Professional Activity (PA) Days

Topic: School Improvement Goals and Effective Learning Strategies 

Format: 

• Full-day, in-person

• Elementary and secondary schools

Description: School teams will focus on school improvement work. School teams will focus their attention on district and school data analysis and planning effective strategies for student learning in literacy, mathematics, assessment and evaluation, monitoring student achievement and student safety and well-being. They will engage in learning related to the school improvement goals and effective learning strategies. 

Facilitators: 

• School administrators and school staff

Learning/Delivery Method: 

• Whole group presentations and small group learning/planning

Topic: School Improvement Work

Format: 

• Secondary only

• Full-day, in-person

Description: School teams will focus on School Improvement work. School teams will focus their attention on district and school data analysis, planning effective strategies (literacy, mathematics, assessment and evaluation, monitoring student achievement and student safety and well-being). They will engage in learning related to the school improvement goals and effective learning strategies.  

Facilitators: 

• School administrators and school staff

Learning/Delivery Method: 

• Whole group presentations and small group learning/planning

Topic: Assessment and Evaluation Activities

Format: 

• Elementary only

• Full-day, in-person or remotely 

Description: Elementary educators will be engaged in assessment and evaluation activities including report card writing. This is time designated by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) collective agreement.

Facilitators: 

• Self-directed day for teachers

Learning/Delivery Method: 

• Individual work time

Topic: Student Growth, Progress Reports & Effective Strategies and Practices

Format: 

• Full-day, in-person

• Elementary and secondary schools

Description: Elementary school teams will engage in student/parent/guardian/teacher conferences focused on Student Growth and Progress Reports.

Secondary school educators will participate in learning focused on improving student learning and achievement through building belonging, cultivating curiosity and strengthening skills. Areas of focus for subject-specific learning will include high impact instructional strategies, on-going implementation of recently revised curriculum, experiential learning, mental health literacy, assessment and evaluation career readiness, regional and post-secondary exploration and generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI).

Facilitators: 

• Elementary: Teachers hosting small group conferences with students and parents/guardians 

• Secondary: Programming will be led by the School Programs Department and school-based administrators and educators

Learning/Delivery Method: 

• Elementary: Small group conferences with students and parents/guardians 

• Secondary: 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: bullying prevention and intervention, duty to report children in need of protection to the Children’s Aid Society, information about child sexual abuse prevention and reporting.

Facilitators: 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

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

Format:

• Full-day, in-person session
• For elementary and secondary schools

Description: School teams will review policy requirements and supports related to safe schools, including 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 session will also cover the role of police in providing high-quality, age-appropriate public safety presentations to students on topics such as cybercrime, human trafficking, and road safety. Participants will receive information on the role of police in schools to support trust building among educators, policing services, students, and parents/guardians.

For schools currently in the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, an overview of the program’s structure and objectives will be provided. Suicide prevention and intervention will also be addressed.