Students are Back to School!
Prophet River Dene Tsaa School opens its doors on Sept. 10 and welcomes 15 new students to the class of 20/21! “We are thrilled with the community response and the number of new students that are joining us this year,” said Kristiana Bailey, Educational Director.
Recently, the school updated the front room of the school as a meeting area. “This will be a comfortable space where the students will have an opportunity to share, discuss current events and begin and end their
day,” Bailey explained.
This new room is only one of the many initiatives the school is planning for the upcoming year. Recently, the school hosted an open house to welcome families for a tour and to view the new meeting area.
Dene Tsaa school has grades K-7 and the focus is on hands-on learning, culture-based curriculum, number sense, handwriting, living and harvesting off the land, critical thinking skills, and exploring the world through engaging texts. There are a full language and culture program planned for this year. This includes the return of our language teacher Melba St Pierre who will spend an hour a day with the students teaching them the original Beaver language and culture. This session will be recorded and available to non-residents online if they want to share this with their families. Sessions will be posted on the Facebook page and on the community website at ProphetRiverFirstNation.com.
There will be more updates online as Dene Tsaa starts Culture days start. Some of the highlights include an opportunity to learn drum dancing and the carving of a moose. Over the past few months, the BC Ministry of Education has published several updates detailing how public schools will follow specific guidelines aimed at ensuring maximum safety for all staff, students, and parents. Dene Tsaa is following these strict guidelines to ensure our school is a safe place to be and invites parents to check our website for our full list of safety guidelines and requirements.
This year, Dene Tsaa will be more accessible for Off-Reserve families because of the new community bus. The bus will leave Fort Nelson Tim Hortons in the morning and bring the students back at the end of the day. Any family that is interested in participating in this program is welcome to reach out and discuss how they can be accommodated. As we head into the school year, we encourage families and communities to communicate with the school. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Kristiana Bailey by email at
[email protected] or phone at 1.844.323.0324 x102.
