Dialogue Series – Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging Update

Dialogue Series – Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging Update 

Last month the School Advisory Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee hosted parent round-table discussions to gather insights into families’ experiences with racial identity and sense of belonging. The purpose of these sessions was to help to identify the needs of our school community and inform initiatives related to DE&I. The sessions were well attended, and the discussions open and honest, generating ideas that the Advisory Board’s DE&I Committee can take forward such as:  

• School Handbook Updates, clarifying the school’s anti-discrimination policy and actions taken for breaches so that parents and students feel empowered to come forward if/when facing issues. 

• Training and Education, anti-racism training for faculty, students and parents.    

• Visual Representation, pictures of people representing diversity in classrooms and around the school, so that students feel recognized.  

• Events / Field Trips / Celebrations, find creative ways to recognize our differences and celebrate our diversity.  

While the first sessions in this series were focused on racial identity and sense of belonging, we hope that this is the first of many conversations and topics to be explored in the future. Thank you to everyone who attended and engaged in this important topic.  

Our DE&I Root Belief Statement 

In alignment with our Catholic values, rooted in Jesus’ teachings of love and acceptance, we are dedicated to building a vibrant and inclusive school community that embraces our ever-growing diverse backgrounds.  We engage students, faculty, parents and the wider community in ongoing dialogue and collaborative initiatives that promotes equity and understanding our differences, while driving meaningful change together.