HDSB PA Day Agendas

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 - Provincial Education Priorities - Keeping Schools Safe and School Resource Officer Program

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: Learning and Growth: Student Literacy, Mathematics, Guidance and Career Education ​

Format:

• ​Full-day, in-person

• Elementary and secondary schools

Description: Elementary school teams will engage in learning related to effective practices and strategies for student literacy and mathematics learning and growth. Educators will engage in learning focused on implementing the revised 2023 Language/Francais Grade 1-8 curriculum. They will learn about principles and requirements for early reading screening as described in PPM 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening.

Elementary educators will also work collaboratively to develop a greater understanding of high-impact instructional strategies for mathematics as detailed in the curriculum, as well as the HDSB Math Achievement Action Plan​. School teams will also engage in learning related to making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills and apprenticeship, guidance and career education. ​

Secondary school teams will focus on effective strategies for teaching literacy across the curriculum, teaching in one stream, reviewing effective strategies for the Grade 9 destreamed English program, assessment for learning and monitoring effective student achievement practices across the curriculum.

Secondary school teams will also engage in learning on the following topics:​

• ​Supporting student math achievement with a focus on fidelity of curriculum implementation, knowing the mathematics learner, content knowledge, identifying and collecting key performance indicators to measure improvement in student math performance and high impact instructional practices.

• Mathematics Learning that is aligned with the HDSB Math Achievement Action Plan.

• Making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills and apprenticeship.

• Guidance and career education, making connections between guidance counsellors and local employers/labour market with a focus on high-demand economic sectors.

Facilitators: The learning will be led by school administrators and school-based staff supported with materials and guidance from the School Programs Department.

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

Topic: Student progress and achievement on the Elementary Progress Report

Format: In person meeting with students and their parents/guardians

Description: Student Led Conferences will take place at school the week of November 25-29 with the majority of interviews taking place the evening of November 28th and the morning of November 29th​

Topic: Student progress and achievement on the Elementary Report Cards

Format: Individual and collaborative work.

Description: Staff will be working on completing assessment and evaluations for Term 1 Report Cards. 

Topic: Digging in to our School Improvement Planning (SIP) goals

Format: Full day, in person learning.

Description: School staff will continue their learning improving teaching pedagogy toward our SIP goals; including embedding asset-based assessment practices into their classes and centering student identity.

Learning/Delivery Method: This learning will be presented using a combination of full-staff learning and small group sessions. 

Topic: Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

Format: Full day, in person learning.

Description: School staff will continue their learning on Bullying Response Protocol and Lesson Planning embedding student identity. Staff will participate in Emotional Validation learning; whole group and then breaking off into small group learning.

Learning/Delivery Method: This learning will be presented using a combination of full-staff learning and small group sessions. 

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​