Schools across the Strait Regional Centre for Education (SRCE) are preparing to honour Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters / E’tasiw mijuaj’jij sespete’tasit on Friday, Sept. 26.
Students, staff, parents, guardians, families, and community members are invited to wear orange in recognition of residential school survivors, to remember those who were lost, and to acknowledge the lasting impact of Canada’s residential school system on Indigenous people.
“This day provides an opportunity for all of us to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope,” SRCE Coordinator of Communications Deanna Gillis said.
While Orange Shirt Day is a significant annual event, SRCE emphasizes that the work of truth and reconciliation extends well beyond a single day.
Throughout the year, teachers engage students with Treaty Education, weaving Mi’kmaw history, culture, treaties, and reconciliation into lessons at every grade level. Age-appropriate resources help students learn about residential schools, Treaty Day, Mi’kmaw History Month, and the broader meaning of reconciliation.
Schools also invite Mi’kmaw elders and knowledge keepers to share teachings with students, creating opportunities for meaningful learning rooted in lived experiences.
The SRCE supports Indigenous students directly through Mi’kmaq Student Success Teachers and Mi’kmaq Student Support Workers, who provide academic, social, emotional, and spiritual guidance. In addition, several schools in the region offer Mi’kmaq language courses open to all students, strengthening language preservation and cultural understanding.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Mi’kmaw Services Branch provides further resources for staff, helping teachers lead classroom discussions on residential schools, resilience, and reconciliation.
SRCE leaders note that these initiatives are part of a broader effort to address systemic racism, foster culturally responsive classrooms, and create inclusive and safe school environments.
“As a region, we are committed to ensuring that every student understands that We Are All Treaty People,” Gillis added.
Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 26 leads into the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, followed immediately by Treaty Day on Oct. 1 and the launch of Mi’kmaw History Month – a continuation of the journey toward shared understanding, peace, and reconciliation.