A Grade 8 program to support transition to high school

Na-sta-maht

“One Heart, One Mind”

Prepared by:

Sarah Rhude, Mi’kmaq Nation

Aboriginal Academic Support Teacher, Esquimalt High School

(250) 382-9226 srhude@sd61.bc.ca

Gail Higginbottom, Secwepemc Nation

Aboriginal Counsellor and Teacher, Esquimalt High School

(250) 382-9226 glhigginbottom@sd61.bc.ca

Brenda Pohl, Lyackson Nation

Aboriginal Academic Support Teacher, Shoreline Middle School

(250) 386-8367 bpohl@sd61.bc.ca

Na-sta-maht: Butch Dick~ Songhees Nation

Shoreline Middle School to Esquimalt High School–

Community Context

Traditional Territory: We would like to acknowledge that we live and do our work on the

traditional territory of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.

ANED: In 1979, the Greater Victoria School District joined with the Victoria local of the

United Native Nations to form a Commission to review and make recommendations

regarding the special educational and cultural needs of District Aboriginal Students. The

findings of this Commission led to the creation of the First Nations Education Division,

which has since become the Aboriginal Nations Education Division (ANED). Lead with

dedication and enthusiasm by Nella Nelson!

Shoreline Middle School

# of Aboriginal students grades 6-8: 76 (on reserve- 46)

% of school population: 26%

Esquimalt High School

# of Aboriginal students grades 9-12: 147 (on reserve- 37)

% of school population: 21%

Esquimalt High School Aboriginal Program

Aboriginal Courses offered at Esquimalt

High School:

•First Peoples English 10/11/12

•First Nations SC 10

•FN Earth Science 11

•First Nations Studies 12

•FN Art 9/11

•FN leadership

•Self-Paced FN Social Studies 10

•Aboriginal study hall/resource

Staff:

•Aboriginal Academic Support Teacher,

Aboriginal counsellor, 2 Aboriginal EA’s,

Songhees Student facilitator, 3 Aboriginal

teachers

Other support offered:

•Aboriginal room, healing room, Aboriginal

focused workshops, lunch program,

drumming, local nation liaisons, Victoria

Native Friendship Center youth dept. and

programming

Provincial Goals

Aboriginal Education Enhancements

GOAL

Improve school success for all Aboriginal students

OBJECTIVES

Aboriginal voice is increased in the Provincial education system

Knowledge of Aboriginal language, culture and history is increased throughout

the Provincial education system

The Provincial education system provides for focused leadership and informed

practice for increasing Aboriginal student success

Artist: Chris Paul

The raven & coyote represent

First Nations teaching and learning;

the human figure in the middle

represents the children;

the Métis symbol is

incorporated within the circle

and the four points are

Inuksuk- symbol for Inuit,

which signifies vision and direction.

The goals of our Enhancement Agreement:

GOAL 1: To increase Aboriginal students’ sense of place, of caring, and of belonging in

the public school system.

GOAL 2: To honour and improve relationships between the School District of Greater

Victoria, and the Aboriginal community and parents.

GOAL 3: To increase awareness and understanding of Aboriginal history, traditions and

culture.

GOAL 4: To increase success of all Aboriginal students.

Greater Victoria School District

Aboriginal Education Enhancement

Agreement

~With the 4 Goals in mind,

we aimed to create a program~

•Root in culture; Involve local nations, elders, the students’ families, the land,

ceremony

•Create digital stories showing who the students are and what skills they are

bringing with them to high school

•Instill the practical knowledge necessary to navigate the secondary system-

allowing them to feel successful and prepared for their next phase of their

educational path

•Demystify the credit system

•Connect students to the Aboriginal staff, the non-Aboriginal staff, and the

physical space of our school, helping them to see themselves connected and safe

within it

• Provide students with the opportunity to explore and create goals for the future that will help them to find relevance in being successful in secondary school.

• Root goals in post-secondary aspirations, and provide them with the tools to see themselves in a post-secondary institution

• Provide role models/connect them to adults and students in the community and at the post secondary level

• Instill feelings of accountability to their school, family and communities, and allow them to give back, while being lifted up- preparing them to take on positive leadership roles in high school

• Earn 4 credits towards graduation

The Idea

The principal of our local high school saw a presentation on a

transition program and wanted one for his school to support

Aboriginal learners.

Esquimalt High principal, Shoreline principal, and District

Aboriginal Coordinator, agreed upon a collaboration.

Esquimalt High principal asked the Aboriginal teachers at his

school and the local feeder school if they would like to create

one.

We said, “Yes”. The idea was born.

The meetings

We met together a few times to brainstorm ideas about what this program would look like and what we thought would benefit the students. As Sarah is the high school teacher who receives these students she was aware of what the students needed. As a middle school teacher I was aware of who the students were and what their current abilities were.

We met with the high school Aboriginal counselor Gail, and the middle school counselor Mark Albany, and came up with some possible ideas.

What would be manageable?

After talking with school administrators we started by inviting students from Shoreline and another middle school to be part of the program.

There was much communication through email and phone but it was finally decided that the other school could not join as there were program conflicts.

Then another middle school heard about it and sent two students to be part of the program.***

Most of the communication was by email and phone calls to get the program up and running, with the exception of Sarah connecting with community.

The philosophy developed as we thought of what these students would need to be prepared and to be successful at high school.

*we started with 11 students and finished with 9

“Meet in Nature-Leadership

and connection to the land”

May 7th and May 28th

-feed back sheets

“Who am I and what skills/goals do I bring with me?” ~

Photo-story 3

These young people learned a computer program call Photostory 3 that

turns photos into video stories.

Assignment: create a story about who you are, what you are good at and

who are your support people.

Emma’s video***

Why should we finish high school?

The students were asked

what they knew about

post-secondary education

and how it might affect

them.

They knew very little, a

few had an idea that they

should go but were not

sure why.

Few had been to a post

secondary institution and

most did not know what

they wanted to do when

they finished high-school.

The bus to the future.

The Metaphor ~ In Victoria, the number 14 bus goes from:

Shoreline- middle school

Esquimalt- high school

Camosun College

UVIC University

Suggestions From Community:

Have teachers, family members or mentors who support Aboriginal Students’ academic goals from an early age

Engage communities in partnership with schools to develop a culturally appropriate curriculum

Incorporate more experiential learning into curriculum

Make education spaces reflective of Aboriginal Culture

Despite strong risk factors in the lives of Aboriginal youth, if students:

felt highly connected, liked and felt safe at their school felt connected to their families had friends that would be upset if they dropped out were involved in meaningful activities

their chance of attending post-secondary school more than doubled

~McCreary Survey

Shoreline middle school

Esquimalt High School

Camosun College

University of Victoria

UVIC First People House

University of Victoria

Camosun College

Esquimalt High School

Shoreline Middle School Shoreline Middle School

“First Step in the Journey”

~Camosun College

Agenda:

•Visit to Na-Sta-Maht gathering place

•Share food and introduce guides

•“Don’t take Comm 11!!” Talk

•Tour campus with special focus on

Aboriginal space/place/programs

*Close ties with Indigenous Studies Program*

~Met with IS student Christine Lavalee and organized a Morning

visit.

~Indigenous Garden Tour

~Meeting the Aboriginal

Staff!

“Goals for the Future”- UVIC

~Met with Le’nonet Program director to organize the day

MORNING

Opening circle with Elder

Skip Dick

Snacks, ice breaker, agenda,

group contract

Scavenger Hunt- find all

the Indigenous spaces and

places

Lunch-pizza

AFTERNOON

Ceremonial hall- role model

presentations, and student

questions

Life path exercise and

collages, and presenting

them- teamed up with UVIC

role model

Drumming and prizes

•The scavenger hunt fun

•Indigenous culture present and

celebrated.

•Introduced to professors, students, art

work, totems, fire keepers, Cinecenta, etc.

First Peoples’ House- Full Circle

Indigenous Space, Programs, and Role Models

~Becoming familiar with

the campus~

Future Cinecenta employee!

Future UVIC grads!

Future film maker, veterinarian

and artist!

Goal Setting Collages!

UVIC Student Panel

Students paired up with role models, and then they worked together on their “pathways”

“Pathways Activity”

Connecting high school

to post- Secondary

now!

•Things I like to do-Interests-ideas:

•Careers that could apply to my interests:

•UVIC program that applies to my career:

•High School Courses I need to get into

Program:

•Career/Job title:

“Making Space”

Esquimalt High School’s

Welcome Figure and mural

Artists:

Welcome Figure~ Douglas Lafortune Sr. and Jr.

Mural ~ Darlene Gait, Loreissa Lepine, Christine White

Organizers:

Lorna Reid, Diane Sam

*song*

“Connection to Community”

~Victoria Native Friendship Centre

~Met with the Cultural Support worker and a youth worker to arrange an

afternoon visit

Agenda:

Pizza lunch

Youth dept. presentation

Visit other depts./programs

Play!!!

Indigenous Space!

Eagle Project- 3 Nations Pole Meeting the staff from the GV Metis Nation

~Introduction to the

“Eagle Project”

Meeting the

Kwakwaka’wakw pole in

progress at the time

Welcome to Esquimalt High School!

Meet the

Counsellors: Demystify the Credit System:

•Grades 9-12 requirements

•Dogwood grad plan

•Provincial exams

•Credits…up to 80 by the end of grade 12!

Meet the

Administrators:

Bonus! Starting high school with 4 credits from this program!

Students meet with and spend a morning with

administrators. The administrators lead the

students through a fun filled activity. The students

then report back to admin and share their results.

School Counsellors and School Administrators

What do school counsellors do?

How can they help you?

Where are they?

Why might you want to visit them?

Who visits them?

Who are the administrators?

What is their role at school?

Why might you see them?

Administration Ipad Activity:

School Scavenger Hunt

Stu

dent E

xam

ple

s o

f Learn

ing

You will have 15 minutes to take pictures of the following:

Picture of Esquimalt High School Picture of Aboriginal Identity

Picture of your group Picture of Aboriginal Support

Place in the school you wonder about Picture of Learning

Place you want to spend more time Picture of Fun

You must also take a video no longer than 20- 30 seconds of someone in your

group telling a joke, doing a trick, or showing off a personal talent.

Paddling Together, Singing Together, Strong

Together!

Meet Michel Tomasino, Aboriginal teacher from the Mohawk Nation

Step 1: Safety lesson

Step 2: Everyone needs to lift the canoe!

Step 3: launch

Step 4: paddle together

Step 5: get strong and fast by working together!

Sharing stories from canoe journeys…sharing songs…sharing leadership…sharing

laughs…sharing good medicine!

Strong Together – Canoeing

Traditional knowledge: cooperating, working together,

building community, sharing stories, laughing, moving forward strong and united!

Connection to Esquimalt Staff and Space

Recruiting

Staff

Creating an agenda Challenging Students

Mastery of high school material…

• Introduction – staff

meeting

• Teacher Sign up

sheet

• Enormous

response!

• Email

confirmations

• Reminders

• Planning

• What are the

learning

objectives?

• How much time

do we have?

• How can we

connect and

transform

learning?

• How do students

synthesize their

learning?

• How can they

demonstrate their

learning?

• How do we make

this fun and

interactive?

Synthesis of Learning, Sharing, Engaging…

Get your stamps! 8:30-9:00 Room 330

Healthy start – making homemade smoothies with Michel and Gail…

9:00 – 9:30 Room 330

Circle with Butch Dick– Rights and Responsibilities at high school – setting the tone for the day…and for high school!

9:30 – 10:00 Gym

Activity with Ms. Swain: outside – intro to high school PE / Healthy living and our bodies

10:00-10:30 Theatre

Intro to Drama – Ms. Treacher – Improvisation games

10:30-11:00 Theatre

Intro to Dance – Ms. Cuilillier warming up, playing, using our bodies

11:00-11:30 Room 111

Woodworking / Auto with Mr. Wignall Senior student helpers, sanding, cool projects!

12:00-12:30 Cafeteria

Cooking with Chef Aris – 30 minutes Lunch in the cafeteria 12:00-12:30

12:30-1:00 Room 328

Earth Science with Ms. Tomasino and Ms. Savage Discovering fossils!

1:00-1:30 Room 302

For the love of Math with Mr. Barker and Ms. Mclennan!

Measuring…heads, arms, legs… 1:30-2:00 Room 111

Literacy extravaganza with Ms. Roberts and Ms. Dunn

Slam, student chap books, high school writing 2:00-2:30

Library Introduction to the computers – MS Word –

Thank you cards! With Ms. Hermanson 2:30-3:00

Art room 235 Art – Ms. Reid

330 “Travelling Song” ~

good wishes for you as you travel home!

Belonging at Esquimalt High:

Esquimalt Highlights…

“Education Rooted in Culture”

Protocol Circle with Nella

and Alex Nelson

Welcome from District

Coordinator for Aboriginal

Education- Nella Nelson

Healing and blessing song

from Alex’s grandfather

Alex & Nella- educational

experiences- stories from

residential school to today.

Alex also discussed the

role of leadership.

“Education Rooted in Culture” ~

Eagle Ceremony and Workshop

Feast and Acknowledgement Day:

Guests: families, community members, staff from Shoreline and Esquimalt High,

transition group

Students made and readied

gifts, prepared food,

decorated the room, and

welcomed their guests.

Photos of the various activities that

occurred during the transition program, and

presentation of digital stories by

Na-sta-maht students Theresa’s digital story

Staff and Community

Students Gifting Staff

$ Budget realities $

TOC coverage/teacher time

Bus fare for students

Gifting

Food- lunch each time

Eagle ceremony

Guest honorarium- if your

district does not cover it

Feast costs

- one way that we were able to cut

down on TOC cost, was that we all

had flexibility with our

teacher/counseling schedule

-We had major support from

outside agencies we visited such as

UVIC, Camosun, and the Victoria

Native Friendship Center.

-Each organization provided lunch

or snack or both. They also paid for

the honorariums for their

guests/Elders

In Reflection … Na-sta-maht

“One Heart, One Mind”

• Travelling beyond their local community

• Sharing stories

• Working together

• Enrolling in the UVIC summer camp

• Preparing the feast

• Acknowledging options

• Recognizing sense of control over their future

• Navigating public transit

• Creating a video

• Learning the “travelling song”

• Practicing high school

• Tapping into their talents

• Fostering future goals and linking

these to success in high school

• Making university and college

a realistic goal/dream

• Making high school comfortable

• Knowing where to go for help

• Understanding school roles

• Creating a safe space for learning

• Connecting family, community, and

school

• Thanking teachers for their time

• Taking care of each other

• Thanking teachers for their lessons

• Gifting staff and community guests

• Sharing journey with family, friends,

and the community

Acknowledgement~ Circle of Courage- Dr. Martin Brokenleg

Student Reflections~

Julia~ Songhees Nation

Theresa~ Songhees Nation

Rosie~ Métis Nation

Emma~ Wet’suwet’en Nation

Brittany Sampson- Esquimalt Nation

Na-sta-maht Graduates!

Questions?

Huy-ch’qa Siem

We’lalin

Kookschum