Welcome to the Indigenous Education Department of School District #42!
The Indigenous Education department is for those students whose family has Indigenous Ancestry. This can be First Nations, Metis, or Inuit. Proof of Ancestry is not required, and the Ancestry can go back several generations. The only thing we need from you is to fill out the Indigenous Education Self Identification form. This form Identifies your student as having Ancestry, and gives us permission to connect with them. You can also indicate what types of support you would prefer; Language and Culture, Support Services, or you can choose both.
How do I Self-Identify?
There are 3 ways:
- Accessing the form from the Indigenous Education web site, see the links below. Using the “fillable” form you can fill it in online and e-mail it back, or you can use the non-fillable form, print it out, fill it in and email it back or drop it off at your child’s school.
- Pick up a Self-Identification form at your school office in September.
- Contact the Indigenous Education Department to have a form mailed to you.
2024 – 25 ABED Self ID form fillable
FAQs:
What types of support do we provide?
Indigenous Education support can take the form of additional academic support, field trips or cultural gatherings visits to post-secondary institutions as well as cultural activities, programs, and annual awards for secondary students. In the updated self-identification form families can choose to have culture/language supports and/or academic support (or both supports) from the Indigenous Education Support Worker and/or the Indigenous Education Helping Teacher. In secondary schools, we track student progress from grades 8-12 to ensure each student is on track to graduate. If any students require additional supports along the way, we work with other school support staff, so students receive the help they need.
Will my child be pulled out of class for extra supports?
When we take students from class for support it is done in alignment with existing support plans that have been developed by either the classroom teacher or the school-based support team. You can request that your student remains in class for additional support. Some programs such as Grade 7 district cultural gatherings, student secondary leadership, and visits to post-secondary institutions require students to miss class. These types of activities require signed field trip permission forms, so your student will participate only if you agree.
Can I self-identify and choose to not receive extra supports
In some cases, parents and students choose to self-identify, but do not want us to provide additional cultural/language or academic support. Our funding regulations require us to maintain regular contact with all students who have self-identified through academic support and/or cultural/language activities. Our goal is to work with parents and students to determine the type and amount of support and/or contact that is comfortable and useful for each student.
What is the Equity in Action plan?
After much consultation with rights holders representing the local Indigenous community and stakeholders of the school district, the Board of Education has recently approved the Equity in Action recommendations offered by the joint SFU and UBC research team who conducted the work. This is the next step towards identifying and addressing systemic barriers to Indigenous student success. You can read the report on https://www.sd42.ca/ under the ‘Our District’ tab then to ‘District Reports’. The report is titled “Deepening Indigenous Education and Equity – Supporting the Wholistic Success of Indigenous Leaders, Families, and Communities in Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District No. 42”.
How can I find out who are the Indigenous Education staff members at my child’s school?
You can ask at the school office, check on the Indigenous Education website, or call us at the Indigenous Education office (604-466-6265)
Who do I contact with other questions?
If you have any other questions please contact:
Kathleen Anderson, District Principal of Indigenous Education
Phone: 604–466-6265