The Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees has received an update from the Indigenous Learning Branch on their efforts to provide support for students and staff.

The Indigenous Learning Branch at RVS remains dedicated to upholding Indigenous Ways of Knowing in curricular and resource support, professional learning, protocol guidance, and planning for significant event recognition for both staff and students.

Committed to fostering relationships with Indigenous communities in Treaty 7, the branch provides support and guidance to the newly established Indigenous Advisory Circle, formed in the fall of 2023. The branch encompasses a director, two learning specialists, two Indigenous cultural liaisons and an Indigenous connector.

So far, the branch has addressed and replied to 131 support requests from school-based staff.

Throughout the rest of the 2023/24 school year, the Indigenous Learning Branch will concentrate on sustaining support for administrators, teachers, and other school-based staff. This includes assistance in planning events like National Indigenous Peoples History Month and Red Dress Day, as well as offering valuable professional learning opportunities.

Ongoing discussions with Tsuut’ina Nation for finalizing an Education Services Agreement (ESA) will persist, while initial talks with Mînî Thnî regarding an ESA will be initiated.