There are meetings on Tuesday, May 4th and Thursday, May 6th at 6pm regarding the new curriculum. If you wish to be involved, you can access the meeting at this link (you will need to have Microsoft Teams).

You can also call in using the following information:

There is no gym time today after school or this evening. Sorry for the late notice.

Students created these posters to thank the community members and service workers who helped in the recent tragedy of the fire in the community.

If any student or community child did not receive their Christmas present from the school on Friday, please contact Kristen Machina to get it to you. You can reach her through email – kmachina@ddec.ca, by phone – 581-234-4519, or by commenting or messaging her through Facebook. Thank you everyone and have a happy holidays.

Part–time

The Dehcho Divisional Education Council invites applications for a DEA Secretary for the 2020-2021 year.

Limited Competition:

This job opening is limited to residents living within Fort Providence, NT.

Job Information

The DEA Secretary works collaboratively with the Fort Providence DEA and, on occasion, the principal of Deh Gáh Elementary and Secondary School. The incumbent requires an understanding of Simply Accounting or SAGE book-keeping programs. They are responsible for performing bookkeeping duties, for running the DEA bingos each week and for writing formal business letters on behalf of the DEA. There may be times the incumbent will be called upon to work a few hours over a weekend. DEA meetings are generally scheduled between 4 PM and 6 PM one evening per month. There are also Special DEA meetings that will take place occasionally with little notice.

This is a Term position until July 31st, 2021, and will consist of a three month probationary period. During that probationary period, the incumbent will be guided in the process of a Professional Growth Plan. We will meet each month to review your goals and discuss your progress toward those goals. If you do not meet those goals, after the three month period, you will be released from your contract with the DEA.

You will be paid $35/hr for DEA work. You will keep track of your hours and submit it bi-weekly to the principal of Deh Gáh School or the DEA Chair for signature and for payment.

Please send a resume and cover letter to Attention: Joyce McLeod, DEA Chair, PO Box 254, Fort Providence, NT, X0E 0L0.

Original closing date: October 19, 2020 (extended)

Below is a more complete job description for DEA Secretary:

 Responsibilities:

1. Possess computer and word processing skills, possess knowledge of relevant programs such as Word, Excel, Simply Accounting, etc.;
2. Answer phones, cordially receive visitors to the DEA office in the school, politely and respectfully refer any callers or visitors to the appropriate person or organization;
3. Maintain a good filing system, file incoming or duplicates of outgoing correspondence, maintain an adequate supply of forms, cheques, etc.;
4. Process requisitions as supplied by DEA and school administration, maintain a current record of requisitions/purchases, record materials as they are received and distribute materials accordingly;
5. Document and distribute incoming mail to DEA members or to the school principal accordingly, and collect and prepare any outgoing mail;
6. Attend all DEA meetings, prepare the agenda and packages for DEA members 5 days in advance of any meetings, come 15 minutes early to any DEA meetings to prepare the meeting table, record minutes at DEA meetings, and prepare and distribute those minutes to DEA members within 7 days of the meetings;
7. Keep an electronic folder and a hard copy of all DEA meeting agendas and minutes. These are to be professionally prepared in keeping with those templates in the Fort Providence DEA handbook; and
8. Assist the Fort Providence Deh Gáh School librarian with scanning books, etc.

Banking

1. Prepare and distribute cheques for all accounts payable;
2. Complete monthly bank reconciliations and maintain short term bonds to maximize interest on earnings on DEA funds; and
3. Keep meticulous records of all financial matters.

Payroll and Tax Records for DEA Employees

1. Calculate and maintain payroll records on all DEA employees;
2. Remit monthly source deductions to CRA in a timely manner;
3. Issue T4 slips, Records of Employment, and all other related documentation in a timely manner; and
4. Prepare advertisements and documentation packages, and set up interviews for employment opportunities for DEA positions like librarian and Covid-19 custodians.

Research and Liaison

1. Establish and maintain channels of communication with individuals, organizations, government departments, DDEC, and agencies and suppliers within the community and elsewhere; and
2. Gather and disseminate information as directed and communicate it to the trustees in a  professional and suitable manner.

Other Related Duties

1. Assist in preparing and running DEA activities such as DEA bingos, etc.;
2. Write formal letters on behalf of the DEA; and
3. Perform other DEA related services as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Secretarial Training, Grade 12 or 1st level CGA or equivalent knowledge of NWT forms and procedures.
2. Knowledge of collective agreements in use; and
3. Knowledge of student demographics, including families, within the Hamlet of Fort Providence.

Working Conditions

1. Work may be completed at the school in a specified DEA office, or at the employee’s home.

Demands

1. May require some physical demands such as lifting and hauling of files, etc.;
2. May require sensory demands of working on a computer for long periods of time;
3. May require mental demands working with the complexity of contracts, and procedure, preparing and filing reports with precision, and fielding demands from clients; and
4. May require social demands that require the candidate to be cordial and polite to community members, and professional or business contacts.

Additional Requirements

1. CRC check;
2. Discretion and confidentiality, as you are in a position of trust; and
3. Fluent in the English language.

By: Angela Mary Griffin

Colonization The process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

September 30th is Orange Shirt Day. It’s a day to remember what happened to First Nations students at residential schools across Canada over the 150 years that residential schools existed in this nation. Orange Shirt Day was launched in 2013 in Williams Lake, British Columbia in honour of Phyllis Jack Webstad. On her first day at residential school in 1973 at age six, Webstad was stripped of her belongings including a new orange shirt that her grandmother had bought for her.

Orange Shirt Day spread throughout the province of BC and then across Canada. It acts to symbolically commemorate not only Webstad’s losses, but the losses of all residential school survivors.

In 2012, I was invited to Vancouver to engage in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The stories I heard of physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse that occurred in Canada’s residential schools were horrendous.

The residential school system was deeply entrenched in Canada for generations. The Canadian government viewed Indigenous cultures and spiritual beliefs as inferior. Young First Nations’ children were forcibly removed from their families and sent far from home to residential schools scattered across Canada. The children were forbidden to speak their language or celebrate their culture including spiritual practices. It was the mandate of the Canadian government in the spirit of colonization and assimilation to ‘kill the Indian in the child’.

Though public apologies or expressions of sorrow have been issued by the Canadian government and the churches involved, the residual effects of the residential schools remain. Residential school students were denied the opportunity to experience loving familial relations. In adulthood, they did not readily possess the necessary skills to nurture their own families. The intent was to eradicate all aspects of Indigenous culture, and to a large degree the residential school system achieved that.

When a powerful nation conquers a people it views as inferior, the first thing denied the vanquished is language. The second is its spiritual practices. Likewise, when a nation seeks to reclaim its independence the first thing it restores is its language and the second is its spiritual practices. Language empowers desires and directs one’s drive. Spirituality gives life meaning and purpose. It provides one with the courage to take the necessary risks to attain life goals, and to overcome fear and anxiety. Spiritual traditions also encourage participation in a community, which offers social support, and a sense of belonging. Belonging to a strong community improves well-being and contributes to life longevity. These are the very things that the Canadian government has historically denied Indigenous peoples.

On September 30th wear an orange shirt to remember residential school survivors. Show that, as a nation, we are yet to reconcile ourselves to the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples that historically took place in Canada.