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The Centre magazine highlights the great work of the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) and the Manitoba First Nations School System (MFNSS) with a focus on promoting the First Nations languages and cultures of these lands.
Winter 2024 – New Premier Hits CKP
The Centre is published each season and contains stories that let people know how the Resource Centre and MFNSS are working in collaboration with First Nations and making an impact on the First Nations they serve. The Resource Centre and MFNSS are full of passionate people who are dedicated to making a better future for First Nations youth and families. The Resource Centre staff have stories to share about the students and the impact that educational strategies, like land-based learning, are having on First Nations’ future generations. There are stories about young people being given the tools they need to overcome the challenges they face and stories about the choices First Nations are making to strengthen their languages, cultures, and unity.
We hope you enjoy this edition of The Centre.
Click Image for the full Magazine Issue.
Highlights
A new school year starts and the work begins to uplift First Nations youth in their local schools. I enjoy seeing the smiling faces of the students and staff as a new school year begins.
The benefits of science fairs. The Resource Centre’s Science and Technology facilitator, Alberto Mansilla, has seen the impact that submitting an experiment for a science fair and then presenting the work to others has had on students across the province.
Norbert Mercredi has been chasing snow snakes since he was a boy. Throwing snow snakes, or Sosoman, as the game is called in Swampy Cree, involves tossing or sliding spear-like sticks across the ice and snow. Sosoman helps develop the values, skills, and physical strength needed for living.
When she first arrived, Nenaanikwe (Skywoman) floated over the world, not touching it. She saw the great variety of life on Earth and thought, “This is a beautiful place that should never, ever be destroyed.” In her travels among the stars, she had never witnessed anything as special as the many different beings of Earth, …
The Instructional Resource Centre (IRC) offers teachers and staff access to support materials and resources to reinforce their educational plans. TheIRC operates like a standard library, functioning as a central hub for accessing lesson plans, reading resources, activities, and teaching concepts. However, it distinguishes itself from other libraries by offering First Nations Traditional Knowledge and …
SEAMLESS ACCESS, EFFORTLESS LEARNING CONNECT is the Resource Centre’s innovative eLearningsolution that’s changing the way students and teachersexperience education.
Past Issues
2023 Winter
Why is Land-Based Learning Important?
Some Elders say, “You are the land your people live on.” The land’s influence touches everything from chores to etiquette to prayers. Even on the physical level, foods that mothers eat, harvested from around their homes, form the bodies of their children. When people move onto land, they develop a lifestyle as they collect the …
Night Sky Stories: Teaching Tradition Through the Sky
Richard Keeper learned how to use the stars as guides when he went out on the land to hunt and fish. Now, he teaches his star knowledge within First Nations schools using an inflatable planetarium. Keeper hopes the teachings will help First Nations students find their way back to their culture. As a member of …
Two-Eyed Seeing: Two Perspectives of the Modern World
Imagine seeing the world in two different ways at the same time—one vision of the past and one of the future. The term “Two-Eyed Seeing” is often used in research, health, and teachings within First Nations. The idea is to understand the strengths within two worldviews—Western science and Indigenous knowledge—and then bring them together to …
Seven Teachings in the Digital Age: Connecting Students to their Schools
Video games and online interactions are so much a part of children’s lives that students now distinguish between what happens IRL (in real life) and what happens in the digital world. It is logical for educators to want to venture into this new digital world and harness its potential to reach and teach today’s students. …
Robotics in the Classroom
Robotics in the Classroom Michael Li has no problem convincing teachers or students to participate in the robotics program provided by the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the Resource Centre). As a language/technology developer within the Science and Technology team, Li is passionate about teaching the robotics program, and he finds inspiration in witnessing …
2023 Spring
Supporting the Inclusion of the TRC’s Calls to Action Within Education
On April 14, 2023, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) was pleased to sign on to the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint (the Blueprint) and its efforts to engage and enact the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action that mention First Nations education and the needs of First Nations …
Message from Chair of the Board
Welcome to the spring edition of The Centre! This issue shares some of the exciting events of the winter at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) and affiliated First Nations schools. Other than a few bumps here and there, schools have enjoyed a year without many pandemic concerns. In-person activities are …
Truth and Reconciliation in Scholastic Esports.
The Manitoba First Nations School System (MFNSS) recently partnered with the Manitoba School Esports Association (MSEA) to host the first annual Scholastic Esports Expo on May 25 and 26! Esports is a positive step for students in MFNSS, as it allows them to engage in competitive gaming while promoting positive outcomes regarding their academic and …
MFNERC School Psychologist Talks About Mental Health and Research within School
School Psychologists Assist Students Using a First Nations Lens. Having First Nations school psychologists working with youth in the schools affiliated with the Resource Centre provides a deeper understanding of shared experiences and cultural differences. Modern psychology, built around a European perspective, often lacks room for First Nations cultural understandings and has a narrow focus …
A Brief History of First Nations Education in Manitoba
First Nations Ways of Learning The path of First Nations education in what is now known as Manitoba is a long and interesting story, which begins with the thousands and thousands of years when First Nations had full control of their children and their lives. The knowledge needed to live in the sometimes harsh environment …
2023 Fall
Message from the Chair of the Board
A new school year starts and the work begins to uplift First Nations youth in their local schools. I enjoy seeing the smiling faces of the students and staff as a new school year begins.
Changing Lives through Science Fairs
The benefits of science fairs. The Resource Centre’s Science and Technology facilitator, Alberto Mansilla, has seen the impact that submitting an experiment for a science fair and then presenting the work to others has had on students across the province.
Chasing Snow Snakes & Learning Traditional Skills
Norbert Mercredi has been chasing snow snakes since he was a boy. Throwing snow snakes, or Sosoman, as the game is called in Swampy Cree, involves tossing or sliding spear-like sticks across the ice and snow. Sosoman helps develop the values, skills, and physical strength needed for living.
Skywoman Learns & Lands
When she first arrived, Nenaanikwe (Skywoman) floated over the world, not touching it. She saw the great variety of life on Earth and thought, “This is a beautiful place that should never, ever be destroyed.” In her travels among the stars, she had never witnessed anything as special as the many different beings of Earth, …
Accessing Traditional Knowledge Online at the IRC Library
The Instructional Resource Centre (IRC) offers teachers and staff access to support materials and resources to reinforce their educational plans. TheIRC operates like a standard library, functioning as a central hub for accessing lesson plans, reading resources, activities, and teaching concepts. However, it distinguishes itself from other libraries by offering First Nations Traditional Knowledge and …
Unlocking 21st Century Learning with Connect
SEAMLESS ACCESS, EFFORTLESS LEARNING CONNECT is the Resource Centre’s innovative eLearningsolution that’s changing the way students and teachersexperience education.
The Shop
MFNERC’s collection of books, posters, multimedia projects, and other materials is growing rapidly. The collection gives attention to First Nations cultures, histories, and languages.
2022 Fall
First Nations Working for First Nations:
The Benefits of Joining the Manitoba First Nations School System
Clinicians Step up to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the ResourceCentre) did its utmost to help the First Nations it serves respond to the many challenges created by the health crisis. One of the ways the Resource Centre offered help was by lending their clinically trained staff to the Manitoba First Nations Pandemic …
Neveah’s Story: Inspiring Others to Do More
New Service for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired Christina Valiquette gets a bit teary when she speaks about the little girl that inspired her to become a blind and visual impairment educator. Valiquette, who is from the Poplar River First Nation, saw the social media posts of a distant relative who was struggling …
2019 Winter
MFNERC’s Training Institute
MFNERC’s Training Institute provides accredited professional development required to run innovative programming in First Nations schools. Participants are mainly First Nations staff employed at either First Nations schools or MFNERC. The Institute develops and maintains partnerships with accrediting institutions, First Nations councils, education directors, participating First Nations, education directors, and the government. The Institute currently …
A First Nations Funding Model
In accordance with its mandate from Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Chiefs-in-Assembly, MFNERC has worked to support First Nations control of First Nations education. Adequate, predictable, and sustainable funding for education has been one of the top priorities for First Nations since Wahbung in 1971 and community-level discussions through the AMC self-government process in the 1990s. In …
A Unique Resource: American Sign Language at MFNERC
Vernon Jebb is an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor/support worker at MFNERC. Vernon has spent the majority of his life deaf after he contracted meningitis at nine-months-old. Originally from The Pas, Manitoba, Vernon’s family came to Winnipeg when he was two-years-old to access the supports that he needed. They received services from the Central Speech …
Northern Reading Recovery Training Centre Experiences Success
Teachers from northern First Nations enrolled in Thompson’s Reading Recovery Training Centre’s in-service course are reporting successes in the classroom. These teachers are from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (Nelson House), Bunibonibee Cree Na- tion (Oxford House), Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake), Northlands Denesuline First Na- tion (Lac Brochet), Fox Lake Cree Nation, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation (South …
Island Lake Regional Science Fair Winners
Congratulations to the finalists of the 3rd Annual Island Lake Regional Science Fair held in St. Theresa Point First Nation, February 6 and 7, 2019. Although judges were impressed with the innovative projects and the con- fidence in which they were pre- sented, only three finalists can move on to the Canada-Wide Science Fair in …
First Nations Languages Strategy
On January 1, 2019, the United Nations (UN) launched the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde ad- dressed the UN Assembly urging Ca nadians and all parliamentarians to support the revitalization, reclama- tion, and protection of First Nations languages in Canada. The Indige- nous Languages Act is …
MFNERC Turns Twenty
Message from the Chairperson, Chief Clarence Easter, Chemawawin Cree Nation On behalf of the MFNERC Board of Directors, I welcome you to a new issue of the Centre’s community- focused newsletter. This newsletter highlights the organizations’ ongoing programs, and I feel honoured to share this information with you. Throughout this newsletter, you will read of …
2017 Winter
Message from the Executive Director
Happy New Year! On behalf of all of us at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, I would like to welcome back all the educators and staff to the schools. It is my hope that you are well rested and had a wonderful holiday season. Here are some things to take note of as …
MFNERC Cohorts
MFNERC’s Training Institute uses the term “cohort” a lot; and, simply put, it means a group of individuals who have something in common.
On the Horizon: Lighting the Fire 2017
Every year in May, MFNERC brings together hundred of educators, experts, Elders and community members for our annual Lighting the Fire Education Conference.
Science Symposium: A Look Back
MFNERC hosts a variety of science focused student gatherings throughout the school year.