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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.

Fall 2024 – Top-Of-The-Line Transition: Kinonjeoshtegon Joins MFNSS

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.

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Past Issues

2024 Winter

Making the Most of Mathematics: Teaching Difficult Concepts Using First Nations Technology

Mathematics is a language of numbers that can describe almost everything in the physical world. Increasing the skills of First Nations students within this dialect of figures and equations is important so they have this valuable tool to build a good life. That means training teachers in how this complex language can be made more …

MFNERC’s Communication Program at the Manitoba School for the Deaf: Learning about Deaf Culture through ASL and Interactive Experiences

The Resource Centre, in partnership with the Manitoba School for the Deaf (MSD), offers a unique program for First Nations students using American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language. The partnership provides the opportunity for First Nations students and their families to attend MSD one week per month during the school year. The goal …

The Inaugural Youth Land-Based Numeracy Fair Summed Up as a Success.

On October 20, 2023, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) held the first Youth Land-Based Numeracy Fair, hosted by the Resource Centre’s Numeracy team and supported by Languages and Cultures facilitators, at St. Vital Park in Winnipeg. The land-based activities aimed to provide a culturally relevant education connected to numeracy concepts …

A Day in the Life of A URIS Nurse

The Resource Centre’s Unified Referral and Intake System (URIS) nurses act as a vital lifeline, weaving a safety net to ensure First Nations students with special healthcare needs thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. URIS nurses actively work to create school environments where every unique requirement of a child is not just met but …

Resource Centre Awarded for its work with STEM

On November 8, 2023, the Resource Centre was presented with the inaugural National Indigenous STEM Award for excellence in advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in First Nations schools, by award sponsor Let’s Talk Science. The award was presented at the First Nations Education Administrators Association’s National Gathering: Indigenous STEM, held at the Fairmont …

Picking a Path: Better Service Through School Planning

When Davin Dumas was the Education Director of Fisher River Cree Nation, he engaged the larger community in goal setting and long-term planning for the local schools. “I felt it was important to bring in the Elders, to bring in the parents, and to make sure a representativeof the Chief and Council was there to …

SAKASTEW SCHOOL VENTURES ON A DIGITAL JOURNEY WITH SUPPORT FROM THE RESOURCE CENTRE

On March 21, 2024, teachers, administrators, and educational assistants from Sakastew School in Pukatawagan received special training from the Resource Centre’s Digital Learning Environment (DLE) team, who introduced them to CONNECT—an innovative platform designed to enhance First Nations digital learning and empower education.

First Nations Rock-Climbing Championship

History was made at Bloodvein First Nation’s Miskooseepi School when it hosted the first-ever Indigenous-held indoor rock-climbing championship. The event, held on January 25, 2024, promoted physical education and brought together students from four First Nations schools. At a towering 25 feet, the climbing wall was a source of awe and enthusiasm for the Grade …

Celebrating the Many Minds and Many Voices Who Contributed to First Nations Education

Held from May 8th to 10th, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre’s (the Resource Centre) 2024 Lighting the Fire Conference (#LTF2024) celebrated 25 years of member First Nations controlling their children’s education. Established in 1998 by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Resource Centre has provided first- and second-level services to 51 schools from …

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 …

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 …

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 …

girl standing in front of monitor with connect active on screen

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.

Making the Most of Memories

Old and New: A Vision for Bunibonibee’s New High School

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 …

Fall 2024 – Top-Of-The-Line Transition: Kinonjeoshtegon Joins MFNSS

Past Issues

2024 Winter

2024 Spring

2023 Winter

2023 Spring

2023 Fall

2022 Fall

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