Welcome to the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre’s (the Resource Centre) Lighting the Fire (LTF) Conference for 2023!
This year’s theme Break Through to Excellence in First Nations Education goes to the heart of the Resource Centre’s goals, mandate, and work. After decades of hard work by trailblazing First Nations leaders, Elders, and educators, First Nations can now express their right and responsibility to educate their own children. Due to their efforts, we have a foundation to achieve equality and excellence in education and education outcomes.
What does “break through to excellence” look like? It’s seen in the dedication within the Resource Centre’s leadership and staff to deliver quality education to First Nations students. It’s seen in the artists, creators, writers, and other Resource Centre staff who work to develop books, resources, and other tools to ensure teachers and schools can better teach in the local First Nations language. It’s seen in the attention to detail and caring that the Resource Centre’s clinical and technology staff show when working for the students and schools. And, of course, it is seen in the day-to-day work of administrators, educators, and other school staff who spend so much time developing the next day’s lessons and deciding how best to reach the students in their care.
The annual LTF Conference is held to share the many professions, careers, experiences, knowledges, and teachings found within the Resource Centre’s staff and beyond. We hope attendees can further develop their ability to teach and support the First Nations students and families we all serve.
Thank you for taking part in #LTF2023, and we hope you enjoy the workshops and fellowship. May you leave with a few more ideas and new friends.
Aaniin/Boozhoo; Wajeeye; Ho/Han; Wotziye/Edlanet’e; Tānsi!
It is incredibly good to be with everyone at the 2023 Lighting the Fire Conference (LTF). When you leave this event, I hope you’ve made new friends and learned something to help you serve our students and schools better. May you be refreshed by sharing experiences and laughter—something that always seems to happen when we all get together.
One of our keynote speakers, Dr. Courtney Leary, grew up on Norway House Cree Nation, dreaming of becoming a healer for her people. After having to leave home to complete university and training, she eventually returned to her First Nation to live out her vision. I am excited to hear about her journey as a First Nations person who has gone through some of the most stringent parts of the Canadian education system and what she has found on the other side.
#LTF2023 has a wide range of workshops, from CPR training to star teachings in the planetarium to ribbon skirt making. I hope you leave with some new knowledge that will help you break through in your area of expertise to a higher level for the First Nations students who are the focal point of our work.
I believe the theme, Break Through to Excellence in First Nations Education, is about ensuring our students have every chance at achieving mino-pimatisiwin, honso aynai, and tokatakiya wichoni washte (a good life) and the best possible futures. Our students should be able to speak their language, live their culture, and have the tools to succeed in any environment. This is what excellence in First Nations education means. I know you are as dedicated to this goal as we are here at the Resource Centre and MFNSS.
Thank you for taking the time to further develop your experience, knowledge, and skills by attending #LTF2023.
Charles Cochrane
Executive Director, MFNERC
Conference Overview
Tuesday, May 9
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Pre-Registration (Centennial 4 & 5)
Tradeshow Booth Set-Up and Welcome (Wellington Room)
Wednesday, May 10
8:00 am – Pipe Ceremony (Tipi East Foyer) – Elder Phillip Paynter
Registration (Centennial 4 & 5)
Tradeshow (Wellington Room)
Breakfast (Centennial Ballroom)
9:00 am – Opening Ceremonies (Centennial Ballroom)
Grand Entry
Drum Group – Walking Wolf Ray “Coco” Stevenson and Group
Opening Prayer – Elder Phillip Paynter
Master of Ceremonies – Jason Bone
9:30 am – Welcoming Remarks
Charles Cochrane – MFNERC Executive Director
MFNERC Chairperson – Clarence Easter, Chemawawin Cree Nation
First Nations Leadership
TBA
10:00 am – 10:45 am – Keynote Address
Keynote Speaker – Dr. Courtney Leary
10:45 am – 11:00 am – Health Break
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Honouring of Science Fair and Essay Contest Winners
12:00 pm – 1:10 pm – Lunch (Provided) (Centennial Ballroom)
Entertainment – Mattmac
1: 10 pm – 4:00 pm – Workshops, Sessions 1 & 2
Thursday, May 11
8:00 am – Pipe Ceremony (Tipi East Foyer) – Elder Wally Swain
Registration (Centennial 4 & 5)
Tradeshow (Wellington Room)
Breakfast (Centennial Ballroom)
9:30 am – Recap of Day 1
10:00 am – Keynote Address
Keynote Speaker – Emil Easter, MFNERC
10:45 am – 12:00 pm – Workshops, Session 3
12:00 pm – 1:10 pm – Lunch (Provided) (Centennial Ballroom)
Entertainment – Jig Master, Ryan Richard and United Thunder
1:10 pm -4:00 pm – Workshops, Sessions 4 & 5
Friday, May 12
8:00 am – Pipe Ceremony (Tipi East Foyer) – Elder Phillip Paynter
Breakfast – Centennial Ballroom
Keynote Speaker – Rachel Beaulieu, MFNERC
9:10 am – 12:00 pm – Workshops, Sessions 6 & 7
12:00 pm – 1:10 pm – Lunch (Provided) (Centennial Ballroom)
Entertainment – Walking Wolf Ray “Coco” Stevenson with Singers and Dancers
1:10 pm – Closing Ceremonies (Centennial Ballroom)
Closing Remarks – Charles Cochrane, Executive Director
Closing Prayer – Elder Phillip Paynter
Closing Song – Walking Wolf Ray “Coco” Stevenson
333,000 Ways to Achieve Educational Success, Parent/Child Bonding, and Increase Graduation Rates
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy F
Presenters: Karyn Davis, Loretta Sinclair, Phyllis Racette
Audience: all
The Resource Centre is in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library program has delivered over 165,000 free, monthly books right to preschoolers’ mailboxes in 24 First Nations affiliated with Resource Centre. The program assists families in many ways so that children can work toward success in school! Come and find out how families enjoy the Imagination Library program, get a head-start on learning, and feel empowered with these significant resources.
Anxiety, Self-Regulation, and Self-Care Resources for All
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 6
Presenters: Gerald Shaganash, Kaylyn McBurney-Flett
Audience: educators, educational assistants, support staff, parents, guardians, and caregivers
This hands-on, activity-based workshop looks at various classroom supports for all learners. Each participant will create a book of tools they can use to assist them with children who may be experiencing anxiety and or who need help with self-regulation, emphasizing self-care.
Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) Place Names Project
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy A
Presenters: Roland Bohr, Jennie Tait
Audience: all
This project aims to recover, reclaim, revitalize, and validate Rocky Cree knowledge of their places and place names. The people of the Rocky Cree communities of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN, Nelson House) and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation (OPCN, South Indian Lake) have lived in the region of the Churchill River drainage since time before memory. The Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) have maintained their own histories and ways of knowing through traditions of recording and remembering, passed on in oral and written forms, through webs of relationships and culturally mediated protocols.
Classrooms Providing Optimal Access to Communication—Helping Students Who Are Deaf, Are Hard of Hearing, or Have Delayed Communication Skills
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy B
Presenters: Signe Badger, Mary Lou Pierrard
Audience: classroom teachers (Grades N–12), resource teachers, educational assistants, parents
This workshop will provide suggestions for creating a classroom with optimal access to communication for all students. Resources and programs developed by the Resource Centre’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing services will be highlighted.
Early Number Sense
Session 3, May 11, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy F
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy F
Presenters: Georgina Moody, Virginia Birch, Pamela Courchene
Audience: Grade K-3 teachers
In this session, participants will engage in hands-on activities for building number sense in the early years. Number sense is important in foundational concepts, including number meaning and relationships, subitizing, early operations, patterns, and place value. Participants will be provided with a USB with suggested activities.
Engage Students and Make Math Fun through Apps
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy B
Presenters: Pamela Courchene, Virginia Moose, Georgina Moody
Audience: Grades K-8 teachers
We have heard your cries in the dark. How can we make math fun for students and keep them engaged? In this session, participants will engage in math apps on iPads. We will demonstrate apps geared for those in early years to middle years and look at how the apps help meet curriculum outcomes. Suggestions on how to use apps in the classroom will be discussed.
First Nations Games
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Centennial 4
Presenter: Norbert Mercredi
Audience: physical education and health teachers, educational assistants, mental health and wellness providers
We will explore the games played by the First Nations Peoples of Turtle Island. Those attending will learn about the games’ history, language, and geographical areas and have a chance for hands-on interaction. Participants will engage in physical activities culturally relevant to mino-pimatisiwin (way of life\a good life) and that show the value and importance of living healthy lifestyles.
First Nations Original Worldviews
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Carlton Room
Presenters: Cherie Francois, Tina Cook-Martin
Audience: all
This workshop will bring awareness to our individual mindsets. We’ll distinguish mainstream thought from original First Nations thought and bring awareness to individual worldviews. Reclaiming original First Nations cultures, spirituality, and mindsets involves placing value on our adverse experiences. Making peace with our past ends the vicious cycle of intergenerational trauma that originated in colonial assimilation practices such as residential schools and the Sixties Scoop.
Hands-On Lab Experience: Explore Connect and Outcomes SIS Technology
All Sessions, Kensington Room
Presenters: Don Monkman, Nicole Magne, Gary Page, Quincy Wai, Erik Reimann, Tyler Porznak, Vivian Xu, Vanessa Sinclair, Trisha Malanowich
Audience: school administration staff, principals, teachers
This drop-in computer lab runs during LTF workshop times and invites participants to experience the Resource Centre’s new technology initiative Connect, a powerful single-sign-on solution bringing education, learning, administration, and data management all in one place. The Resource Centre’s DLE team will provide one-on-one tours of Connect and assist with individual questions about using Outcomes SIS.
Advanced ASL: Identify and Describe a Person
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Embassy D
Presenter: Destiny Cordell
Audience: ASL learners, classroom teachers, resource teachers, educational assistants, parents, and administrators
This workshop is a fun, interactive way to learn American Sign Language! Attendees will learn how to identify and describe a person using sign language.
Art: The Cross-Curricular Tool
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy F
Presenter: Donna Prince
Audience: Grades 3–5 teachers
This session will look at art as a powerful teaching tool that helps educators build resources and strategies with cross-curricular learning in mind. Art allows for teacher and student-directed practice and offers ways for learners to connect and respond in the classroom, on the land, through artist galleries, and other modes of learning. We will explore art through games, activities, galleries, and fun writing tasks. Research has shown that when children create or study art, they experience improved cognitive and critical thinking skills; deeper connections to the world around them; and close examination of new messages or ideas.
Bangii’eta Anishinaabemodaa (Let’s speak a little bit of Ojibwe)
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 5
Presenters: Judy Doolittle, Cynthia Desjarlais, Darcy-Anne Thomas, Brenda Daniels, Rachel Beaulieu
Audience: all
In this session, Judy Doolittle, an Ojibwe speaker, shares her language strategy for promoting and supporting fluency for second-language learners. Her strategy features in the podcast Bangii’eta Anishinaabemodaa, produced at the Resource Centre and streamed over various social media channels. The podcast title translates to “Let’s speak a little bit of Ojibwe.” The podcast supports adult second-language learners by modelling learning in a relaxed learning context. When adults learn the language, school-aged children gain opportunities to use the language at home in addition to their language learning at school. In this way, Bangii’eta Anishinaabemodaa can create a bridge for the continuation of language learning for children in the home.
Dadavan SIS Outcomes: Revisit and FAQs
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy C
Presenters: Vanessa Sinclair, Trisha Malanowich, Vivian Xu
Audience: teachers, information workers, principals, administrative staff
This workshop offers a refresher course on Dadavan SIS Outcomes rather than a training session. We will look at commonly asked questions, how to enter and print transcripts, scheduling and switching students, removing and bringing students in from the transfer tank, and a brief review of report cards and learning behaviours.
EIS Reporting Process: Importing Outcomes High School Marks and Requesting MET Numbers
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy C
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Embassy C
Presenters: Vivian Xu, Trisha Malanowich, Vanessa Sinclair
Audience: school administrative staff, principals, information workers
This workshop will introduce the audience to the Manitoba Educational Information System (EIS) reporting process. We will demonstrate how to prepare, validate, and submit student information to the EIS Collection app using the latest Outcomes EIS high school marks export. The audience will also learn how to request student MET numbers in bulk.
Explore Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate
All Sessions, Embassy A
Presenters: Michelle Jonson, Delaney Appleyard, Ida Bear, Annie Boulanger
Audience: all educators
Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate is offering a session for teachers to learn how our virtual school works and about the exciting learning opportunities we offer our students. Participants will log onto tablets or their own device to be immersed in the online learning environment. Some of the courses that will be offered are Cree, Ojibway, Math, Science, and ELA. Come and see what we have to offer!
First Nations Oral Tradition: Storytelling
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy C
Presenters: Lucy Antsanen, Elder/Knowledge Keeper Fred Denechezhe
Audience: Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language teachers, classroom teachers, educational assistants, school administrators, education directors, community members
This session will cover First Nations Oral Tradition, the value of storytelling, and how stories can be gathered, recorded, and used in the classroom. Elder/Knowledge Keeper Fred Denechezhe will tell a story with an accompanying activity. A sample of books will be displayed. We’ll draw prizes at the end of the presentation!
Games and Activities to Support Gross Motor Skills
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 3
Presenters: Kayla Matheson, Katherine West
Audience: teachers, educators
Participants will learn about various Low Organized Games that support gross motor development. Those attending will have the opportunity to trial games and activities to support students in accessing movement and exercise through play.
Harnessing the Power of First Nations Languages: Leverage Student Motivation and Success via Gamification
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 1
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 1
Presenters: Karl Hildebrandt, Geraldine Campbell
Audience: middle years/high school First Nations language teachers, all subject area teachers
By using gamification tactics, participants will understand how to motivate reluctant students when learning First Nations languages. Access the power of gamified learning in the language classroom and explore concrete tools and strategies to inspire First Nations youth to unlock and conquer the power of language. We will explore online gamification tools and how to save and edit teacher-vetted language content or create your own from scratch. Participants will learn how to assign language games for homework via an LMS (learning management software), tap into instant data to guide their teaching, identify learning gaps, and immediately identify struggling learners. Please bring your device as you will actively participate in your language learning journey. Gamification is a strategy that can apply to all curriculum subject areas; however, our focus will be on learning Cree, Ojibwe, and Dakota.
Hearing and Its Role in the Classroom
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Centennial 3
Presenters: Andrea Richardson-Lipon, Dayna Buck, Kendra Halabura
Audience: teachers, educational assistants
Learn about the signs and prevalence of hearing loss, how hearing loss impacts classroom learning, and how Sound Field Systems can create an inclusive environment for all students.
How Can Teachers Differentiate?
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy C
Presenters: Linda Marynuk, Evelyn Cameron, Sheryl Prince
Audience: teachers, principals, resource teachers, educational assistants
Educators will explore how to develop more effective ways for all students to achieve the learning outcomes in differentiated instruction.
Instructional Language Teaching for Basic Proficiency Strategies
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy D
Presenter: Marsha Blacksmith
Audience: early years educators, educational assistants, Elders, other educators
Come and explore resources for First Nations language teaching. Participants will experience an atmosphere of hands-on language classroom activities. The teaching strategy will help the language teacher to build positive language creativity in their classroom by using what I have developed through my teaching experience. Participants will take home visual language teaching material.
Language and the Land
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy D
Presenters: Jennifer Williams, Elder Ron Cook
Audience: educators, school administrators, general public
Learn about traditional Nihitho teachings that youth were taught to keep them spiritually grounded and strongly connected to the land. Youth today lack some of this connection to the natural world due to the rise of technology and not knowing their language. By focusing on learning their language and traditional teachings on the land, youth will gain greater spiritual wellness. This workshop includes an opportunity for sharing on what your school or First Nation is doing to promote this connection to the land and feeding their spirit.
Manitoba Residential Schools: Resource Bundles for Nursery to Grade 12
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Centennial 3
Presenters: Brenda Delorme, Doris WicakpeMaza (Ironstar) Der, Melody Dumas
Audience: educators (N–12), parents
Educator and parent feedback is essential to developing instructional resources for children. This workshop will give participants an overview of the resource materials in development that anyone can use to learn about Manitoba residential schools. We will ask participants to share about their comfort zones in teaching about residential schools and what kinds of instructional, teaching, and student supports are needed to approach this sensitive topic in schools.
We recognize that residential schools had a profound impact on First Nations people. The topic and information shared in this presentation may cause participants to experience different emotions and feelings. We must share the impacts of the residential schools in a caring and respectful way. Our children and everyone deserve to know the truth.
History of Education Funding
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Embassy A
Presenter: George Merasty
Audience: school administrators
If you are interested in how Band-operated schools are funded by the federal government, this workshop is you. The presentation will provide a brief history of education funding and how the federal government changed the education funding formula.
Importance of Physical Movement in Early Years
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 6
Presenters: Jessica Daniels, Adonis Verona
Audience: early years teachers (N–3)
The presenters will discuss the required skills, abilities, and knowledge for childcare practitioners to support and promote each child’s physical development domain. The workshop will look at planning indoor and outdoor activities for early years settings. Also, learn about the presence and absence of equipment for play and the benefits of physical activity in early childhood and for children with special needs and rights.
Land-Based Teachings
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 2A
Presenters: Sophie Boulanger, Diane Powderhorn, Elder Florence Paynter, Knowledge Keeper Ernie Bussidor
Audience: language teachers, land-based teachers, education assistants, classroom teachers, community members, education staff
In this session, we’ll explore aspects of land-based teachings. Natural Laws explain sustainability and the sacredness of land, life-giving water, air cleanliness, and the warmth and light of the sun. Our ancestors have passed down the teachings of sustainability and our ways of knowing, being, and doing. Traditional stories teach values and sacredness in all animal, plant, and human life. Land-based teachings demonstrate living and practising mino-bimaadiziwin, a good life, for our children, grandchildren, and future generations to come here on Turtle Island.
Let’s Talk Diabetes! Student Wellness
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy D
Presenters: Frances Desjarlais, Marrisa Guimond, Marion Boulanger, Shannon Turtle
Audience: school staff
Mind, body, and spirit wellness promotes excellence in learning. The URIS (Unified Referral and Intake System) nurses will answer common questions about diabetes to help raise awareness and shed some light on how serious this condition is, how it’s affecting our people, and some tips for the student to live a healthier life.
Mental Mathematics Strategies
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy F
Presenters: Virginia Birch, Pamela Courchene, Georgina Moody
Audience: Grade 1–8 teachers
Mental mathematics is a skill we learn in school that extends into adulthood. In this session, participants will learn about curriculum content in mental mathematics and a suggested plan to teach those outcomes. Attendees will participate in activities supporting specific mental math strategies for developing procedural fluency and receive a USB with activities.
MFNERC Communication Round Table Project
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 2A
Presenters: Christine Crawford, Kelly Ring-Whiklo
Audience: school staff, First Nations members, MFNERC staff
The Speech-Language Pathology team of the Resource Centre is developing a general framework of First Nations attitudes, beliefs, and values about communication and communication development. The framework will guide culturally valid communication assessment and program development and delivery.
MFNSS MathFest: Sharing the Journey and Promoting Excellence through STEAM and Land-Based Activities
Session 3, May 11, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy B
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 1
Presenters: Michael Valdez, Christopher Llave, Gerald Anderson
Audience: classroom teachers, educational assistants, school administrators
This session will share the journey of MFNSS and partner schools on the “hows” and “whys” of conducting a math festival. We will show examples of cultural, community-based activities incorporating science, technology, engineering, arts and math, and land-based learning. Math leads will share testimonies with displays of pictures and templates. Participants will also engage in an interactive game.
Ohpikinawasowin (Raising Our Children) through the Lens of an Asiniskawi-Nihithowiwin iskwew (Rocky Cree Woman) and an Anishinaabemowin ikwe (Ojibway Woman)
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy D
Presenters: Virginia Moose, Adeline Mercredi
Audience: general audience, teachers, educational assistants, parents, administrators
Think beyond the academics of Western education and explore how to incorporate First Nations languages and knowledges to teach our children who they are as First Nations people. We will discuss helping students to awaken their identity through First Nations teachings and learning from the land.
Planetarium Night Sky Stories
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 2
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 2
Presenters: Allen Richard Keeper, Jason Bone
Audience: teachers, all
The MFNERC/MFNSS Planetarium shares First Nations Creation and constellation stories. Once inside the planetarium, we will present Cree and Ojibwe perspectives through storytelling using a drum, rattle, and animal puppets. Teacher resources are also explored.
MFNERC Community Histories Project and Manitoba Museum Educational Resources
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy B
Presenters: Andy Thomas, Rachel Erickson
Audience: all
This workshop will highlight the Resource Centre’s Community Histories Project initiative and other resource development projects. The Manitoba Museum will share some of its recent projects, including Indigenous resource development, exhibits, and community collaborations.
Occupational Therapy Classroom Recommendations to Support First Nations Education
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 5
Presenters: Raeanne Wysocki, Gabrielle Peterson, Kimberley Moors
Audience: school principals, classroom teachers, resource teachers, educational assistants, Jordan’s Principle support workers
Come and learn about common occupational therapy strategies. We will look at the role of occupational therapy in schools, sensory-safe classrooms, visual schedules, movement breaks, and calming corners.
Physical Literacy and Holistic Approach to Wellness: A Physiotherapy and URIS Collaboration
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy D
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Carlton Room
Presenters: Kayla Matheson, Priscilla Flett, Marion Boulanger, Shannon Turtle
Audience: teachers, educators
Learn about strategies for preventing and managing diabetes, including the impact of exercise and movement as a tool for regulating blood sugars. Participants will learn about diabetes and how it affects First Nations children. We will discuss a holistic approach to diabetes management.
13 Moons
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 6
Presenters: Betsy Mazawasicuna, Doris WicakpeMaza (Ironstar) Der
Audience: teachers, principals, educational assistants, educators, general audience
Introduce the cultural aspect related to Indigenous 13-month calendar, and introduce how our language describes the seasons and the moons (months).
The turtle has been used for generations as a calendar to count the days, months and cycle of the months.
Reframing Student Behaviour through Story and Practical Strategies for Intervention
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Embassy B
Presenter: Chantal Wiebe
Audience: teachers, principals, educational assistants, child development workers
Student behaviour is frequently a top priority that requires staff response. Using story and discussion, participants will be encouraged to reflect on beliefs, assumptions, and interpretations of child behaviours. Presenters will provide information on childhood developmental considerations and practical strategies for intervention to help create calm, resilient, and engaged learning environments.
Review of the Book Walk in Our maskisina
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Embassy B
Presenters: Melody Dumas, Virginia Birch
Audience: Grade 9–12 teachers, education staff, Elders and Knowledge Keepers
This presentation will review the valuable new book Walk in Our maskisina (9–12), which is part of the Manitoba Residential Schools: Resource Bundles for Nursery to Grade 12 that MFNERC developed. We will also look at the teacher’s guide that goes with the book. Participants will listen to a reading and learn how to use the story to teach about the residential school experience. We will have a healing activity from the Bundles to end the presentation.
We recognize that residential schools had a profound impact on First Nations people. The topic and information shared in this presentation may cause participants to experience different emotions and feelings. We must share the impacts of the residential schools in a caring and respectful way. Our children and everyone deserve to know the truth.
Revitalizing First Nations Culture through Ribbon Skirt Making
Sessions 1–2, May 10, 1:10 pm–4 pm, Regency Room (half-day workshop, 10 participants)
Sessions 3–4, May 11, 10:45 am–2:25 pm, Regency Room (half-day workshop with lunchbreak, 10 participants)
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm (extra time)
Presenters: Sylvia Anderson, Mona Asham, Catherine Constant
Audience: all
*Fee: Ribbon Skirt Kit $75.00
Come and explore the rich traditional history of the ribbon skirt. You will learn the practices and techniques of making a ribbon skirt. This hands-on workshop lets you develop a skill you can pass on to your students, family, and community members. Enjoy this stress-free sewing project that teaches skills outside of the academic box.
Review of New Books: Our Residential School Story and They Have Papers
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy B
Presenters: Melody Dumas, Virginia Birch
Audience: Grade N–8 teachers, education staff, Elders and Knowledge Keepers
This presentation will introduce two important new books: Our Residential School Story (N–3) and They Have Papers (4–8), which are part of Manitoba Residential Schools: Resource Bundles for Nursery to Grade 12 that MFNERC developed. We will also look at the teacher’s guides that accompany the books. Participants will hear a reading and learn how to use the stories to teach about the residential school experience. We will have a healing activity from the Bundles to end the presentation.
We recognize that residential schools had a profound impact on First Nations people. The topic and information shared in this presentation may cause participants to experience different emotions and feelings. We must share the impacts of the residential schools in a caring and respectful way. Our children and everyone deserve to know the truth.
Revitalizing Anishinaabemowin Using Popular Cartoons
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 1
Presenters: John McLean, Westin Sutherland, Cindy Sinclair
Audience: second language learners, First Nations language teachers
Immersion style is the most effective means of teaching a language. Participants will be immersed in Anishinaabemowin by listening to fluent speakers who voice-over popular cartoon characters. The actors are fluent Ojibwe speakers from different communities and have different sub-dialects, but they make it work in this hilarious and highly entertaining cartoon series.
Sharing Best Practices in the School Guidance Program
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Carlton Room
Presenters: Brandee Albert, Angeline Peterson
Audience: school counsellors, guidance counsellors, teachers, administrators
In this workshop, school counsellors and guidance counsellors will come together to gain insight and knowledge into successful practices that promote the holistic well-being of First Nations students in schools. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and share First Nations knowledge and evidence-based practices that support the social, emotional, and mental well-being of First Nations students. Another highlight is a chance to network and collaborate with other professionals in the field.
Strategies to Help Teachers Close the Reading Gap
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 2A
Presenters: Graça do Coto Moreira, Evelyn Cameron, Tiffany Cote
Audience: Grade K–6 classroom teachers, resource teachers
If you have students who struggle and are not reading at grade level, this workshop is for you. Learn proven strategies to help your students with letter sounds, sight words, word study, and vocabulary that you can use in your classroom on Monday morning.
Teaching to Student Diversity: Planning for Success
Session 3, May 11, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy C
Presenters: Jessica Finucane, Erin Paupanekis, Vera Big George
Audience: resource teachers, classroom teachers, educational assistants
This workshop will focus on teaching to student diversity by using videos, discussion, and real-life examples to help educators build their knowledge on planning for specific students. Presenters will provide general strategies to benefit student learning and guide participants through the process of developing different types of plans for students (e.g., Adapted Education Plan).
A Tool Box to Develop Essential Skills in Phonics
Session 2, May 10, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Carlton Room
Presenters: Richelle Lovegrove, Glenda Moose, Bonnie Monias
Audience: teachers, resource teachers, educational assistants, parents, volunteers
We will introduce participants to a tool box that provides explicit and systematic instruction in phonics that teaches students foundational skills necessary to become proficient readers and spellers.
Using Video Content to Amplify Learning
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Centennial 5
Presenters: Alberto Mansilla, Carrie Fontaine
Audience: educators
iMovie is a free video editing application made by Apple for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It includes a range of video effects and tools like colour correction and image stabilization but is designed to be accessible to users with little or no video editing experience.
Writing the Denesųłᶖne Topical Dictionary
Session 3, May 11, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Embassy D
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Embassy C
Presenters: Agnes Carlson, Fred Denechezhe
Audience: language instructors, educational assistants, parents, workers for language revitalization
The presenters will introduce the Denesųłįne Topical Dictionary, the Dialect of Dalútxuwé Nęné. Carlson wrote this dictionary for middle years and high school students and young parents seeking to learn “our” Dene language or nuheyatie. This dictionary goes hand-in-hand with an online Dene dictionary Carlson is working on. As with any language work or project, there are challenges and strengths to various ways of writing and transcribing, and writers must seek guidance from Knowledge Keepers and fluent speakers. The presenters will share themes from the dictionary and sample words and phrases often heard at home, school, and language camps.
Teaching Mathematics through Coding
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Centennial 1
Session 7, May 12, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Centennial 1
Presenters: Michael Li, Chun Ong, John McLean
Audience: teachers
Coding helps students build on many different skills in mathematics, such as problem-solving, pattern recognition, problem decomposition, and abstraction. Through coding, students can practise and apply math concepts learned in class in an engaging and fun way. This workshop will look at the widely used coding language Python to demonstrate a spectrum of maths from the elementary to senior levels. These math concepts range from basic additive, multiplicative operations, and number theory to complex geometry and equations.
Treaty Education
Session 6, May 12, 9:10 am–10:25 am, Regency Room
Presenters: Cynthia Bird, Amanda Simard, Loretta Ross
Audience: K–12 classroom teachers
This workshop provides an overview of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba’s “Teaching Treaties in the Classroom K–12.” Educators will hear why teaching Treaties in the classroom is essential for our students, as they learn the First Nations’ perspective on the historical relevance and contemporary issues of the Treaties and the Treaty Relationship. Educators will get an introduction to the resources developed that support Treaty Education in their schools and classrooms and additional supports available at the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.
Understanding How Traditional First Nations Ceremonies Work: Sundances, Sweat Lodges, Pipe Ceremonies, Offerings
Session 1, May 10, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Carlton Room
Session 3, May 11, 10:45 am–12:00 pm, Carlton Room
Presenters: Cherie Francois, Tina Cook-Martin
Audience: all
First Nations traditional way was living in a natural and constant state of communion with our Creator. First Nations used Creator as witness when signing the treaties, in the historical artifacts like pipes and pipe bags, in the many historical portraits, and more. However, the assimilation practices of Western culture have resulted in First Nations people believing it is naive to reclaim this way of life. This session gives information to reclaim the traditional ways with confidence by seeing the intelligence of our people in their ceremonial practices and the purposes behind ceremony.
Verbalizing Information for Learners Who Are Visually Impaired – Classroom Strategies
Session 4, May 11, 1:10 pm–2:25 pm, Centennial 3
Session 5, May 11, 2:45 pm–4:00 pm, Carlton Room
Presenters: Christina Valiquette-Kirkness, Elma Arthurson
Audience: classroom teachers, educational assistants, resource teachers, parents
Create a learning-rich environment for children with a visual impairment through verbalization and auditory input, such as directional cues, descriptions of visual materials, verbal identification, and other adaptations. The Zimmerman Low Vision Simulation Kit allows those working with people with low vision to understand better the effect that low vision has on mobility, learning, employment, and activities of daily living. The Zimmerman Kit contains goggles and interchangeable visual acuity and visual pathology simulations, as well as peripheral field restriction simulations.
CONFERENCE LOCATION INFORMATION
Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre
1808 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Phone: (204) 786-4801
Fax: (204) 786-1329
Toll Free 1-877-VIC-INNS or 1-877-842-4667
Please book your stay at the Victoria Inn (204) 786-4801 as soon as possible to receive the discounted rate. Please indicate you are attending the LIGHTING THE FIRE CONFERENCE and would like to book your stay under the room block. Provide the Group #273070 to receive the discounted rate.
The Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre is a Canada Select 4 Star hotel. The hotel has 260 well-appointed standard guest rooms and specialty rooms including executive, Honeymoon, Queen and Kid Theme suites. More than 28,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space makes it the largest convention hotel in Manitoba. Hotel amenities include a Dino-Beach Family Water Park, fitness room, washers, dryers and a gift shop in the hotel lobby. The hotel also offers complimentary parking, local phone calls, internet computer in the lobby, wireless internet in guest rooms and 24-hour airport shuttle. Other conveniences include Chicago Joe’s Restaurant lounge, and VLT Gaming Room.
Travel
All travel arrangements are the responsibility of the individual.
Health and Safety
The MFNERC assumes no responsibility for any injury, theft, or personal liabilities. First Aid and emergency services will be available on location. The Lighting the Fire conference is an alcohol and drug free event (excluding any alcohol sold by host hotel at the restaurant and banquet).
CONTACT INFO
General Inquiries & Tradeshow Inquiries
Phyllis Murray, Conference Assistant
Email: phyllism@mfnerc.com
Phone: 204-594 1290 ext.3613
Fax: 204-942-2490
Registration Inquiries
Ashley Kinsman, Administrative Assistant to Director of Languages & Cultures
Email: ashleyk@mfnerc.com
Phone: 204-594-1290 ext. 2083
Fax: 204-942-2490
Payment Inquiries
Tasheena Bone, Finance Assistant
Email: ar@mfnerc.com
Phone: 204-594-1290 ext. 2240
Fax: 204-942-2490
Host Hotel Information
Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
1808 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Discount code: Group #273070
Phone: 204-786-4801
Toll Free: 1-877-VIC-INNS