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Indigenous Learning

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There are 2,645 Indigenous students in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools – Indigenous students are First Nation, Métis and Inuit 

The support from Indigenous Learning is intended to enhance the experience of our Indigenous students. This support is intended to be in class, in school support that can benefit not only our Indigenous students, but all students.

Elementary School Indigenous Staff

There is one or more Indigenous Education staff member in every school providing:

  • Academic support – in class and individualized support as needed
  • Cultural support – provides targeted cultural learning opportunities to the school community
  • Social emotional support – provides strategies and referrals or refers as necessary
  • Provide advocacy for Indigenous students and their needs
  • Connect with families, communities and schools to strengthen the home-school team

Secondary School Indigenous Staff

There are Indigenous Education teams at every secondary school that include: one Indigenous Support Teacher and one or more Indigenous Cultural Student Support Workers providing the same academic, cultural, social emotional, advocacy and connections as the elementary staff. In addition, they also provide:

  • Communicate information to students, parents, and Indigenous communities regarding graduation requirements and course selection
  • Assist students with transitioning to post-secondary, career and other opportunities beyond graduation 
  • Support in the delivery of courses with significant Indigenous content (some examples are BC First Peoples 12; Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12; Literacy Studies 10, New Media 10, Spoken Language 10, Writing 10, Literacy Studies + New Media 11, Literacy Studies + Spoken Language 11, Literacy Studies + Writing 11 as well as a variety and English First Peoples)

What is Collective Ownership?

An overarching goal of the Department of Indigenous Education is to take steps to shift the organizational culture at NLPS to one of Collective Ownership of Indigenous Education. Collective ownership can be defined simply as every person in the system embracing and taking responsibility for the success of our Indigenous students. This is a simple statement, but a very complex task.

A Collective Ownership of Indigenous Education will bring us closer to the success and equity so deserving of Indigenous people. We need Indigenous Education to transcend the boundaries of departments, of job descriptions, of formal roles and responsibilities. We need to question our beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, comfort levels around all things Indigenous. Therefore shifting our thinking away from “Indigenous Education for Indigenous students” to “what’s good for Indigenous students is good for all students”.

Collective Ownership is:

  • Humility
  • Approaching Indigenous Education with an inquiry mindset
  • Creating belonging
  • Being a role model/ leader for Indigenous Education
  • Believing the growth and healthy development of our Indigenous communities is the responsibility of everyone.

The District Indigenous Learning Team identified four key goals for the 2014-2015 years as follows:

  • Collective Ownership of Indigenous Education
  • Indigenous Understanding “Every student in NLPS will have a solid understanding of Indigenous Understandings”
  • Reflective Practice
  • Organizational Culture

Indigenous Education Values

What’s good for Indigenous students is good for ALL students. We believe in the following values:

  • A sense of belonging is the foundation of students’ success
  • Indigenous identity as a source of strength within NLPS
  • Gathering strength from our past will guide our future
  • An approach to learning that is reflective of an Indigenous world view
  • Having dignity, purpose and options as measures of ‘success’ for self and students

The Leaders for Learning Executive Group (formerly known as the Aboriginal Education Leadership Council) is made up of representatives from the three land-based First Nations: Snuneymuxw, Stz’uminus, and Snaw-Naw-As; and the Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre and Mid-Island Métis Nation, along with the Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools Indigenous Education Department.

The Group is unique, in that it is neither governed nor mandated by the NLPS Board of Education, instead it is a special partnership between local Indigenous communities and NLPS themselves through great consultation deriving from the NLPS Indigenous Education Enhancement Agreement.

After much hard work on the part of Indigenous Education from the Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Cowichan schools districts, in partnership with the Hul’qumi’num Language Stakeholders group, the Hul’qumi’num Language IRP Grades 5 to 12 received Ministry approval in 2007.

The IRP is being used by Hul’qumi’num Language teachers and is available on the Ministry websites (listed below).  In partnership with Chemainus Native College, a cohort of language teachers received in-service on the IRP.

In a letter addressed to Superintendent Michael J. Munro, the Ministry congratulated all those involved with the IRP in producing a “very fine document.”

Currently we are able to offer Hul’qumi’num instruction at John Barsby, Ladysmith Secondary, Bayview Elementary and Georgia Avenue Elementary.

In the future, it is hoped that the IRP will be a vehicle for increasing the number of schools who are able to offer the Hul’qumi’num language.  The IRP combined with the Developmental Standard Teaching Certificate Program, currently being offered by Vancouver Island University and Chemainus Native College will go a long way to revitalizing the language.

hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ Classroom Phrases

hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ Language IRP Grades 5 to 12

District Indigenous Staff

District Principal, Indigenous Learning

District Assistant Indigenous Learning

Indigenous Learning Coordinators

Indigenous Learning Team

Indigenous Education Resources

 District Resources

 BC Resources

Indigenous Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom