Civics & Citizenship

Marlborough Primary School is an open and friendly community with a high level of student involvement and student leadership. The school is committed to nurturing mutual respect and trust and developing in their students an understanding of their civic responsibilities. This is done through the implementation of a number of educational and social welfare programs.

The Healthy Relationships program teaches the children to develop a sense of personal responsibility by teaching values such as respect, consideration, tolerance and compassion. The Friendship Groups program involves the whole school dividing into multi-age groups to work cooperatively on a special topic. This occurs each term. During term 2 this year, the focus was on the Anzacs. The children discussed the values displayed by the Anzacs such as courage, service and friendship. Activities included making "value medals" and learning about the war experiences of parents or grandparents.

Marlborough Primary School promotes a sense of community and civic responsibility by involving students in local area projects. Grade 5 students visited the local pre-school to read to pre-schoolers. Others were involved in a Learning Technology project using the school's digital camera to produce photos of the pre-schoolers as Father's Day gifts. Further links between the school and the pre-school are provided through the participation of pre-school teachers in the school's curriculum days and professional development activities. Marlborough Primary School students are also involved in local environmental protection through their science program. Working with environmental groups, they are learning about and helping to improve the Dandenong Creek.

There is a strong focus on student leadership at Marlborough Primary School. Each of the grade 6 students has a leadership or monitor role. Student leaders have organised sporting events and assemblies. Students have also taken an interest in various social issues, then acted upon this by raising awareness among their peers and conducting fund-raising activities to help the cause.

Marlborough Primary School has an active Junior School Council. Two members from the Junior School Council attend School Council meetings to present their report. School Council consults the Junior School Council on relevant issues. The school's federal Member of Parliament presents the Aston Shield each year to the student who displays outstanding Civics and Citizenship. Civics and Citizenship Education features strongly throughout the whole school curriculum.