March 22, 2023
Academic Services
Math
This month, a GED math summit was held at Oak Island Resort for adult learners who are preparing to write their GED. Our Elementary and Secondary Numeracy Consultants were both in attendance for the event. "It really helped me make lots of connections between adult ed and elementary education which is where I spend most of my time", said Kyla Bernard, Elementary Numeracy Consultant. "I was able to collaborate with teachers and share how students in middle school make connections to some of the content they are learning as well". Kyla has also been busy updating licenses for IXL due to high demand, which is awesome to know that so many educators are utilizing it. So far our elementary students have answered over 12000 math questions using IXL in their classrooms! Some teachers have already started the Aliet math assessments in Grade 1 and 2 which is great to see. In April we will be having a mathmetizing student thinking virtual PD session and 29 elementary teachers have already registered.
This month, Bob Crane, our Secondary Numeracy Consultant had a PLC with teachers from Paqtnkek. The topic for the session was Knowledgehook (KH). The issue was that it does not have an app and the sign in steps for students in lower grades tend to be too time consuming. With teacher Jenna's suggestion we were able to make accessing the resource in a more friendly manner for the younger students. The easy-to -follow steps are listed below:
Step 1: On the iPad save the url (Sign In Page) as a desktop icon. This way KH appears to performs as an app.
Step 2: Launch the icon.
Step 3: Enter the course code
Step 4: Select their name
Step 5: Enter their code (pick something easy such as 1234)
Step 6: Use the resource
"The teachers noted that this was just as easy as other apps such asSeesaw, IXL, Squiggly Park and so on. To a teacher: Jenna, Emily, Karlena and Sarah said that this will be a game changer for using KH and they were anxious to start using it again," said Bob Crane. "The reason I say "again" is because they liked what it had to offer before but the sign on protocol was just too time consuming for the lower grades."
Another thing that the teachers liked was the new look of the resource. The general overview was that it took on a more friendly interface resembling other apps that their students were using. It was opined that this is probably not a deal breaker for higher grades - middle school and up - because they are comfortable using Chromebooks. Also there is less of a need for using online manipulatives which are problematic on a Chromebook.
They ended the day by planning for future sessions. The upcoming session will be on 3 Act Tasks for elementary students and using the Explain everything app.Post Secondary
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Post Secondary
The idea of having an L'nu college has been discussed amongst Education Directors, and other leaders in Education for some time now, This month, a symposium was held in Moncton to develop plans for a Wabanaki College and discuss what the immediate next steps to move this idea forward might be. The symposium included presentations from other successful colleges and universities from across the country. There was also the opportunity for discussion on what might work in the Atlantic provinces and what we would need in order to make this idea a reality. There was a graphic recorder in attendance who made beautiful representations of the discussions. The facilitator, Allison Brooks, will compile and analyze the discussions and use them to formulate a plan moving forward.
Mi'kmaw Language and Culture
Mi'kmaw Language
ANTEC is back! We are looking for presenters and participants.
ECE
We are very proud of the elder program in our ECE centres across the province. This month we would like to highlight Elder Sarah MacDonald who visited the AVFN three wishes daycare. The children created their own talking sticks with Sarah and learned about the teachings around the use of a talking stick.
Sports and Rec
As we prepare for NAIG in July, there is quite a bit of work that goes on behind the scenes. This month, a coaches session was held to help prepare coaches for July. Sessions addressed logistics, working with diverse athletes, social media, and much more. Everyone is getting excited and counting down because we are just about 100 days away from the opening ceremonies!
