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PA Day Agendas

On Professional Activity (PA) days, staff engage in professional development. Our school, along with all schools in the Halton District School Board (HDSB) have several Professional Activity (PA) Days throughout the school year. The purpose of these days is to enhance student success. Staff focus on professional development activities, participate in training or planning sessions. There are no classes for students on these days. ​ ​

To learn about what schools across the HDSB are focusing on during each PA Day, visit HDSB PA Days.

Timing/Format

  • Full instructional ay of learning 8:00am - 2:50pm

  • Small and large group discussion

  • Course team discussion and planning

Facilitators
Learning will be led by school board staff, supported with materials and guidance from central departments including Student Mental Health and Well-Being, Secondary School Programs and Special Education.

Description
Subject-specific learning focused on improving student learning and achievement through building belonging, cultivating curiosity and strengthening skills.

Areas of focus for subject specific learning include:

  • High impact instructional strategies

  • On-going implementation of recently revised curriculum 

  • Experiential learning

  • Mental health literacy 

  • Assessment and evaluation

  • Career readiness and regional and post-secondary exploration

  • Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)

Learning Materials

  • Materials created by Secondary School Program staff, Ministry of Education curruculum documents, Assessment and Evaluation Policy,School Mental Health Ontario resources, HDSB Well-Being resources, etc. 

Topic: Provincial Education Priorities - Keeping Schools Safe and School Resource Officer Program

Format: 

  • Full-day, in-person

  • Elementary and secondary schools

Description: School teams will review policy requirements and supports for safe schools regarding the Provincial Code of Conduct, violence prevention, violent incident reporting and debriefing, gender-based violence and the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol. The content will include the role of police in providing high-quality, age-appropriate educational public safety presentations to students on subjects such as cybercrime, human trafficking, road safety and more. Information will be provided about the role of police in the school community, to support trust building between educators, policing services, students and parents/guardians. For schools currently in the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, a summary of the program's structure and objectives will be reviewed. Suicide prevention and intervention will also be reviewed. 

Facilitators: Learning will be led by principals and vice-principals and school-based staff, supported with materials and guidance from central departments including Student Mental Health and Well-Being, Safe Schools and Special Education.

Learning/Delivery Method: Whole group presentations and small group work 

Topic: Provincial Education Priorities - Tackling Racism & Keeping Schools Safe

Format: 

  • Full-day, in-person

  • Elementary and secondary schools

Description: School teams will engage in learning focused on how to create supportive classrooms and schools free from discrimination in any form. There will be a particular focus on antisemitism, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia and racism towards Indigenous communities. Learning will equip educators to uphold human rights, as required by the Ontario Human Rights Code. The Ontario curriculum program planning information on the instruction of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusive Education, which is applicable to all grades and disciplines, will be reviewed.

 

School teams will review practices, policies/procedures and resources to support Student and School Safety using resources prepared by central departments. The content includes:

Provincial Code of Conduct, violence prevention, bullying prevention and intervention, duty to report children in need of protection to the Children’s Aid Society, progressive discipline, violent incident reporting, gender-based violence, sex trafficking, the Provincial Model for a local Police/School Board Protocol, information about child sexual abuse prevention and reporting and the School Resource Officer program.

Presenter(s)/Facilitators(s):  Learning will be led by principals and vice-principals and school-based staff, supported with materials and guidance from central departments including Indigenous Rights and Education and Human Rights, Equity and Inclusive Education departments. 

Learning/Delivery Method:  Whole group presentations and small group work