Supporting Collaboration

ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND ENCOURAGE ONGOING IMPROVEMENT

Day Treatment Program, Elementary

Day treatment is offered for our Elementary students at Our Lady of Charity School (grades 3-6), in conjunction with Children’s Centre Thunder Bay (CCTB). Students hindered by social, emotional, and/or behavioural struggles in which their academic success is obstructed, are able to benefit from this modified academic programming. This program was reviewed in 2020/2021 with CCTB to discuss strategies which will enhance the program and review the memorandum of understanding.

Indigenous Education Department

Planning took place to create and cultivate an Indigenous Education Department which began in 2019-2020. The creation of the department has focused on streamlining efforts in Indigenous teaching while maintaining Indigenous support within the organization.

Teaching Indigenous Students

Indigenous Education Department

Planning took place to create and cultivate an Indigenous Education Department which began in 2019-2020. The creation of the department has focused on streamlining efforts in Indigenous teaching while maintaining Indigenous support within the organization.

Coordinator for Indigenous Education

Our Coordinator, Tesa Fiddler, has been supporting the work of the Indigenous Education Department staff and providing resources and support. Tesa met regularly with the Indigenous Education Student Counsellors and the Resource Teachers. She has also worked with Ojibwe language teachers. Our Coordinator also assisted Thunder Bay Police rein their Organizational Change Project.

Programming

Several successful programs were developed throughout the year, assisting educators and schools to build cultural awareness and provide strategies to support

Indigenous students. We received funding for an Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) Pilot Program. The goal of the project was to explore the concept of Indigenous cultural safety to remove systemic barriers for Indigenous youth in our system. The professional development happened at three schools: St. Ann, Pope John Paul II, and St. Patrick High School. As part of the project plan, professional learning was offered to staff which included teachers, student support persons, or office administration.

First Nations, Metis Inuit (FNMI) Collaborative Inquiry

Supporting the success of our Indigenous learners is essential, as well as interacting with parents/guardians and communities. Collaborative inquiries engage students, staff, and parents in specific school communities. This past school year, St. Ann school has partnered with a class in Sachigo Lake, and focused their inquiry on student’s interest in each of the communities. Students communicated with each other through technology.

Indigenous Support Program

Biwaase’aa, is an in-school and after-school program for Indigenous elementary students and families. The program supports the social, emotional, physical and cognitive wellbeing of Indigenous students through a focus on life skills, cultural awareness, academic mentoring, structured social activities and healthy nutrition. St. Ann and Our Lady of Charity currently have this program embedded daily in their schools.

Identity Based Research Project

In partnership with Dr. Lisa Korteweg, a professor at Lakehead University, the Board completed an Identity-based research project, funded by the Ministry of Education to examine potential systemic barriers for the voluntary self-identification of Indigenous students and staff. The data collected in the research provided a foundation and guide to the Indigenous Cultural Safety project.

Indigenous Counsellors

To provide direct support to our high school and senior elementary school students, Indigenous Counsellors are on site. Counsellors support students transitioning to our schools from northern communities and offer school-based mentoring, leadership and cultural programs. Indigenous Counsellors are members of school mental health and well-being teams, and work closely with guidance departments and school mental health professionals.

Indigenous Grad Coach

The Indigenous Graduation Coach has been providing support and programming for Indigenous students at St. Patrick High School. The Indigenous Grad Coach provides academic, social, and emotional support to students, primarily grade 9 students which is the cohort that she is currently following. She works closely with th Indigenous Student Counsellor, and with community organizations to provide lunch and after school programs. In January 2020, planning began to implement the transition for grade 8 students to St. Patrick High School.The Indigenous Grad Coach continues to work with students and families at St. Patrick’s by phone and internet to support the transition.

Cultural Rooms

Cultural rooms offer our students a quiet place of contemplation, ceremony and community. Two new cultural rooms were planned and budgeted for St. Ann and Bishop Gallagher. Construction was delayed in the summer and will commence in 2020/2021. St. Ann’s cultural room is now complete. Bishop Gallagher school is scheduled for construction by Christmas Break 2021.

Programming

Indigenous Language classes and Indigenous Studies programs are offered to our students, with the Native Language program expanding further, reaching more schools. Programming is offered to our Indigenous Language Teachers, assisting in understanding the curriculum expectations. Professional Development is in partnership with Lakehead University’s Indigenous Language Instructor Program. Together with programming, cultural celebrations also occur within our schools, and we participate annually in National Indigenous Peoples Day, Orange Shirt Day, Treaty Week, and in the National Day of Remembrance at Fort William First Nation.

Indigenous Education Advisory Council Committee (IEAC)

With assistance from our Advisory Committee, Indigenous programming and services are designed and expanded. The Committee provides direction and vision as it relates to Indigenous student success.

Self-Identification

Voluntary self-identification of Indigenous ancestry is an excellent opportunity for students to declare their culture and background. This additional knowledge provides information to our Board and schools, assisting in utilizing resources to support Indigenous student success. All Staff were provided the opportunity to selfidentify during the Identity Based Research Project.

Full Day Kindergarten at Fort William First Nation

Full-Day Kindergarten is offered at Fort William First Nation as a satellite campus of St. Ann school. This project was planned in the 2017-2018 school year, and was launched September 2018. The program was successful, particularly in programming, student attendance and improvement in students’ language and speech.The project was extended into the 2020-2021 school year.

International Student Program

The COVID-19 Pandemic significantly limited recruitment activity last year and all but eliminated international enrolment for the following year. 17 students who planned to attend our High Schools for the 2020/21 were not admitted due to restrictions resulting from the pandemic. Our team has realigned our recruitment efforts and have partnered with MLI, a company who specialized in the recruitment of International students. The goal is to streamline the recruitment process and ensure that our Board is open and accepting of International students.