On Monday, November 4, Murray Sinclair passed away. Some of you may be less familiar with his work. For those of us who work in education, in politics, in law, or simply as citizens who believe in inclusion and belonging, we acknowledge and honour the pivotal work that Murray Sinclair has done to bring truth and reconciliation to the forefront of Canadians’ minds. One of UA’s values is that of changemaking, that the school and our students cultivate a culture of responsible stewardship and social awareness, inspiring our community to make a difference locally and beyond. It is our hope that all UA students graduate with an ongoing commitment to making the world a more compassionate and just place, just as Murray Sinclair has done for Canada.
As educational professionals, we abide by and adhere to all of the professional standards for educators. We have heard over and over from families how much they value the UA community and appreciate that we value the success of all students, and care for and act in students’ best interests. In Standard 9, you can see that this is a professional responsibility for us, and when I think about it, it is really thanks to Murray Sinclair’s lifetime of work that we are learning to critically examine our own biases, attitudes, beliefs, values and practices to facilitate change. This ultimately affects our students – your children – the future leaders of our world and upon whom we will rely to make sound decisions.
Today as a school, we observed Remembrance Day where many of our students of all ages shared the important reasons that we take time to reflect upon those who have sacrificed. We reflected on those who have served in the past, and those who are still serving today. We are grateful for the families who were bold today and shared their stories of the impacts of war – and we know there are more of you who have felt these impacts painfully. Tomorrow is Indigenous Veterans Day, and we have been actively learning more about the contributions of all people in previous and contemporary wars where Canadians serve to protect and build or nurture peace. Please know we seek to educate students — your children — for a better tomorrow by helping them be principled and compassionate today.
As part of our Remembrance Day Assemblies, we were so thankful to see some families in the building — just like old times. We hope that this can become a revitalized tradition – that families can partake in more and more of our assemblies as we gather together to learn alongside one another. We are also grateful to our Class Parents in our Junior and Middle Schools who have hosted Cross Grade Connection events over the past month. It is a wonderful way to have more families in the building, connecting, even more regularly.
Tomorrow will be a day of learning for UA staff. We hope you enjoy a long weekend with your families appreciating the rights and freedoms we have as citizens in this beautiful region of the world, and the commensurate responsibilities that are coupled with the rights we enjoy.
Yours in gratitude and memory for the positive changemakers of the world.
Brenda Ball, Principal