National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the tragic history of residential schools and to learn more about the vibrant and distinctive tapestry of Indigenous cultures in our country. But at Lauremont School this work extends far beyond a single day on the calendar. It fills us with pride to acknowledge the efforts of our faculty and staff throughout the school year. They ensure that our students are learning about Indigenous cultures and history in significant ways through our curricular and co-curricular programs. Below is a very small sampling of some of the activities and initiatives taking place around the school this week and at other times during the year.

Toddler and Children’s House classes focus on age-appropriate stories. In keeping with our strategic goal of ensuring that 25% of books reflect diversity and inclusion themes, a number of story books have been added, including a Toddler board book entitled Book of Play with Northwest Coast Native Art.  Crafts with an Indigenous focus are being completed in many Toddler and Children’s House classrooms. This encourages conversations about our country and its people.

At the Elementary level, there is a growing collection of books related to Indigenous studies as well as a novel study focus throughout grade levels to support this work. Today’s Elementary Assembly will include interactive music, singing and storytelling about Indigenous culture and history with Pamela Levi, a First Nations singer-songwriter from Elsipogtog First Nation.

Examples of Elementary curricular work centre around “Every Child Matters”, with a variety of classroom and specialist work that supports learning at each grade level along with leadership initiatives happening in our Social Justice Club where students celebrated the Anishinaabe culture through cooking.

At the Upper School assembly today, the Amnesty Club is making a presentation on Indigenous themes. One of our Schulich Experience students will share her project on food insecurity in Nunavut. A student group, Crew of Care, is speaking about their support of Indigenous organizations and will host a Coffee House on Friday after school in the Student Centre. An interactive map will be available in a classroom which will show Indigenous issues and treaties.  The map has a classroom resource package that has been shared with our teachers.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides a critical opportunity to learn valuable lessons from Indigenous traditions and ways of looking at the world. 

Art Solomon, an Ojibway elder, wrote the following poem from a collection entitled Songs for the People:

Grandfather

Look at our brokenness,

 …

We know that we are the ones

Who are divided

And we are the ones

Who must come back,

Together,

To worship and walk

In a sacred way,

That by our Affirmation,

We must heal the earth

And heal each other.

In his book, Indigenous Relations: Insights, Tips and Suggestions to Make Reconciliation a Reality, Bob Joseph, an Indigenous writer and member of the Gwawaenuk Nation, had this to say about the concept of reconciliation:

Reconciliation means…recognizing and supporting the deep connections Indigenous Peoples have to the natural world.

With the increasing impacts of climate change, the example given by Indigenous cultures of living in harmony with the natural world contains profound learnings for all of us.

The dedication and efforts of our faculty and staff mean that our students are connecting in very important ways with these truths and the timeless values that underpin them.

Sincerely,

Andrew Cross
Head of School