School board raising culture awareness

Near North District School Board
News Release

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The Near North District School in partnership with our Aboriginal partners organized five meetings, [April 24, 25, 30 and May 2 in North Bay and May 1st in Parry Sound], to raise an awareness of aboriginal culture.

These training sessions are designed to provide Near North District teachers and administrators with a better understanding of the issues facing our Aboriginal students and how our schools can best meet their needs and improve student achievement. The sessions will showcase aboriginal culture, issues and Ministry perspectives on Aboriginal education.

The Ministry of Education’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework was designed to provide schools and school boards with approaches to improve aboriginal students’ literacy and numeracy skills, train teachers in teaching methods that are appropriate for Aboriginal students, increase the number of Aboriginal staff working in school boards and encourage parents to become more involved in their children’s education and school.

During these sessions, Elder Peter Beaucage will provide insight on the perspectives of Aboriginal people, historic events and struggles, the revitalization of Aboriginal culture and the impact of assimilation. Byron Brisard, Aboriginal Education Officer will lead a hands-on activity session on Aboriginal perspectives in the curriculum.

The Near North District School Board is very excited about these presentations that are sure to be informative and useful for all the participants and will result in positive outcomes for all of our students.

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