Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure today to congratulate Heidelberg primary school, a fantastic primary school in my electorate which I visited at the start of this school year. I was so impressed with the way in which they begin their school year with what they call a start-up learning program. The children in each of the classes, starting with the smallest children through to the grade 6 children, in their classes work out what they are going to be expected to do and how they are expected to behave and contribute to the school over the school year. All of the children participated in presenting to the whole school their start-up learning programs and they also made an excellent presentation of their school values. I seek leave to table this terrific presentation which was done by class 1/2B.

Leave granted.

I thank the member at the table, the member for Hinkler. I will just run through the values of the Heidelberg primary school, presented by some of the little children there. Their first value is about care. Using the children’s own language, they say that they will show care by ‘being nice to new students, asking someone who has no-one to play with if they would like to play, and picking up rubbish’. The children said that ‘integrity’—a very important value to Heidelberg primary school—meant ‘following the rules, handing in anything we find in the playground to a teacher and telling the truth’. Another value on the list is friendship—a very important value. Under that they list: ‘Showing friendship, caring for each other, being friendly to everyone and making friends.’ ‘Respect’ was described by the children as ‘taking care of school property, keeping our hands, feet and objects to ourselves and following the teachers instructions’. Learning was also on the list. The children understand that one of the most important things that they are going to do this year at Heidelberg primary school is to show that they want to learn by: ‘Trying our best, listening to Ms Bowell and getting to school on time.’ Under ‘cooperation’ they say, ‘We will show cooperation by listening carefully, putting our hands up when we want to say something and following the teacher’s instructions.’

I think this really demonstrates the commitment to learning, the commitment to cooperation and the commitment to care that these children have. I commend the teachers and the parents at Heidelberg primary for getting these children so well prepared for the school year and for teaching them the sorts of values that so many people in our community support. (Time expired) .