10,500 trees in Menlo Park. But the important thing about Menlo Park is that it has lots of trees.

The important thing about Menlo Park is that it is on a peninsula so it is near the water. You can see where our city is located on this map. [LINK] The Ohlone Indians lived in the lands of Menlo Park for many years because they could fish in the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. You can view some of Ohlone artifacts from long ago on this site: [LINK] You can learn how the Ohlone Indians made canoes on this site. [LINK] Today, we can go to the beach and build sand castles because Menlo Park is by the ocean. Our weather is sunny, and rainy, and cloudy, and foggy, and windy because we live by the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. But the important thing is that Menlo Park is on a peninsula.

The important thing about Menlo Park is that in 1854, Dennis Oliver and D.C. McGlynn built a gate that said, "Menlo Park." Dennis Oliver and D.C. McGlynn and their wives came from Menlough Ireland. When they built their houses they also built the gate to their houses. In 1863, when the railroad came to this area, the town had no name. The people looked at the sign and decided to name the town Menlo Park. See a picture of the Menlo Park Train Station. [LINK] But the important thing about Menlo Park is that in 1854, Dennis Oliver and D.C. McGlynn built a gate.

The important thing about Menlo Park is Camp Fremont. During World War 1, 43,000 soldiers trained at Camp Fremont. The soldiers lived in tent cities in a 15 square mile area. Camp Fremont was built here because the pleasant weather allowed the soldiers to learn all year round. Now, Camp Fremont is gone but we have a small park down town called Fremont Park. We can walk to the park and remember the soldiers that helped our country during World War 1.

The important thing about Menlo Park is that it has lots of stores and we like to shop. We can walk from our school to Santa Cruz Avenue and the streets near Santa Cruz Avenue and go to the bakery, the toy store, the ice cream store, the market, the post office, the drug store and the pet store. But the important thing about Menlo Park is that it has lots of stores and we like to shop.

The important thing about Menlo Park is that it near Stanford University. Leland Stanford had a son who died in 1884. Mr. Stanford decided to build a university in honor of his son. Stanford University was dedicated in 1891. You can go to Stanford University and learn to be a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, an artist, or many other things. Many families who work or study at Stanford University live in Menlo Park. But the important thing about Menlo Park is that it is near Stanford University. If you click any of the slides on top of this page, you will see a good picture of Stanford University: [LINK]

The important thing about Menlo Park is that St. Raymond School is there and we love our school. We learn and play with our friends at school. Our principal and teachers help us to learn and be good citizens. Our secretaries help us when we are hurt and give us ice and band-aids. Coach teaches us to play many sports. Mrs. Myall teaches us about art. Mrs. Ponce teaches us about music and Mrs. Baraze teaches us about technology. You can learn more about where our school is located by looking at this map: [LINK] Our school is between Santa Cruz Avenue and Valparaiso Avenue. But the important thing about Menlo Park is that St. Raymond School is there and we love our school. Visit our website and learn more about us. [LINK] We found out that there is another city named Menlo Park in New Jersey. Thomas Edison lived there. Learn more about Menlo Park, New Jersey. [LINK]

Thanks to our teachers, Mrs. Diane Fahrner, Mrs. Trudy Fabian and Mrs. Sheila Baraze who helped us with this project. Menlo Park is a suburb between San Francisco and San Jose. The current population of the city is 30, 648.

From the Teachers

Our Process
First, we began our project by reading, The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. Second, we studied the history of Menlo Park by reading books and viewing online articles and pictures. Mrs. Fahrner helped us find web sites so that we could learn more about Menlo Park. Third, each first grader thought about the information that we learned and wrote about something that was important to him or her. Fourth, we spend time in the computer lab and drew pictures of Menlo Park using Kid Pix. Finally, we put the parts of our project together and will continue to enjoy reading and learning from it. We hope that you like our project.

Our Project was aligned to the California History-Social Studies Standards and the ISTE Technology Standards.

California State History-Social Science Content Standards for Grade 1

• 1.2 Students compare and contrast the absolute and relative locations of places and people and describe the physical and/ or human characteristics of places.
• 1.4 Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and places around the world and recognize that some aspects of people, places, and things change over time while others stay the same.
• 1.5 Students describe the human characteristics of familiar places and the varied backgrounds of American citizens and residents in those places.

Technology Standards [LINK]

GRADES PRE K - 2 [LINK]

• 1. Use input devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, remote control) and output devices (e.g., monitor, printer) to successfully operate computers, VCRs, audiotapes, and other technologies.
• 2. Use a variety of media and technology resources for directed and independent learning activities.
• 5. Work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers, family members, and others when using technology in the classroom.
• 6. Demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology.
• 7. Practice responsible use of technology systems and software.
• 8. Create developmentally appropriate multimedia products with support from teachers, family members, or student partners.
• 10. Gather information and communicate with others using telecommunications, with support from teachers, family members, or student partners.