Celebrating Indigenous Brilliance!

 We are so very fortunate to be hosting esteemed Indigenous leaders Jo Chrona, Bob Joseph and Carolyn Roberts at the School District 52 Staff Implementation Day this September 24, 2021! We are looking forward to learning together as school teams and as a district. Staff can reach out to your school site principals to learn more!

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation September 30, 2021

 September 30, 2021 will be the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federally recognized day of acknowledgement for Indian residential school survivors and the children who never returned home to their families.

This day is important for many reasons. Survivors of residential and day schools, and intergenerational survivors of these institutions will all have varied reasons as to why such an acknowledgement and nationally recognized day is valuable and necessary.

The Indigenous Education Department of School District 52 and leaders that were here before this team have made reconciliation a mandate for many years. It is extremely impactful to see such movements being made on a larger scale, as it is important for every individual to find their place in the work of reconciliation.

It is important to note that this is not considered a ‘holiday’ or simply a ‘stat’ but is an essential day of reflection, recognition and learning for allies, as well as a day of mourning for survivors and their families.

Attached is a resource which accompanies the “Take Action for Reconciliation” resources which have been distributed to all schools throughout the district. This resource includes lesson plans for students, but it is also a background learning resource for educators.

Link: https://www.scholastic.ca/truthandreconciliation/TruthandReconciliationDiscussionGuide_EDU.pdf We hope that you will reach out to the Indigenous Education team for additional resources, to

collaborate, and to learn actionable ways that we can contribute to ongoing reconciliation.

Contact Persons:

Andrew Samoil

Superintendent

Board of Education (250) 624-6717

Roberta Edzerza

District Principal, Indigenous Education
Board of Education 250-627-1536

Cedar roses for Mother's Day & Wooms bead necklace for Father's Day at Conrad and Lax Kxeen.

 The grade 4-5 Sm'algyax classes at Conrad and Lax Kxeen made cedar roses for Mother's Day and a Wooms bead necklace for Father's Day.

Truth and Reconciliation: What Can You Do?

The devastating events of the past week have caused so many to question, "What can we do?" While this is nowhere near an exhaustive list of ways to work toward reconciliation, we would like to share some ideas of starting points for each individual to take action on beginning or continuing their own learning journeys. 

You can also learn more on this additional blog link authored by Jo Chrona:

https://luudisk.com

Picking Up The Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket

 Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket

Through impactful interviews, and profound photographs, Newman & Hudson connect with survivors and bear witness to residential school legacy. An accomplished artist, Newman has created “The Witness Blanket”. This metaphorical blanket is a collection of over 800 objects which have been taken from every residential school across Canada and constructed into an exhibit. In the resource "Picking Up The Pieces", Newman documents the journey of creating this piece and then sharing it across Canada to be displayed as a means for everyone to “bear witness” to the truth. In doing this, they are valuable contributors to examining ways to move forward in Truth and Reconciliation. Newman and his team also incorporate interviews with survivors which are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. There is also a link to the full-length documentary about the creation of this project below.

This is an exceptional resource for teachers as personal learning to learn about the residential school legacy and could also be used in a secondary school classroom. See additional links below:

Links:

The Witness Blanket trailer: https://vimeo.com/132158736

The Witness Blanket: https://vimeo.com/457804808

The Making of the Witness Blanket: https://ckua.com/watch/witness-blanket/

Residential School Learning Resources

Our team at Wap Sigatgyet can help you to find authentic Indigenous resources within our district resource library. There is a wealth of resources available on residential school legacy and reconciliation as well as many other subject areas and genres available for sign out. You can search for resources at www.waplibib.com to place holds on items, or contact our team for more information.

 

For all of the children that attended Residential Schools in Canada, those that survived and those that didn't. Today, and everyday, we remember.