Professional Development Days
Professional Development Days – 2023-24
The Ministry of Education sets aside professional activity days throughout the school year for staff professional development related to Ministry priorities, assessment and evaluation tasks related to student achievement reporting, and other local priorities.
The following is a listing of professional development days for elementary and secondary schools and a link to the 2023-24 School Year Calendar.
Listing of PD Days:
Date: September 18, 2023
Attending: Elementary/Secondary
Length: Full Day
Date: October 27, 2023
Attending: Elementary
Length: Full Day
Date: November 24, 2023
Attending: Elementary/Secondary
Length: Full Day
Date: January 26, 2024
Attending: Elementary
Length: Full Day
Date: February 1-2, 2024
Attending: Secondary
Length: Full Day
Date: April 19, 2024
Attending: Elementary/Secondary
Length: Full Day
Date: June 7, 2024
Attending: Elementary
Length: Full Day
Date: June 27, 2024
Attending: Secondary
Length: Full Day
Date: June 28, 2024
Attending: Elementary/Secondary
Length: Full Day
School Year Calendar
2023-2024 School Year Calendar
Description of Professional Development Day Activities
Date: September 18, 2023
Length: Full Day
Topic 1: AM/PM - The Reading Brain (Science of Reading, Awareness of the Research on Reading), Reading Assessments and Resources, and the new Ontario Language Curriculum.
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Program Coordinators, Literacy Resource Teachers, Speech Language Pathologists
Attending: Kindergarten - Grade 3 educators, elementary SERTs, Elementary PVPs & MLL Resource team
Description: The focus of this in-person professional development session is to provide learning opportunities on evidence-informed reading instruction based on Ministry of Education resources and the OHRC Right to Read report. Professional learning will also include a major focus on the new Ontario Language Curriculum to support implementation.
Topic 2: PM – Health and Safety Training
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Self-guided modules hosted on online learning platforms
Attending: Kindergarten - Grade 3 educators, elementary SERTs, Elementary PVPs & MLL Resource team, FSL Teachers
Description: All staff will review policies and procedures related to workplace violence prevention, bullying prevention and intervention, child abuse and protection policies, suicide prevention and interventions protocols as well as safety policies and procedures specific to certain employee groups.
Topic 3: AM - New Language 2023 Curriculum Overview, High Impact Math Strategies
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s):
Program Coordinators with responsibility for Numeracy and Special Education and Numeracy Resource Teachers
Attending: Grade 4 - 8 educators
Description: Staff will be meeting in-person with Program department staff to review elements of the new Ontario Language Curriculum (including The Reading Brain for background knowledge), learn about high impact Math strategies, and strategies to support universal design for learning.
Topic 4: PM - Instructional Strategies & Thinking Classrooms
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Program Coordinators and Numeracy Resource Teachers
Attending: Grade 4 - 8 educators
Description: Educators will be learning, in-person, with members of the Program Department to learn about instructional classrooms which support academic success, promote inclusion, engagement and thinking. Teachers will be using resources created by Dr. Peter Liljedahl.
Topic 5: PM - Holocaust and Antisemitism Education (Gr. 6)
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
Attending: Grade 6 educators
Description: Teachers will attend a presentation hosted by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Education. During this session, they will gain insight into valuable resources designed to support the implementation of the revised Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum.
Topic 6: AM – Inclusive FSL Classrooms
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): FSL Resource Teacher, Presenter B. Tinsley
Attending: FSL Teachers
Description: Educators will have the opportunity to gather, in person, for a presentation by Ben Tinsley focusing on strategies to promote inclusion of all students in the FSL classroom. Educators will also develop a deeper understanding about tiered instruction, and how tiered instructional approaches support all learners in the FSL classrooms.
Topic 7: AM – Building Thinking Classrooms Across Content Areas with Peter Liljedahl
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Program Coordinators and Resource Teachers
Attending: Secondary Admin and Educators
Description: Secondary educators and administrators will learn about the first five practices of Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms framework and how these practices support their work with inclusion and increasing student engagement, and align with the Ministry and Wellington Catholic’s commitment to de-streaming initiatives.
Topic 8: AM – Inclusive Practices & Tiered Instruction
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Program Coordinators, Resource Teachers, and Department Heads
Attending: Secondary Admin and Educators
Description: Secondary educators and administrators will explore and learn about tiered instruction, and how tiered instructional approaches support the inclusion and needs of all learners in their classrooms.
Topic 9: PM – School-based Department Instructional Improvement Planning
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Program Coordinators, Indigenous Resource Teacher, Instruction Resource Teachers
Attending: Secondary Admin and Educators
Description: Educators will work collaboratively with their school-based departments to co-create department goals to align with the school improvement and action plan with a focus on supporting academic success, student engagement and inclusion.
Topic 10: PM – Health and Safety
Entity Hosting: School board
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Self-guided modules hosted on online learning platforms
Attending: ALL -Secondary Admin and Educators
Description: All staff will review policies and procedures related to workplace violence prevention, bullying prevention and intervention, child abuse and protection policies, suicide prevention and interventions protocols as well as safety policies and procedures specific to certain employee groups.