Online Introduction to Boating Safety Presentation

Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety, in collaboration with the Coast Guard, is offering an online presentation Introduction to Boating Safety. The program will cover diverse boating safety topics and is open to participants of any age. This is a great opportunity to give the kids in your home a solid foundation in safe boating or build your own knowledge.

This free online class will be held on Monday, November 30, at 4:00 PM.

Interested members are asked to contact Ryan Lauzon, Nawash Fisheries Assessment Biologist at nawash.fisheries@gmail.com to register for the training.

Board of Education Calls for NEDAP Applications

Applications for the Nawash Education Diversity Assistance Program (NEDAP) are now open. 

Applications for the program will be accepted between Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 12:00 AM and Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 11:59 PM only. No early or late applications will be accepted.

The NEDAP objective is to provide financial assistance, subject to the availability of funding, to eligible Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation band members in pursuit of diversified education and skills development opportunities.

Note that NEDAP is not a full funding program. 

Interested applicants can submit a sealed application to the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Board of Education office during regular business hours, or by email to nawashed.nedap@gbtel.ca.

For an application package, please visit the Board of Education office to pick one up in person, or visit https://www.nawash.ca/board-of-education. The NEDAP policy handbook and application forms are on the right hand side of the page.

Questions? Contact the Board of Education office at 519-534-0882.

Your Board of Education: Building Anishinabek Success… Voices for Today and Tomorrow!

Council Extends State of Emergency for Neyaashiinigmiing

At the August 21, 2020 Council meeting, the Chippewas of Nawash Council voted to accept the recommendation of the Community Emergency Response Group and extend the State of Emergency for Neyaashiinigmiing until September 30, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, making the possibility of a viral outbreak a real and significant threat to the community. While the constant adherence to the well-known safety protocols of wearing face masks, washing hands, maintaining physical distance from other people and avoiding gatherings is challenging, Neyaashiinigmiing cannot afford to become less vigilant.

Under the current State of Emergency, the Council temporarily shuttered non-essential band programs while maintaining employee pay, offered wage support to small businesses and employees, significantly expanded the operations of the Community Food Bank, distributed food boxes to non-resident member households and grocery cards to all member households, cancelled risky public gatherings and events, restricted outside access to Neyaashiinigmiing, installed a monitoring station to help ensure compliance with restrictions, and created a community-wide face covering policy. These actions, and others have kept us all safe and dramatically reduced the economic harm of the pandemic to all our members.

The Council recently moved to relax some restrictions, allowing non-resident members, seasonal campers, and registered leaseholders into the community. We are now entering another delicate phase with the start of the school year. Classes will be held at Kikendaasogamig Elementary,  albeit in a safer, heavily modified fashion, beginning with online classes on September 8, moving to in-person classes on September 21. During this period, the Council will carefully assess the initiatives put in place to determine our next steps forward.

We are grateful for the patience and strength the entire membership has shown over the past 6 months. Together we will persevere, stay focused and stay healthy.

Kikendaasogamig Unveils Plan for New School Year

Kikendaasogamig Elementary is of vital importance to the community, both to students for the excellent start our school gives them, and to parents and caregivers who work while their children are in classes during the day. There are only a little more than three weeks left until the start of the new school year and while COVID-19 appears to have been managed well in the province, the pandemic is still raging elsewhere. The Board of Education and Kikendaasogamig Elementary School staff have been preparing for the start of a new semester unlike any other, requiring changes to the school environment and teaching methodology to keep kids and community safe.
The modified teaching plan has these important points:
  • The school year will start on September 8th. For the first two weeks, however, from September 8 to 18, students will engage in online learning.
  • Beginning on September 21st, students will be divided into two cohorts. The first cohort will attend classes in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the second cohort will attend classes in person on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Mondays will be for cleaning, class planning, online learning, and possibly outdoor land-based learning.
  • The first semester is planned to finish on December 18th. While students will start on September 21st with 2 days of in-person classes per week, our hope is that at some point during the school year we will be able to transition to a full 5 days of in-person classes.  We will have to decide that at a later date.
  • Cohort # 1 will be Senior Kindergarten, and grades 2, 4, 6 & 8, with some changes to accommodate family groupings and learning levels.
  • Cohort # 2  will be grades 1, 3, 5, & 7, again with some changes to accommodate family groupings and learning levels.
  • We are not ready to accommodate junior kindergarten students at Kikendaasogamig, but they can attend the NShiime Day Care until such time as we are ready to transition them to the school.  Day care registration will be ready soon, and we will send out a community notice when it becomes available.
  • There will be enhanced health and safety measures put in place.
  • School days may be shortened  so that teachers can prepare and support students that are learning from home.
  • The At Home Learning/Remote Delivery option will be available on days that the students are not in class.  Parents who feel they need to keep their children home and opt for full remote learning can do so.

Kikendaasogamig Elementary and the Board of Education are seeking input from parents/guardians to further guide their plans for the school year.  Parents and caregivers are asked to complete a short online survey. All information gathered is strictly confidential. Submissions are only accessible to the School Principal. Note that you will be asked to provide your child’s name to assist in planning the cohorts and organizing school transportation needs.

Kikendaasogamig Elementary Holds Virtual Graduation Ceremony

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive disruption in the school year, but our Kikendaasogamig teachers soldiered bravely on, as best they could, particularly the Grade 8 class led by Kimberley Brown. The challenging school semester has finally come to a close, however, so today Kikendaasogamig held a virtual graduation ceremony for the Grade 8 class, attended by staff, students and family.  The presentation, prepared by Ms. Brown with assistance from school staff, celebrates the achievements and personalities of the graduates, who will now move on to greater achievements in high school and beyond.

Congratulations to the graduates of Grade 8! We are incredibly proud of you all!

Watch the presentation below:

CONUFN Youth Celebrate Academic Success

It has been a challenging year for students of every age. Schools closed for the majority of the semester, and hastily prepared online classes have only been a marginal substitute for in-person learning. Still, that hasn’t stopped many of our students from continuing to excel.

Neebin and Neebeesh Elliott, the twin sons of Councillor Geewadin Elliott, are off to Michigan State University next year. The young men have earned acclaim for their academic and athletic achievements, as well as community activism and pride in their Indigenous heritage. We are all proud of everything they’ve accomplished already, and the promise of greater things to come. The CBC recently profiled the high-achieving twins in an online article that you can read here.