It’s that time of year again—time to get our classrooms ready for a new school year. Some of you are veterans in the classroom, and some of you are teaching a class for the first time. And, some of you aren’t necessarily new teachers, but new to MFNERC or MFNSS and coming into a new community and a new school. It’s an exciting time for all, and we want you to feel ready and prepared.
Did you know about the Instructional Resource Centre (IRC)? The IRC provides curriculum materials to the First Nations schools in Manitoba. As a lending library, all materials are available to teachers, principals, and staff within the First Nations educational system. Reach out and get yourself acquainted with Holly Fontaine, IRC Library Facilitator in our Winnipeg Office at 1200 Portage Ave. (hollyf@mfnerc.com or phone 204-594-1290, ext. 2174). Or, if you’re closer to Thompson, you should get to know Barb Dollmont, Library Technician for our Thompson location at 69-C Thompson Dr. North (barbd@mfnerc.com or toll-free 1-877-506-1568, ext. 4004).
To date, there are over the 7,000 records on our IRC database. The subject scope includes areas such as math, science, English Language Arts, First Nations languages, and special education. The IRC also has Reading Recovery, reading intervention, phonics, and novel study kits. Don’t be shy about using these resources; we cover the cost to ship to the MFNERC or MFNSS school where you work.
Some of you might love to decorate the classroom for the new school year (maybe some of you dread it). We have you covered with posters in our online shop, including those in the five First Nations languages of Manitoba. We also have educational books and DVDs grounded in strong Indigenous content, with particular attention given to First Nations cultures, histories, and languages (mfnerc.org/the-shop/).
