Haudenosaunee Heritage and Cultural Festival

Congratulations to all our students who completed their project on time to participate in the festival. We had approximately 70 projects on display in the gym. Students had the opportunity to talk with evaluators (teachers and community members) and students from Jamieson Elementary.

We had some excellent projects that were well researched and presented!

Excellent work!

Nya:weh goes out to our community members who volunteered to evaluate and interview students: John Staats, Yvonne Thomas, Rebecca Jamieson, Jill Hill and Sherri VanSickle.
All of our grade 7 & 8 teachers also evaluated and interviewed students about their projects.

Our projects will be on display throughout the school year for parents and visitors to view.

For the next few weeks, students will be presenting their projects in class and teaching others about what they have learned through the research process.

Cultural Heritage Fair

Parents, please be aware that all Mohawk and Cayuga students are completing a Cultural Heritage Fair Project. They are working either independently or in pairs to research, keyboard information, gather pictures and display them professionally on a display board.

Display boards are being provided by J. C. Hill Elementary Home & School.

DUE DATE FOR THE PROJECTS IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008.

Students have been working on their projects in class. On the weekend they will be able to take their information home to work on keyboarding, drawing and colouring.

All work must be returned on Monday so students can continue to work on projects during class time. Marks have been assigned for each student's work ethic in class.

Heritage Fair Projects

This month our Mohawk & Cayuga students are working on Heritage Fair Projects. Our focus this year is on Six Nations and the Haudenosaunee People. Students are working either in pairs or individually to produce an information display board about their particular topic.

Some topic ideas are: Clans/Clan Mothers, Six Nations, Environmental Issues, Longhouses, Languages, Famous People, Sports, Lacrosse, Traditional Songs, Drums, Rattles, Corn, various artists and many others.

Display Boards are being provided by funding from Home & School. In May we will be having a Heritage Fair in the gym that students, parents and community members will be invited to!

Students are expected to collect information at home, from the library and the internet and bring in related information for their projects. Students will have an opportunity to work in the computer lab and classrooms. This is a "IN-CLASS PROJECT" and students are given daily marks for their work ethic in class. Ask your child about their topic and if they need help finding information. We know that parents can be an excellent resource for information about Six Nations.

Projects are due Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

Cultural Heritage Fair

All Mohawk and Cayuga students will be creating a display board for our Cultural Heritage Fair. Each student will receive an information package that will help them choose a topic, begin research and plan display areas. Students can work in pairs or independently on their topic. We will be using class time during the month of April to gather and complete display boards. Students are welcome to bring in information, pictures and other items needed for their topic. The due date for projects will be April 30, 2008.

Our Cultural Heritage Fair will be held in May. Students will be presenting their projects in the gym. Parents and community members will be invited to view the projects.

Wampum Belt Marks!!!!!

All student folders have been marked for the Wampum Belt Unit. Please ask your child their final percent in this unit! Some students completed excellent assignments and used their time wisely and others did not use the four weeks of in-class time to complete the unit. Students also spent six computer classes in the lab for required internet research!

This week we will be spending time completing all assigned work for this unit, so that students will have an better understanding of Wampum Belts for the final quiz!!!

Wrapping up Wampum Belt Unit

After one month of in-class sessions and 4 computer classes, students should be finishing required work in the Wampum Belt Unit. All folders will be handed in for marking on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Once the folders are marked, unfinished work MUST be completed by all students at activity time or for homework and handed in again.

Be prepared for a Wampum Belt Quiz when we return from Midwinter!

Wampum Belts

We are beginning a new unit on Wampum Belts. Students will be working independently, in pairs, small group and as a whole class to read, record, research and draw wampum belts. Each Day 6 & Day 1, we will be in the computer lab so that students can complete research as necessary.

Periodically during this unit, students will also be reviewing Cayuga numbers so that all students can recite and spell the numbers from 1 - 100 in Cayuga.

Congratulations to students in grades 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 for learning and reciting Ganohonyohk during December. The 7-3 students will be reciting Ganohonyohk during our opening each morning.

Mr. Johnson's students have had the opportunity to learn the Thanksgiving Address in either Mohawk or Cayuga. Nya:weh to Mr. M. Montour for working with some students who learning the Mohawk version.

Ganohonyohk

We are almost there!!! Just a few more students in each class learning the last few sentences of Ganohonyohk. That means by the end of this month, all grade 4, 5, 6 Jamieson students & 7 & 8 J. C. Hill students will be able to recite the short version of Ganohonyohk. Keep up the excellent work!

Social

J. C. Hill will be having a Social on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. Once again our students who know the social songs will be invited to bring in their rattles and singing voices.

Ganohonyohk

Nya:weh to Whitney 8-1, for printing sentence strips for students to use in class while learning Ganohonyohk. She is an excellent primary printer and her efforts are very much appreciated. The sentence strips will be put on the wall in the library for students to use while reciting.

Nya:weh to Honosawi 8-1 and Randy 7-3 for recording our practice tapes.

Students are preparing for individual reciting of Ganohonyohk next week. Keep practicing with a partner or in your small groups.

Ganohonyohk

Sge:noh

All students have been practicing reciting the short version of Ganohonyohk. Those that already know this version have been a great help to other students who are just learning. In December all students will have the opportunity to recite Ganohonyohk to me for their final mark in this unit. Even my grade 4, 5, & 6 students are learning Ganohonyohk with some great results. Keep up the good work!

Cayuga Language Picture Books - DUE DATE!!!!

All finished Cayuga Picture Books are due on Friday, November 9, 2007. Grade 7 & 8 students must produce a 12 page book with one Cover Page, 10 illustrated, coloured and labelled pages and "About the Author" information page. This project is worth 100 marks and marks will be deducted for late projects. Friday will be the last day for students to work on the projects in class. The projects will then become homework! Complete a professional and well illustrated booklet to share with others.

Cayuga Primary Picture Books

Students have been working on Cayuga Language Picture Books using various topics from the Thematic Dictionary. These picture books will be used in our classes and also for sharing with primary and junior classes from Jamieson. This is the final week for completing books, so all students should be working efficiently in class.

Creation Stories

Grade 7 & 8 students are in the computer lab Day 1 & Day 2 to research other nations' creations stories. Each student is responsible for gathering information, recording Title of story, Nation, Geographical location, a brief summary of story, roles and responsibilites for the human beings and animals and what lessons are being taught through the story. Students will be presenting a short summary of their findings to the class.

"About Me" Posters

We have some excellent artists in our school this year. All students complete a poster about who they are "at school, in the community and at home". Great ideas that were well illustrated! Very reflective of "who you are".

Social - Thursday, October 4, 2007

Now is the time for students to sign up for our Social committee. We are looking for students who know the songs, and are able to play the rattles. Look for the sign-up sheet with Mrs. L. Maracle and/or Mrs. A. Noyes. This is a great opportunity to practice those skills and perhaps teach others along the way.

Storytelling Unit

Welcome back to all students! We are well into our first project - Creation Stories of First Nations People. Both independently and in groups students have been reading, recording and answering questions related to a variety of Creation stories. Students have had the opportunity to compare and contrast different First Nations stories. Presentations about the Creation Stories begins on Wednesday, September 26. Groups will be using the overhead to describe the human beings, animals, setting and important details from a specific story. Students, be prepared to create a story related to our people in the near future along with illustrations.