Welcome to Niitsitapi and to this blog. My name is Mr. Ivan. I’ve been a teacher with CBE for 11 years, most of which has been teaching Kindergarten. This is my first year teaching in an Early Development Centre (EDC) and at Niitsitapi. I’m really looking forward to learning new ways of incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into my teaching practice.
We are lucky to have an amazing team of adults within the classroom to offer the students a wide range of support. Ms. Rebekah is our classroom Speech Language Assistant (SLA) and Ms. Carla is our Early Childhood Practitioner (ECP). Our entrance into the EDC curriculum has focused on becoming familiar with the classroom, people, and school. The students have been becoming familiar with classroom routines such as starting our day with a “Hello” song. They have been learning the names of their classmates, teacher, and other adults in the classroom and at Niitsitapi. During Phys Ed, the students have been practicing navigating their way through an obstacle course. We have also started to learn about the 7 Grandfather teachings. The students are learning to identify the animals and their meanings. These teachings are helping the students understand how to play well with their friends. Our initial school wide focus is going to be around the gifts of grandfather rock and how he helps us tell our story. We really appreciate you sharing your children with us on the start of their journey through school. Thank you for being important teammates in the learning process. Looking forward to having a great year together, Mr. Ivan |