Pink Shirt Day

On Monday we celebrated Cantiague Cares Day at our school as part of our school-wide ABC Countdown to the end of the year. During a Shared Decision Making Team (made up of staff, parents and kids) we decided this would be the day we celebrated Pink Shirt Day in an effort to promote being UPstanders and fighting against bullying! Pink Shirt Day, which originated in Canada, marks a moment in time when a kid who wore a pink shirt to school was bullied. So, a group of students decided to take a stand and they all came to school wearing pink in an effort to stand against bullying. We felt this was an important message for the entire community to hear and experience, especially at this time of the year when our levels of acceptance and understanding seem to be lower and our stress levels higher. 

In addition to wearing pink, we also chose five picture books that we felt communicated the importance of being an UPstander and a bully battler. Each child in the school would be exposed to all five books throughout the week and a common language and experience would be shared - we always believe there is power in numbers! We read books like One, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon and The Recess Queen and the powerful message has permeated the building at a critical time! 

Check out the pictures below from #PinkShirtDay at Cantiague as we hope to encourage as many schools as possible to take a stand against bullying by coming together as a community!