May 1, 2024

Eabametoong First Nation will receive up to $540K to support the community and students after the community lost its school to arson in January. The funds will be used for a variety of purposes, including transition supports for Grade 9 students, support for children and youth who have been impacted by the loss of their school, land-based programming, and mental health and food supports. In addition to this funding, the Government of Ontario Ministry of Education is providing the Keewatin Patricia District School Board’s Rapid Response Northern Schools Team with $240K for crisis and education support. Eabametoong Chief Solomon Atlookan said that once a temporary school is ready, he will begin planning a new permanent school.

The University of the Fraser Valley has partnered with the Stó:lō Nation to let high school students in a dual-credit early childhood education course experience what working in an early childhood education (ECE) setting is like. A:lmélháwtxw Early Education Centre childcare supervisor Monique Belanger came to the class to answer questions and help students learn about a career in ECE. Students also learned more about the role, philosophies, and emergent curriculum by visiting the A:lmélháwtxw Early Education Centre to observe staff members working and attending a panel discussion in which A:lmélháwtxw staff discussed caring for children. “Our students were also impressed by the strong connection the daycare’s staff, families and children have to the land,” said dual credit class teacher Elizabeth McWilliams Hewitt. “They spend a lot of time outdoors and whether it’s taking a walk in the forest, climbing a tree, or finding a nice spot outside to have a quiet moment, that connection is there.”

Bow Valley High School recently piloted Alberta Tomorrow’s new Indigenous Voices Module with its grade nine social studies class. Students used the Alberta Tomorrow simulator to look at past and present landscape imagery and learn more about sustainable planning and balancing land use with ecological integrity. Two Elders from the Stoney Nakoda community—Margaret and Terry Rider—spoke with the students, sharing narratives about the Stoney Nakoda community. “Students asked them some pretty complex and interesting questions about what life was like on the reserve and how it’s changed over time. The Elders talked about residential schools. They talked about the fact that they couldn’t leave the reserve until I think it was 1965 without asking permission,” said Alberta Tomorrow Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Janzen. “The whole point of it was some of these students may have never spoken to someone from Stoney Nakoda. So the Elders came into the class, we all sat in a circle and just had conversations and listened.”

The Native Education and Training College is facing allegations from students that it is accepting tuition and fees without offering courses or making it possible for them to finish their programs. The college is reportedly facing financial troubles, as Bay Today states that the college’s doors have been locked since mid-February due to “non-payment of rent” in the amount of nearly $18K. Three instructors have also reportedly filed complaints with the Labour Board after not receiving pay. When asked for comment, NETC administrator Larry Stewart stated that the “college is open and [it is] fine.” The students shared their experiences with being unable to access the software hosting NETC’s online courses, struggling to reach the college with their questions and concerns, and not receiving a promised refund. “This was supposed to be the beginning of a longer education path in the field of environmental science for me,” said student Skylar Sayer of the Mississauga First Nation. “This throws back everything. “The Government of Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities said that the Superintendent of Career Colleges is working with the parties to facilitate a resolution.

A program at Mother Teresa Middle School (MTMS) in Regina is helping its students—70% of whom are Indigenous—connect with their identity using a land-based curriculum and interventionist approach. The school offers a land-based learning curriculum, where students can participate in activities such as picking sweetgrass, learning smudging ceremonies, scraping buffalo hides, and making beaded accessories alongside their standard classes. “These programs cultivate a strong sense of cultural identity and pride,” said MTMS Director of Development Evie Koop Sawatzky. “How powerful it is to see kids singing out in Cree and giving back to their community. It not only encourages other students, but it encourages the Elders that these songs and these stories will continue.” The school provides students with wraparound care and transportation so students can continue to attend the school even if they move.

Camosun College has launched an initiative to decolonize English placement assessments for Indigenous students and institutions across the country have been joining to support the effort. A committee based out of the college has begun work on a standardized tool that will place Indigenous students in the appropriate level of postsecondary English while reflecting Indigenous worldviews and cultures. “When I looked at assessments from previous Indigenous students, such as an essay that received a low score but had profound wisdom, reflection and insights, I realized that we were using the wrong tool,” said Camosun English Placement Counsellor Maureen Niwa. Camosun says that the committee developing the assessment tool has grown into a national Indigenizing English Placement Assessment (IEPA) Steering Committee, which involves eight Canadian institutions and is welcoming new members.

Sweet Grass Elementary School has acquired a giant map that shows locations of Indigenous communities, residential schools, and reserves; identifies Indigenous languages; and includes important historical dates. “It’s a giant walkable map,” said Sweet Grass Principal Vanessa LeCaine. “They can walk through, see all of the different communities, where all the different languages are. It’s a great way to learn about Indigenous communities.” This kind of map is being used by several Edmonton Public Schools to teach students about Indigenous communities, reports Global News, and LaCaine stated that bringing a copy of the map in last year was so impactful with Sweet Grass’s students that the school found a way to purchase a map of their own. Teachers are incorporating the map into all grade levels at the school.

The University of Waterloo has officially broken ground on a new Indigenous outdoor space that will be used for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit events, celebrations, and teachings. Constructed out of Alaskan yellow cedar, the space is designed with 33 posts to represent a forest; a roof with overlapping wing sections that will allow wind to flow through the structure; and yellow, red, and brown designs to represent the colours of a native trout species. “It’s meant to be a physical presence to say to our campus colleagues that there is Indigenous presence on campus, including histories tied to the area as well as contemporary Indigenous diversity and uses of the land,” said UWaterloo Associate VP of Indigenous Relations Jean Becker.

Cree students in and around Eeyou Istchee will be able to begin their education journey toward a career in nursing from home thanks to a new pre-nursing pilot program. The program is offered by the Cree School Board and Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, which partnered to help address the nursing shortages in Eeyou Istchee. It provides a pathway for Cree-speaking students to pursue nursing to provide better care for Cree patients. Students who participate in the program will earn the pre-requisites to continue their education through John Abbott College’s nursing program. “We wanted to make sure it reflects Cree culture, our career, way of life and that’s what is different about this program,” said Cree Health Board Director of Nursing Nancy Shecapio-Blacksmith.

The Government of Alberta’s new draft curriculum for grade K-6 social studies will be ready to pilot this Fall following a variety of adjustments. Changes include providing students with more consistent education about Canada’s diversity and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit contributions and perspectives. The draft curriculum will have kindergarten students learning about community and belonging. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit content has been added to the curriculum in grades 1, 2, and 3; and content on discrimination and racism has been added to Grades 3 and 6. CBC reports that residential schools are not mentioned in the draft social studies curriculum.