Happy Native American Heritage Month!

Welcome! We are happy you are here perusing your newsletter.  We hope the information and content we provide helps you and your families to connect to resources, opportunities, community, culture, and language. Supporting students means supporting families and communities. 

This month's newsletter contains information for our upcoming Parent Meeting on November 11,  PowerSchool pointers, emotional support activities with Anishinaabemowin, student successes, a special invitation to the John Family Ghost Supper, community events, youth opportunities, and language. 

Program updates

Staff:  We have filled the West Middle School Instructional Aide position. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Willow! She also works for our program as an on-site instructional support at East Middle School and Central High School. We are excited she will be at West Middle providing support to students. Our elementary instructional aide position has received applications. We will be conducting interviews later this month.

Culture and Language: 

District-wide and community: This month our office is providing professional development and presenting to Northwest Ed about our program services.

Elementary: Elementary students will find bookmarks that contain Anishinaabemowin in their library this month. TCAPS' Elementary Library Coordinator orchestrated the Anishinaabemowin bookmark and consulted with our program for the language and audio clip provided by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Culture and Language Program. 

Middle School: Last month we resumed with Cultural Connect at East Middle School and will start in November at West Middle School. Cultural Connect is a monthly gathering for Indigenous Education Middle School students to build community through culture and language enrichment. Our first get-together consisted of a meet and greet, information about what Cultural Connect is, and who we are as a program to students in the program. 

High School: High School clubs began their beading journey by creating bead strand necklaces with a cowrie shell. The cowrie shell is representative of the Ojibwe Creation Story that was read to students from the Mishomis Book by Edward Benton-Banai. TCHS High School Culture Community and WSH Native American clubs guide their culture and language activities while our program supports their initiatives and experiences. 

We hope to see you at our Parent Committee Meeting on November 11, details can be found in this month's newsletter.  If you have questions or wonderings please contact us, contact information is found below.

Thank you!

Oose! (Shoshone)

Peshaiyu! (Bannock)

Miigwech! (Anishinaabemowin)

Summer Baldwin,

Indigenous Education Coordinator

Office: (231) 933-5897

Cell/Text: (231) 499-2421

Email: baldwinsu@tcaps.net

National Scholarship Month

November is National Scholarship Month. This is a time to bring awareness to scholarship opportunities to current and future college students.  

Below are a few scholarship opportunities:

• National Indian Education Association scholarship opportunities list

• American Indian College Fund

• American Indian College Fund's scholarship list

• Cobell Scholarship

• Native Forward Scholars Fund scholarship list

• Study.com scholarship list for Indigenous students

💡 Tips:

• Watch this video by the U.S. Department of Education video about How to Get a Scholarship in Six Simple Steps.

• Be aware of deadlines.

• Utilize writing centers and writing tool resources.

• Prepare text descriptions for online forms in a separate document to assist with spelling and grammar.

• Seek out letters of recommendation early.

• Get involved! Scholarship reviewers also review honors, extracurriculars, clubs, and volunteering.

  • TCAPS Indigenous Education Program offers volunteer opportunities and can also assist you in finding additional opportunities. Email baldwinsu@tcaps.net if you are interested.

  • West Senior has a  Native American Club that meets on Thursdays at 7:40 am in room B102. 

  • Traverse City High School has a Culture Community that meets on Thursdays from 3 pm to 4:30 pm in the Indigenous Education office.

• Awards, honors, and distinctions can get you noticed on a scholarship application.

• Scholarship providers evaluate many factors when selecting scholarship recipients, not just grades. You don’t have to have a 4.0 GPA to be considered for a scholarship.

• Don’t be fooled by scholarship scams! You should never have to pay a submission or registration fee to apply for a scholarship.

• Scholarships make college more affordable and reduce the student debt burden.

If you have any questions or need additional information or scholarship assistance, please contact your school's Indigenous Education liaison.

American Indian College Fund TCU Fair: November 6-7

The 5th Annual TCU Fair will host a live event to showcase and highlight features of tribal colleges and universities.

The American Indian College Fund wants to celebrate the 5th Annual TCU Fair. This is a time to help promote opportunities and spotlight Tribal Colleges and Universities throughout Indian Country. Tribal Colleges are unique institutions that provide academic excellence as they allow students to attain advanced degrees and empower Native American history, culture, and languages.

Visit the American Indian College Fund website for more information. 👈

Michigan Elks Association Charitable Grant Fund Gold Key Scholarship

The Michigan Elks Charitable Grant Fund is offering scholarships for special-needs students who want to pursue higher education at an accredited educational institution or a licensed trade or vocational school.

 This scholarship is intended to aid qualifying seniors in high school, who could not otherwise continue their education or training past high school, and is available for study at an accredited college, university, licensed trade or vocational school. 

For more information and an application visit the Michigan Elks Association website.