A Message of Remembrance

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week is a time of contemplation and remembrance of all those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and those who continue to serve in peace-keeping efforts around the world.

Today, our students and staff will observe Indigenous Veterans’ Day and remember the Indigenous peoples who served our country in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War and never received the recognition they deserved for their brave contributions. We invite you to learn more about the Indigenous veterans who provided valuable skills and served as scouts, airmen, code talkers, nurses and more.

On Thursday, November 11^th, we will commemorate Remembrance Day with special prayers and services in our schools. This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the poppy being adopted as the flower of Remembrance. Inspired by Canadian poet, John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”, Madame Anna Guérin was named “The Poppy Lady from France,” when she had an idea to adopt the distribution of the poppy on Armistice Day as a way to raise money for veterans’ needs and to remember those who had given their lives during World War I.

As Pope Francis said, “Let us pray for peace: peace in the world and in each of our hearts.”

This month, as we remember, we also call on all our students, staff and school communities to be peacemakers. Bullying Prevention and Intervention Week will be taking place from November 15-19, 2021. We invite our school communities to join us in praying for peace in our communities, and to be grateful for the freedoms we are granted.