Long Tower School is proud to be a school of Sanctuary and we have begun the process of reapplying for the award.
"We want to live in a world where every child feels safe and accepted, regardless of what they believe, where they are from, or what they look like. A world where cultural diversity is valued and celebrated. Schools of Sanctuary aims to make this a reality" (School of Sanctuary Resource Book).
We want to ensure the school continues to be a place of welcome and safety for all. Children are valued, respected and supported. It is a place of refuge for children seeking sanctuary. In Long Tower School there are children from different parts of the world. In school all children learn about different cultures in an atmosphere of mutual respect and children's home languages are promoted and celebrated.
We at Long Tower like to include and welcome,
Every single person, no matter where they're from.
We received an award, the first school in Derry!
Welcome to Long Tower- A School of Sanctuary!
Each year in September each class has an election to select 2 children to be school councillors. We want to empower children to be change makers in the world.
This week our school council will meet and this will include some children who will be cultural ambassadors-children who have come from different parts of the world- to ensure that all children have a voice.
We will be writing to our local MP and our Education minister to ask them to hear from children seeking sanctuary, to support our efforts to effectively support new arrivals and build a culture of understanding by teaching about migration.
In our play park we will have a School of Sanctuary garden. This week children will start to prepare the soil, decide it's layout and design signs for the garden. This will be a calming space to play and reflect. These are exciting times in Long Tower School.
