CATCA 2023

For this session I will discuss how to set up an Esports Team within your school. I will discuss the setup of a program from the very beginning to participating in tournaments. I will also talk about different issues that may arise from IT to parent concerns. We will also look at running practices and creating teams.

From gate to plate, we educate! As the Alberta representative of Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, Agriculture for Life provides K-12 teachers with engaging programming materials to bring agriculture to life in the classroom! Join us to explore our collection of curriculum-linked resources including on-line and downloadable lesson plans, student publications, hands-on activities, and more. From classroom garden manuals and seed kits, to career exploration events and sustainability youth challenges, our student programs are designed to get students thinking critically about where their food comes as well as their place/role in the food system. We hope to engage, educate, and inspire both rural and urban students of all ages to understand the incredible depth and opportunity that agriculture affords in the province of Alberta and beyond.

Hour one workshop explores the science of interpersonal trust (three pillars) and institutional trust (two pillars) and how these are foundational to the health of any organization and then introduces the concept of Academic Trust, the kind of trust that must exist between a teacher and their students for optimum instructional impact to take place in every classroom. A definition, conceptual framework, and model of Academic Trust (six things all teachers control and three significant influences) is introduced and developed, along with an exploration of what is described as the teaching trust distrust dilemma, and the level of authentic instructional complexity that is present in every classroom everywhere, that is largely misunderstood and consequently ignored when it comes to system, school, and classroom change.
Hour two of Creating Academic Trust In the Classroom focuses on the practical support of how to close the achievement gap in every classroom. It examines, in detail, the six practical things every teacher can do in their instructional practice to build academic trust with every student they instruct and then explores the three major influences each teacher can have on supporting the development of creating enough critical mass to positively impact school wide improvement as measured by student achievement. A systematic approach to teacher team capacity building is offered.

Simple, low-cost ways to recognize and retain staff. The staff retention message is simple. People stay where they feel respected, valued for who they are and appreciated for what they achieve and how they contribute. Organized around themes, this program is fill with simple ways to create a workplace where staff members feel they belong. If you feel you are where you belong, why leave?

Have you ever wondered, “What was I thinking when I hired this guy?” His on-the-job performance doesn’t match what his resume and interview promised. What went wrong? It’s tempting to attribute hiring decisions that don’t work out to “just being unlucky.” Turns out that luck has little to do with it. Most bad hires can be traced back to mistakes that could easily have been avoided. By the end of this session, participants will understand the 13 reasons administrators are “unlucky” when hiring and how to avoid these missteps.

In order to help our students succeed, it is imperative to understand where they are coming from and how to meet them at the appropriate level. Psychometric assessments help us determine where students have deficiencies that need tier two or tier three support. Instructional assessments ensure students are staying on track with their development and indicate when additional practice is required. Both types of assessment are necessary to inform lesson planning and student success.

No time here for theory!
Just 97—or more—simple, cost-effective tips, tools and techniques to recognize staff. Guaranteed! There will even be a few minutes left over to answer your questions (and maybe, just a little bit of theory).

With many of our students needing intervention to bridge the gaps created by learning interruptions, how do we meet each student’s specific needs? This session will highlight how one K-3 school implemented a school-wide intervention block to improve literacy levels for all students. In our BLAST (Building Literacy and Supporting Teamwork) intervention time, each student’s phonemic awareness and phonics skills are assessed, and students are placed in small, flexible groups to receive instruction on a specific reading or pre-reading skill (such as rhyming, letter sounds, blends, long vowels, etc.). Join me to learn about this locally developed program, with numerous samples and resources shared.