PA Day Activities
The Superior-Greenstone District School Board is pleased to provide the details of our upcoming Professional Activity (PA) Days with families. Our schools have several PA Days during the school year. During these days, students do not attend school, but schools remain open, as school staff focus on professional development.
The Ministry of Education's regulation states that school boards must designate three (3) Ministry Directed PA days and may designate up to four (4) additional PA days per school year.
Below are the PA Day activities that are happening for the 2024-2025 school year. Details for each PA Day will be shared at least fourteen (14) days in advance of each scheduled date throughout the year.
For general information about Professional Activity Days in Ontario, please visit the Ministry of Education's website at https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r23226
Please consult the School Year Calendar to view all PA Days for the 2024-2025 school year. Staff can access their Professional Activity Day agendas through The Exchange (Intranet) or through email.
Date: April 11, 2025
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussion
Length: AM & PM
Topic of Focus:
Guidance and Career Education
Presenter/Facilitators: All Schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be focused on making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills, and apprenticeship opportunities. Making connection between guidance counsellors and local employers/labour market with a focus on high-demand economic sectors. Supporting student achievement in K-12 Mathematics with a focus on ensuring fidelity of curriculum implementation, strengthening mathematics content knowledge for teaching, knowing the mathematics learner, and identifying and collecting key performance indicators to measure improvement in student math performance. Professional learning focused on implementation of the revised 2023 Language, grades 1-8 curriculum and the 2023 de-streamed Grade 9 English Courses, and on Principles and requirements related to early reading screening as described in PPM 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening. Making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills and apprenticeship.
Date: June 6, 2025
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussion
Length: AM & PM
Topic of Focus:
Report Card Preparation
Presenter/Facilitators: All Schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be focused on assessment/evaluation, report card preparation, reporting to parents and a focus on student success/school learning plans. Secondary school staff will focus on supporting implementation of de-streamed grade 9 courses and making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills, and apprenticeship.
Date: August 30, 2024
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-person school teams/ online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussions
Length: AM
Topic of Focus:
Bullying and School Safety
Presenter/Facilitators: School Administration
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will focus on learning regarding student safety and violent incident prevention: Supporting positive school climate, bullying prevention/intervention, progressive discipline, violent incident reporting, and legislative/policy requirements for safe schools. Staff training will focus on violence prevention health and safety training, as per Central Terms with Teacher Federations and Education Workers Unions.
Length: PM
Topic of Focus:
PPM 161 Training
Presenter/Facilitators: School Administration
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will focus on supporting children and students with prevalent medical conditions in schools as per PPM 161 related to Prevalent Medical Conditions. Staff will work to complete their training programs through Wellnet.
Date: August 29, 2024
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussions.
Length: AM
Topic of Focus:
Mental Health, Cell Phones and Vaping
Presenter/Facilitators: All schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be devoted to student mental health and well-being with a focus on the mandatory mental health literacy learning and implementation of PPM 169: Student Mental Health Ontario. Professional learning will also focus on the impacts of cell phones and vaping on student learning. Group discussions and presentations will be provided regarding school safety and Code of Conduct.
Length: PM
Topic of Focus: Mathematics and Curriculum Implementation with an Emphasis on Literacy and Stem
Presenter/Facilitators: All schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be devoted to supporting student achievement in K-12 Mathematics with a focus on ensuring fidelity of curriculum implementation, strengthening mathematics content knowledge for teaching, knowing the mathematics learner, and identifying and collecting key performance indicators to measure improvement in student math performance.
Professional learning will be focused on implementation of the revised 2023 Language, Grades 1-8 curriculum and the 2023 de-streamed Grade 9 English Courses, and on principles and requirements related to early reading screening as described in PPM 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening.
The PA Day topic will include curriculum implementation with an emphasis on literacy and STEM. Ensuring educators understand key curriculum expectations with a focus on STEM.
Date: September 27, 2024
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussion
Length: AM & PM
Topic of Focus:
Indigenous Education and Mathematics
Presenter/Facilitators: Keynote Speaker Ron Kanutski, Lisa Michano and School Administration
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will focus on connecting culture and relationships to foster partnerships that are safe and inclusive. Implementing universal design for learning and differentiated instruction/assessment when planning lessons and assessing learning, to address the strengths, needs and interest of students in the classroom and maximize inclusion, engagement, and success with a focus on Indigenous perspectives.
The learning activities of the day will also focus on intentional use of high impact instructional practices to support students in the elementary mathematics curriculum and de-streamed Grade 9 mathematics course. Professional learning will be aligned with the SGDSB Math Achievement Action Plan.
Date: November 8, 2024
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussion
Length: AM & PM
Topic of Focus:
Literacy, Math and Curriculum Implementation
Presenter/Facilitators: All Schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be devoted to implementation of the revised 2023 language, Grade 1-8 curriculum and the 2023 de-streamed Grade 9 English Courses, and on principles and requirements related to early reading screening as described in PPM 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening. Ongoing implementation of recently revised curriculum, including those issued for the 2023-2024 school year; supporting ongoing implementation of de-streamed Grade 9 courses. Implementing universal design for learning and differentiated instruction/assessment when planning lessons and assessing learning, to address the strengths, needs and interest of students in the classroom and maximize inclusion, engagement, and success.
Date: January 31, 2025
Learning Delivery Methods:
In-Person School Teams/ Online delivery of learning, lectures/ independent learning & group discussion
Length: AM & PM
Topic of Focus:
Report Card Preparation/ Reporting to Parents/Ongoing Communication and Literacy, Math and Curriculum Implementation
Presenter/Facilitators: All Schools, hosted by SGDSB
Description:
The activities of the PA Day will be focused on assessment/evaluation, report card preparation, reporting to parents and a focus on student success/school learning plans. Secondary - the focus of the PA Day will be on assessment/evaluation, student success/school learning plans, as well as deepening their understanding of de-streamed programming in Grade 9 courses.