Front Page News

November - A month to remember the many acts of service

 
Picture of MaryLynn Heron
November - A month to remember the many acts of service
by MaryLynn Heron - Monday, 8 November 2021, 2:40 PM
 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On Wednesday, November 10th staff and students will assemble for our annual school Remembrance Day assembly. The assembly is an important opportunity for us to show our gratitude for our safe, beautiful and caring community and to remember those Canadians who fought long ago, as well as the peacekeepers who continue today to ensure that all that we enjoy is safe and peaceful. We are deeply grateful for their acts of service. 

We also acknowledge that our Remembrance Day assembly at Cordova Bay is held on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people who have lived and worked on this land since time immemorial. It is important to note that today, November 8th, is National Indigenous Veterans Day. When we speak of the Truth of Truth and Reconciliation, we must know that Indigenous men and women fought for our freedom, with incredible courage and bravery, and that it was in the name of a country that was actively trying to eradicate their cultures. When these individuals returned from the front lines, where they fought side by side with their brothers in arms, they were not granted the same benefits and services as their non-Indigenous counterparts. For a very long time this unfair, inequitable history has been hidden. I have deep gratitude for our Indigenous Educational Assistant, Keira Nolting, who invites us to take this day to learn more about Indigenous veterans and the truth of their experiences. 

Remembering W̱SÁNEĆ War Veterans - Website

https://wsanec.com/remembering-w%CC%B1sanec-war-vets/

As we settle into a new month, I want to take this time to also recognize our Parent Advisory Council who is an amazing service team. The PACs acts of  kindness and care make our school a terrific place to be. Huge thanks to them for the following:

  • Amazing art supplies (teachers and students have been really enjoying the wide variety of extra materials to enhance the incredible creativity of our students)
  • Our second emergency bin (we will be spending some time reorganizing our two bins and are so grateful with our growing population to have this extra space for storing our emergency resources)
  • Halloween Dance decorations and the fun gourds used for seasonal art
  • Cordova Bay Learning garden sign (artwork and sign painted by Sarah Jim, W̱SÁNEĆ woman and Coast Salish artist, with words engraved by Ms. Laura Hillman, Saanich Teacher. Feel free to check our Sarah's website: https://www.sarahjimstudio.com/). Sarah will be on site Nov 15 and 22 all day for students to visit while she paints in our learning commons. When the sign is complete we will send notice to our community regarding a ceremony to celebrate its completion. 
  • A supply of emergency masks for those times when a student has lost or dirtied the mask that they have brought with them for the day. Thank you to all  families who send cloth/reusable masks. Thank you also for encouraging your child(ren) to pop their mask in their coat pocket, once they are outside for play, so that it is handy and clean for reentry into the school. We give out countless replacement masks a day and this is of course costly and has a big environmental impact. For student friendly information about the environmental impact of masks, check out the following link: https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/ppe-pollution-2/?rl=en-840

With gratitude for our safe, caring, giving community,

Mrs. Mary Lynn Heron

Principal