Director’s Message about the Kamloops Indian Residential School
May 31, 2021,
Dear students, staff, parents and guardians,
On behalf of Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, we express our deepest sympathies and we offer our prayers for the 215 children whose remains have been discovered at a Kamloops Indian Residential School.
As you may already know, we have ordered the lowering of all flags at PVNC buildings until further notice.
This is only a small act that demonstrates our profound sense of sadness at this time. Our thoughts are with local First Nations communities and Indigenous communities across Canada.
This is more evidence of the cruelty and genocide perpetrated at Canadian residential schools. As we know – or need to know – Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes, families and communities to attend state and church-led schools that stripped them of their culture, language and identity. This created irreversible harm from which many families still suffer.
At PVNC, we must continue our work on Indigenous Education so that all Indigenous students feel like they belong, and that their identities are valued, recognized and affirmed in our schools.
Learning of this news will impact people in many different ways, including our students. We have provided our educators today with additional information and resources to help support age- and Grade-appropriate conversation and learning when it comes to this important subject matter.
Together, we can – and will – support Indigenous students, staff and families, always conscious of the legacy of trauma caused by residential schools. We will continue to work with Indigenous communities to build an educational environment that respects and supports every student.
Resources
- National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
- Self Care 101
- How to help Students after Tragic Events
- KidsHelpPhone.ca 1-800-668-6868 Text 686868
For further resources and toolkits that help support the mental health and wellbeing of students, please visit: https://www.pvnccdsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Community-Resources-for-All-Families-of-PVNC.pdf
Sincerely,
Joan Carragher
Director of Education