Celebrating Diversity

As classrooms and schools become more diverse, celebrating students’ cultures by integrating multicultural lessons and celebrations into the curriculum is important.  By acknowledging and addressing diversity issues into classroom curriculum and into school celebrations we instil students with respect for their peers while learning exciting, new content.

Our education system is for all students and there is an important link between feeling included in the classroom and at school, and achieving academically.  When a teacher and the school make an effort to include students, it makes a difference because if students are more relaxed, they are going to learn more quickly.

Our goal in schools is to reach all students and have as many students as possible achieve at high levels.  To do these, we work to understand and celebrate cultural differences and aim to make every single student, and their families, feel valued and accepted by their classroom and school community.

It is important that all students become culturally aware.  Learning about other cultures, languages, religions, and holidays aside from their own will help children learn that their classmates may be different from them.  Being culturally aware is a wonderful way to promote inclusion.

It is important for students to appreciate cultural differences.  In addition to being aware of the fact that their peers may be different, it is also important for kids to learn about some of the unique and amazing things that come from other cultures and ways of life.

Celebrating different cultures will bring to light new thinking and understanding and will work toward helping students overcome sterotypes.  Students need to understand there is never a right or a wrong way – what is okay is that we are all different and we learn and grow together.  This type of learning encourages students to be creative thinkers.

With the support of staff, Ridgeview parents are preparing for our first annual interactive Multi-Cultural Celebration on February 7th.  During this event, students will learn and experience the varied elements of culture from around the world. Celebrating diversity builds curiosity, acceptance and respect for others.  The more students are aware of other cultures, the more able they will be able to recognize the beauty of diversity.