Extra Curriculum Experiences
Our students enjoy well-rounded school life.
Here’s a list of our regular extra-curricular activities. Due to the size and nature of our school environment, we are also able to adapt to new opportunities as they arise.
Kitchen Garden
Deans Marsh Primary School operates a very successful Kitchen Garden program based on the Stephanie Alexander model. We grow fresh vegetables and fruit with the aim to help children understand the many benefits of growing our own. Other aims include:
o Discovering where our food comes from.
o Observing the life cycle of a little seed through to harvest.
o Trying different food with friends and discovering that it tastes great!
DMPS is committed to "the philosophy of pleasurable food education" which is one of the Stephanie Alexander program fundamentals.
Each class participates in the Kitchen Garden program for 12 weeks. On a fortnightly basis, children harvest seasonal fruit and vegetables and prepare a three-course lunch to be shared amongst the Kitchen Garden group. All food allergies and dietary requirements are catered for, which promotes inclusion and awareness. One meal per class is prepared for invited families and guests and one other meal is provided to a local community group in need.
Eggs collected from the school's chooks are used in preparing meals.
A Kitchen Garden levy of $20 per term for the class participating helps cover the cost of seedlings and ingredients that are unable to be sourced from the school’s garden. This ensures we provide a healthy lunch to students on alternate Thursdays. Our program is well supported by parent volunteers as well as our wonderful Kitchen assistant and Garden assistant. The school veggie garden and orchard are grown organically with only natural fertilizers used. This explains why there are sometimes a few weeds but the veggies taste better without the chemicals and artificial fertilizers.
Interschool Sports
Deans Marsh Primary School is aware of the importance of influencing children to adopt positive, long-term attitudes towards Physical Activity.
We offer PE and Sport programs that allow children to participate at their own level of competency, facilitating progression to the highest level possible for those children gifted in this area. All grade levels also participate in Physical Education activities each week as part of our Health & Wellbeing curriculum.
In Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics, children have the opportunity to progress through District, Division, Regional and State competitions. Senior children can also individually trial for State teams or join one of our school teams in Netball, Football, Soccer, Cricket, Tennis, Basketball or Badminton.
Family members are encouraged to attend the various sporting events.
Various after school activities have been offered free of charge for students through the Australian Sports Commission's Active After School program. The activities and days change each term with the activity running for 1 hour after school finishes, one night a week.
Swimming
A 2-week swimming program for all students is held at the Winchelsea Pool at the beginning of the year. Student lessons run for 30 mins on each of these days and are based on improving stroke technique and water familiarisation and safety.
The last day of the swimming program is a swimming carnival with parents and community members encouraged to attend.
A beach day with the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club is also held at the end of the year.
Enviromental Education
Living where we do, in the hinterland of rural Victoria, environmental education is a very important aspect of the school's curriculum. Students participate in a number of activities annually at the Bambra Wetlands, swamp lands close to school as well as the school's tree plantation sites at Bambra and off the Birregurra Road.
The school is also involved in recycling programs and is currently developing the school wetlands into a small wildlife reserve.
ResourceSmart Schools is a Victorian Government initiative that helps schools benefit from embedding sustainability in everything they do. Through ResourceSmart Schools, schools can take action to minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
ResourceSmart Schools helps schools reduce costs while giving students the opportunity to learn about sustainability in a tangible and realistic environment.
We are also part of the Schools Water Efficiency Program and have had a water meter installed on our main tank. Our students and staff monitor our water consumption to assist our school in becoming as water efficient as possible.
River Detectives
All DMPS Year 2, 3 and 4 students are actively involved in the River Detectives Program. This is a cross-curricular, citizen-science program connecting teachers and young people with their local waterway. Through water quality testing, macroinvertebrate sampling, and habitat surveys, our students learn about the importance of catchment health and their role in caring for it.
Want to know more about our involvement in the River Detectives Program?
School Camp & Excursions
The Deans Marsh Primary School Council value highly the role camps can play in the lives of our students. We strive to run a highly engaging and educational camp program, in partnerships with our fellow rural schools, Beeac, Forrest & Alvie. Our camps operate in a 4-yearly rotation and each camp runs for two nights, aimed at our Year 3-6 students.
2023 Urban Melbourne City Experience Camp
2024 Roses Gap Outdoor Adventure Camp
2025 Anglesea Beach Activities Camp
2026 Sovereign Hill Gold Rush Experience
Music & Movement Festival
Deans Marsh Primary School have perform each year at the Music & Movement Festival.
The Festival is held over several days at the Play House Theatre at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre. This year, we performed a 6-minute item titled “The Deans Martians” which was an intergalactic visual spectacular with robots, Martians, planets, and space unicorns. Every student from Prep to Year 6 was actively involved in the planning and performance process.
Performing on stage, being backstage, and sitting as an audience member are all great experiences for our students to learn and grow in confidence from.
Weekly rehearsals are part of our school’s performing arts program and were supported this year by Nic Dacomb from Krazy Koala Circus. Nic has been a wonderful friend and source of support to our school for several years.
