 Over the summer months The American Indian Student Achievement Team in the Indian Education Unit worked to catalogue their professional development offerings and is pleased to present a synopsis of available professional development options. This document can be shared upon request. Some of the topics include Restorative Practices, Wraparound, Code Switching, Cultivating and Implementing Youth Voice, English and Language Arts Course Supports, Language and Culture Integration Support, and The Indigenous Whole Learner Relational Framework.
The team is kicking off the 2025-26 school year with visits to schools. The started this work in early August facilitating Talking Circles with the Wyola School Teaching Staff. In mid-August the AISA team spent time with the Fromberg and Rosebud Schools exploring how to create cultures of connection with the Restorative Practices. Later in the month the AISA team will visit with Hot Springs Schools to explore the principles of Academic Wraparound. In the coming weeks visits with schools across the state will be scheduled.
Indigenous Morning Greetings
The Indigenous Morning Greetings project offers weekly, recorded messages to help Montana students and staff start each school-week in a good way. These messages, featuring Tribal Elders, language speakers, and Knowledge Keepers, provide a warm welcome and words of encouragement to all, through an Indigenous worldview lens. Messages often include words or phrases in an Indigenous language and offer guidance to help students and staff live well. Each greeting is also paired with prompts for talking circles or reflective writing to allow students and staff to personalize and internalize the messages that are shared.
Research shows, implementing welcoming and inclusion activities, such as morning greetings, strengthen feelings of connectedness to school and can help prepare and motivate students and school staff for learning (CASEL, 2019). Likewise, Indigenous culture and language has been show increase school attendance and academic success (WestEd, 2021). Through this project, all Montana students and staff can experience Montana’s diverse Indigenous languages and cultures.
All schools are welcome to utilize these messages which can be accessed here: Indigenous Morning Greetings Project
This project is supported by the OPI’s Tribal Student Achievement and Relations Unit. If you would like to receive a list of greetings monthly by email, please contact Michele Henson (michele.henson@mt.gov).
**Artwork by Kamryn Sees The Ground**
Okii!
We hope you are well and ready for the coming year!
We are also looking forward to bringing you more IEFA resources, digital and in-person! To help jump start your IEFA planning and goals for the year, included is a link to a webinar provided by Dr. Rosalyn La Pier where she shares her expertise in Blackfeet ethnobotany and historical perspectives on the seasonal round. Our hope is to help guide educators interested in regional tribal seasonal round inclusion for all content areas this year
What is Ethnobotany and Why is it Important with Rosalyn LaPier (Ethnobotany)
The Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet) have phrases for the time of year which could help guide some of the topics through various content
August When Choke Cherries Ripen Pákkii'pistsi otsítai'tssp
September Deer Moon Áwákaasiiki'somm; Itawapipisko “When the Leaves Change Color”
Our goal this year is to ignite the curiosity of educators across the state regarding multiple languages and their cultural connections!
In addition, we hope to continue to assist Class 7 educators (stay tuned for the Indian Language Immersion Program grant!)
Additionally, for those interested in podcasts, please consider this interview with Jesse DesRosier (Amskapi Pikuni)
Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation: Jesse DesRosier; Blackfeet Language
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