Students Take Part in Respect Week

Marlboro Township students will spend next week learning about respect, as a protocol of the newly passed Anti-bullying Bill of Rights Act.

Thee week of Oct. 3-7 will be packed full of several different planned activities throughout the elementary and middle schools.

“Students, faculty and parents are included in the activities that help identify and modify bullying behavior, with the goal of every student being able to come to school and be accepted in the school environment without fear of being harassed, intimidated, or bullying,” said a district news release.

Each school will stress the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Schools will also hold assemblies, dedicate bulletin boards to the subject and use the morning announcements to share quotes and proverbs surrounding the theme.

At Frank Defino Central, parents of grades 3-5 will be invited to share their careers through classroom presentations, including lessons of independence and respect in the workplace.

Several classes are using YouTube videos appropriate to spark class discussions. Themed books will be on display in libraries, and children will participate in assemblies and sing-alongs.

Even physical education and health classes are getting in on the fun, planning activities about sportsmanship.

The week will center around learning about diverse cultures, and helping kids understand how to respect differences in others.

The is encouraging kids to understand that “it’s okay to be different,” with theme days throughout the week such as Thursday’s “mismatch day.”

On the middle school level, lessons about peer pressure, cyber-bullying and bullying will be held by the PTO and Prevention First.