Come and discover some hands-on activities from the latest resource released by Perimeter Institutes for Theoretical Physics.
In the first activity, students investigate the evidence to support four properties of Earth: it is round (i.e., spherical), it spins on its axis, it orbits the Sun, and its axis is tilted. Students work collaboratively to sort observations and manipulate hands-on models to demonstrate the properties.
In the second activity, students use a combination of paper, physical, and computer representations to explore models of the solar system. By finding patterns in Galileo’s observations of the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus, students find evidence for themselves for a Sun-centred model of the solar system.

Presenter: Louay El Halabi

Room: 274

This workshop covers the Hook and Link techniques, which would allow someone to memorize a page of notes in about 5 minutes, as well as how to memorize names.

Presenter: Michael Glenister

Room: Main Purple 289

This workshop teaches several magical effects that could be used to illustrate classroom concepts, as a black box activity, or to just entertain your students, family, or friends.

Presenter: Michael Glenister

Room: Main Purple 289

Do you struggle to teach Socials in today’s world in a way that offers hope for a better future? This engaging, hands-on workshop shares classroom-ready resources that examine common patterns of injustice through the lens of Japanese Canadian history. Learn and teach how to identify troubling patterns and confront injustice. Through curated primary sources, teachers and their students will explore causes and consequences, connect with continuity and change, and assess powerful ways to respond to the past and its implications on the present.

Presenter: Andrea Phillpotts

Room: Main Purple 290

This presentation will discuss the 59 year-long history detailing analyze the legal, historical, and daily impact of Israeli military occupation of Palestine. We will highlight resources, unit plans, lesson plans, giving teachers the strategies to thoughtfully teach about the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. This subject will be placed in the context of curricular competencies, with special focus on perspective taking, ethical judgement, and  cause and consequence.

Presenters: Waleed Kadray and Khaled Shawwash

Room: Upper Yellow 383

Artificial intelligence isn't new, but generative AI is rapidly transforming how students learn and create. As educators, we play a crucial role in helping students navigate these tools responsibly through strong digital literacy skills. In this workshop, we will explore how students are already using AI, practical ways educators can utilize AI as a teaching tool, and strategies to encourage critical thinking about technology use. Digital literacy is about so much more than fact-checking-- it's about empowering students to engage with the world thoughtfully and critically. Together, we will explore resources that tackle the challenges and lean into the opportunities presented by digital technology and AI use in education.

Presenter: Jennie King

Room: Upper Yellow 382

Artificial intelligence isn't new, but generative AI is rapidly transforming how students learn and create. As educators, we play a crucial role in helping students navigate these tools responsibly through strong digital literacy skills. In this workshop, we will explore how students are already using AI, practical ways educators can utilize AI as a teaching tool, and strategies to encourage critical thinking about technology use. Digital literacy is about so much more than fact-checking-- it's about empowering students to engage with the world thoughtfully and critically. Together, we will explore resources that tackle the challenges and lean into the opportunities presented by digital technology and AI use in education.

Presenter: Jennie King

Room: Upper Yellow 382

AI has changed the game - so our assessments need to change with it. In this fast‑paced workshop, teachers learn how to design tasks that highlight real student thinking: framing questions, evaluating AI outputs, and adapting work using their own judgment. Using the Human → AI → Human framework, participants will practice smart prompting and co‑create assignments that push deeper learning instead of surface‑level responses. Walk away with ready‑to‑use assessments that embrace AI collaboration while keeping human reasoning front and center.

Presenter: Kent Lui

Room: Upper Purple 388

AI has changed the game - so our assessments need to change with it. In this fast‑paced workshop, teachers learn how to design tasks that highlight real student thinking: framing questions, evaluating AI outputs, and adapting work using their own judgment. Using the Human → AI → Human framework, participants will practice smart prompting and co‑create assignments that push deeper learning instead of surface‑level responses. Walk away with ready‑to‑use assessments that embrace AI collaboration while keeping human reasoning front and center.

Presenter: Kent Lui

Room: Upper Purple 388

Every teacher is a literacy teacher! But they don’t train high school teachers how to do that! 😂 Come join us to unpack the why and how of secondary literacy, from the big ideas to the graphic organizers and activities that will change your practice and build every student’s skills. 

Objectives:
•        I can describe the active view of reading
•        I can build learning around appropriate research supported literacy tools

Presenter: Kyle McKillop

Every teacher is a literacy teacher! But they don’t train high school teachers how to do that! 😂 Come join us to unpack the why and how of secondary literacy, from the big ideas to the graphic organizers and activities that will change your practice and build every student’s skills. 

Objectives:
•        I can describe the active view of reading
•        I can build learning around appropriate research supported literacy tools

Presenter: Kyle McKillop

The decision you make about your pension as retirement approaches are important and planning for retirement now can make your transition easier.  This 75-minute webinar can help you learn about:
-        How your pension is calculated
-        Eligibility for an unreduced pension
-        Choosing your best pension option
-        The retirement application process
-        Returning to work after you have started collecting a pension

Presenter: TBD

This workshop will delve into Mirko Chardin and Katie Novak's work related to Equity by Design which focuses on the intersection of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and advocacy for students for whom the system was not built. We will investigate how to disrupt cycles of inequality so every student has an opportunity to be successful regardless of their racial, cultural, linguistic, or ethnic background, cognitive/physical ability, or sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We will discuss, and reflect on  what Novak and Chardin (2021) posit about using the UDL framework to address equity by examining the ways in which educators have the key (power), and autonomy to make micro-decisions in their classrooms that can have life-changing outcomes for student-success and trajectory whatever that may look like for the individual student.

Presenter: Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay

Are you a new or mid-career member? Learn how the decisions you make throughout your career can affect your pension when you retire.This 75-minute webinar course can help you learn about:- Buying service for approved leaves- Purchasing service for a time when you worked for your current employer but didn't make pension contributions- Transferring service from other plans- How the decisions you make in your career can affect your pension- The effect of life events on your pension- Using our online tools to plan for your future.

Presenter: Daniel Phillips 

Room: Theatre 

Screens are disrupting classroom learning and leaving teachers uncertain about where to draw the line. This session explores the connection between adolescent mental health decline and smartphones, then guides participants through defining personal boundaries around classroom screen use. Educators will examine attachment-based practices that reduce classroom chaos and define their individual position on screens through targeted reflection and dialogue. Participants will leave with clarity about their non-negotiables, confidence in their authority to set limits, and practical strategies for consistent implementation. The focus is on empowering educators to lead with conviction: understanding the problem, owning their position, and creating manageable classroom standards.

Presenter: Suzanne Simpson

Richard Pierre, elder of the Katzie First Nation, invites participants to explore the sacred relationship between Indigenous peoples and Pacific salmon. From life cycles and species identification to ceremony and food preservation, learners will gain an understanding of how salmon reflect values of reciprocity, stewardship, and ancestral wisdom.

Join Nancy in making a 14" hand drum. Teachers will be given instructions tand supplies to make a rawhide hand drum.

Join Nancy in making a 14" hand drum. Teachers will be given instructions tand supplies to make a rawhide hand drum.

Assessment is the tool for equity in education. In this session you will begin to explore your assessment identity, while learning about some key problems with assessment and how you can apply the solutions on Monday! We will also focus on the proficiency scale and how to make it work for you in your classroom. This workshop is brought to you by the Surrey Primary Teachers' Assocation.

Presenter: Karley Alleyn

Room: B122

Assessment is the tool for equity in education. In this session you will begin to explore your assessment identity, while learning about some key problems with assessment and how you can apply the solutions on Monday! We will also focus on the proficiency scale and how to make it work for you in your classroom. This workshop is brought to you by the Surrey Primary Teachers' Assocation.

Presenter: Karley Alleyn

Room: B122

In this workshop, we will walk through several aspects of financial benefits that do not show up on our paystub directly as money in our pocket.

Topics include:
- Reading our paystub
- Leaves and pension buyback
- Strike math - losses and impacts (on salary and pension)
- Benefits of PB+15 and Masters
- Benefits and payment of Benefits costs
- Sick leave and Salary Indemnity Plan

Presenter: Kevin Amboe

Room: E204

This is an interactive and fun workshop. (Yes, despite the topic!) It is intended for; administrators, teachers and other professionals working with children/youth. It will allow participants to learn the methods and skills necessary to put an end to bullying. 

Included in this program are ways in which participants; can personally end any bullying they encounter, teach anti-bullying skills to other professionals, the children/youth they work with (and their parents), encourage students to be ‘up-standers’ not just ‘by-standers’ and provide emotional support to their peers. In addition participants will learn strategies to work with those prone to bullying. 

Presenter: Steve Andrews

Room: B201

This is an interactive and fun workshop. (Yes, despite the topic!) It is intended for; administrators, teachers and other professionals working with children/youth. It will allow participants to learn the methods and skills necessary to put an end to bullying. 

Included in this program are ways in which participants; can personally end any bullying they encounter, teach anti-bullying skills to other professionals, the children/youth they work with (and their parents), encourage students to be ‘up-standers’ not just ‘by-standers’ and provide emotional support to their peers. In addition participants will learn strategies to work with those prone to bullying. 

Presenter: Steve Andrews

Room: B201

Join Education Specialist Amy Bawtinheimer to explore ways to grow your student’s curiosity towards learning through growing and learning about food! This workshop will introduce you to the BCAITC growing programs and free resources available to educators, with time during the session to explore some hands-on learning activities connected to growing, experimenting, and engaging with agriculture in your school community. Bring your questions and enthusiasm for learning! All participants will receive materials for their classroom use.

Presenter: Amy Bawtinheimer

Room: E207

Join Education Specialist Amy Bawtinheimer to explore ways to grow your student’s curiosity towards learning through growing and learning about food! This workshop will introduce you to the BCAITC growing programs and free resources available to educators, with time during the session to explore some hands-on learning activities connected to growing, experimenting, and engaging with agriculture in your school community. Bring your questions and enthusiasm for learning! All participants will receive materials for their classroom use.

Presenter: Amy Bawtinheimer

Room: E207

This workshop introduces school counsellors to practical emotion-focused strategies for supporting students experiencing emotional distress, intensity, or dysregulation in school settings. Drawing on principles from Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and emotion coaching, participants will learn how to help students work through difficult emotions rather than avoid or suppress them. The session explores how counsellors can use emotion coaching directly with students while applying a parent-informed framework that supports emotional development, even when parents are not actively involved. Participants will gain practical tools to strengthen emotional awareness, validate student experiences, and support regulation, resilience, and engagement across diverse student needs in both elementary and secondary school populations.

Location: Goldstone Park Elementary

Presenter: Alison Bell

Room: Goldstone Library

Love books? We do too! The Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC (CWILL) believe in the power of a story to inspire and grow young readers and writers. During our presentation, award winning authors and illustrators will highlight new and upcoming book releases across the genres. We will chat about the increasingly diverse and socially conscious ways that BC children’s publishing is growing and how we can support you in the classroom. Want to motivate your students in their writing? Shhhh! We will share our top secret writer tips to get even your most reluctant writer curious about writing. Our time together will conclude with a little BC book trivia fun and prizes!

Presenter: Nikki Bergstresser, VP of CWILL

Room: E301

Love books? We do too! The Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC (CWILL) believe in the power of a story to inspire and grow young readers and writers. During our presentation, award winning authors and illustrators will highlight new and upcoming book releases across the genres. We will chat about the increasingly diverse and socially conscious ways that BC children’s publishing is growing and how we can support you in the classroom. Want to motivate your students in their writing? Shhhh! We will share our top secret writer tips to get even your most reluctant writer curious about writing. Our time together will conclude with a little BC book trivia fun and prizes!

Presenter: Nikki Bergstresser, VP of CWILL

Room: E301

In this workshop for elementary school teachers, participants will explore practical techniques to teach financial literacy in the classroom. The workshop is highly interactive and includes hands-on activities that allow educators to experience the value of financial education firsthand. By participating, teachers will leave with ready-to-use strategies and activities to help students understand money management and make informed decisions in life.

Presenter: Caleb Harder

Room: E202

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn how to use Knoword, a free interactive learning tool, to create engaging, customizable vocabulary exercises. Together, we'll play a vocabulary game, explore pre-made packs (custom games), create a new pack, and test out Knoword's progress tracking features.

Participants will walk away from the workshop with their own custom vocabulary exercise, ready to use in class, along with the tools and know-how to track student progress and create printable worksheets.

Presenter: Trevor Blades

Room: E402

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn how to use Knoword, a free interactive learning tool, to create engaging, customizable vocabulary exercises. Together, we'll play a vocabulary game, explore pre-made packs (custom games), create a new pack, and test out Knoword's progress tracking features.

Participants will walk away from the workshop with their own custom vocabulary exercise, ready to use in class, along with the tools and know-how to track student progress and create printable worksheets.

Presenter: Trevor Blades

Room: E402

Students with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profiles often experience everyday classroom expectations as threats to autonomy, safety, or control. Traditional behaviour approaches can unintentionally increase anxiety, which in turn increases avoidance, resistance, or severe behaviour. This workshop focuses on proactive and preventative behaviour strategies grounded in promoting safety, dignity, and personal autonomy.

Presenter: Ryan Brandlmayr

Room: C117

Students with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profiles often experience everyday classroom expectations as threats to autonomy, safety, or control. Traditional behaviour approaches can unintentionally increase anxiety, which in turn increases avoidance, resistance, or severe behaviour. This workshop focuses on proactive and preventative behaviour strategies grounded in promoting safety, dignity, and personal autonomy.

Presenter: Ryan Brandlmayr

Room: C117

Did you know how we teach and talk to children about food and nutrition can have a significant and lasting impact on their mental health and eating behaviours? This presentation will look at some past approaches for teaching and talking about food and nutrition and why we are shifting to a strength based, trauma informed, equity centered and culturally inclusive approach. We will explore the “Teach Food First” toolkit, which is designed to equip educators with tools and resources to support a food exploration approach to learning about food, nutrition and Canada’s Food Guide.  You will walk away from this presentation with best practice approaches that help children learn about food, have positive relationships with both food and bodies.

Presenter: Carole Chang

Room: C217

This workshop provides participants an introductory look at the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) protocol, and examines how caregivers and families are involved in a comprehensive DBT-A Program.

Location: Goldstone Park Elementary

Presenter: Ed Chen M.Ed, RCC-ACS, CCC

Room: Goldstone C214

STEM is everywhere in modern life and is transforming how we live, where we live, and how we earn a living. In a world that is increasingly driven by innovation and technology, the demand for people who can fill STEM-related jobs will only continue to increase. Join us to discuss the importance of STEM when students are considering their possible future career options. Discover the ways technology disrupts and changes the workplace and how to prepare students to solve current and future problems like climate change.

Presenter: Tanya Clift

Room: E102

Do you want to support your students in strengthening their ability to consider the needs of others to develop meaningful solutions to real-world problems? In this Let’s Talk Science session, you will explore how building empathy can support the development of student problem-solving skills through the design thinking process. You will apply a classroom-ready learning strategy to empathize with a real-world problem using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Presenter: Tanya Clift

Room: E102

Are you seeing challenging behavior, aggression, or anxiety in your classroom? This practical, hands-on workshop will offer effective strategies to help students move through big feelings in safe and healthy ways. 

Drawing on the work of Hannah Beach and Tamara Neufeld Strijack from the Neufeld Institute, you’ll learn activities that: 

Help students safely release pent-up physical energy 

Support students in recognizing, reflecting on, and expressing their feelings 

Strengthen caring relationships and build a sense of community in your classroom 

You’ll leave with ready-to-use ideas that you can implement right away to create a joyful, more connected learning environment. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Presenters: Sarah Dekerf and Jennifer Boudrea

Room: E304

As educators, we are the architects of our students' imaginations, but who builds the space for ours? This workshop is an invitation to step out of the 'teacher' role and into the 'creator' role. Through the lens of Expressive Arts Therapy, we will explore how simple, play-based practices—using loose parts, tactile play, and reflective writing—can act as a powerful antidote to burnout and a direct path to stress relief. Come rediscover why the opportunity to imagine is just as critical for us as it is for our students.

Presenter: Navnit Dosanjh

Room: E302

As educators, we are the architects of our students' imaginations, but who builds the space for ours? This workshop is an invitation to step out of the 'teacher' role and into the 'creator' role. Through the lens of Expressive Arts Therapy, we will explore how simple, play-based practices—using loose parts, tactile play, and reflective writing—can act as a powerful antidote to burnout and a direct path to stress relief. Come rediscover why the opportunity to imagine is just as critical for us as it is for our students.

Presenter: Navnit Dosanjh

Room: E302

This interactive workshop explores social skill development through expressive arts therapy, incorporating visual arts, music, drama, movement, and creative writing under one integrated framework. Participants will engage in hands-on experiences designed to strengthen core social competencies in an engaging and supportive environment.

We will begin by defining social skills and examining the motivations behind behavior. From there, we will identify the common threads that underpin healthy social development, including:
- Focus and sustained attention
- Concentration
- Self-regulation
- Cooperative play and collaboration

Participants will explore how these foundational elements connect across artistic modalities and how expressive arts can support social growth.

Presenter: Patricia Lynn Dunphy

Room: E201

Come prepared to play games and learn strategies that help teach the following concepts:  composing and decomposing 10's, 100's and 1 ooo's, comparing numbers, developing the foundation for rounding and expanding numbers, using number lines for patterns, mental estimation of sums and differences.  Games integrate the use of cards, dice, place value dice and number lines and are easy to differentiate to meet the needs of all students.  Handout will contain gameboards and concept skill checklists for assessment.

Presenter: Jane Felling

Room: B210

Come prepared to play these strategy based games that incorporate the use of easily found playing cards, and you don't even have to play with a full deck!  Games will focus on the following concepts: all operations including multi-digit work, order of operations and place value including decimals.  The games are easy to differentiate and can be used  whole class or in small groups.  They are perfect for a family math night or with math game buddy classrooms.  Gameboards, concept skill checklists for assessment and ideas for planning a family math games night will be shared.

Presenter: John Felling

Room: B211

Come prepared to play games that integrate the use of regular and muti-sided dice that help engage your students and help build meaningful practice for the following concepts: multiplication fact fluency, multi-digit operations - +, -, x and division, mixed operations and order of operations.  Games are easy to differentiate, allow for math talks and can be used whole class or in small groups.  Gameboards, concept skill checklists for assessment will be provided.  COME PREPARED TO SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL in this fast paced workshop.

Presenter: John Felling

Room: B211

In this fun and interactive session, we will explore unique strategies to make learning about sustainability real, relevant, local, action-oriented  and fun!  

Explore personal and local connections to water, waste, wastewater, air quality and climate change. Delve into a variety of place-based resources to promote CARE and support environmentally responsible shifts in your school community. Take away ideas, strategies, tools and inspiration to engage students in experiential learning about the most important topic on earth!

Presenter: Bruce Ford

Room: A202

Coping Strategies through the DBT ACCEPTS Model and Its Role in SEL and Mental Wellness 

Workshop Description:
This workshop equips educators with practical tools and strategies for supporting student and teacher well-being using the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) ACCEPTS Model. Designed for teachers and school staff, this session will delve into the ACCEPTS Model—a set of seven coping skills (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts, and Sensations)—and explore how these skills can be integrated into social-emotional learning (SEL) frameworks to enhance emotional regulation and resilience in the classroom.

Presenter: Sheldon Franken

Room: E101

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) guides our processes in addressing mental health, pro-social relationships, positive behaviours, and growth mindset. This workshop explores hands-on games and activities that address both the broad and specific foundations of social emotional learning. The tools will be based on both the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) and the Circle of Courage (grounded from indigenous perspectives) models. We will also be using the Funnel Model of Debriefing to aid in increasing our students’ capacity to gain a deeper connection between the tools and their various social emotional learning constructs.
You will leave the workshop with tools and resources that you can implement in your schools, institutions, groups, and practices immediately. Come ready to play! 

Presenter: Sheldon Franken

Room: E101

Teachers give a lot of themselves, so preserving energy is an important skill. With increased demands on our time and resources, decisions must be made to manage stress and avoid burning out. In this session, we’ll examine why it can be so hard to say no. We’ll cover handling the disappointment of others, strategies for setting and maintaining stronger relationship boundaries, and creating more space to enjoy life instead of feeling “crazy busy.” Prioritize your own mental health by learning how to say no with kindness and without guilt so your students can see how it’s done.

Presenter: Julianne Harvey

Room: B206

This workshop will look at the ways in which trauma shows up in our classroom and how it can affect student learning and the classroom environment. We will explore strategies to help our students, from refugee and trauma backgrounds, adjust to school in Canada and experience success every day in the classroom. Participants will learn ways to communicate with students, beyond simple translation tools and gain practical in-class instruction tips. We will explore strategies to support struggling ELL learners and help move them forward in their learning journey. An outline of the Bridge class day will be shared and suggestions given on how the same strategy could be used in smaller blocks of time, depending on the different roles and situations teachers find themselves in.

Presenter: Kris Hull

Room: E305

Teachers establish routines for entering the classroom, distributing manipulatives, etc. But what if routines were designed not just around classroom management but around learning itself? Instructional routines are specific and repeatable designs for learning. Their predictable structure lets students—and teachers!—pay less attention to “What am I supposed to be doing?” and more attention to mathematical thinking. In this workshop, teachers of Grades 1-7 will experience and discuss a variety routines, each of which can be implemented across different grades and mathematical content, that engage students in Core and Curricular Competencies—the doing of mathematics!—and surface the Big Ideas in BC’s curriculum.

Presenter: Chris Hunter

Room: B123

Discover how Live It Earth, a story-rich, Netflix‑style digital learning platform with engaging companion materials, can enhance and transform teaching and learning. This session invites educators to explore multimedia stories, inquiry-based activities, and cross‑curricular resources available in both English and French. Participants will learn how Live It Earth aligns with BC curriculum competencies, meaningfully incorporates Indigenous perspectives, and supports diverse learners through adaptable, ready‑to‑use content. The session also offers practical strategies for integrating these resources into everyday lessons and long-term planning. Best of all, Live It Earth is available free to all Surrey teachers through the district’s Focused Education account.

Presenter: Mike Irvine

Room: C211

Carve a beautiful Brazilian soapstone heart shaped pendant. Just in time for valentines!

In just three easy steps, you’ll be able to wear this treasured keepsake. 1) carve the heart shape. (No sharp tools are used) 2) sand out all the scratches with sandpaper 3) apply the polish and watch the magic reveal itself! Now it’s ready to put on and enjoy.

Presenter: Erin Larsen

Room: E205

Carve a beautiful Brazilian soapstone heart shaped pendant. Just in time for valentines!

In just three easy steps, you’ll be able to wear this treasured keepsake. 1) carve the heart shape. (No sharp tools are used) 2) sand out all the scratches with sandpaper 3) apply the polish and watch the magic reveal itself! Now it’s ready to put on and enjoy.

Presenter: Erin Larsen

Room: E205

Stories shape how children see and care for the world. This hands-on workshop explores how picture books can inspire environmental connection and action without overwhelming young learners.We'll examine curated books for K-3 students that build curiosity and agency around caring for the Earth. For each story, participants will experience simple outdoor activities—sensory explorations, nature art, and inquiry investigations—that extend learning from page to place.Participants leave with an annotated book list, ready-to-use outdoor activities, and strategies for facilitating meaningful conversations about stewardship. No forest or nature expertise required—just good stories and willingness to step outside.

Presenter: Lauren MacLean

Room: E314

Join us for Mind as a Garden, an interactive workshop exploring the Sikh practice of Simran, a focused remembrance that helps quiet the mind and bring us back to the present moment. Through hands-on activities, reflection, and discussion, participants will learn how to recognize unhelpful thought patterns, plant supportive ones, and leave with simple strategies to care for their mental wellbeing.

Presenter: Janice Matharu

Join us for Mind as a Garden, an interactive workshop exploring the Sikh practice of Simran, a focused remembrance that helps quiet the mind and bring us back to the present moment. Through hands-on activities, reflection, and discussion, participants will learn how to recognize unhelpful thought patterns, plant supportive ones, and leave with simple strategies to care for their mental wellbeing.

Presenter: Janice Matharu

Weaving Wellness into the Classroom: Recognizing and Responding to the Story of Anxiety is a professional learning session for all district staff that explores how student anxiety shows up across ages, roles and school spaces. Using real-world narratives and practical strategies, participants learn to look beyond behaviour and recognize anxiety as a protective response. The session provides realistic, in-the-moment tools to support emotional regulation, strengthen connection and foster safety and wellbeing for students. Emphasis is placed on regulation before reasoning, behaviour as communication and how small daily interactions can support student mental health.

Location: Goldstone Park Elementary

Presenter: Michelle Meier

Printing Like a Pro! is an effective and easy to use program designed to support printing development of primary grade students. It is an extensive printing program, easily accessed through the internet, free of charge and ready to be implemented. Fine motor strategies as well as the printing program will be thoroughly presented, including materials available for individual/small or large classroom use.

Presenter: Ivonne Montgomery

This workshop will emphasize strategies for teaching emotional resilience and regulation in the classroom. Teachers will discover creative ways to introduce a positive mindset, using engaging activities to help students understand and manage their emotions through the principles of a growth mindset. 

Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to present the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset in a way that resonates with kids. They will also learn techniques to help students view mistakes and failures as valuable learning experiences while acknowledging and addressing negative thoughts constructively. 

Additionally, we will engage in scenario analysis, allowing participants to explore real-life classroom situations and apply effective strategies for fostering emotional resilience in students.

Presenter: Rashda Munawar

Room: C204

This workshop will emphasize strategies for teaching emotional resilience and regulation in the classroom. Teachers will discover creative ways to introduce a positive mindset, using engaging activities to help students understand and manage their emotions through the principles of a growth mindset. 

Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to present the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset in a way that resonates with kids. They will also learn techniques to help students view mistakes and failures as valuable learning experiences while acknowledging and addressing negative thoughts constructively. 

Additionally, we will engage in scenario analysis, allowing participants to explore real-life classroom situations and apply effective strategies for fostering emotional resilience in students.

Presenter: Rashda Munawar

Room: C204

Learning involves patience and time, and all of our students learn at different rates and in different ways.  Strategies to help our gifted learners belong, grow, and thrive in our school communities can also be implemented with all of our students. In this workshop, we will provide you with strategies for teaching in a differentiated way that does not require creating separate lesson plans for individual students.  Open ceiling activities that are used with our gifted learners allow them to enrich and extend their learning and offer entry points along the way for our more typical learners, as well as those that struggle.

Presenters: Heidi Nielsen and Alison Hamilton

Are you an early career teacher, or new to Surrey? Are you feeling run off your feet by the end of each day? You're not alone, and it doesn't have to be this way! In this workshop, we will explore tried-and-true systems and routines for managing the chaos in your classroom. We will touch on procedures, scheduling, classroom management and assessment strategies.

Presenters: Joanna Noakes and Jacqueline Reyes

Are you an early career teacher, or new to Surrey? Are you feeling run off your feet by the end of each day? You're not alone, and it doesn't have to be this way! In this workshop, we will explore tried-and-true systems and routines for managing the chaos in your classroom. We will touch on procedures, scheduling, classroom management and assessment strategies.

Presenters: Joanna Noakes and Jacqueline Reyes

The decision you make about your pension as retirement approaches are important and planning for retirement now can make your transition easier.  This 75-minute webinar can help you learn about:
-        How your pension is calculated
-        Eligibility for an unreduced pension
-        Choosing your best pension option
-        The retirement application process
-        Returning to work after you have started collecting a pension

Presenter: Daniel Phillips 
Room B110

Burnout doesn’t start in red. It builds in yellow

Think of your nervous system as a stoplight: green is regulated and resourced, yellow is stress and overdrive, red is shutdown. Most educators aren’t burning out in obvious collapse—they’re living in chronic yellow, pushing through fatigue, staying functional, and calling it “normal.”

This experiential workshop helps you recognize where you are in that cycle and what keeps you stuck there. More importantly, it gives you practical ways to shift it—without adding more to your workload.

You will:
• Identify your personal stress patterns and early yellow-zone signals
• Spot the everyday habits that keep your system overactivated
• Practice simple, in-the-moment regulation tools that actually fit classroom life

This is not theory-heavy professional development. It’s skill-building for the human behind the role—so you can lead, teach, and show up with more clarity, steadiness, and capacity.

Presenter: Christianne Zurowski

Room: E108

This workshop will explore practical ways teacher librarians can prevent and repair common types of book damage to extend the life of their collections. Participants will learn simple strategies for protecting books during processing and circulation, along with basic techniques for repairing torn pages, loose bindings, and minor damage. We will also discuss how to decide when a book is worth repairing and when replacement is the better option. The session will provide practical, low-cost approaches that help maintain a healthy, durable, and well-used library collection.

Presenter: Stephanie Turner

What happens when students’ hands are busy? Often, their minds settle, their focus improves, and the classroom becomes a little calmer.

This hands-on workshop explores how simple crafts can support regulation, engagement, and independence in intermediate classrooms. Participants will experience a variety of low-cost, classroom-friendly activities including zentangle drawing, button making, mini zines, yarn crafts such as weaving and crochet, and simple cross-stitch.

These activities can become powerful tools for students who finish work early, need help regulating their energy, or benefit from screen-free creative outlets. Many learners, especially neurodivergent students or those in high-energy classrooms, thrive when they have meaningful ways to keep their hands busy.

Teachers will leave with ready-to-use mini lessons, ideas for introducing crafts so students can work independently, and practical strategies for integrating hands-on creativity into everyday classroom routines.

Participants are encouraged to bring a few favourite pens, markers, or pencil crayons to use during the workshop.

Come craft, experiment, and discover how small creative practices can make a big difference for student focus, regulation, and classroom climate.

Presenters: Roslyn Sundset and Sarah Coffin

Mindfulness can have many benefits in our lives, including reduced stress and anxiety, enhanced relationships, and increased calmness, self-compassion and joy. In this workshop, through education, experiential exercises and discussion we will explore mindfulness and related mental health tools for growing our presence, happiness, and effectiveness in life and the classroom. Emphasis will be placed on cultivating teachers' own mindfulness and well-being, and different practices will be introduced and practiced. Participants will leave with practical tools to help them navigate the stresses of teaching and life, and to feel more accepting of themselves and joyful. Resources will be provided, to assist with incorporating the learning in life and the classroom.

Location: Goldstone Park Elementary 

Presenter: Melody Schalm

Teacher librarians will explore how Canva can support the many roles of the school library. In this workshop, I will share practical ways I use Canva for instructional materials, collaborative projects with classroom teachers, and student learning activities. We will also look at how Canva can be used as an advocacy tool to promote library programs, create engaging displays, and communicate with the school community. Participants will leave with ideas for designing presentations, lesson resources, social media posts, and visual content that highlights the impact of the library and supports teaching and learning. Please bring a laptop to the workshop so we can create together.

Presenter: Stephanie Turner

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn how to use Canva to create teacher resources and also explore ways that your students can use it to create content.

Please bring a laptop or tablet.

Presenter: Gareth Poon

Unlock your students' full potential! This dynamic workshop explores the connection between movement, physical literacy, and academic success. Discover practical, evidence-based strategies to seamlessly integrate physical activity into your daily classroom routines - boosting focus, reducing anxiety, and improving learning outcomes. We'll delve into what physical literacy truly means and equip you with the tools to foster its development in your students, creating a more engaged, resilient, and thriving learning environment. Leave with tangible ideas and the inspiration to make movement a cornerstone of your teaching practice! 

Part 1: The Blueprint 

Part 1 lays the foundation by unpacking what physical literacy means and why it matters in a school environment. Participants explore the five key characteristics of meaningful physical activity and learn how to apply them in their own classes.

Presenters: TBD

Room: C210

This session is designed for teachers who are new to using decodable texts and want to build confidence incorporating them into reading instruction. Together, we’ll explore how children learning to read benefit from applying phonics knowledge in engaging decodable books and resources.

We will look closely at what makes decodable texts unique, along with simple and effective phonics routines that help connect instruction to students’ decoding practice. Participants will learn how to determine when students are ready to move beyond decodables, explore recommended series, and gather ideas for stretching and organizing existing school resources. We will also examine practical ways to integrate decodable books within a systematic phonics program such as UFLI Foundations.

Presenters: Courtney Jones and Ginny Tambre

Bring your laptop to this cross-curricular workshop for teachers with minimal or no experience creating and teaching graphic design. You will learn how to use and teach layout and typography to create visual assets like posters, presentations, social media assets, and more. Digital literacy topics like copyright and fair use will also be discussed. Project ideas and resources will be shared. 

Presenter: Kristina Preston

Math is more than just lectures and drills—it can be a competitive game, a head-scratching puzzle, or even an art form! In this interactive workshop, you’ll experience hands-on, classroom-ready activities from the student perspective and explore how they build engagement, collaboration, and a positive math mindset. You’ll leave with adaptable lesson plans and practical ideas to take your math teaching to the next level.

Presenters: Veronika Franzov and Sebastian Saldarriaga

In this hands-on workshop, you'll have a chance to explore the whole podcasting workflow from beginning to end using district-approved apps and platforms.

Please bring a laptop.

Presenter: Gareth Poon

We will examine how crafts can help students regulate their emotions. Participants will walk away with at least one finished piece of art and ideas and resources for a unit.

Presenter: Mehlin Yoo

Basketball, soccer, swimming, baseball and beyond...this workshop is filled with sport-based movements to inspire even the most hesitant 'non-dancer' athletes in your classes to get them moving, as they practice fundamental movement skills and claim their 'Bubble of Awesome'. Discover easy and fun music-driven combos that showcase how dance moves can come from anywhere when you drop the 'rules' of dance and get playful with physical literacy.

Presenters: Tanya Parker

Are you a new or mid-career member? Learn how the decisions you make throughout your career can affect your pension when you retire.

This 75-minute webinar course can help you learn about:

- Buying service for approved leaves
- Purchasing service for a time when you worked for your current employer but didn't make pension contributions
- Transferring service from other plans
- How the decisions you make in your career can affect your pension
- The effect of life events on your pension
- Using our online tools to plan for your future

Presenter: Daniel Phillips 
Room B110

Did you know how we teach and talk to children about food and nutrition can have a significant and lasting impact on their mental health and eating behaviours? This presentation will look at some past approaches for teaching and talking about food and nutrition and why we are shifting to a strength based, trauma informed, equity centered and culturally inclusive approach. We will explore the “Teach Food First” toolkit, which is designed to equip educators with tools and resources to support a food exploration approach to learning about food, nutrition and Canada’s Food Guide.  You will walk away from this presentation with best practice approaches that help children learn about food, have positive relationships with both food and bodies.

Presenter: Carole Chang

Stories shape how children see and care for the world. This hands-on workshop explores how picture books can inspire environmental connection and action without overwhelming young learners.We'll examine curated books for K-3 students that build curiosity and agency around caring for the Earth. For each story, participants will experience simple outdoor activities—sensory explorations, nature art, and inquiry investigations—that extend learning from page to place.Participants leave with an annotated book list, ready-to-use outdoor activities, and strategies for facilitating meaningful conversations about stewardship. No forest or nature expertise required—just good stories and willingness to step outside.

Presentor: Lauren MacLean

Play is universal, but the ways we play have changed over time and vary across cultures. In this workshop, teachers will explore activities from the Play Time! Education Kit developed by the New Westminster Museum and discover how toys and games can support inquiry, cultural understanding, and classroom community. Through structured play, artifact exploration, and guided discussion, participants will experience activities designed for Grades 1-3 and leave with practical strategies for integrating play-based learning into social studies and language arts.

Presenter: Christina Anderson

Play is universal, but the ways we play have changed over time and vary across cultures. In this workshop, teachers will explore activities from the Play Time! Education Kit developed by the New Westminster Museum and discover how toys and games can support inquiry, cultural understanding, and classroom community. Through structured play, artifact exploration, and guided discussion, participants will experience activities designed for Grades 1-3 and leave with practical strategies for integrating play-based learning into social studies and language arts.

Presenter: Christina Anderson

Join us for an expressive arts workshop led by Gallery educator Mariana Frochtengarten. After a quick intro. to Surrey Art Gallery's School Programs with their education team,  learn strategies for teaching with an expressive arts approach in connection with personal investigation and creative inquiry. Materials and handouts provided.

Introduce creative drama into your classroom with lots of fun activities.  Creative Drama is a safe tool for all children.  It's only risk is creativity, cooperation, and sharing of ideas.  Used as a warm up, break in the curriculum, part of the curriculum by enriching social studies, language studies, math, reading comprehension, reward, group work, working out problems, self confidence.   We will be doing improvisation, story telling, problem solving, serious and silly physical and verbal activities. 

This workshop promises fun and loads of ideas.  It has been popular at the conference for many years.  Best for grades 2 - 5; but all grades and teachers are welcome and will gain ideas.

Presenter: Susan Pendleton

Using your curriculum to create a theatre piece.  Or, use theatre to enhance your curriculum!
Through science, socials, language and writing arts, or math you will be presented with plans and ideas to take back to your classes.
(Theatre is prepared and rehearsed and planned out for performance. Drama is un-prepared and no audience is included.)
Presenter: Susan Pendleton

Artificial Intelligence functionalities are everywhere now, and it is important that our students have basic understandings of how to use AI tools safely, ethically and responsibly. To help with this, our PLT and a team of BC teachers have created a series of 21 lessons and associated activities designed to give teachers and students that baseline knowledge. This session will give you an overview of the lessons and how you might use them in your K-12 classroom.

Please bring a connected device for a "hands-on" experience

Presenter Cari Wilson
Location: Sullivan Heights

Room: A204

The Digital Classroom is a collection of 17 core online content resources that are available to schools (with no login or passwords required). This session will look at the resources available and their licensed / intended grade levels.  In addition, learn how to use advanced search features to adjust/find different reading levels, have it read aloud, learn through video, search by limiting Lexile levels, or translate the information sources to various languages. (Preview resources here: https://focusedresources.ca/en/digital-classroom-access)

Please bring a connected device for a "hands-on" experience

Presenter Mike Silverton

Room: E317

The Digital Classroom is a collection of 17 core online content resources that are available to schools (with no login or passwords required). This session will look at the resources available and their licensed / intended grade levels.  In addition, learn how to use advanced search features to adjust/find different reading levels, have it read aloud, learn through video, search by limiting Lexile levels, or translate the information sources to various languages. (Preview resources here: https://focusedresources.ca/en/digital-classroom-access)

Please bring a connected device for a "hands-on" experience

Presenter Mike Silverton
Location: Sullivan Hieghts

Room: E317

Working in education is meaningful, purpose-driven work—but it is also emotionally demanding. The mental load, competing priorities, and pressure to meet the needs of diverse learners can quietly lead to stress, overwhelm, and burnout. In this interactive 90-minute workshop, Laurie Shopland equips teachers with practical, research-informed strategies to better understand and navigate their emotional experiences.

Rather than adding more to already full plates, this session focuses on helping participants recognize what creates emotions, build confidence in their ability to handle them, and develop simple tools that foster resilience. Educators will explore common patterns such as resisting, reacting to, or avoiding emotions—and learn how shifting toward awareness and allowing can reduce stress and increase steadiness. Participants will leave feeling equipped with realistic, sustainable practices they can apply immediately, strengthening their emotional well-being both in the classroom and beyond.

Presenter Laurie Shopland
Location: Sullivan Heights Secondary
Room: E416

Working in education is meaningful, purpose-driven work—but it is also emotionally demanding. The mental load, competing priorities, and pressure to meet the needs of diverse learners can quietly lead to stress, overwhelm, and burnout. In this interactive 90-minute workshop, Laurie Shopland equips teachers with practical, research-informed strategies to better understand and navigate their emotional experiences.

Rather than adding more to already full plates, this session focuses on helping participants recognize what creates emotions, build confidence in their ability to handle them, and develop simple tools that foster resilience. Educators will explore common patterns such as resisting, reacting to, or avoiding emotions—and learn how shifting toward awareness and allowing can reduce stress and increase steadiness. Participants will leave feeling equipped with realistic, sustainable practices they can apply immediately, strengthening their emotional well-being both in the classroom and beyond.

Presenter Laurie Shopland
Location: Sullivan Heights Secondary
Room: E416

In this workshop, we plan to focus on dyeing with things we throw away or compost as kitchen waste.  We selected this topic because this is something teachers could replicate in their classrooms.  We may include flowers too.

Presenters: Nadine McSpadden and Zoe McDonell

Chef Sarah Mierau offers an impactful workshop on Bannock making rooted in Indigenous food knowledge, sustainability, and community. Through her cooking, she aims to reconnect people with the land, the seasons, and the history behind every dish she creates.
"We believe food is more than just nourishment — it’s medicine, storytelling, and a connection to culture' — Chef Sarah Meconse Mierau.

Presenter: Chef Sarah Meconse Mierau