Indian Education Program Welcome Back!. We are off and running in the new year of 2018. We hope everyone is recharged, rested, and ready to get back to work in the classroom and beyond. We had a super busy month of December as we distributed hams to many of our Native families, with support from the Puyallup Tribal Council and Puyallup Tribe of Indians. We are starting to schedule out our remaining events and activities on the calendar for the rest of this school year. Please take a look at the dates and events included in this newsletter as well as the website. We are starting a regalia making group that will meet twice a month in the mornings. Please stop on by to participate, or at the very least, to have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Seniors and parents/guardians of seniors should be in close contact with their guidance counselors as well as their Indian Education Specialists to ensure everything is in order to graduate on time this spring. We had our first cultural dance practice of 2018 which was well attended. Any and all are welcome to attend and participate. Angelina Nockai is doing a great job as our Cultural Specialist. We hope to see you at some events this coming year. Thank you for your support of your students and the Indian Education Program. David Syth, Director of Indian Education Thank you to the Puyallup Tribal Council & Puyallup Tribe of Indians for your continued support! 1
Indian Education Program High School Seniors & Juniors! Information Night Wednesday, January 17, 5:30pm - 6:30pm 3111 South 43rd Street, Tacoma, WA College Information 2 year, 4 year, & trade schools Scholarship resources Senior Celebration details and important dates for seniors, volunteer opportunities for juniors. Scholarships & Higher Education Resources NITRO COLLEGE A very user-friendly interactive guide to sort through resources and over 60 Native American scholarships that are available for the 2017-2018 academic year. https://www.nitrocollege.com/scholarships/native-americans SCHOLARSHIPS.COM A variety of American Indian scholarships to help students attain a college education that will benefit not only them, but their families and communities. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/minority-scholarships/americanindian-native-american-scholarships/ 25 GREAT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS As one of the most underrepresented groups in colleges nationwide, Native Americans face a unique set of obstacles to overcome in order to gain access to higher learning to earn a college degree. Despite a strong desire to achieve a degree, many Native Americans are held back by the growing price tag for a college education. Thankfully, the following are 25 exceptional scholarship opportunities specifically for Native American students who are committed to their education and beating the odds. https://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/scholarships-for/native-american-students/ GOCOLLEGE.COM Resources for applying for Native American and Alaska Native Scholarships. Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives, like many other minorities in the United States have historically found themselves excluded from the halls of higher education. But those times have changed. Today, there are many scholarship programs specifically targeted for Native American students. If you are a member of one of the Federally recognized tribes, and meet the prescribed requirements you may be able to secure scholarship funding for your college education. http://www.gocollege.com/financial-aid/scholarships/minority/native-american-scholarships.html STEM FIELDS WASHINGTON STATE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP This first-of-its-kind program supports Washington students from low- and middle-income households to attain bachelor s degrees in high-demand fields including science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and health care through scholarships of up to $22,500 as well as professional development, skills-building workshops and genuine industry exposure to help increase the rate at which students enter our state's workforce. http://waopportunityscholarship.org/ AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) helps students move forward in their educational journeys by providing a wide range of programs and scholarship opportunities. http://www.aises.org/scholarships INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE / IHS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM The IHS Scholarship Program provides qualified American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students an opportunity to establish an educational foundation for each stage of your pre-professional careers. https://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/ For many more scholarship resources, please visit our Indian Education website https://www.tacomaschools.org/indian-ed/pages/scholarships-.aspx 2
Student Spotlight Rachel McAmis Wilson High School, Class of 2018 Chickasaw Nation Future plans: Rachel s goal is to attend MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which she has been accepted to, with her other top choices being Pomona College in Claremont, California and University of Washington in Seattle. Rachel plans to study computer science and maybe mathematics, as well as minor in Spanish. She also plans to compete in track and field and cross-country at her future college. Achievements: Rachel is the winner of cross-country league championship in 2016 and 2017, three time state competitor in track and field, two time state competitor in crosscountry, and two time state competitor in chamber orchestra. Interests/Hobbies: Rachel enjoys reading, playing cello, coding, and running. Other: Rachel also has Type 1 Diabetes. Rachel hopes that in sharing this, other students may be inspired to work towards their academic and athletic goals. 3
Native Educator Spotlight Jennifer Dixon First Grade Teacher My name is Jennifer Dixon and I am a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe. I was born and raised in Tacoma. I attended Tacoma schools, Birney Elementary, Baker Middle School, and Mt. Tahoma High School. During middle school and high school I was in the Indian Education Program. Mrs. Sherman was the teacher. She was great. We would meet a few times a week and she really cared for us. I graduated 20 years ago. Way back then there weren t as many resources for Native students. Mrs. Sherman helped us fund raise by selling Indian fry bread at school, which we made. She really taught us the value of hard work. We would go on field trips to learn about Native culture. Indian education really helped me as a student. It was one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher, to give back to the Native community where I grew up. Jennifer Dixon Native Educator Spotlight Autumn Luna Title 1 Roosevelt Elementary 4
CORRECTION High School Junior Mackenzie Ann Sollars had perfect attendance for the month of November 5
January 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Parent Advisory 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 5pm - 5:45pm Family Gathering/Craft Night 5:45pm - 7:00pm 28 29 30 31 College, Scholarships, & Graduation Info Night for Juniors and Seniors 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Parent Regalia Group February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Parent Advisory 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 5pm - 5:45pm Family Gathering/Craft Night 5:45pm - 7:00pm 25 26 27 28 6
March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Parent Advisory 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 April 2018 5pm - 5:45pm Family Gathering/Craft Night Su Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24-5:45pm 25 26 27 28 29 30 Parent Advisory 5pm Family Gathering/Craft Night 5:45pm - 7:00pm 12th Annual Powwow 7
Indian Education Program www.tacomaschools.org/indian-ed Indian Education Program Staff David Syth, Director Crow Nation (253) 571-1846 dsyth@tacoma.k12.wa.us Orlonda Rodriguez, Specialist Chehalis & Quinault Nations (253) 571-1832 orodrig@tacoma.k12.wa.us Liz Leines, Specialist (253) 571-1820 eleines@tacoma.k12.wa.us Myrna Fisher, Special Assignments Sioux & Puyallup (253) 571-1878 mfishe1@tacoma.k12.wa.us Indian Education Program Parent Advisory Committee George Zantua President Taralee Ellis Secretary Kim Arnold Treasurer Bertina Kelley Teacher Representative Angelina Nockai Cultural Consultant Auriel Zantua Student Representative Nondiscrimination Statement Tacoma Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Coordinator: Lisa Nolan, 253-571-1252, lnolan@tacoma.k12.wa.us; Title IX Coordinator: James Neil, 253-571-1123, jneil@tacoma.k12.wa.us; and 504 Coordinator: Elementary, Steven Mondragon, smondra@tacoma.k12.wa.us, 253-571-1173; Secondary, Jon Bell, jbell2@tacoma.k12.wa.us, 253-571-1225. Address: P.O. Box 1357, Tacoma, WA 98401-1357. 8