On Friday, September 28th students at Burnett Secondary wore orange shirts to recognize the wrongdoings of the Canadian government and the survivors of the Residential School system.  Years ago, the government enforced a policy called "aggressive assimilation" where Aboriginal children were removed from their homes and taught at church-run, government-funded industrial schools where they were discouraged from speaking their first language or practicing native traditions. Orange Shirt Day is an occasion to remember the terrible days of the Residential Schools, and pushes us to create the kind of schools where all traditions and culture are welcome. 

In Ms. Russell's class, students wrote messages to Residential School Survivors and/or a response to what the phrase "Every Child Matters" means to them. These orange shirts will be posted up on a bulletin board in the school.  Ms. Verma, our teahcer librarian led a and activity led a similar acitivity with students who visited the library on September 28th.

In Mr. Joe's class, students participated in a literacy circle and chose a book of their choice around Canadian First Peoples.