Summer Work
Our team presented at the Summer Institute with great response and success! We highlight the Youth and their power and the Knowledge Keepers and their wisdom! Good attendance and participation. For the remainder of the summer, there are numerous ceremonies and pow wow celebrations at every Tribal Nation. Pow Wows are social gatherings with Indian Relays, Rodeos, Stick Game and Hand Game competitions throughout. Great food and booths galore! Hit us up if you are interested in attending!
Our unit is currently working on House Bill 287, the Montana Indian Language Preservation (MILP) program, and connecting with our Tribal Nations to seek guidance as we line everything up by the Fall. It is a celebration as the MILP funds will be locked into the state's budget. The work of our language leaders is so important and these efforts bring much needed support.
Our website will be adding more information on our MONTANA ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR INDIAN EDUCATION (MACIE) and will highlight their work as well as the Board Members. This board is one of the most influential in our work as they advise Indian Education and represent the many stakeholders within Indian Country from teachers, administrators, and tribal leaders from every Tribal Nation.
Youth Leadership
Members of the TSARR Unit, Alicia Doney and Anna Marsicano, collaborated with Michele Henson from Safe and Supportive Schools at the Office of Public Instruction Summer Institute to put on a youth panel for the keynote. The youth panel included students from Washington Middle School, Great Falls High School, and Big Sky High School. The youth panel centered on amplifying student voice and perspective on school climate.
The youth had the opportunity to respond to questions including:
“In what ways can schools make students feel safe and welcome at school?”
“What kinds of student wellness and/or mental health supports do you think Montana students need more of?”
Student voice was emphasized at every level in this process including the planning process of the keynote as well as with a youth facilitator for the panel.
Additionally, during a Summer Institute session TSARR shared information about its Montana Tribal Culture and Connection Corps (MTCCC). The MTCCC is an AmeriCorps program centered around leveraging the natural cultural strengths of communities to build purpose within K-12 schools and the members themselves who are serving. The program is set to start in September and the OPI TSARR unit is currently recruiting for these AmeriCorps member positions.
The program will take place with the Blackfeet Nation and the Confederated Salish
and Kootenai Tribes and run for a year. Anybody over the age of 18 located in these
communities is eligible and welcome to apply. For more information please contact the AmeriCorps Planning Grant Coordinator at anna.marsicano@mt.gov.
Tribal Student Achievement
During the month of June, our American Indian Student Achievement Specialists have been busy collaborating with teams across the OPI to identify and provide supports to our indigenous students and communities across the state. One example of this includes creating a framework to provide guidance that will inform and empower educators with strategies to proactively support students through transitional periods and allowing them to thrive. This support document is being created alongside our the OPI's Special Education State Systemic Improvement Plan Director. In addition, Morgan presented the most up-to-date public data available regarding student achievement scores, evaluations, and analyses to the Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education (MACIE). Please contact Morgan via email to request access to the presentation and with any questions.
Last week, Crystal presented at the OPI Summer Institute on resilience and it's important role in developing the Whole Child Competencies. This included how resiliency can be defined from her own tribal perspective as an Apsáalooke woman. Crystal also presented on the Wraparound Process, and the benefits of student involvement in entire process. Please contact Crystal via email to request access to her presentations and with any questions. We are also creating action plans as it pertains to supporting our students and setting them up for success as we prepare for the rapidly approaching school year. The AISA page on the OPI website is currently being updated. Check back frequently to access new information and resources. Our team is happy to assist and support you in any way we can.
Available Learning Opportunities and Resources to Help You Prepare for the Fall- (Resources Listed Below are Hyperlinked)
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For Educators
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Students at the Center Hub offers "...high-quality resources that help educators create and thrive in learner-centered classrooms and systems." National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments is funded by the OESE's Office of Safe and Supportive Schools and "...offers information and technical assistance to states, districts, schools, institutions of higher education, and communities focused on improving school climate and conditions for learning."
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Adult & Higher-Ed
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Center for Native American Youth "...at the Aspen Institute is a national education and advocacy organization that works alongside Native youth—ages 24 and under—on reservations, in rural villages and urban spaces across the country to improve their health, safety, and overall well- being. All Native youth deserve to lead full and healthy lives, have equal access to opportunity, draw strength from Native culture, and inspire one another. At CNAY, this is achieved through empowerment and culturally-competent methodologies that include leadership, youth-led policy agenda, and youth-led narrative. Dawson Community College: Dawson Promise "...is a program aimed at helping youth aging out of the foster care system, unaccompanied youth, or homeless youth obtain a two-year education without debt."
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For Families
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Waterford Upstart is a free online program and is designed to enhance early literacy and math skills as well as "...help children develop the cognitive and social-emotional skills they need for school success". Each family with a child that is 4 or 5 years old and going into kindergarten in Montana is eligible to participate and will receive a FREE hotspot (that will work in any part of MT) and laptop, no strings attached, for the child to access the program. Attendance Works is a non-profit initiative that offers free resources and research about the benefits of regular school attendance, and what families can do to support those efforts.
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Language and Culture
Happy Summer everyone! The summer solstice is a very significant time of the year for many tribes. There are many ceremonies and powwows happening across the state, from Elmo to Ft. Belknap Agency, so be on the lookout for something near you!
Many tribes are also engaging professional development opportunities, especially for their language and culture specialists. This is exciting work and brings Class 7 language instruction to the forefront. From Salish to Crow, the tribes are holding language learning and teaching sessions. The Crow Summer Institute will be proceeding with a second week in July. Our office is here to support the work and be the interface with tribes developing their resources to be shared in all Montana classrooms. Further, the tribes are all hard at work developing additional teaching material through the Montana Indian Language Program grant.
We are also working directly with the folks involved with World Language and English Language Learner Standards updates. They are here to advocate for the invaluable indigenous perspectives that our students share. Creating a space for our students with indigenous perspectives is key to success in academia and beyond.
Pinamaya!
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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