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A new school year begins High staff retention in Dehcho Divisional Education CouncilRoxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012
Eighty-seven staff members including teachers, special needs assistants, classroom assistants, council staff, and for the first time, secretaries, participated in the two-day orientation session. The orientation included workshops on literacy, numeracy, Dene language, science and social studies at different classroom levels to help prepare everyone for the year ahead, said Terry Jaffray, the council's superintendent. There are already signs that it will be a positive year. The council had almost no turnover this year. One new principal, William Gowans, has joined the team at Echo Dene School in Fort Liard and Sharon Allen is a new teacher at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson. Four other teachers moved between communities in the region. The council normally averages 10 turnovers per year, said Jaffray. One reason for the lower numbers may be the current economy and the scarcity of teaching positions across Canada, she said. "It's a benefit for people all around," Jaffray said about the staff retention. Having returning staff creates continuity between staff members and also with students and communities. Returning staff are able to build relationships so they can provide better programming for the students, she said. If issues arise, long-term staff also know some of the background behind it and are willing to commit time to solve the issue, she said. One current issue is improving attendance. Teachers have discovered that offering rewards for attendance isn't a sustainable solution and are now examining what can be done in the classroom to motivate students to be there, said Jaffray. This year, the council expects to have approximately 615 students enrolled across the region, up from 600 last year. Jaffray said she's also excited about a new initiative between schools and the local district education authorities. This year, schools and their authorities are collaborating to offer cultural orientation for the school staff. Cultural orientations Ever since the council has been mandated to offer cultural orientations, the orientations have always been held in Fort Simpson for all of the staff in the region. Last year, schools began asking to do their own orientations with people from their community so they can spend time with residents and learn about local traditions and customs, said Jaffray. "I think it's turning out well," she said. Each community is doing something a little different. In Fort Simpson, staff at Thomas Simpson School and Bompas Elementary School will be spending Aug. 30 and 31 at the camp across the river with some local residents. In Jean Marie River, the staff is expected to go hunting with residents while in Trout Lake and Kakisa the staff plans to go fishing with community members. This school year will also see some changes to curricula. There is a new kindergarten curriculum that kindergarten teachers learned about at a specific orientation in Yellowknife. The Northern studies 10 curriculum has also been revised. John Stewart, the co-ordinator for social studies and Northern studies with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, made a presentation to high school teachers during the orientation session in Fort Simpson. One of the major changes was to develop resources that would begin to address the history and legacy of residential schools, said Stewart. "It's a fundamental issue in the North," he said. "To be responsible, you need to explore these issues." Jaffray said she's interested in seeing the new curriculum rolled out because it's important for students to get a grasp on the history of residential schools as well as the broader history of the NWT expanding out from language and culture.
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