Oak Knoll Athletics
The Oak Knoll Elementary School PTO is proud to offer an exciting sports program for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Otters.
📍 Practices are held at the Oak Knoll campus.
📍 Games are played weekly at the Arrillaga Family Gymnasium at Burgess against teams from other local schools.
Note: Students must be currently enrolled at Oak Knoll in order to participate in these PTO-sponsored activities. Please refer to the weekly Oak Knoll newsletter for up-to-date registration information.
🏐 Volleyball
- Girls & Boys Volleyball: Available for 4th and 5th graders in the early fall (mid-September through mid-November).
🏀 Basketball
- Girls & Boys Basketball: Available for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in the winter (mid-November through early March).
⚠️ We Need Volunteers
Our Otters need coaches! No experience necessary; volunteers will be provided with materials and guidance for managing practices and games. Please review the program goals below and fill out the Coaching Interest Form if you'd like to help.
Important volunteer requirements: All volunteers at Oak Knoll, including coaches, need to be registered (including state-required fingerprinting) before working with students. Learn more about what is required to volunteer and to register by visiting MPCSD Volunteer Requirements. To get started, complete the Volunteer Registration Form. If you completed this form already, then you don’t need to do it again. In most cases, this form (including the fingerprinting) only needs to be completed once and is good for the duration of your time at Oak Knoll!
New requirement for coaches only: Starting in the 2026-27 school year, all new and existing coaches will also need to annually complete Mandated Reporter Training. This training takes about two hours and the certificate of completion then needs to be sent and approved by MPCSD HR before you can be cleared to coach.
Thank you for completing these three necessary steps early, so as not to hold up your ability to start coaching!
Coaching Interest Form MPCSD Volunteer Registration FormMandated Reporter Training
Program Goals
- Fun: Our success should not be measured solely by wins and losses, but rather by the enjoyment of players, coaches, and parents.
- Positive Introduction: Our parent coaches are the single most important factor in shaping a positive and supportive introduction to organized sports.
- New Friendships: It’s fantastic when our Otters form positive relationships with teammates outside their usual circle of friends.
- Community Spirit: We want our teams to support one another, root for each other, and encourage grade-level “Jamborees.” Coaches are encouraged to share best practices and view themselves as a “grade-level” team.
Learning Goals
- The value of hard work and playing hard.
- The fundamental skills of the sport.
- The responsibilities of being on a team: coming to practices, cheering on teammates, sharing playing time.
- Good sportsmanship and respect for teammates, coaches, referees, and opponents.
⚖️ Equal Playing Time Policy
We work hard to ensure that the goal of winning does not supersede the essential goals of our program. We want our teams to be competitive, but not at the cost of our long-term developmental goals. 3rd and 4th grade is a time to learn all aspects of the game. “Select” teams are fine for older athletes, not for eight and nine-year-olds.
At 5th grade we begin the transition to more competitive contests. The Oak Knoll Playing Time Rules are as follows:
- Teams should be selected so that they are balanced and equal in ability.
- Coaches should strive for equal playing time for 3rd and 4th grade players who have comparable practice attendance. At the 5th grade level, players who have attended practice should play a minimum of 12 minutes.
- All players should be encouraged to be active when in the game (e.g., man-to-man defense is a great way to get every player involved).
- Each child should have the opportunity to try every position. Coaches should not pigeonhole players based on current size or coordination, as physical development varies dramatically at this age.
🏆 "No Trophy" Policy
The Oak Knoll teams play in the Menlo Park Recreation (Burgess) League. Starting at the 5th grade level for basketball, Burgess has playoffs and provides t-shirts to the winning teams. At the lower grades (3rd/4th basketball and 4th/5th volleyball), there are no playoffs.
The Oak Knoll Athletics program will not give trophies for participating in the program, and coaches are not permitted to give them either. We want consistency among teams. From a developmental perspective, we want students to learn that they can play their best and try their hardest, and be recognized for their efforts, without needing a physical award simply for participating.