Superintendent’s Message

Tansi, Edlanete’e, Hello! The final newsletter for 2014 is just a small sample of all the good things happening at our 24 schools. It’s been a real pleasure to see success and witness the hard work by students, staff, parents and community members. Without their support, it would be impossible for us to provide quality education for all students.

We are pleased to share the work that continues with student attendance, literacy, land-base learning and high school rede-sign. The Division recently launch a new website and school websites. We believe the websites will better serve students, parents and community members. Log onto www.nsd61.ca to learn more. Please take the time to count your blessings as you spend time with those you love.

Miyo Nipayamiha, Tedhyati Haretiya Watei, Merry Christmas!!

Donna Barrett, Superintendent of Schools

NORTHLAND SCHOOL DIVISION NO.61

November/December 2014

Inside this issue:

Attendance Every Day Counts/Fort McKay School’s Attendance Drive

2

School by School Attendance 3

Students Demonstrate Reading Level Im-provement

4

High School Redesign at Northland Schools 5

Northland Launches New Websites 6

Aboriginal Youth Career Workshop 7

Peace Fest in Conklin/Little Buffalo receives Book Donation

8

November Board Meeting Highlights/Hand Games Tournament in Fort Chipewyan

9

Gift Lake School in the Christmas Sprit/Indigenous Shining Student Award

10

Elder’s Lodge/Music in Hillview/Excellence in Teaching Awards

11

Contact Us/Science Equipment Donation/Science Fair

12

On behalf of Northland School Division, we wish you much joy

and harmony during this holiday

season!

Miyo Nipayamiha!

Tedhyati Haretiya Watei!

Attendance— Every Day Counts

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Schools across Northland School Division are taking steps to promote student attendance. In April 2014, the Northland Board established an Attendance Improvement Committee to review attendance practices and develop a framework to support improvement. This work has resulted in launching the Attendance Improvement Initiative and developing the Attend-ance Improvement Initiative Draft Report http://nsd61.ca/download/21886. The feedback from across the jurisdiction has helped to shape the report and will be presented to the Northland Board before it’s implemented division-wide.

In an effort to promote student attendance, students helped voice three radio announce-ments! They will air between December 29-January 2, 2014 and April 6-10, 2014. The radio announcements will air on YL Country, KIX FM, CFWE Radio and The Eagle! Click on the link to listen to our Attendance Improvement Initiative Radio Campaign sponsored by Statoil!

http://nsd61.ca/about-us/division-news/post/attendance-improvement-initiative-every-day-counts

Fort McKay School’s Attendance Drive

Fort McKay School is working on several initiatives to improve attendance and reach A 95 per cent target. When students, staff, parents and community members enter the school, a bulletin board displays the school’s attendance for every month. This cre-ates competition between classrooms and students every month and they are rewarded for their efforts. The class with the high-est attendance receives a pizza party and each student in that class receives a book for excellent attendance. Any student that has perfect attendance also receives a book to take home. Students who achieve good attendance are recognized in the monthly newsletter and at the school assembly.

Fort McKay First Nation is lending their support to the Fort McKay School Attendance Drive by offering hot lunches at the end of each school week. The Fort McKay Arena and the Fort McKay Wellness Centre supports the school by offering after school activi-ties. The school says if students do not attend school they are not allowed to participate in after school programs. In an effort to keep the Attendance Drive front and centre, Fort McKay School staff contact parents via phone and letters to parents who have students achieving attendance below 90 per cent. At the same time, the school recognizes the effort of parents by mailing thank you letters with a Tim Horton’s card. At the end of the school year, students are rewarded with laptop computers if they achieve 99 per cent attendance.

School by School Attendance

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School Attendance (November 2014) Attendance (November 2013)

Anzac Community School 92% 87%

Athabasca Delta Community School 76% 66%

Bill Woodward School 92% 92%

Bishop Routhier School 82% 79%

Calling Lake School 85% 77%

Calling Lake Outreach 85% N/A

Career Pathways School 63% 43%

Chipewyan Lake School 87% 78%

Conklin Community School 92% 92%

Dr. Mary Jackson School 87% 90%

Elizabeth School 93% 94%

Father R. Perin School 83% 69%

Fort McKay School 86% 79%

Gift Lake School 89% 86%

Grouard Northland School 89% 85%

Hillview School 89% 85%

J.F. Dion School 92% 86%

Kateri School 80% 86%

Little Buffalo School 83% 72%

Mistassiniy School 68% 59%

Paddle Prairie 85% 82%

Peerless Lake School 92% 81%

Pelican Mountain School 79% 82%

St. Theresa School 90% 84%

Susa Creek School 89% 84%

Northland School Division 85% (95% Division Target) 78%

Schools across Northland School Division No. 61 (NSD61) are demonstrating measurable growth in the number of students reading at grade level. This improvement is a result of educators building capacity with the Division-wide Literacy Initiative practices to enhance reading, writing and comprehension skills for students.

Grades 1-3: 15%

Grades 4-6: 13%

Grades 7-12: 11%

The Division is very pleased with these results and appreciates the hard work by students, staff, parents and com-munity members and support from Cenovus Energy and various stakeholders. In saying this, NSD61 believes more student growth is required and schools are working with literacy leaders to maintain specific actions relating to as-sessment, literacy focused instruction and professional development. This year, Principals are working with staff to follow a literacy plan that includes assessing reading level of students three times per year, utilizing writing evalua-tions and hosting literacy events to involve the community.

The Literacy Initiative continues to receive support from literacy experts through recommendations. To that end, NSD61 has assembled a Literacy Focus Group to monitor student growth, ensure implementation is taking place in every classroom, make recommendations and address emerging issues. This group includes Donna Barrett, Superin-tendent of Schools, Don Tessier, Associate Superintendent, Gail Sajo, Literacy Supervisor, Leroy Sloan, External Con-sultant, Delores Pruden, Director of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education and local school administrators’. They will be meeting on a regular basis and will provide quarterly updates to students, staff, parents and community members.

Students Demonstrate Reading Level Improvement

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Grades Fall Assessment 2013-2014 June Assessment 2013-2014

1,2,3 42% at grade level 57% at grade level

4,5,6 28% at grade level

41% at grade level

7-12 43% at grade level

54% at grade level

High School Redesign at Northland Schools

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Three Northland schools are Moving Forward with High School Redesign! The initiative is more than simply shifting a

timetable; it’s about shifting a mindset. Throughout the Moving Forward with High School Redesign Initiative, Alberta

Education will work alongside jurisdictions and schools in a coaching model designed to support continuous improve-

ment. Mistassiniy School in Wabasca-Desmarais, Paddle Prairie School and Kateri School in Trout Lake have started mov-

ing towards this mind shift by focusing on specific Foundational Principles Guiding High School Redesign (Mastery Learn-

ing, Rigourous and Relevant Curriculum, Personalization, Flexible Learning Environments, Educator Role and Profes-

sional Development, Meaningful Relationships, Home and Community Involvement, Assessment and Welcoming,

Caring Respectful and Safe).

On November 10, 2014, staff at Mistassiniy School hosted a literacy professional development (PD) session in which they

were prioritizing the curriculum for student success. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Principal and PD facilitator Tre-

vor Mitchell says educators have to begin by taking a good look at the curriculum and asking themselves what they can

do effectively and which concepts are essential. Staff started a process of reviewing curriculum for junior and senior high

Math and English Language Arts. Mistassiniy School staff will continue this work at future PD days. Stay tuned for further

High School Redesign Updates. For more information click on the link below.

http://ideas.education.alberta.ca/hsc/redesigning/movinfw/

Northland Launches new Websites

Northland School Division No.61 (NSD61) is thrilled to launch a brand new website! The website illustrates the cultural roots in Northland communities. It incorporates the four quadrants of the learning wheel, symbolism relating to First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) culture and imagery that showcases nature and stu-dent success! The website design allows users to find information quickly and easily and it supports the division’s goal to keep students, parents, staff and community members better informed. “We believe the new website reflects the division as a whole,” says Donna Barrett, Superintendent of Schools. “The de-sign truly showcases FNMI language and culture and input from the Northland family. We are very excited to use the website to communicate keys messages, success stories and as a tool to support staff and children.” Box Clever was awarded the division’s website contract through a Request for Proposals and presentation process in 2013. The Edmonton website design and digital media agency was chosen based on their extensive experience working with school divisions and their ability to fulfil the list of deliverables. "We are thrilled to launch the new Northland School Division website,” says Steve Mebs, Partner at Box Clever. “The site is a wonderful representation of First Nations and Métis heritage and culture that the school division is built on. Working closely with Micheal Auger, staff, administration, and the Northland Board we were able to create a site that staff, stu-dents, and community members can be proud to call their own.” Micheal Auger, a multimedia artist and a multimedia producer assisted Box Clever in the cultural aspects for the website design. Micheal is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation and grew up on the shores of Lesser Slave Lake. The home page offers a display of division news, upcoming events, information about their schools and their division. The website is mo-bile friendly and uses modern day technology. Box Clever also designed websites for all Northland schools!

Log onto www.nsd61.ca to view the new division website and school websites!

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Aboriginal Youth Career Workshop 2014

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Hundreds of students explored the future at the third annual Aboriginal Youth Career Workshop in Grimshaw No-vember 17, 2014. The event gave students a glimpse into future career options and the opportunity to ask questions to role models. The workshop consisted of cracker barrel sessions and keynote speeches by Earl Lambert, Certified Life Coach, Chevi Rabbit, Make-up Artist and Northland School Division’s very own, Deborah Gladue-McLeod, St. Theresa School (Wabasca-Desmarais) Teacher. Deborah was selected as the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) Zone 1 Edwin Parr Award recipient. The event received very positive feedback from students and organizers are looking forward to hosting the fourth annual workshop!

Click on the link to learn more about workshop http://nsd61.ca/download/21502

Little Buffalo School students exploring careers such as education, oil and gas, health-care and much more!

Deborah Gladue-McLeod talks to students about pursuing a career in education

Peace Fest in Conklin

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A literacy fest for the ages at Conklin Community School! Conklin staff, students, parents and community members in partnership with Cenovus Energy organized Peace Fest 2014. The November 10th festival celebrated Literacy and recog-nized the importance of Remembrance Day.

The morning began with a Remembrance Day service in the school gymnasium. The assembly featured the singing of O’ Canada, a prayer read by Local School Board Committee Chairperson Margaret Quintal, a moment of silence, a rendition of the Last Post and the laying of the wreaths. Conklin students paid tribute to the armed forces through poetry, readings and visual messages. For example, kindergarten to grade 2 students performed In Flanders Fields and grades 3-4-5 stu-dents shared Messages of Peace on t-shirts.

Following the service, the Conklin school community enjoyed stew and bannock for lunch before diving into the world of literacy! Students rotated through a series of activities:

Book Buddies: Students gathered in the library to read books. They read with other students, parents, teachers or visitors from Cenovus.

Peace Tree: Students gathered knowledge about peace symbols and coloured peace symbols for the Peace Tree. Music: Students experienced a music time machine listening to songs about keeping the peace. For example, Buffalo

Springfield – For What It’s Worth. Post Cards: Students created post cards and wrote kind messages of thanks and gratitude to the veterans who

served our country in wars and peace keeping missions. The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss: Students watched The Butter Battle Book video. The book tells the story of a land

where two hostile cultures, the Yooks and the Zooks, live on opposite sides of wall similar to the Berlin Wall. The main dispute between the two cultures is that the Yooks eat their bread with the butter side up, while the Zooks eat their bread with the butter side down.

Peace Fest concluded with students receiving certificates from Cenovus and placing peace symbols on the Peace Tree. Conklin Community School and Northland School Division would like to thank students, parents, staff, community mem-bers and Cenovus Energy for contributing to the success of Peace Fest!

Little Buffalo School receives Book Donation

Little Buffalo School received a large donation of books recently! David Dorward, MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar and Associate Minister of Aboriginal Relations, donat-ed books to the students while visiting the community. The collection includes picture books, early readers and chapter books. The students would like to thank the Honourable for supporting Little Buffalo School and literacy!

November 21-22, 2014 Board Highlights are available on our new website! Click on the link to view stories about a Career Explorations Camp, Cultural Camps in Marten Lake and the Combined Three Year Education Plan for 2014-2017 and Annual Education Results Report (AERR) 2013-2014.

http://nsd61.ca/download/22314

November Board Meeting Highlights

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Hand Games Tournament in Fort Chipewyan

Athabasca Delta Community School hosted a Hands Games tournament recently. The tournament final featured a match-up between the Power Rangers and the Bannock Brothers. The competition was intense but in the end the Power Rang-ers prevailed! With the victory, the Power Rangers will travel to Behchoko, Northwest Territories for the Youth Hand Games in February! Congratulations to them and to all of the participants!

Students and staff at Gift Lake School participated in Operation Christmas Child for the first time! The program presents an opportunity for people to fill shoeboxes full of gifts and donate them to less fortunate worldwide. Students in grades 7-9 filled the shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items like toothbrushes and candy! Each box includes a letter and a photo from students and is addressed to either a boy or girl and a specific age range. Students donated 25 boxes and Teacher Karissa Jackman says she is very proud of her students!

Back Row: Lee Haroldson, Teacher, Bob Heyde, Principal, Keanu Anderson, Riley Calahaison, Larry Yellowknee, Kye Anderson, Jacob Laderoute, Quinton Gladue, Draydin Anderson, Ross Lampton Back Middle Row: Kerdessa Anderson, Jay Anderson, Dennis Gouchey-Anderson, Evan Ander-son, Abbygale Letandre, Anna Maria Courtorielle, Kashlyn L'Hirondelle, Sierra Cunningham, Braydon Auger, Sara Anderson Middle Front Row: Leila Auger, Jada Calliou, Patrick Yellowknee, Seattle Cunningham, Emma Anderson, Cotten Calahaison, Ivan Gouchey-Anderson, Tamara Courtorielle, Rachel Anderosn

Gift Lake School in the Christmas Spirit

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Do you know a student who demonstrates leadership and inspires others through embracing and respecting Aboriginal perspec-tives? Then nominate them for the Indigenous Shining Student Award!

Head to the Northland School Division website for more information!

http://www.asba.ab.ca/shining-student-award/

St. Theresa School Students visit the Elder’s Lodge

Music Workshop at Hillview School Music and storytelling ruled the day at Hillview School recently. Walter MacDonald White Bear, an educator, performer and motivational speaker, visited the school to educate students about First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) culture through music and storytelling! Students danced away to the sounds of drums and listened to Walter play the Native American Flute.

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Grade 4 students at St. Theresa School in Wabasca-Desmarais visited the Elder’s lodge in Novem-ber. They read the “Circle of Life” books to the Elders and then the Elders shared stories about the good old days.

Excellence in Teaching Awards

Alberta’s Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize outstanding educators who inspire students to reach their full potential. We know you know excellent teachers and principals. Honour an exceptional teacher or principal by submitting a nomina-tion by February 6, 2015. Parents, students, teacher colleagues, principals, superintendents and members of the public can nominate a teacher or a principal. Click on the link below or head to our new website www.nsd61.ca.

http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/excellence.aspx

“Every student is a lifelong learner and successful in life”

Bag 1400 9809-77th Avenue Peace River, AB T8S-1V2 Phone: 780-624-2060 Fax: 780-624-5914 Email:

Peerless Lake School receives Science Donation

Northern Lakes College, a Northland School Division partner, donated science lab supplies to Peerless Lake School for the 2014-2015 school year! The college has changed their science delivery program and wanted to make sure the equipment didn’t go to waste. Jim Meldrum, Health and Safety Officer, Northern Lakes College says the sci-ence supplies consist of beakers, clamps, flasks and materials to perform dissections. The donation is another example of the working relationship between Northern Lakes College and Northland School Division.

View more stories on our new

website!

www.nsd61.ca

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Science Fair at Elizabeth School

Elizabeth School held its annual science fair No-

vember 27th. The fair presented an opportunity

for students to show off their science knowledge

and have some fun in the process. The school had

a number of exciting displays by elementary and

junior high students. They had to demonstrate the

use of the scientific method in their projects and

they needed to be able to present what they knew

to our guest judges.

Congratulation to all participants!