January 2026: Gichi-manidoo-giizis

What a great day of learning how to bead graduation caps and learning how to make jingle dresses and ribbon shirts!

THANK YOU to our teachers:

• Renee Belanger for teaching us how to bead
• Jaclyn Wichlidal for teaching us how to make jingle dresses
• Troy Howes for helping with ALL things and teaching us how to make ribbon shirts!

Check out the photos below!

January 8th - Drumming at SMS 4pm-6pm Room A233

January 15th - Drumming at SMS 4pm-6pm Room A233

January 19th - No School

January 20th - No School

January 22nd - Drumming at SMS 4pm-6pm Room A233

January 28th -AIEPAC meetings - all families & students are invited. HS students are encouraged to attend! See the announcement below for details!

Our Indigenous Family Engagement Coordinator will plan events with the AIEPAC for our students and families to help meet our annual goals and objectives.

If you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to reach out to:

jennifer.willoughby@superior.k12.wi.us

Please SHARE with your family and friends!

apply here! https://wecan.waspa.org/Employer/Vacancy/PublicSupport/3631

Title VI and Johnson O'Malley are the two grants that provide funding for our Indian Education Programs each year. In order to receive funding, we need completed forms on file for our Native students.

Jill Bird works diligently each year to identify students, update our lists and send forms to parents to complete paperwork. We are required to have a tribal number for the student, parent or grandparent AND a signature of parent/guardian in order to send to the tribe for final verification.

Sometimes the tribes then require additional paperwork. Jill will work with you through all these steps.

IF you are unable to complete the paperwork, please contact Jill Bird at jill.bird@superior.k12.wi.us to let her know your situation and we will make note of that within our records.

January is our Count Month for Title VI funding - so please get your forms into Jill Bird ASAP!

Date: January 14, 2026

Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST

Location: The Lake Superior Estuarium

3 Marina Drive (on Barkers Island)

Website: https://lakesuperiornerr.org/events/

Join us on January 14 to learn about wild rice from members of the St. Louis River Manoomin Restoration Partnership! For centuries, Ojibwe people and others came to Chi-gami ziibi, the St. Louis River, to harvest manoomin (wild rice), but over the past 100 years rice beds were greatly diminished here. After over a decade of restoration, wild rice in the estuary is slowly rebounding. Learn what it takes to bring these amazing plants back and what’s needed to care for manoomin into the future. This is part of The River Talks, a free learning series hosted at the Lake Superior Estuarium. Participants may request an interpreter, materials in an alternative language or format, or other services to make this event more accessible, by contacting the Reserve at least 20 days before the event. There’s no added cost to you for these services. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.

Sunday, January 18, 2026 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

1854 Treaty Authority Office 4428 Haines Rd, Duluth, MN, United States

Only 10 participants allowed! RSVP now! Save your spot by December 15th, 2025 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMQvN88cT463xqe1avveaJCQl20oj089hlrSKfG0UqWJh-Ug/viewform?pli=1

Friday, January 16

7:00pm – Warmups

Saturday, January 17
10:00am – Registration
1:00pm & 7:00pm – Grand Entry
5:00pm – Traditional Feast

Host Drum: TBA

Co-host Drum: Cedar Creek

Head Dancers: Molly Hunter & Jacob Wilson

MC: Les Gibbs
Anishinaabe Translation: Alex Kmett

Contact Information:

• Vendor Tables and Drum Sing up: Phil Savage, phillipsavage@fdlband.org
• Info Table Sign Up: Courtney Kowalczak, courtneyk@fdltcc.edu

Feel free to contact me with any questions

Email: jennifer.willoughby@superior.k12.wi.us

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BmK1eRtNd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Website: https://sites.google.com/superior.k12.wi.us/indian-education/home
Phone: 715-394-8790 (10184)