Highlights for Schools in 2023-2024

Full-day Kindergarten

The Department of Education is thrilled to introduce the Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot Project! Starting this academic year, kindergarten in Apex, Chesterfield Inlet, Kimmirut, Kugluktuk and Whale Cove will be expanded from half-day to full-day. Full-day kindergarten is critical for students' development and addressing concerns about childcare space availability in Nunavut.

Full-day kindergarten will give students more instructional time to build their knowledge and skills in Inuit language and culture, literacy, numeracy, physical, social and emotional, health and wellness. Research shows that full-day kindergarten benefits children’s social-emotional development and learning. According to this research, in the years following, children enrolled in full-day kindergarten have been shown to perform in reading, writing and mathematics.

The pilot project’s outcomes will inform the department’s long-term plan and ensure the sustainable implementation of full-day kindergarten across all Nunavut schools.

 

Language of Instruction and Inuktut Resources

The Government of Nunavut (GN) works passionately to protect and promote the Inuktuk language.

We are the only public government in Canada with legislation to protect Inuktuk. We recognize the importance of the Inuktut language of instruction to improve educational outcomes for our students.

Children have a right to Inuktut education, and the GN is committed to developing curricula and resources necessary to meet their needs.

Educators currently have access to curricula delivered in the Inuktut language, including Inuuqatigiit K-12 and Inuktitut Language Arts K-6. Additional made-in-Nunavut resources are available throughout grades 7-12, and they include first-language modules that reflect the Inuit language and culture. In addition, locally developed courses provide on-the-land and Inuksiutiliriniit (Elder or cultural-language expert) opportunities tailored to each community. The GN continues to invest significant time and resources into developing new curricula. The Department of Education is developing the kindergarten to grade 6 curricula and assessments in all subject areas and has already developed over 1,500 teacher and student resources in Inuktuk. 

We recognize that the success of implementing the curriculum in Inuktut depends on increasing the number of Inuktut-speaking educators. 

The GN will continue its efforts to recruit more Inuit educators, including through the expansion of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program. Last year, the program had its largest number of teacher education students, with 175 students enrolled across 15 communities.

 

Principal Tool/Report Update

The Department of Education is introducing a principal’s report. The goal of this report is to get principals to complete and submit a monthly report compiling information on:

• Success stories
• Best practices
• Challenges
• Inuksiutiliriniit (Elder or cultural-language expert) involvement at the school
• Consultations 
• Extracurricular activities
• School Team activities
• Attendance
• School closures
• Upcoming events and more

This information will help the department plan, promote good work habits, and share best practices with other schools across the territory. It will also provide essential data for reports.

 

School Mental Health Supports and Programs for all communities

The Department of Education remains committed to supporting the well-being of students, and school mental health supports and programs are an essential aspect of our school operations. A range of universal (general, for all students), targeted (for some students) and individualized (for a few students) mental health services, programs and resources are available within schools. These services, delivered by child and youth mental health professionals, align with other existing education support services such as occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, physiotherapy, educational psychology, Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Low Vision and Blind support services.

In the 2023-24 school year, the department is expanding its Inuglugijaittuq model of education support services to provide school-based mental health support and programs in all communities.

In the 2022-23 school year, schools in 12 communities (Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Kinngait, Pond Inlet, Igloolik, Clyde River, Sanirajak, Arviat, Whale Cove, Coral Harbour, and Naujaat) received both in-person and virtual school-based mental health support and programs.

 

Registration and Attendance Toolkit

The Registration and Attendance Toolkit aims to improve the attendance and registration of students in Nunavut and is a joint effort between the Department of Education and the community. 

The toolkit outlines strategies that District Education Authorities (DEAs) and Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut (CSFN) could use to encourage attendance, such as rewards and incentives, school events for families, and increased land-based activities and programs.

The Registration and Attendance Toolkit includes:

• a communications tool with sample communication materials to engage parents
• an attendance improvement tool
• a Registration and Attendance Policy Description tool
• a Registration and Attendance Policy Development tool
• a Registration and Attendance Policy Implementation tool with suggestions to improve registration and attendance.

 

Education Support Services for Students

To fully implement its Inuglugijaittuq Model of Inclusion, the Department of Education partners with several providers to offer education support services to remove student learning barriers and help them do their best at school. The Education Support Services Program is a hybrid in-person and virtual model with services being delivered at school and in-between visits via dedicated iPads available in schools. These services may be classroom-based support (for all students), targeted (for some students) or individual (for a few) support.

Classroom-based support is when service providers visit classrooms either virtually or in person. They work with teachers in the classroom to provide early support and intervention to all students.

Requiring the consent of the parent or adult student, targeted or individual support is when classroom teachers work with the student support teacher and the school team, as needed, to make referrals for individual students who would benefit from working in a group setting or one-on-one with a service provider.

These services primarily include:

• School-accessed mental health
• Occupational therapy
• Speech-language therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Educational psychology
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing support
• American sign language support
• Low Vision and Blind support
• Neurodiversity support

Contact your child’s teacher or your school’s Student Support Teacher for more information about Education Support Services.