Grade 4 took part in their first whole-class learning experience about what Truth and Reconciliation Day and Orange shirt day is about. Using age-appropriate language we looked into what is meant by ‘Truth’, how difficult it can be to hear the truth but how important it is to listen to other peoples truths. We were introduced to a new word of ‘Reconciliation’, it was amazing to hear how the Grade 4’s linked this to their own learning about Yom Kippur #crosscurricular!

Students also discovered who Phyllis Wedstad is and the meaning behind Orange Shirt Day. We took our first small step towards understanding by looking and creating a Land Acknowledgement of where our school sits, where we live and began a research project on different indigenous communities:

One student brought a beautiful book called ‘Treaty Words for as long as the Rivers flow’ into class. We will continue to read over the next week:

Finally, in Social Studies with Miss M, we continued to celebrate indigenous art by learning about how the BC-based artist  Douglas “Bear” Horne (Tswaout) created this year’s Orange shirt and by looking into the symbolism in animals, we began designing an Orange shirt of our own. Once they are finished, we will be laminating and displaying our design with an explanation of what the symbolism of the animal means.