When I was growing up, in the 80's, my brother had ADHD—and the best advice we received was to avoid giving him ketchup. Today, ADHD feels like the common cold of neurodevelopmental disorders: everyone has it to some degree, and they all get by. Yet recent research has given us a more concise picture of the cost of ADHD impairments and the life trajectory for this population. Academic achievement is only a drop in the bucket. This session is a chance for all of us in SD64 to build a shared understanding of the new findings. This presentation will outline what is happening for these students and what we can actually do that will make a long term difference.
"one of the most effective supports for students with ADHD is having teachers who understand them"
Ewe (2019)
This hands-on and practical K-7 session aspires to empower educators to create inclusive 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 tools and ideas to cultivate PE environments where every student feels supported, valued, and actively engaged.
Frustrated with how long it takes to teach long division? Curious about strategies that grow with concepts from elementary through high school? The area model is a visual approach that helps students make sense of place value, the distributive property and the inverse nature of multiplication and division. Spend time exploring the area model while expanding connections between multiplication and division (with a dip into exploding dots!).
This interactive workshop is designed for educators looking to explore and incorporate themes of reconciliation into their English Language Arts classrooms. Using their new children's book, Two Tricksters Find Friendship, as a springboard, the facilitators will discuss using storytelling to open important conversations with students about reconciliation, Indigenous perspectives, and working together in the spirit of healing. Participants will experience practical classroom-ready strategies for addressing reconciliation in ways that are both meaningful and respectful.
What you have to offer is exactly what we need as a group. This 90 minute class is an introduction to the “Art of Is”. We will make stories and seek to discover themes together, through play. Group work is hard. However, like Tom Sawyer we can make it fun if we create a fence to rally around, together.
We need to balance our impulses with the needs of the group while recognizing that traffic isn’t only all of the other cars on the road; it’s also you. Let’s make and accept offers together to create something that didn’t exist beforehand. You bring a truth and I’ll bring a truth and we’ll put them together to make a fiction and hopefully learn together (through play) about stories and themes.
Environmental and place-based learning is already thriving across the Southern Gulf Islands — from outdoor classrooms and nature journaling to Indigenous-led field trips and community partnerships. This workshop invites educators to explore how forming a local EEPSA (Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association) chapter could strengthen, connect, and sustain this work.
Together, we’ll:
Learn what EEPSA is and how local chapters support teachers through networking, professional learning, advocacy, and shared resources
Map existing environmental and outdoor education strengths across SD64 island schools
Discuss what support educators want and need — from mentorship and pro-d to funding pathways and collective voice
Explore next steps for launching a Southern Gulf Islands EEPSA chapter that reflects our unique island contexts
Come to listen, contribute ideas, and help shape a network that supports educators and learners across our archipelago.
This workshop focuses on combining hands-on activities with practical guidance for safe and effective AI use in the classroom.
Participants won't just learn about AI; they'll design and build their own AI-powered tool tailored to their specific teaching needs. This ensures the tools we’re using reflect real classroom priorities rather than just chasing tech trends.
Key Takeaway: By the end of the session, teachers will leave with a functional AI prototype and a deeper, stronger understanding of how AI can be used to support learning rather than replace learning.
Participants are asked to please bring a laptop!
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
Join teachers Samantha Creech and Sarah Kerrigan, along with guest contributors Myriah Michaux and Ara Van Riel, as we share practical strategies for incorporating evidence-based literacy practices that foster engagement, confidence, and fluency in elementary readers.
As classroom teachers, we understand the realities and challenges of today’s educational landscape. This session will provide strategies for managing a diverse range of learners in a whole-class setting, offer approaches for addressing challenging behaviours, and demonstrate how to prioritize learning in a fun yet intentional way. We’ll also share some ideas for supporting your most at-risk students.
While open to all K–12 educators, this session is especially designed for K–5 teachers seeking fresh ideas and opportunities to collaborate and exchange ideas with colleagues.
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.
The Inclusive planning process is aiming to situate Disability as an identity, not a deficit, and so to determine what supports and strategies students require, teams are shifting to look at needs, instead of disabilities, as a reference point. In this way, planning for inclusive classes can be universal, and anticipate needs of everyone in a community. In this session we will connect to Universal Design for Learning principles and look at how we can plan for a student with a disability, in ways that can support many students in a classroom.
Gathering around a fire is one of the oldest ways humans have shared knowledge, reflected, and built community. This outdoor workshop offers a gentle, grounded space for educators to come together and speak honestly about their experiences with outdoor, land-based, and environmental learning.
In this facilitated circle, participants will pass a speaking rock and respond to prompts related to:
Share successes, joys, and moments of connection from outdoor teaching
Name challenges, barriers, and uncertainties — logistical, emotional, or systemic
Listen deeply to one another and recognize shared experiences across schools and islands
Reflect on what helps educators feel supported, confident, and inspired in outdoor learning
This session prioritizes relationship-building, reflection, and collective wisdom, rather than problem-solving or outcomes. Dress warmly, and come prepared to both speak and listen. No prior experience with outdoor education is required — just curiosity and care.
Join Maureen and Marcus to discuss evidence-based ideas for creating a regulated classroom. We will review the classics and explore some creative ideas to create calm.
What does leadership have to do with teaching? What does leadership have to do with wellness? Turns out, quite a bit! Join this session for an interactive and reflective discussion on leadership, agency, and flourishing.