January 20, 2009
January 20, 2009
Second semester of the 2008-2009 school year has begun. Once again, we had several of our Native American high school students end up the first semester with NO CREDIT. They were passing classes, but because of poor attendance, they received no credit, even after successfully completing the course, They made the choice not to attend class. Some missed credit by only one or two days. The school sends warning letters. It is up to the student and his/her parents to make sure the student is not exceeding the number of absences allowed. If your student must miss classes because of illness or family emergencies, PARENTS, PLEASE REMEMBER TO CALL OR SEND A WRITTEN EXCUSE TO THE OFFICE EACH TIME THE STUDENT MUST BE ABSENT. If circumstances warrant you have the right to an "attendance appeal process." You will be asked for a letter documenting excused absences and then meet with a committee to discuss possible reinstatement of credit.
THE BOTTOM LINE
KEEP TRACK OF ABSENCES.
BE ON TIME FOR CLASS
DON'T DITCH
GET THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE!
Five Foods That Fight High Cholesterol:
Use olive, canola, and safflower oils
Five foods that feed BAD Cholesterol:
READ THE LABELS, MAKE GOOD CHOICES!
American Dietetic Association
Excerpts from winning essays from competition sponsored by U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian Education. The theme of the competition emphasized the importance of education to Native youth and celebrated educational successes in Native communities. Winners were selected from entries submitted by Native student writers, 6th through 12th grade, representing 28 states across the United States. The essays and art work were exhibited at the .July National Indian Education Conference, Rapid City, S.D.
"My exposure through the years to my Ponca culture has led me to the following opinion: What we had as a tribe in the past will very soon be completely gone if my generation does not educate themselves to help ensure the preservation of what we have and the restoration of what we have lost." Sean Little Cook. (Ponca) 8th grade.
"We need to know what's going on in our world, and what happened in the past. Learning our heritage is important to us just like education is important" Samantha Black Bear (Rosebud Sioux) 10th grade.
"As I sit here dreaming and thinking about how I'm one more year closer to college and my future, I'm beginning to think it will fly by. So far the journey has been challenging and has convinced me to keep learning about my tribal history and to stay true to my native background." Jahir Fox (BlackfootlCreek)8th
"One of my favorite quotes is, 'Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that catch your heart.' This quote has great meaning to me. When I finish high school, I want to become a pediatrician and work at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I have the blood of an American Choctaw Indian. Anything is possible if I strive to reach my fullest potential. Nothing can stop me from pursuing my dreams and achieving my goals in life. I am proud to be a Native American!" Raven Comby (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indian) 8th grade.
To read the complete winning entries and also view work of winning artists, visit the Office of Indian Education, Student Artist Competition
It was the end of a long, cold winter, and a family was starving. The hunting had not been good that year, and all the stored food had been · eaten. there were no grocery stores then. As the family looked out at the lake near their camp, they noticed that the ice was changing color, from white to black. This meant that the ice was thin and would break apart in a few weeks. Spring was coming. They would find food then, if only they could stay alive that long.
Behind them, the family heard the trees creaking in the wind. They heard a woodpecker tapping on a tree, looking for insects. Above the noise of the trees, the father thought he heard someone speak. He turned but saw no one. He thought that hunger must be making him hear things.
All of a sudden the mother heard a noise. She asked her husband, "Did you say something?"
"No, I didn't," he said.
They both turned when they heard someone say, "I will teach you a way to make food so that you will never have to starve," The whole family was surprised and frightened. trees don't talk to human beings! Yet it was true. They had all heard it. Ininatig -the man tree- had spoken.
He told the family to cut his skin, not too deep, but just enough. He told them to collect the liquid that flowed I from the cut. It would be clear as water and cold and just a little sweet. He told them to boil the liquid until it became a dark, thick sweet syrup. They could eat this food, or they could boil it more until it became even thicker. If they poured the syrup into a trough and stirred it back and forth, it would turn into sugar.
The family did exactly as they were taught. They made maple syrup and sugar. They also made candy. Now they had enough food to keep them strong until the ice on the lake broke and there would be fish. The man tree had saved their lives.
Johnson-O'Malley act , passed by Congress in 1934 and amended in 1936, is one of the principle vehicles for subsidizing education by the federal government for Indian children.
JOM
PO Box 68
Ajo, AZ
520-387-3494