As part of our
ongoing commitment to Reconciliation, Carisbrooke School is exploring Indigenous Worldviews. This is
a year long project that is at the heart of our school plan. The Wenjack Downie
Legacy School project is supporting our work in exploring Truth. By learning
the true history of Canada, including Residential Schools, we hope to be able
to undertake authentic and personally meaningful steps towards Reconcili-ACTION. Weekly updates to parents though e-mail communication, keep our
community updated on what students are learning about so that they can support
learning at home. Sharing our learning with the community and encouraging them
to learning alongside the children is an important
aspect of our Reconcili-ACTION. Additionally, all parents and community members
are welcome to join in our assemblies.
On Monday, October 1st the North Vancouver School District recognized Orange Shirt Day. Students engaged in a variety of age-appropriate educational activities as part of on going learning regarding Canada's history of Residential Schools. Grade Three students led our whole school gathering, sharing their questions about Residential Schools as well as what they have learned. All through October, the school community newsletter was used to support parent education regarding Residential Schools. Just as the North Vancouver School District is committed to 'educating the educator', Carisbrooke School is committed to educating all members of our community in the true history of Canada. On October 5th Carisbrooke invited parents to join us as we learned about Chanie's 'Secret Path'. The week of October 18 we built on the community momentum to invite families to join us as we launched the project with a walk for Chanie. On October 25th The story of Chanie (pronounced Sh-anie) Wenjack begins with a child being taken from home to residential school, and ends with the tragedy of him running away from school, never to return home again. "We began our afternoon with a walk around the school at about 1pm. This walk will mark the beginning of our whole school journey as we explore Chanie's life.
Students have been exploring the following discussion question in age appropriate ways – "If you were leaving home, what would you pack for your journey? What would you take to help you feel safe and connected to home. Primary classes read Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell. In the story, Shi-shi-etko gathers special items from her home to place in a bag of memories given to her by her Yayah (Grandmother). Intermediate classes may have watched the 'Seven Matches' song video found on You Tube. Chanie was determined to walk the 600km journey all the way to his home. Students recorded seven items they would want to take with them on a perilous journey. They discussed that the concept of a journey can include an emotional journey, a time of emotional challenge like fighting a disease or moving to a new school or community. Similarly, the items that students choose to 'pack' could also be concepts, like hope or security. If they chose a concept to explore, students could want to draw or record their 'item' as a symbol. For example, a blanket can symbolize security.
Save the date! Thursday, January 17th, 7-8pm, in the Carisbrooke library.
There will be a parent information workshop regarding 'The Legacy of Residential Schools in Canada'. This session will be co-facilitated by District Principal of Indigenous Education Brad Baker, Lisa Upton and Kaylen Bevan.