Treaty 4 student success program

So staff developed the Attendance Improvement Intervention Plan. When a student in one of the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education's schools reaches 15 absences, the principal invites the child's parents, a school counselor and the director of education to meet. Together they discuss how the student's chronic absence or lateness is affecting his or her report card.

They explore the reasons why the student isn't arriving at school. But we're prepared with solutions, too. Staff and parents then work together to create an Attendance Improvement Intervention Plan. They identify an attendance ally for the student. The ally, whether they be a friend, relative or neighbor, can check on the student in the mornings and provide a no-questions-asked ride to school when needed.

The group also sets a new goal for attendance. Parents sign off on consequences—such as doing extra project work or helping teachers after school—if the student falls short of the goal. It's a powerful approach that unites home and school. Parents not only help to create the Attendance Improvement Intervention Plan, they also help reinforce the value of education. By insisting that kids go to class every day and arrive on time, parents show that they care about school and about their kids.

Simply asking, "What did you do at school today? Sometimes peer pressure can be a good thing. Perhaps the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education's most imaginative new incentive to improve attendance is fostering student competition. For every day of perfect attendance, each class earns a letter to post outside their room. It's a race. The first class to collect all 17 letters in the phrase earns a reward: a movie day, a pizza party or some other special treat of the children's choosing.

When one class reaches the goal or better yet, when several classes do—the letters come down and the contest starts over. It's a simple, powerful tool for motivating kids to come to school each day. Their classmates are counting on them, after all.

Attendance has risen by nearly one percent each year. The Kana:takon School in St. Regis, Quebec saw a sharp single-year increase: a four percent jump between the — and —12 school years.

Among the three Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education schools, attendance has risen by 2. For a board serving students, that means 11 more boys and girls at their desks. The percentages may seem small, but the long-term benefit of guiding 11 more children through the school system each year is incalculable. He also stresses how important it is for kids to have access to caring, well-trained adult role models: "When kids attend school regularly, staff members can offer tutoring, counseling and coaching that can make an enormous difference in kids' lives.

Montour is confident that the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education's impressive attendance gains are just the beginning. It's not a fluke," he says. The Trillium student information management system collects and aggregates data such as demographics contact, transportation and family info , enrollment, attendance, achievement tracking and reporting, scheduling and special education.

Perched on the shores of Lake Huron, the community of Wikwemikong experiences plenty of waves. Some have more impact than others. They've made major technological upgrades to improve efficiency, spark imagination and help students move forward in their studies. The Students Achieve product suite works seamlessly with Trillium to provide fast and thorough data analysis.

The Wikwemikong Board of Education's first step was to take control of its data. Information technology experts implemented the Trillium student information management system board-wide. Before the software was introduced, staff at Pontiac School and Wasse-Abin Junior School laboriously entered student information into spreadsheets and filed hard copies.

Now educators and administrators can access all student data from busing information to test results—with a few keystrokes. The board's IT support staff also modified the software to simplify attendance reporting to Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Wikwemikong Board of Education, Education Director Dominic Beaudry says, "the Trillium software, in concert with another product suite called Students Achieve, has transformed planning at every level and data now drives our board.

It begins before the first day of school. The new applications generate class lists highlighting struggling students or students with other challenges that may require alterations to lesson plans and assessments. Educators can begin each term with an individual education plan in place for those students, rather than reacting days or weeks later.

New data feeds new ideas. Administrators instituted more responsive six-week learning cycles in all three schools. Educators no longer have to wait until report card time or for Education Quality Accountability Office EQAO test scores to see how a given class or individual student is performing.

Teachers can make changes to assessments or lesson plans during or between learning cycles. Better data and analysis leads to better classroom planning—and better test results. The Wikwemikong Board of Education's EQAO results for — show marked improvements across the board: by 31 percent in math, 16 percent in reading and 20 percent in writing.

The new Wikwemikong Board of Education website is a single, comprehensive source for board and school information. Beaudry says the site and the new board-wide web mail system have broken down the information barriers that once isolated schools and employees. Staff members are no longer writing, printing and copying memos. They're freed from paperwork to be and feel more productive," he says. This technological revolution isn't just for teachers and administrators it's also at the students' fingertips.

Smart boards are popping up in more classrooms, too. They're awed by them," says Beaudry. The junior school was already using smart boards, but now the elementary school and high school have access to the technology as well. Beaudry and his principals have big plans for maintaining the momentum. Administrators want to purchase more hardware and make the Wikwemikong Board of Education's IT support role a full-time position.

Members recognize that FNSSP funding has been indispensable in ensuring that Wikwemikong Board of Education continue to surf the technological wave, thereby greatly enhancing the students' learning experience and improved educational outcomes. Beaudry says, "We're determined to continue what we've started in Wikwemikong and we're ready to take another big leap forward. You can never have too many books. It's a common problem in schools.

In partnership with the Cape Breton Regional Library, Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey created Library in the Classroom LIC , an initiative designed to augment classroom resources and nurture students' interest in reading. It began—as so many good things do—by talking with a librarian. Introductory niceties—"What do you do? In many cases, it's a distance problem. Some First Nation schools are 40 kilometers from the nearest library.

Teachers find it difficult—and expensive—to get fresh, relevant curriculum resources. But Ciavaglia and MacDougall had an idea. If teachers and students couldn't get to the library, the library could come to them. Together, Ciavaglia and MacDougall created a pilot project to bring books from the 13 branches of the Cape Breton Regional Library into two Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey schools. The three participating teachers provided lists of subjects related to the curriculum.

The libraries selected relevant titles at appropriate reading levels, and Ciavaglia delivered bins filled with books to the classrooms each month. She became a one-woman bookmobile. As more and more teachers asked to participate, Ciavaglia realized she needed help.

As part of Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey's success planning process, Ciavaglia and FNSSP Director Laurianne Stevens wrote a proposal for funding to hire a part-time staff member to take over the book requests and deliveries. A professional photographer and busy mom of two, Scirocco-Paul is also pursuing her BA in Community Studies at Cape Breton University with an eye to reaching teacher's college. Asked how she manages all these responsibilities, she says: "I'm mobile. Communicating mostly via email on her phone, Scirocco-Paul relays requests to the library and keeps in touch with Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey's literacy consultant.

The initiative is planning a speaker series and social media campaigns to reach the Canadian public, and is encouraging individuals to sign a declaration calling for improved partnerships and reconciliation. The program combines curriculum with traditional skills and cultural activities, including drumming, hunting, and canoe-building. Now entering its third year, iCount is celebrating a high student retention rate and has grown steadily, requiring more staff and a larger space.

Oskayak High School in Saskatoon is also mentioned as a success story, where increased emphasis on First Nations culture has resulted in higher graduation rates. Huffington Post. NorQuest will establish a liaison position for the mentorship program to recruit and train the peer mentors, and is also planning to establish an alumni chapter for Aboriginal students and graduates.

NorQuest News. The board of governors at the University of Manitoba has approved a new strategic enrolment strategy that focuses on increased graduate enrolment in programs such as science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine. The plan also focuses on increasing the number of self-declared Indigenous students on campus.

According to the plan, uManitoba hopes to increase Indigenous enrolment from 7. The WHD application was introduced in spring, and since that time technical support-related requests were logged, as shown in the graph.

These individuals receive training and mentorship to carry out basic onsite troubleshooting and support allowing for faster response time. This team meets approximately 6 times a year.

Since the school year, the eleven schools served by T4SSP, have experienced a steady increase in their annual enrolment. This is detailed in the graph below:. Data shows a surge in annual student enrolment, with the high schools demonstrating an increasing retention rate throughout the school year. Schools employ a variety of both teaching and non-teaching positions.

Each role is important to the quality of education and the success of children and young people. The Principal is the primary decision-maker in determining staff assignments to best suit the needs of the school.

To assist management in fulfilling its responsibilities, a system of internal controls has been established to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements are accurate and reliable and that assets are safeguarded. These financial statements have been examined by the independent auditors, Virtus Group LLP, and their report is presented separately. Statement of Operations March 31, Budget unaudited Note Its main functions are to provide education services to Treaty Four schools emphasizing cultural and traditional values.

Significant accounting policies These financial statements have been prepared by management, in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations which required management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the period.

The following summary presents a description of those accounting policies that have an important impact on these financial statements. Financial intruments - recognition and measurement Financial assets and financial liabilities are recorded on the statement of financial position when the Program becomes party to the contractual provisions of the financial instrument. All financial instruments are required to be recognized at fair value upon initial recognition, except for certain related party transactions.

Measurement in subsequent periods of equity instruments is at fair value. All other financial assets and financial liabilities are subsequently measured at amortized cost adjusted by transaction costs, which are amortized over the expected life of the instrument.

Changes in fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value are recognized in statement of operations.

When there is an indication of impairment and such impairment is determined to have occurred, the carrying amount of financial assets measured at amortized cost is reduced to the greater of the discounted cash flows expected or the proceeds that could be realized from sale of the financial asset. Such impairments can be subsequently reversed if the value improves. Tangible capital assets Tangible capital assets are recorded at cost less accumulated amortization.

Amortization is provided over the estimated useful life of the assets at the following annual rates and methods: Furniture and equipment. Revenue recognition The Program enters into funding agreements with government agencies and other organizations.

This funding is recorded in the period specified in the agreement. Interest and rental revenue are recorded in the period such amounts are earned. Notes to the Financial Statements Year ended March 31, 2. Significant accounting policies continued Income taxes The Program is a non-profit organization and is exempt from income taxes under Section 1 l of the Income Tax Act, and is exempt under the Treaty right to Taxation Immunity.

Deferred revenue The Program receives its funding based on a fiscal period ending March 31, every year. If funding is received prior to year end, but has not completed delivery of all the service obligations encompassed by its various funding agreements, this funding is deferred to the subsequent year when the service will be delivered.

At year-end, the line of credit was not utilized. Notes to the Financial Statements Year ended March 31, 6. Commitments and contingency The Program leases office space under an agreement requiring aggregate minimum payments over the next five years as follows: The Program is subject to certain legal matters arising in the normal course of business, none of which are expected to materially affect the financial results of the Program. Costs incurred, if any, as a result of settling these matters will be reported in the year of settlement.

Non-cash operating working capital Details of the net change in each element of working capital relating to operations excluding cash are as follows: Increase decrease in current assets: Accounts receivable. Increase decrease in current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Deferred revenue. Notes to the Financial Statements Year ended March 31, Financial risk management The Program has a risk management framework to monitor, evaluate and manage the principal risks assumed with financial instruments.

The significant risks to which the Program is exposed are: Credit risk Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation.