First Nations Support

Home - What We Do - First Nations Support


Are you looking for supports for programming, instruction, and assessment that are not just reflective of Alberta Curriculum but culturally appropriate with an infusion of language and cultural perspectives?

Learn more

Is your Educational Authority or First Nation educational system looking for support in a variety of areas, that can be reflective of cultural perspectives and indigenous ways of knowing and being?

We can help!

Schedule a Conversation
Our team can work with your Educational Authority, Elders and Knowledge Keepers to facilitate conversations and co-create structures and processes needed to support your staff, students and communities.
Learn more

How We Support

  • Creation and revision with Chief & Council/Boards, Department Leads and School Principals foundational statements and guiding documents.
  • Engagement in strategic planning and work plan development across the system, including collective processes with key stakeholders to establish local priorities.
  • Coordinate the collection and use of data to evidence system accountability and student achievement that accurately reflects what success looks like for Indigenous Learners.
  • Establish mentorship and support for school and system leaders, including the development and actualization of School Learning Plans that demonstrate the current needs in the school community and alignment with the Educational Authority priorities.
  • Creation of structures and processes for supporting individual needs of students and designing supports that reflect intentional infusion of traditional supports.
  • Creation of feasibility studies, program reviews and reports to support programming enhancement and physical space, as well as support and funding from the Federal Government for these areas.
  • Development of comprehensive literacy and numeracy programming and interventions to address gaps with student achievement, with alignment to cultural understandings.

Testimonials

As a new administrator, I value the leadership that Lana Nogue has provided to me. Lana has taught me about creating learning plans, facilitated the process around creating a Nutrition School Handbook and connected me with others who I can share ideas with. Lana's knowledge around school leadership is key to the progress of the work we have been tasked with. I have found that with Lana's mentorship, my own leadership skills have improved. Thank you, Lana and I look forward to continuing learning from you.

Charity Alook
Principal K-5 - Oski Pasikoniwere Kamik - Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority

For the past two years, Bigstone Education Authority has partnered with Jigsaw Learning and its team of skilled and passionate leaders for work in a number of key areas in our organization and our school Oski Pasikoniewew Kamik. Some of these key areas have included

  • support for embedding robust collaborative structures and processes throughout our K4 to Grade 9 school
  • coaching for our instructional leaders and our Learning Services team
  • guidance for strategic planning, coordination of services and team building across our organization
  • development of a multi-leveled early years program, including support to secure substantial funding for this work
  • behavioural support for classrooms and professional learning for our staff team in this area, and training for our educational assistants

Throughout this work, the Jigsaw Learning team has repeatedly demonstrated a committed desire to work with us to ensure success for our school, our students, our staff an... Read more

Chester Auger
CEO - Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority

Brenda Day Chief
Student Services Coordinator - Kainai Board of Education

We have been working with the Jigsaw Learning team for 3 years now, and are impressed with their ongoing teacher support and instructional coaching for teacher collaboration. They are very respectful and interested in Îyîniw Mâmtohnehicikan (Cree thinking) and Nehiyaw Pimatisiwin (Cree Ways of being). They work collaboratively with our teachers to offer support, coach and share ideas, plus they review the progress made in each school. Students really look forward to the CRM Focus time, as they have great success in these blocks.Their significant success was apparent in the first year that our school implemented the Collaborative Response Model. We started with 80% of our students needing urgent intervention and 0% of our students at/above benchmark. By the end of the first year, our urgent intervention numbers dropped to 43% and our at/above benchmark numbers increased by 12%.

Dianne Crane
Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction – Learning Services Branch - Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission