Education
Stó:lō Education Services
An important ingredient of a healthy community is the academic strength of its members. Education is a life-long journey that must be accessible to all Stó:lō people. Stó:lō Education Services provides support for children and adults enrolled in certain education programs.
Eligibility Requirements
Stó:lō Education Services provides support to the following Bands:
- Aitchelitz
- Matsqui
- Skowkale
- Shxwha:y
- Tzeachten
- Yakweakwioose
People eligible to receive educational support must fit the following requirements:
- Children must be 4 years of age and up by December 31.
- All First Nations students in school who reside on the reserves.
- Adult learners who are non-graduates and are working to obtain their Dogwood Certificates.
- Students acquiring extra courses.
The types of schools covered by tuition are:
- Provincial
- Band-operated
- Private or Independent, however, many private school are not approved by DIA. Youmust inform the Education Coordinator before enrolling your child in private school.
Kindergarten to Grade 12 Services
The In-School staff provides a variety of services to assist First Nation students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. All children receive school supply cheques, while children in grade 8 and up receive a monthly cheque delivered at three month intervals.
These services include:
- Student monthly incentive allowances
- Student fees and supplies
- Arrange tutoring
- Student, parent and school liaison
- Student support / peer counselling
- Home visits
- Stó:lō and Bursary awards program
- Community educational workshops
- Curriculum development/implementation
- Provide cross-cultural awareness to teachers, administrators and education staff.
- Provide/teach Stó:lō Native Studies
- Provide education forums for Stó:lō students
- Participate on School District Advisory committees
- Negotiate education agreements with local School Districts on behalf of member Stó:lō First Nations.
- Liaison with other local educational institutes.
Post Secondary School Services
The Post Secondary Student Support Services provides academic counselling and financial support to Stó:lō Nation community members whose education funds are administered through Stó:lō Nation Education services. Scholarships and bursaries are also available to post secondary students and are awarded based on grades, course load, and GPA. Bursaries are based more on needs however, grades are still a factor.
Students can apply through the Stó:lō Nation Post Secondary Education for the following types of support:
- basic tuition fees
- registration fees
- professional certification
- examination fees
- cost of books and supplies
- tutorial funding
- living expense (food, shelter, daily transportation, child care and emergency expenses)
- travel
- scholarships
How Do I Qualify?
- You must be a registered Status Member
- You need academics such as Math, English and Science with your Dogwood Certificate
- Your must be taking at least 3 courses per term
- You must be working towards a certificate, diploma or degree
How Do I Apply?
- Book an interview
- Get an explanation of policies, terms and conditions
- Make sure you are registered to a Stó:lō Nation Band
Required Forms
- Post-secondary application form
- Academic transcripts
- Personal resume
- Letter of career goal & objective
- Letter of acceptance to institution
- Copy of program information with fee schedule
- Copy of current status card
Stó:lō Nation Schools
The Stó:lō Nation has two schools that are recognized as provincial schools and have been operating since 1995.
Stó:lō Education Centre: This school is for people 17 years of age or older who are earning their Dogwood Certificate.
Stó:lō Alternate: This school is for students who are between the ages of 12 – 16.
Special Dates & Events
The following are special dates and events from Stó:lō Education Services:
- Student registration is on the third week in July.
- Stó:lō Awards Ceremony is the largest in the Fraser Valley and takes place on the fourth Thursday in May.
- The Annual Waterslide Day is usually the second week in August.
- Annual Leadership Conference that is held in Langley, BC.
Longhouse Program
In response to the Provincial Schools' need to provide a unit on First Nations within their curriculum, Stó:lō Nation has developed their program for Grade 4 students in cooperation with the local School Districts.
The students will see the following stations set up in the Coqualeetza Longhouse:
- Bannock making
- Carving
- Weaving
- Drum making
- Cedar bark
- Language
- Slahal game
- Dancing
- Cedar root baskets
- Beading
The Longhouse Extension Program was established to provide a local space where teachers and students can experience aspects of the Stó:lō way of life, philosophy and culture first-hand, as well as participate in hands-on programming designed to supplement the written curricula.
Stó:lō artists and crafts people create original objects and replica pieces onsite for exhibit. This allows visitors an opportunity to watch these artists in action which will foster an understanding and strengthening of the Stó:lō culture in our community.
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