Leaf Budding Moon

May

Around the Division

We have welcomed two new consultants to our First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team. Nicole Polukoshko and Jerome Chabot join us to support schools on their journey towards reconciliation through supporting students and families, building teacher capacity and creating resources.

"Nicole Polukoshko nitisiyihkâson. Ardrossan ochi niya. I am a proud Métis woman and also have Cree, Scottish, and French ancestry. I reside in Ardrossan in Métis District 11 and Treaty 6 territory. I am very passionate about First Nations, Métis and Inuit ways of knowing and being and integrating those perspectives into my personal and professional life. I am a Cree language learner. nôhkom (my grandmother) was a residential school survivor and I feel that language revitalization is one of the essential paths towards reconciliation."

"My name is Jerome Chabot. I am a proud Red River Métis and citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta. I bring with me a deep passion for Indigenous education, culture, and community connection. Rooted in the rich traditions of my heritage, I love to jig and play the fiddle, and I believe that music, dance, and story are powerful ways to bring culture alive in our schools. I also continue to honour my family’s traditions by running our family trapline with my brother and cousin—a practice passed down to us from our grandfather. These connections to the land and culture are at the heart of who I am and the work I do."

Curriculum Highlights

Personalized land acknowledgements are important because they move beyond a general or scripted statement to show personal responsibility, reflection, and connection to Indigenous lands, histories, and peoples. When someone personalizes a land acknowledgement, they demonstrate that they are not just following a protocol but are actively engaging with the meaning behind it — recognizing their relationship to the land, their role in reconciliation, and their respect for Indigenous sovereignty. Many schools have participated in creating their own personalized land acknowledgements. These acknowledgements are being shared by teachers, students and other staff members in a variety of ways.