'Niit, Oki, Danit'ada, Âba wathtec, Tânisi, Taanishi, Bonjour, Hello, Samuel W. Shaw Families,
Friday, September 26th, our school community will come together to recognize Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. These important days give us the opportunity to learn, reflect, and take action as a community in honour of Indigenous children, families, and communities who were—and continue to be—impacted by the residential school system.
Throughout this week, and across the curriculum, students have been building their understanding of this shared history between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in what we now call Canada. This learning is ongoing, recursive, and will continue to unfold throughout the year.
What is Orange Shirt Day?
Orange Shirt Day grew from the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was taken away on her first day at a residential school. The orange shirt has become a powerful symbol of the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations, and a reminder that “Every Child Matters.”
What is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?
September 30th is a federal statutory day that recognizes the tragic history and ongoing impacts of residential schools. It is a time for all Canadians to reflect on our collective history and to commit to reconciliation through learning and meaningful action. There are many events taking place across Calgary, and families can explore opportunities here:
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day Events in Calgary
Calls to Action in Education at Samuel W. Shaw School
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission outlined 94 Calls to Action to guide Canadians in the ongoing work of reconciliation. Within the Calgary Board of Education, every school makes a commitment to respond to these calls in a meaningful way.
At Samuel W. Shaw, we are focusing on Call to Action 63.3, which asks us to:
“Build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.” We honour this work through the Heart: To Belong domain, by identifying places across the curriculum where Indigenous ways of being, belonging, doing, and knowing can be woven in to task design, while maintaining Indigenous spaces where students and staff can engage in spiritual and sacred ways of being belonging, doing, and knowing (i.e. smudge), honouring the Spirit: To Be, domain.
In our classrooms, this means teaching truthfully about Canada’s history, listening to Indigenous voices, and helping students grow into compassionate citizens who understand the importance of equity, respect, and relationship-building. Our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation can be found here and publicly posted on our website.
Our School’s Commitment
To live out this commitment, our entire school population will walk together throughout the day tomorrow in solidarity with survivors, families, and communities impacted by residential schools. We encourage all students to wear orange shirts as a visible reminder of our shared responsibility to remember and to act.
As we move through the community, please watch for our students walking together—standing united in the belief that every child matters.
We thank you for joining us in honouring this important day.
T'oyaxsut nuun, with respect and care, and with warm thanks,
Bobbi Kivi, Principal,
Shannon Wolframe, Assistant Principal,
Kerry Green, Lax Kw'alaams First Nation, Assistant Principal.