May 1st, 2017

Friday, May 5, 2017, is a Professional Development Day for all elementary and secondary schools, which means students do not need to be in school. Below you will find a summary of how teachers and staff will spend their day.

Teachers

Elementary and secondary teachers will attend full-day professional development activities with their union groups.

Elementary Teachers

Teachers will spend part of the day at their schools working on self-directed assessment, planning and collaboration activities.

The remainder of the day, teachers will attend a workshop with David Usher on the topic of creativity. Participants will learn steps they can take to inspire the creative process both at work in their teaching practices and at home.

Elementary Occasional Teachers

For part of the day, teachers will attend workshops on a variety of topics, such as connecting outdoor play and self-regulation for Kindergarten students, getting students passionate about mathematics, implementing the updated health and physical education curriculum and much more.

The second half of the day will be spent at their schools working on planning and collaboration activities as well as self-directed assessment.

Secondary Teachers

In the morning, secondary teachers will attend one of seven  “TED-talk” style workshops presented by peers and community speakers on a broad range of cross-curricular topics.

In the afternoon, they will choose from one of 30 subject-specific workshops run by both the Education Services Department of Provincial OSSTF and WRDSB Subject Associations. These workshops cover a wide variety of topics including teaching methods and curriculum development, student mental health, equity and inclusion, workshops offered by local colleges and universities and tours of community museums and businesses to explore student enrichment opportunities.

Designated Early Childhood Educators

Schools that operate Extended Day Programs will open for students enrolled in the program. Professional development opportunities for Designated Early Childhood Educators will be provided throughout the day, scheduled by the school principal. Professional development will be offered online with resources and course relating directly to the Kindergarten program.

Paraprofessionals – (Educational Assistants and Child and  Youth Workers)

Educational Assistants and Child and Youth Workers will participate in professional development at their home school. Staff will complete online training using Kognito, an at-risk training simulation that focuses on mental health awareness among students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Kognito allows staff to increase their ability to identify signs of psychological distress and make connections to services and supports for students and staff.