Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education
Mission Statement
The Akwesashne Mohawk Board of Education strives to provide opportunities for students to grow and learn through individual and cooperative experiences for the continuous development of the student as he or she progresses through the education program. The Board believes education is a partnership and is a shared responsibility of students, parents and the community.
Department Goals
- To enhance the education of all our children.
- To ensure we provide as many educational services as we can for community members from birth to adulthood.
- To expand the focus of education in our community to the early years.
- To provide opportunities and skills development for our young adults.
Programs and Services
Administration
The central administration office for the Board is located behind the Peace Tree Mall on Cornwall Island. Administration of your Board, the Director of Education, the Associate Director, the Executive Assistant to the Board, and the Human Resource Assistant, are available year round to discuss any comments, concerns, and suggestions you may have about our schools and programs.
Post Secondary Program
Norma Sunday is the Post Secondary Program Coordinator. Along with her Assistant, Jean Benedict, she provides financial and counseling support to approximately 500 students per year: The post secondary program also has information about colleges and universities throughout North America on site, and now also has a computer workstation for college and University students in the central admin. office. The computer provides internet access for students who may need to search for information on schools, financial aid, etc.
Secondary Program
The AMBE does not have a high school. Therefore, we have historically had a formal tuition agreement with the Upper Canada Public School Board for the provision of a secondary program. This past school year; two hundred and five students from akwesasne were enrolled in the three Upper Canada District School public schools - General Vanier High School, Cornwall Collegiate & Vocational School, and St. Lawrence High School. Sandra Rourke, Student sevices ices Coordinator; and her .staff work hard to keep the students in school and help them succeed. This year will be a year of change for our high school students as Upper Canada has restructured its schools.
Alternative Education Program
The Alternative Education Program started as a pilot project, funded by INAC's youth incentive Co-op Program. It is now recognized as one of the most successful First Nations programs of its kind. Val Mitchell, Coordinator, and her staff provide an alternative to mainstream high school for students who cannot function in the larger; regular high school The Transitional Nine Program (formerly PAL) was introduced this vear to augment the alternative school and to help students gain enough skills to enter a high school program. The biggest issue for the program has been finding an adequate and safe facility for their offices and classrooms. We are pleased to announce that the Alternative Program will be housed in a newly renovated site on Cornwall Island this fall.
Three Schools
The AMBE operates three schools within the Territory of Akwesasne: AMS,
Kana:takon School, and Tsi Snaihne. Each school has a K-4 & K-5 program so that our youngest students do not have to travel out of district to school. Mohawk Immersion to Grade 6 is an option at Tsi Snaihne School.
 |
The Ahkwesahsne Mohawk School (AMS) is a unique place where Mohawk students go to school. It is located on "The Island" (Cornwall Island), an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall, Ontario. It is a part of the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Territory which straddles Ontario, Quebec and New York State. Since restructuring, AMS hosts grades three, four, five and six as well as K4 and K5 |
 |
The Kana:takon School is located in the village of Kana:takon. Kana:takon School hosts grades ,seven and eight us well as K4 and K5. The school is situated very close to the borders of Quebec and Ontario. This affords the students the opportunity of visiting some very, interesting spots. The school is a contemporary design - a beautiful brick building that features skylights, a large gymnasium, kitchen, library, and playground. |
 |
The Tsi Snaihne School is located in the district of Tsi Snaihne. It offers quality education in grades 1- 2 in the English program and pre-kindergarten to grade 5 in the Kanienkeha Language. Our certified teachers come from Ahkwesahsne Cornwall, Ottawa, Montreal and Massena. The Tsi Snaihne School also offers gym classes in English and in the Kanienkeha language. Another feature at Tsi Snaihne is the learning disabilities and social adjustment classes which stress lots of positive reinforcement. |
The pilot project on restructuring was affirmed by the results of the community referendum held in April, 2002. Therefore, each school will again be able to offer special programs for students. We continue to seek funding sources that will enable its to provide our students with electives such as computers, art, music, etc.
Head Start Program
The Head Start Program has three facilities - an administrative office and two classroom sites, one in Kana: takon School and one at the east end of Cornwall Island. The staff, under the direct supervision of Alice King, provide a school readiness program for 3 year old children from our community. The focus is on emergent literacy. One of the highlights of the program is the Reading Club. Funded by Health Canada, Head Start is mandated to address the following ,six components: Culture and Language, Nutrition. Health, Education, Social Support and Parental Support.
Operation and Maintenance
Acting O & M Supervisor Gerald Thompson heads a maintenance staff of eleven. Their goal is to have a safe, clean environment for learning in our three schools and all AMBE facilities. O & M also oversees the safety of our outdoor recreation areas. New playground equipment was purchased and installed this past year at Tsi Snaihne School and AMS to meet the new safety standards for school play areas mandated by provincial regulations. Our schools also serve as emergencv shelters, so the maintenance of our buildings is vital. Our indoor gymnasiums are also used by community groups throughout the school year.
Transportation
Dwayne Thomas supervises a staff of twenty two school bits drivers. The AMBE has its own fleet of buses, and also provides Transportation for Cornwall residents that attend our schools. Based on the importance of the jobs our drivers perform, school bus transportation policies have been revised to include annual drug testing for drivers, enhanced professional development requirements, and CPR training. Drivers also learn bus evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.
Please remember to talk with your children about school bits rules. It is difficult to drive a bus when students are not behaving appropriately. Please be sure to send a written note to school if your child must be dropped off at a site other than where he/she is picked up. You should also verbally verify, with the school that you have authorized the change.
Hot Lunch
The AMBE Hot Lunch Program was incorporated into the Board in September 2000. The AMBE wanted to ensure that all students have access to healthy lunches. Studies have shown that children cannot learn if they, are hungry. Also, aggressive behaviours increase if children do not have their nutritional needs met.
Each school has a Head Cook. The Head Cook coordinates the program and compiles the monthly menus for each schools. The Head Cooks works in conjunction with a certified nutritionist. Our goal is to expand the program in order to provide a breakfast and/or snack program.
This year, we are implementing a bar code card system to help keep track of the program. Each student has his/her own unique number. At lunch, the student simply swipes their card through the reader, and the system will automatically record each transaction.
School Attendance Procedures
In order to promote a better rate of attendance in our schools, AMBE school staff will:
1. Take attendance in each class within the first 15 minutes of the
school day.
2. Forward lists of absent students to the office by 9:30 a.m. each
day.
3. Assign a .staff member to review lists of absentee .students, and
cross reference those whose parents have reported them
sick/absent by telephone.
4. Call any students not in school whose parents have not reported
them absent by 10 a.m. If parents are not home, they must call an
emergency number in order to .speak to one of the parents to check
on the student.
5. Make a notation of such when a parent reports a sick child or child
with an acceptable reason for not being in school. If the parent is
not concerned about the absence and the child is not reportedly
absent with an acceptable excuse, the AMBE staff member should l
document the conversation in case of future referral to ACFS.
Progressive interventions for chronic absenteeism:
1. Any child missing school must bring in a written excuse from
parents stating the reasons for the absence. Any unacceptable
excuse shall be investigated
2. If a child is missing from school for more than three consecutive
days, the child must bring in a note. from a medical
clinic/CHN/CHR.
3. Any student absent. from .school for more than three consecutive
days without a valid reason will be reported to the Director of Education. The Director will contact the parents involved to stress the importance of regular school attendance.
4. Home visits are instituted with parents of children who miss more
than five days without valid reasons.
5. Letters:
|
5 Days Absent (Delivery of letter coincides with home visit.) |
|
10 Days Absent |
|
15 Days Absent ACFS notified as well; parents warned children are in jeopardy of failure. |
|
30 Days Absent. Student retained due to chronic absenteeism: |
Added Criteria:
1. Chronic tardiness is just as serious as absenteeism. Therefore, every three days of tardiness will be considered 1 day of absence.
2. If your child arrives at school late, please escort your child into the school office. You will be asked to sign your child in and provide a reason for being tardy.
3. Interventions to make up lost class time for unexcused absences
will be instituted. For example, a student may be asked to stay after school, etc.
4. K-4 and K-5 students only: If a child misses 20 days without acceptable excuses between September and December of the school year; they will be removed from the class list.
FAX 933-9262
| Ahkwesahsne Mohawk School | 613-932-3366 |
| Kana:takon School | 613-575-2323 |
| Tsi Snaihne School | 613-575-2291 |
| Anneke Fischer-Fey (Psychometrist) | 613-932-3366 |
| Lillian Macias (Curriculum Coordinator) | 613-933-3366 |
| Culturally Integrated Curriculum Program | 613-933-9083 |
| Alternative Education (formerly Co-Op) | 613-575-1969 |
High Schools |
|
| CCVS | 613-932-8360 |
| Saint Lawrence | 613-933-8410 |
| GVSS | 613-933-5500 |
