Introduction: New Director for Tribal Student Achievement and Relations
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Dr. Brooke (Beaverheart) Gondara is a Citizen of the Tsitsistas/Suhtaio Nation of southeastern Montana and an Oglala Dakota descendent. Dr. Gondara recently left a 25+ year career in higher education administration, primarily in community and tribal colleges in the roles of Dean, Associate Dean, and College President in the states of Montana, Oregon, Alaska, and New Mexico.
Brooke has also been a consultant for almost 28 years in areas including Native youth mental health and resiliency, Indigenous communities and public health disparities, suicide prevention, teen parents/young families, early childhood education, public policy, Indigenous women’s and children’s issues, advocacy and activism, cultural and educational topics, public speaking and conference events.
Brooke currently resides on the traditional lands of the Apsaalooke Nation in Huntley, MT with her husband. She is the mother of three grown adult daughters and the geh’et (grandmother) of three amazing grandchildren. She is an avid dog lover/rescuer and loves ethnobotany, berry picking, cooking, traveling, and time with her family.
She seeks to use her life, educational, cultural, and professional experiences to lift up the voices and journeys of Indigenous students in all areas of Montana and to demonstrate that there is an educational achievement path for all!
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Summer Institute Update
The Office of Public Instruction's Summer Institute was held June 17th - 20th on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. The Tribal Student Achievement and Relations team made six presentations to Montana educators during the week. Topics included:
- What Students Need to Succeed: Student Perspectives on the Skills and Attributes They Want to Acquire In School
- Cij'abi Yuha' Wjcoho Mnihe'(Our Children Have Strong Voices)
- Educating and Supporting the Whole Learner: The Indigenous Whole Framework
- Transitional Resilience: Supporting Students and Schools Through Transfer Movements
- Code Switching: The Art of Communicating in Two Worlds
- Bringing Native Languages to Your Schools
Kudos to the entire team for their excellent and engaging work - Alicia Doney, Matt Bell, Crystal Hickman, and Michele Henson!
Indigenous Language Update
Amba daya!
We hope your summer is off to a great start!
Our Tribal Student Achievement and Relations Unit has been assisting our English Language Standards Update teams with guidance on indigenous languages, culture, and best practices in education as the standards are going through revision this June and July. We’re grateful to the educators who are giving their time to the process and look forward to the next iterations of guiding standards in Montana.
In more celebratory news, it’s Powwow Season! Take a look at the Calendar of Events while you’re on the Language and Culture page to find your nearest celebration:
https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education/Language-and-Culture
In addition, many tribes are hosting regional language and culture camps in addition to ceremonies and gathering of traditional foods, medicines and other important resources.
These can be very intensive learning experiences in and of themselves and we invite you to find an opportunity to engage in place-based learning. A good starting place for IEFA ethnobotany could be the state flower- sp̓eƛ̓m̓ (Salish-bitterroot). Happy gardening and share your berry-picking spots!
Matt Bell
This month Alicia Doney (Tribal Youth Coordinator) presented at the Summer Institute regarding youth voice. The attendance was high with a great turn out and we had comfortable conversations around supporting youth change and leadership development.
Alicia Doney will be reaching out to the RISE (Resiliency In Something Else) Indigenous youth leadership advisors to see if anyone would be interested in creating a summer school youth initiative group. This will help prep our youth for leadership development for the upcoming school year and will create more positive relationships within our urban and reservation schools if successful. Any and all are welcome to join us!
This month AISA worked with School Improvement to lead restorative practices circles at Wyola School and to facilitate staff discussions around the upcoming Graduate Profile work there. AISA presented at the ELA Standards virtual pre-writing workshop. The AISA team was pleased to welcome our new Director, Dr. Brooke Beaverheart Gondara, and looks forward to her leadership and vision. The AISA team conducted six sessions at the Summer Institute at mid-month. Finally, the AISA team prepared the Biennial American Indian Student Achievement Gap Report.
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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