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“God saw everything that was made, and indeed, it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31
The above bible verse is the opening message in Edmonton Catholic Schools’
Commitment to Inclusive Communities —Administrative Policy 138. The policy states: ‘a nurturing
inclusive community is one in which each person is welcomed, accepted, and supported as a child of
God, therefore any discrimination is unacceptable and will be addressed.’ The supporting
Administrative Regulation 138 highlights outcomes that we can work towards in reaching this goal.
So, how do we know that we are a ‘nurturing, inclusive community’?’ What are our indicators
affirming that we are so?
To begin, our Foundation Statement has led our steps as we have walked, served, and learned
together, and it continues to be the lighthouse upon which we lean as we take each new step.
Within our Foundation Statement is our belief…‘in building inclusive, Christ-centered communities
for service to one another.’ Our work here is not new; rather, inclusive communities has been part
of our foundation and our purpose for many years. What is new is our terminology and practices in
how we continue to build inclusive communities. New pedagogical shifts inspire our work in
creating diverse and dynamic learning spaces that meet the varying needs of our learners.
Practices of mindfulness and flexible approaches to learning (yoga, meditation, energizers,
learning through the arts, assistive technology, choice and voice) help educators meet learner
needs. A shift in terminology includes awareness of how diverse we are: how we see ourselves
(gender identity, culture, language, faith, family status, roles, ways of thinking) how we express
ourselves (gender expression, self-expression, communication, learning styles, personal qualities,
personal space, our rights) and how we interact with others (our values, social norms, cultural
norms, biases, gestures, assumptions, attractions). With diversity comes opportunity to learn
from and about each other.
Our conversations are growing and so are our minds; so, too, the mindset and vernacular of our
youth. Growth is part of life. Change is part of life too. Thanks to each other we can move on
this journey together….we are not alone.
Inclusive Communities
Cultivating love and grace in Edmonton Catholic Schools
through inclusive, safe, and caring learning and working
environments for all.
May/June 2016
Commitment to Inclusive Communities in
Edmonton Catholic Schools Administrative Regulation 138
Messaging
Starting a District Newsletter—Inclusive Communities was a step in beginning the process of
‘messaging’, which is one of the outcomes of Administrative Regulation 138:
Building a Culture of Acceptance
1b provide regular messaging on inclusivity/discrimination prevention.
2b support students to help them develop an understanding of themselves as children of God,
therefore fostering a sense of self-worth
My hope in beginning a newsletter is to inspire the reader (we can all use a little inspiration now and
then!) as well as to be a useful tool in supporting educators in their work with students. Whether the
newsletter is posted on a bulletin board in your school or segments are used in classrooms to cultivate
conversations (or staff meetings!) my hope is for this communication tool to be useful.
The first editions were focused on our faith, as this is the core of who we are and how we begin.
Everything begins with God. Making connections to our District Manifesto for Catholic Education
seemed like a nice first step. Offering ‘hospitality’ and an action of ‘welcome’ is so important in
cultivating inclusive communities, and we do that well! Yet, I found as I read through the manifesto
again, I was making new connections and looking at it in a new way. For those who have not seen the
manifesto, it can be located on the portal here.
Thank you, readers, for reading through the newsletter. Thank you also for the many responses I’ve
received about the newsletter. I welcome your feedback and wish to make this tool relevant,
worthwhile, and useful to you and the great work you do. With this in mind:
1. What would you like to see included in the newsletter?
2. Are there other forms of communication/messaging that would be helpful to you?
Please send your feedback to my contact information below.
Thanks!
Commitment to Inclusive Communities in
Edmonton Catholic Schools Administrative Regulation 138
One of the many practices that we have developed as a District, in cultivating success and
belonging, is the implementation of student clubs, groups, and committees. Designed to cultivate
student involvement and interactions with others, these clubs (sports, music, fine arts, drama,
games, technology, service, leadership, friendship, and more) help our students find a space
where they fit in, can have fun with friends, and learn. Other clubs or committees, such as
Leadership Council or Student Council, cultivate skills of leadership, advocacy, service, social jus-
tice, and inclusion while developing student voice.
In support of Regulation 138 and the establishment of school clubs/groups/committees
Edmonton Catholic Schools is proud to celebrate the implementation of the following clubs.
These school clubs offer support for LGBTQ youth and allies through awareness and advocacy.
The youth groups rely on the LIFE Framework as a guide for the creation and operation of
student groups that are comprehensive in their approach to inclusion:
LIFE Framework: Catholic Schools are committed to using the LIFE Framework as a guideline for the creation and
operation of student groups that are comprehensive in their approach to inclusion and open to the exploration in a
Catholic context of a variety of issues including bullying, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, gender identity,
discrimination, justice, and respectful relationships and language.
School Name
St. Joe’s Saints Pride
J.H. Picard Outreach
Father Michael Troy SOY (Support our Youth)
Austin O’Brien Crusader Pride
St. Rose Rainbow Squad
Archbishop Mac Donald Everyone Under the Rainbow
Holy Trinity Diversity Group
Blessed Oscar Romero Rainbow Ravens
Louis St. Laurent The ‘IN’ Crowd
St. Francis Xavier Bridge Builders
Archbishop O’Leary Peer Support
Thank you to the wonderful staffs who are providing time and space for students to talk,
to listen, to learn, and to understand that they are not alone.
Supporting Our Youth
Diversity and Inclusion Professional Development
Building a Culture of Acceptance is one of the identified outcomes of The
Commitment to Inclusive Communities regulation. Under this outcome is an action
to ‘provide access to training on diversity and sensitivity’. Along with messaging,
such as this newsletter, opportunities for staff development are also available.
Inclusive Communities is pleased to offer a workshop on Diversity and Inclusion
’’Building Inclusive Communities” where participants gain an understanding of what
diversity looks like across Edmonton and across Edmonton Catholic Schools.
Conversations on gender identity and sexual orientation are part of the discussion,
where the opportunity to learn and dialogue together is paramount. Participants
learn about growth trends and impacts on learning; diversity on the gender variant
spectrum; terminology; and what we can do to cultivate inclusive school climates.
Sensitivity to slang and slurs and how they impact the psyche are part of the
dialogue.
Building a Culture of Acceptance
A.1.f— provide access to training on diversity and sensitivity
Student workshops are also in
the process of being put
together as the next step of
support to schools.
If you would like to book a workshop at your school or site, contact:
Sonja Willier (Principal —Inclusive Communities)
[email protected] Ph: 780-441-6025
Building Inclusive Communities A workshop on Diversity and Inclusion
Gain a greater understanding of what
DIVERSITY looks like through the
District:
Growth trends and diversity
Factors impacting healthy growth
Diversity on the gender variant
spectrum
Terminology
What we can do to
cultivate inclusive
school climates
Contact:
Sonja Willier, Principal, Inclusive Communities
Phone: 780-441-6025
Email: [email protected]
To ensure there is enough time for collaborative dialogue, questions, and processing
please plan for a minimum of one hour for this professional development opportunity.
Thank you for providing time and a platform for these healthy conversations.
The Buddy Bench Project
Edmonton Catholic Schools
St. Joseph High School’s construction shop, welding shop and a Grade 3
class at St. Catherine’s elementary school have partnered with the
Southgate Lions Club to celebrate St. Joseph’s 100th anniversary.
Together, with all elementary and K-9 schools in the Edmonton Catholic
School District, they will be building a buddy bench that will be installed in
each school. This legacy project will allow students a place to sit and meet
new friends, engage students in being kind to one another, and provide a
way for the Southgate Lions Club to serve the community. Superintendent
Joan Carr is very excited to support this community project!
On Friday, May 27th St. Joseph High School celebrates ‘St. Joseph the
Worker’ Day. On this day, 3 students from each elementary/K-9 school will
be paired with student apprentice carpenters from St. Joseph High School
and volunteers from the Lions Club to make their own Buddy Bench for
their school!
St. Timothy Celebrates
MADDOX DAY
Su-Ling Goh shared the following story on Global News recently about a little boy
at St. Timothy school who is dancing through some pretty big hurdles in his life.
Feb. 22, 2016. Global News EDMONTON—Maddox Willey was born with a rare condition that
caused some of his joints to fuse. Doctors said he may never walk, but now Maddox is proving
them wrong.
Not only did the 6 year old recently start walking on his own, he loves to dance with his class-
mates at St. Timothy Catholic School.
Check out this preview of Maddox’s moves, and watch the full story here.
On May 18th St. Timothy’s School celebrated Maddox Day. This day, his
birthday, was a chance for the school community to get together and celebrate
all of Maddox’s successes….to honor his courage...and to let him know how proud
they all are of him! After 6 surgeries, he deserved a dance party!!
Maddox was presented with a certificate and other presentations from the
greater community...including a visit from some of the characters from the
movie Frozen, Maddox’s favorite movie.
COURAGE. If you look up the word in the dictionary, you might see Maddox’s
name beside it. May his story inspire each of us to be the best we can be—
and to know that we are never alone when we walk along a new path of
uncertainty, wherever the path leads us.
Start Today
by M.H. Clark
Today has a lot going for it. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s already yours. Today is the only
day that comes with a guarantee. You’ve been waiting for today, even though you
might have been calling it something else. You might have been calling it “tomorrow”
or “someday” or even “the future”. But now, it’s the present, and the best thing to do
with any present is open it, delight in it, and appreciate it for what it is. Begin
something—something small or something bold, something that will grow bigger with
time. This might just be the day you’ve been waiting for. So start here, start now.
Start today.
Dive deep. Uncover the dream you’ve been hiding like a pearl and lift it to the surface.
Let it shine. You can decide how much distance there will be between the life you
have and the life you want. This, right here, is where your tomorrows are built. Even
spring doesn’t come all at once. Spring comes leaf by leaf. Start here. Start today.
Start slowly if you need to go slowly. Start with uncertainty, start without a road map,
start without even knowing when you will arrive. But don’t stop. At a certain point, it’s
no longer about what’s already happened. It’s about what’s going to happen. It’s about
everything that’s coming next. There is more risk in waiting than in beginning. It isn’t
that your heart wants too much. It’s that your heart knows how much is possible.
Seize potential. Start today.
The sign you’ve been waiting for doesn’t always come with bright lights hanging over
it. Sometimes, it’s more like a quiet voice that sidles up next to you and says ‘begin’.
Get good at recognizing your dream. Get so good that when it is arriving, you can see
it coming and run to meet it. Feed and water your dream. Walk it in the sun. Give it a
place where it can grow. Small steps add up. Keep wishing. Keep walking. Make
your dream become your life. Do the thing you long to do. Wonderful things can take
time. Start today.
Your life deserves a wild chance. A new direction. A perfect, stunning change for the
best. What better reason than this: you’ve always wanted to. In order to begin, you
need only be as strong, as capable, as ready as you are right now. There are as
many opportunities as there are moments in a day. But you don’t get them all. You
only get the ones you choose to take. Make tomorrow happy. Start today.
Choose a moment in which anything can happen. Why not this one? Start today.
life in words
MUSIC AND LYRICS
This section will offer a selection of poetry, lyrics, or prose that can help cultivate reflection and critical thinking within
ourselves and/or within our youth. Music inspires us and so do words. They also connect us, and help us relate to
each other and our own feelings….human feelings. Feelings of joy are not always what we feel. We feel loneliness
and isolation too. We feel sadness, excitement, solitude, unity, humanity. That is why music and lyrics draw us in,
because we can relate to what is being said. As educators we can influence what our youth are relating to in music by
introducing powerful lyrics and discussing its meaning. Invite your students to bring in a set of lyrics or poetry that has
inspired them, or they’ve connected to in some way.
"Fix You" (music and lyrics by Coldplay)
When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Questions:
What feelings are being conveyed here?
What lights ‘guide you home’ when you feel lost or
unsure of your way
Are the ‘lights’ guiding you home people or things?
Who is the ‘I’ in “I will try to fix you?’
WATCH
This video went viral on social media recently. A young
boy with Autism was taken to a Coldplay concert.
Coldplay is his favorite band. He was so overcome by
his emotions. His father became emotional and started
singing to his son. The boy inspired people worldwide to
share their stories….
“I always say to myself you are not autism, you are still
yourself.”
“I have autism myself and I am also a mega Coldplay fan,
this made me tear up.”
Even Coldplay was inspired: “This kind of thing makes it
all worthwhile.”
Beautiful, by Christina Aguilera
Lyrics: Linda Perry Don't look at me
Everyday is so wonderful Then suddenly It's hard to breathe Now and then I get insecure From all the pain I'm so ashamed
I am beautiful No matter what they say Words can't bring me down I am beautiful In every single way Yes words can't bring me down So don't you bring me down today
To all your friends you're delirious So consumed In all your doom Trying hard to fill the emptiness The pieces gone Left the puzzle undone Ain't that the way it is
You're beautiful No matter what they say Words can't bring you down You're beautiful In every single way Yes words can't bring you down So don't you bring me down today
No matter what we do No matter what we say We're the song inside the tune Full of beautiful mistakes
And everywhere we go The sun will always shine And tomorrow we might awake On the other side
We're beautiful No matter what they say Yes words won't bring us down We are beautiful In every single way Yes words can't bring us down So don't you bring me down today
Resources
INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES
Articles
How Islamophobia is driving young Canadian Muslims to reclaim their identity - Canada - CBC News
Transgender girls show support for human rights code bill at B.C. legislature | CTV News
First Nations student presses Trudeau on Third World living conditions | CTV News
Manitoba teacher hopes goose hunting will help save his students —CBC News
Transgender student opts for home-schooling to avoid being called a girl—CBC News
Transgender Crisis line launches in Canada —CBC News
Six-year-old Edmonton girl’s dance moves go viral —CBC News
Justin Trudeau promises ‘full protection’ with transgender rights bill —CBC News
Bullied Alberta Teen Undergoes Complete Transformation to Inspire Others—Global Edmonton
Diversity in Children’s Books Goes Deeper Than Race—MPR News
Videos
Video: Stand Up! Don’t Stand for Homophobic Bullying
Video: In My Shoes: What’s it like growing up transgender
Video: 20/20—A Story of Transgender Children
Video: Cyber Bully (Full Movie) —ABC Family
Video (empowered youth) N'we Jinan Artists - "IMPORTANT TO US" - Official Music Video
Video (empowered youth) "I BELIEVE" - Cree Nation Artists - Chisasibi Community
Video (empowered youth) N'we Jinan Artists - "HOME TO ME" // Grassy Narrows First Nation
Community Resources
Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton 24 Hr. Distress Line 780-482-HELP (4357)
Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton—Crisis Intervention
Resources
INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES
[Right click over image and choose ‘open link’]
