National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day)

As a class, we talked about how we wanted to feel at school after reading a book called Stolen Words by Melanie Florence. We talked about how Indigenous children who went to residential schools were not allowed to speak their language when today, we celebrate the diversity in our classrooms. It is important for us to promise to remember that every child matters – they should feel safe, loved, and happy at school. As a school, students are sharing what they think children should feel like at school on a feather (a powerful symbol of respect, strength, and honour in Indigenous communities).

We also read a book called You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith. This book shows the importance of having family by our side, holding us up and supporting us. At residential schools, Indigenous children were away from their families and did not have people supporting them. As a class, we drew pictures to think about how our family holds us up.