The KPR Indigenous Education Department as curated a number of resources to support staff and student learning about Truth & Reconciliation. Begin by reading the page at this link. It has a number of excellent classroom and independent learning resources.

September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Why is the day important?

Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories. “We have described for you a mountain. We have shown you the way to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing.” Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. The need for this day was identified through the recommendation of the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

What are actions for staff and students at KPR?

Wear an orange shirt on September 30th. Deepen your commitment to Truth & Reconciliation.

How can we deepen our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation?

In the spirit of honouring those who did not return from residential schools as well as those who survived, we ask all schools to refrain from scheduling any school events not connected to Orange Shirt Day on September 30th.

Please know that Indigenous students and staff may choose not to attend classes on this day to attend community-based vigils and other commemorations.
School-based commemorations and curriculum prior to and after Orange Shirt Day should ensure to be aligned with trauma-informed principles.

Here are some resources to support a trauma-informed approach to this learning and honouring Indigenous Ways of Knowing:

Informed Practice Working with Indigenous Individuals
Indigenous Knowledge in Addressing Trauma
Trauma Informed Schools Report
Additional resources to support students and staff can be accessed by Kristine Koster-Lilley, Professional Services and Mental Health Lead.

Committment and ongoing learning

As part of KPR’s ongoing efforts to engage in Truth and Reconciliation it is necessary to shift the response to Orange Shirt Day.

Shift From:

One day event
Conception of celebration
Performative statements
Passive observer

Shift To:

An ongoing learning practice around the Canadian Residential School System and Indigenous Genocide
Conception of honouring, commemoration, and mourning
Accountable actions
Personal ownership of learning

“On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it.” ― OrangeShirtDay.Org

Who is Justice Murray Sinclair?

He was the Chair of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.

“That any Indigenous person survived the culturally crushing experience of the schools is a testament to their resilience, and to the determination of those members of their families and communities who struggled to maintain and pass on to them what remained of their diminishing languages and traditions,” Justice Murray Sinclair.

#truthandreconciliation #indigenoushistorymonth #residentialschools #indigenous #settlerstakeaction

(Miigwech to the Nipissing University Student Union for the phrasing above)

He Almost Quit the Law. Instead, He Reset Canada’s Indigenous Dialogue. (Published 2021)Murray Sinclair, who just retired from Canada’s Senate, led a truth and reconciliation commission that still shapes the national conversation.

Pedagogical Considerations for Teaching About Residential Schools

Pedagogical Considerations for Teaching About Residential SchoolsPedagogical Considerations for Teaching About Residential Schools September 30th is now recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a new federal statutory holiday. Also known as Orange Shirt Day, this is an opportunity for schools and communities to build an understanding of the...

Where to Buy Orange Shirts

We recommend Nish Tees in Peterborough.

Orange Shirt Day bulk order option

Every Child Matters Flags

The Indigenous Education Department is pleased to announce the delivery of Every Child Matters Flags to all schools in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

For months flags outdoors at all sites were lowered to honour and grieve Indigenous children and victims, and recognize the ongoing trauma of the residential school system. In November 2021 the flags were raised prior to Veterans’ Week.

Every Child Matters Flags were ordered for each site. At this time, until the official flag protocol for Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has gone through the process to add the flag to the flagpole outside, we are asking that the flags be displayed inside the building.

Some options include:

Attaching the flag to a wall or a bulletin board
Ordering an indoor flag stand

We will continue to recognize the devastating impact of residential schools, and the importance of Indigenous culture, perspectives and voices in our school communities.

Every Child Matters Flags36" x 60" Flag with Metal Grommets, $20 12" x 16" Flag on Wooden Stick, $10 12"x 18" Car Window Flag, (plastic clip) $18 Money goes to Save the Evidence, woodlandculturalcentre.ca/donate

Ways to Acknowledge September 30th as a Class or a Whole School

Begin by knowing your students. Consider their age, stage, and what they know so far about Truth and Reconciliation.
Use story to connect to the big themes of the day. Story is accessible to all ages. Whether it's to a class or a whole school, story can be a way to reflect and learn together. Connect with the Indigenous Education Department so we can help you select the right story for your group.
Choose an action you can take for Reconciliation. The First Nation Caring Society recommends Heart Gardens. You don't need a garden to do this. Cut out paper hearts and attach them to popsicle sticks. (Or just use the paper hearts on their own). Ask students to write down their hopes for the future. What will it look like in Canada when it is reconciled? Or students can write down who they wish would find healing and peace (for example: children, families, communities). Place the hearts around the school. If they are on sticks they can go somewhere outside for the day, in the ground. The Indigenous Education Department can help with your planning. Please contact an Indigenous Education Consultant or the System Principal of Indigenous Education.
Review the KPR Essential Considerations for Indigenous Education carefully. It includes important guidelines.
Before booking or reaching out to any guest speakers, please consult with the Indigenous Education Department.
Use the day as an opportunity to share your learning from the Passport to Reconciliation. The focus for September is Truth & Reconciliation. You can spend time on this day consolidating your learning for the 4 big questions of this month.
Know the purpose of the day and articulate clear goals. This is not a day of celebration. It is a day of acknowledging harms and making a commitment to be part of social change. This day can be triggering for students. Use a trauma-informed approach when planning (there are some resources above). Work alongside the Indigenous Education Department to ensure that the day goes smoothly.

Additional Classroom Resources:

In the Spring of 2021, all schools received “100 Years of Loss: The Residential School System in Canada” curriculum supports from the Indigenous Education Department. These resources should be shared and implemented to support learning prior to, and after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commemorated by Orange Shirt Day. The lessons in the book are for Intermediate/Senior classes and for staff learning.

Truth and Reconciliation Week 2023September 25 – 30, 2023 FOR EDUCATORS – REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION WEEK 2023 – Honouring Survivors – is a national week-long program open to all schools across Canada brought to…

How the Orange Shirt Day movement impacts everyone, every dayHow Orange Shirt Day should encourage all people to act, to change and to make a society different than what we inherited.

What is Orange Shirt Day? | Articles | CBC KidsOrange Shirt Day (September 30th) is a day when we honour the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada.

September Passport to ReconiliACTION

Sept 30th Considerations for Principals

Set aside time at your September staff meeting to talk about Sept 30. Guide staff through the information on this page.
Invite staff to participate in the Passport to Reconciliation as a way to engage in meaningful learning and action all year.
Inform School Council and your school community about the actions you are taking.
Include the Indigenous Education Department in your planning.
Encourage teachers to attend the Drop-In session with the Indigenous Education Department consultants.
Always consult with the Indigenous Education Department before booking a speaker, Elder, or Knowledge Keeper.

Education for Reconciliation: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action

Missing Children and Burial Information

71. We call upon all chief coroners and provincial vital statistics agencies that have not provided to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada their records on the deaths of Aboriginal children in the care of residential school authorities to make these documents available to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

72. We call upon the federal government to allocate sufficient resources to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to allow it to develop and maintain the National Residential School Student Death Register established by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

73. We call upon the federal government to work with churches, Aboriginal communities, and former residential school students to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries, including, where possible, plot maps showing the location of deceased residential school children.

74. We call upon the federal government to work with the churches and Aboriginal community leaders to inform the families of children who died at residential schools of the child’s burial location, and to respond to families’ wishes for appropriate commemoration ceremonies and markers, and reburial in home communities where requested.

75. We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students, and current landowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried. This is to include the provision of appropriate memorial ceremonies and commemorative markers to honour the deceased children.

76. We call upon the parties engaged in the work of documenting, maintaining, commemorating, and protecting residential school cemeteries to adopt strategies in accordance with the following principles:

The Aboriginal community most affected shall lead the development of such strategies.
Information shall be sought from residential school Survivors and other Knowledge Keepers in the development of such strategies.
Aboriginal protocols shall be respected before any potentially invasive technical inspection and investigation of a cemetery site.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

77. We call upon provincial, territorial, municipal, and community archives to work collaboratively with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to identify and collect copies of all records relevant to the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to provide these to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

78. We call upon the Government of Canada to commit to making a funding contribution of $10 million over seven years to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, plus an additional amount to assist communities to research and produce histories of their own residential school experience and their involvement in truth, healing, and reconciliation.

Commemoration

79. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal organizations, and the arts community, to develop a reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration. This would include, but not be limited to:

Amending the Historic Sites and Monuments Act to include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis representation on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and its Secretariat.
Revising the policies, criteria, and practices of the National Program of Historical Commemoration to integrate Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into Canada’s national heritage and history.
Developing and implementing a national heritage plan and strategy for commemorating residential school sites, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canada’s history.

80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

81. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools National Monument in the city of Ottawa to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.

82. We call upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.

83. We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process.

Click here to read all the Calls to Action.

NCTRThe NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations.

ReportsWe would like to bring these reports to the country's attention as there is more work to be done and more children to be found to honour and protect them. Reports listed here were issued or created by…

EducationReconciliation through Education with NCTR’s teaching resources and educational programming make it easier for the public to learn the truth.

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