Our Mission: 

To promote Indigenous student success and provide support to all Grande Prairie Public School Division students and staff in acquiring and applying Foundational Knowledge of First Nation, Métis and Inuit Peoples. 

The Indigenous Program staff will:

Provide Indigenous cultural presentations to classrooms to improve student & staff Foundational Knowledge

• Facilitate/mediate meetings between students, families, school staff and relevant community partners.
  
• Bridge the connections between families, schools and appropriate community agencies with the goal of improving Indigenous student success.
  
• Identify at-risk students and develop positive relationships with them and their families.
• Provide Indigenous cultural presentations to classrooms to improve student & staff Foundational Knowledge.
• Provide home visits when needed to help strengthen the relationship between families and schools and ultimately student success.
  
• Provide connections for Schools to Elders, Knowledge-Keepers and identify opportunities for support from within School families.
  
• Organize and support School Division Indigenous cultural programming when needed.
  
• Support student transitions from Middle Schools to High Schools.
  
• Support student graduation planning (High School).
  
• Support student application for scholarships and bursaries (High School).
  

Focused on ensuring that our learners have the supports in place that are required for school success, our School Division employs an Indigenous Programming Coordinator who oversees and supports two positions at the High School level and five positions at the K-6 and K-8 levels.

The Coordinator also coordinates cultural activities in our schools by ensuring that community resources are available to the schools. Our commitment is to have culturally respectful learning opportunities available to all students in all grades in our system.

The Indigenous Education Program will continue to represent GPPSD on the Zone 1 First Nations, Métis and Inuit Advisory Committee, Grande Prairie Aboriginal Circle of Services, Orange Shirt Day Committee, Grande Prairie Round Dance Committee and in various other capacities to support Indigenous student success.

For more information, please contact:

Shauna Livesey
Indigenous Programming Coordinator

Indigenous Program 
Grande Prairie Public School Division
Phone: 780-532-4491
E-Mail: shauna.livesey@gppsd.ab.ca