This year, November 2-8, 2025, marks Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario. This time of year offers a meaningful opportunity for us to learn more about Treaty rights and relationships—together as a Catholic education community, and especially within our Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board (NPSC) classrooms.
Throughout the week, students and staff across NPSC will engage in a variety of activities to explore and deepen their understanding of treaties. From participating in school assemblies and morning reflections, to expressing Treaty concepts through art projects, and engaging with special guest speakers about identity and community, students at all grade levels will take part in learning that builds a greater understanding of the importance, significance, and history of treaties in what we now call Canada.
As part of this learning, students will engage with Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being—authentic ways of life that existed prior to the formation of treaties. Our NPSC schools are creating meaningful opportunities for students to learn from Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and staff, and to connect with the land as a teacher. These experiences foster a non-colonial perspective, which is essential to achieve true and honest understanding.
How Students Are Learning During Treaties Recognition Week
- Book Studies and Classroom Discussions: Students participate in read-alouds and shared readings that explore treaty principles, historical context, and Indigenous perspectives. Discussions and classroom activities help students connect these lessons to their responsibilities today.
- Art and Creative Expression: Students explore treaty concepts through visual arts, Wampum belts, murals, and beaded promise bracelets, reflecting on what they have learned.
- Land-Based and Experiential Learning: Outdoor learning experiences help students understand their relationship with the land and practice stewardship, while reflecting on responsibilities to the environment and one another.
- Guest Speakers and Assemblies: Indigenous knowledge keepers, community members, and school assemblies highlight cultural teachings, resilience, and treaty relationships.
- School-Wide Engagement: Morning announcements, prayers, and reflections reinforce daily learning and create shared awareness across grades.
While learners across our Board examine the spirit of mutual agreement and reciprocal relationship that treaties represent, classes will also explore the historical injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples as a result of treaties being dishonoured.
Guided by truth and grounded in our Catholic teachings, our NPSC community continues to walk together on the path of reconciliation, honouring the spirit and intent of treaties and working in solidarity to nurture relationships built on respect, healing, and hope.
Learn More About Treaties