Our experience of the world is multi-faceted. Does the way we teach prepare our students for that reality? Join us for an interactive session and discover how to leverage cross-curricular learning in order to deepen your students’ understanding of STEM concepts. Through a series of collaborative and reflective activities, you will identify opportunities for exploring topics through the lens of different subjects, use an Outcome Mapping strategy to develop a learning plan and explore criteria and formats to assess cross-curricular learning. Participants will come away with ready to use tools and resources that they can implement in their classroom right away.
What community resources exist across the Gulf Islands to get students outdoors to learn in natural environments? We'll examine practical ways to engage students and integrate examples of biodiversity with nearby natural areas using place-based and student-centred learning strategies that connect with curricular competencies. Participants will leave with a copy of the new "Salt Spring Nature Journal" developed by Nature Salt Spring (a local chapter of https://naturekidsbc.ca/).
Managing behaviour within classrooms has become more and more complex. Managing challenging behaviour can be difficult. We have all experienced how minor incidents spark into a bigger situation and potentially even a crisis. These situations can escalate quickly, especially if emotions are running high. This session will provide some relational and trauma informed concepts to help prevent further escalation, all the while maintaining dignity and respect so everyone can feel safe in their environment.
This professional development session focuses on equipping high school teachers with essential harm reduction strategies and practical naloxone training. The session will begin with an overview of harm reduction principles, emphasizing non-judgmental support, safety planning, and effective communication strategies for engaging with students who may be involved in risky behaviors. Participants will learn how to create a safer and more inclusive school environment by providing accurate information, fostering open dialogue, and facilitating access to resources. The second half of the session will involve hands-on naloxone training, where teachers will learn how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and properly administer naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose. This interactive training will include a demonstration of naloxone use, opportunities to practice with training kits, and guidelines for safely responding to an overdose situation in a school setting. The goal is to empower teachers with practical skills, build confidence in handling emergencies, and ensure that they are prepared to act swiftly to save lives while supporting students in a compassionate and informed manner.
Join us for a hands-on session where you'll experience and learn the circle practices our facilitators use with your students. We'll explore how you can extend these tools to deepen connections and foster a more supportive classroom environment every day.
This workshop will equip you with practical strategies to:
· Facilitate meaningful circles that encourage open dialogue
· Use games and activities that build trust and engagement
· Implement our curriculum resources between our monthly visits
Whether you're new to our program or a seasoned participant, you'll gain fresh insights into creating a classroom where every student feels valued and heard.
In this session, participants will collaborate and engage in learning experiences designed to build their understanding about the outcomes of Deep Learning and the types of experiences that can lead to this learning. GISS teachers may be a part of this session, sharing their learning and experiences over the course of this year, where our school has had Deep Learning as a school goal this year.
The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada map is coming to the district for the month of February. Come join this workshop from BCTF to learn all about it! The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada tiled map offers a unique perspective on our country’s geography that is vital to understanding the history and diverse cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The giant floor map does not contain provincial boundaries, names of provinces, or many of the current names of cities and towns. It shows unsettled land claims, treaties and settlement lands, reserves and locations of former residential schools in Canada.
The map is intended to be walked on and is accompanied by a binder of educational resources and activities designed for elementary and secondary students. This fun and interactive experience allows students to explore multiple aspects connected to history and present-day Indigenous Peoples living in Canada. The map is large enough to cover the gymnasium floor and has numerous layers of information that highlight the complexity of Indigenous histories and the diversity of cultures among Métis, Inuit and First Nations peoples living in Canada.
Work together collaboratively to build and create calm and predictable spaces in your classroom and schools, which contribute to a joyful and inclusive space where all students have a sense of belonging. Please note: This is an active and collaborative session, and participants are encouraged to participate.
This interactive workshop guides participants through the evolution of accessibility, from early institutionalization to today’s inclusive education practices and disability justice. Through collaborative activities and reflective exercises, educators will gain insights into historical perspectives on accessibility and identify specific actions to make learning environments accessible.
Looking to better understand the game of disc golf, want to add the game to your PE classes or are you looking to improve your throwing skills. This fun and informative session will cover all the key components of the game.
Topics covered: Basic rules of the game, Throwing techniques, The dynamics of disc flights, Different throwing styles
Using “The Behaviour Code” research by child psychiatrist Nancy Rappaport, we will uncover, discuss, and generate ideas around five misunderstood trauma presentations in the classroom. You may notice that your students struggle with the following: 1. trouble forming relationships with their teachers 2. poor self-regulation 3. negative (non-neutral) thinking 4. hypervigilance 5. executive functioning challenges Join me to look at how early life templates for a child going through trauma may cause one or more of these presentations and what might be going on underneath. Together, we will develop a compassion-based, sustainable approach to forming relationships with these students. It’s my understanding that we can increase everyone’s capacity: for healing, for joy, for connection, and for moving beyond paradigms that inhibit our understanding of who our students truly are.
Did you know you can start teaching coding without using the internet, electronic devices or robotics kits? Unplugged coding activities allow students to learn the basics of programming while developing computational skills like algorithmic thinking, debugging and testing. Join us in discovering classroom-ready strategies and resources to challenge your students and get them excited about coding! In this session participants will have the opportunity to explore some of the tools provided by Let's Talk Science, including Coding Mice and Ozobots.
In this session learn about:
How to acknowledge and talk about behaviors we find challenging
Being aware of our triggers
Integrating the three pro-active building blocks, namely, rapport, boundaries & guidelines, and flexibility into practice
Case scenarios from participants
https://www.reillearning.com/schools
Using Nature Journaling techniques and prompts, practice connecting ecology with art in a beautiful natural setting, while sipping herbal tea. In circle, we will create a Gulf Islands conceptual map of outdoor learning locations and opportunities, and will share challenges and opportunities for outdoor learning.
Johnny and Jess share their work together as a Settler and Indigenous writing team. Just as the characters in their writing model reconciliation through a friendship, Johnny and Jess discuss their processes and experiences modelling reconciliation through their work together and their resulting friendship. The story they created in "Two Tricksters Find Friendship" (available May 2025) was written intentionally as a tool for teachers to use in their classrooms to explore issues regarding reconciliation. These include addressing historical and continuing injustices, how to promote healing and the importance of working together. This workshop also addresses and attempts to support the work of teachers in incorporating Indigenous education and ways of knowing into their practice.
Join us for an engaging, hands-on workshop that explores the potential of place-based learning through creek monitoring. We will share insights from real-life projects conducted with students, demonstrating how creek monitoring can foster deeper connections to local watersheds. Learn how to use equipment and follow procedures to collect meaningful data as part of an integrated watershed project. Additionally, we’ll share resources to enhance water literacy and investigate ways to connect students with the freshwater ecosystems of the Gulf Islands. Come ready to dive into experiential learning that inspires curiosity and stewardship!
Learn about the K-3 sexual health education resource created by the Lower Mainland Child Abuse Prevention Educators (LMCAPE). In use by several districts across BC, Safe Bodies, Strong Kids helps educators explore concepts directly connected to the K-3 health curriculum. Lessons include personal identity, safe and healthy touch, consent, online safety, body science, secrets, and boundaries. Participants will receive access to the full resource and supplementary teaching materials.
Marcia Burton is a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher and has offered the MSC training to many people on Salt Spring since 2016. MSC is an evidence-based model, developed by Christopher Germer, PhD, and Kristin Neff, PhD (centerformsc.org/). Marcia describes MSC as a simple method, capable of having profound effects. No matter how quiet our inner flame may have become, if we can learn to be kind to ourselves and reconnect with our wholeness, we will find it, and can re-kindle it.
Our presentation will provide a brief overview of the Compassionate Systems Framework, how it can be applied, and next steps (how to continue your learning journey after the presentation). Compassionate Systems Awareness is a framework designed to address complex, interconnected global challenges with empathy and mindfulness. It combines social and emotional learning (SEL), systems thinking, and compassion to help individuals understand how their actions and emotions are influenced by larger systems.
Key Points:
Integration of SEL and Systems Thinking: This approach emphasizes the importance of recognizing systemic forces that shape our experiences and those of others.
Compassionate Integrity: Developing a mindful understanding of interconnectedness to align thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Educational Application: Aimed at preparing students and educators to navigate and address complex social issues, promoting a culture of awareness and resilience.
Practical Implementation: Involves practices that help both teachers and students apply these skills to real-world challenges, fostering a more compassionate and interconnected community.
We will explore ways to incorporate consent education throughout the year and across the curriculum for intermediate students.
In this session we will play with some puzzles and games that can be used at a variety of grade levels and share links to many more. Some of these can be used as short lesson openers, and others can form the basis of a unit plan (or anywhere in between). We'll touch on the math ideas behind each one, but mostly we'll try (and probably fail) to solve them. Puzzle nerds, board game nerds, math nerds, and all other types of nerds are welcome.
This session aspires to empower educators to create inclusive and meaningful physical education (PE) experiences that foster belonging and relevance for all students. Drawing on frameworks such as Meaningful PE and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), participants will explore strategies for designing adaptable, student-centred activities that address diverse needs, abilities, and interests. Educators will leave with practical tools and ideas to cultivate PE environments where every student feels supported, valued, and actively engaged.