Big year ahead for education centre
Parents heard from KEC administrators about plans for the year ahead at the organization’s new Parent Information Session. Courtesy Watsenniiostha Nelson
From new channels to connect with parents to a visit from a sports superstar, the first few days back at school in Kanesatake have been off to an excellent start.
“It’s been very, very busy, but it’s honestly been so amazing, everyone was very welcoming to everything that was happening, and we’ve all learnt a lot together,” said Watsenniiostha Nelson, director of education at the Kanesatake Education Center (KEC).
The return to school began with teacher development days, where Nelson said a big focus was talking with Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers about the priorities for the school year, with a particular focus on making sure non-Indigenous support staff understand the contexts in which they’re teaching.
Staff participated in a facilitated KAIROS Blanket Exercise, an Indigenous-led workshop that encourages participants to unpack and reckon with the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in history and in the present.
Doing the exercise with staff, some of whom are from Kanesatake and some of whom are from outside the territory, led to meaningful discussions, Nelson said.
“It was a very hands-on, very interactive workshop,” Nelson said.
Meetings were also had throughout the prep week to establish the mission for the school year of focusing on language and culture, and ideas were discussed for how staff could support students in reaching their goals.
“It’s really important, because it shows that we’re a united front, it shows we’re working together for the betterment of the children,” said Nelson, adding that it’s important to her as a director to make sure her staff have clear guidelines and understandings of how they’re approaching the school year ahead.
“I think it’s really important to make sure that your whole team feels seen and heard and they know what to expect for the year, it creates a way more successful school year,” she said.
One special topic discussed with staff was a language revitalization project, which the KEC is working on in collaboration with the First Nations Education Council (FNEC). Nelson said she was initially apprehensive about getting involved in the project after being approached by the FNEC last winter, because she was nervous about Kanesatake’s capacity.
“Initially, myself and the principals thought ‘can we take this huge of a project on?’ but we decided we want us to do it and honestly, we had to do it,” Nelson said. “We’ve been really focused on trying to have more of the language in schools so we thought this would be our start.”
The project is funded for four years, and KEC intends to start slow, building up to more language initiatives with the FNEC’s support as time progresses. To begin with, the focus will be on using more Kanien’kéha in the hallways and on signage around the school, as well as more tracking of progress in Kanien’kéha classes and the creation of benchmarks for students.
As well as filling teachers in on the goals for the upcoming school year, the KEC also welcomed students back with a special surprise - a visit from mixed martial art legend Georges St-Pierre. The visit was well-received, and having students start the year on a positive note was a highlight of the return, Nelson said.
“I’m really excited to see how much they grow over the year,” she added.
Also a new addition for the year was the implementation of the first-ever parent’s information session, which allowed the KEC’s administration to directly engage with caregivers.
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At the session, KEC’s principals, special education coordinator, and Nelson shared information about the language revitalization project, as well as plans for the future of KEC, such as the creation of modular classrooms and a new science lab to build capacity.
The session was also open to community members who wanted to know more about KEC’s ongoing work - 55 attendees came in total.
“It was pretty much us tring to build a better relationship with parents and families, it went really well and a lot more people showed up than I expected,” Nelson said. “I was so happy to meet all the parents, introduce myself, and welcome them, and just help create a better relationship between home and the school.”
