PDTCA 2025

Teachers will have the opportunity to decorate a layer cake or character cake using buttercream frosting or fondant. Keeping cakes moist, crumb coat, and piping will all be addressed as well as applying and decorating with fondant. Each teacher will have their own finished cake and should bring something in which to take their cake home at the end of this half day session.
Session will be held at Chestermere High School east of Calgary 5 km.
CHESTERMERE: Chestermere High School 241050 Highway 791, Calgary, Rockyview

Hop aboard the historic Stampede Trolley and join us on an exciting journey to turn sustainability from concept to action, both for you and your students!

• 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM – boarding/pick-up
• 12:40 PM – drop-off
• PLEASE GATHER IN THE HYATT LOBBY – the trolley/s will park by the curb on Centre Street in front of the Hyatt.
• Trolley(s) may arrive earlier than boarding/pick-up times

During this session, you will enjoy a sustainable snack while we delve into constructing an eco-friendly project transferrable to your classroom, that will deepen the connection between sustainability for your students and the world around them. You will also have the opportunity to engage in a virtual farming simulation game specifically designed for the classroom. This game will empower your students to understand the complexities of sustainable agriculture and its crucial role in feeding our future.

Discover how to ignite a passion for our world within your own classroom through an interdisciplinary approach to addressing the challenge of feeding a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050.

"HELP! I'm supposed to teach Fashion but I don't know what I'm doing!" This session is for new (or newer) CTF/CTS Fashion teachers. You will learn sewing basics and leave with a pair of pyjama shorts made by you! You will also get ideas and concrete resources that will help you plan your fashion classes so that your students waste less time, gain more valuable skills, and have a great experience. 
**This session will take place at George McDougall High School in the Fashion room. 
412 3 Ave NE, Airdrie, AB T4B 1R7

The fee for this session is $15 per participant; please bring cash with you to the session.  This will be collected at the door and you will be not be admitted until you pay this fee.

Ecole Secondaire Highwood High School
1401 10th Street
High River, AB
Develop safe Whittling skills (woodcarving) through a variety of small hands-on projects. This 1-day off-site workshop builds knowledge, skill, and ability using simple tools, & common materials typically found within CTF/CTR classrooms. Whittling is therapeutic in nature, providing opportunity to individually focus on developing participants overall well being. Tools & Materials, and take home projects provided. Participants have opportunity to purchase starter kits if interested to continue at home.

During this FULL DAY Workshop held at the Fish Creek Environmental Learning Center, teachers will rotate through 3 different outdoor learning sessions. Presented by Alberta Parks and the Calgary Regional Consortium, you'll experience:
1. Winter OUTDOOR Learning Inspiration
2. Literacy and Numeracy OUTSIDE
3. Take the New Science Curriculum OUTDOORS
FISH CREEK ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTRE 15931 Woodpath Rd SW, Calgary

We All Belong in Nature

Nature supports wellness in many ways, but not all students have equitable access to nature. Mainstream outdoor education is inaccessible, exclusive, and expensive. It perpetuates systemic racism, ableism, classism, heterosexism, sexism, cissexism, and sizeism. Many youth feel ignored, unwelcome, and unprepared in outdoor education.

Join Jaclyn Angotti, CPAWS Education Director, as we explore the concrete jungle downtown to demonstrate how to make outdoor education inclusive for all – no matter where you are! Learn how you can provide inclusive nature connection opportunities that support your students’ wellbeing. This outdoor session will help guide your role as a teacher in responding to inequity in outdoor education. Jaclyn will demonstrate how to take your favourite environmental lesson plans and apply cross-cultural guidelines to make your lessons more accessible for all your students!

LOCATION & PARTICIPANT PREPARATION DETAILS: 
With our session set to unfold OUTDOORS - in the plazas and pedestrian corridors surrounding the Hyatt & Calgary Telus Convention Centre (H&CTCC), we will gather first at the Convention Information Desk area 15 minutes prior to the start of the session and then head outside as a group. If you are late, lost, or cannot make it, please text or call Jaclyn at 403-702-5929. 

What to Bring: 

• Please bring writing utensils and a journal or clipboard, if possible. 
• As detailed in the safety section below, please come prepared to be active outside for 2.5 hours – i.e., wearing appropriate clothing & footwear, and outfitted with water & snacks.
• Signed waiver (see below) unless you are a RVSD teacher. 

Safety: 

• Please consult local weather forecasts and come equipped with wind & temperature appropriate clothing and footwear, i.e. comfortable winter boots, ice cleats, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and instant handwarmers/heat packs.
• If there are any medical concerns (allergies/injuries) that CPAWS should be aware of, please be in-touch with Jaclyn via text @ 403-702-5929 in advance of the program's start time. This will ensure that she can customize the route and activities for everyone’s needs. 
• All participants that require medical equipment/medication such as an EpiPen & inhaler are expected to have these with them during the program in accordance with our risk management policy. 

Waivers: 

• CPAWS has a master agreement with RockyView Schools. So, if you are a RockyView Schools teacher you DO NOT need to sign a waiver. 
• If you are NOT a RockyView Schools employee, please download the PDF waiver below and bring along your completed waiver. I will collect them at the start of our session. Extra blank waivers will be available the day of, just in case!

I look forward to learning outdoors with you!

Why Grasslands CAN and WILL save the world! 

Alberta's grasslands provide gifts of vast biodiversity, rich cultural connection and essential ecosystem services. And yet, less than 2% of this amazing natural region is protected. What gives??? And how and why should you and your students care? Join CPAWS Southern Alberta to unearth how relationships lie at the heart of ‘why grasslands’ matter – now and forever...

Dive into the soul of your prairie home with CPAWS, OUTSIDE at Nose Hill Park (Calgary Winter Club Parking Lot) and experience how our acclaimed Why Grasslands? program engages all eight Alberta Education’s core competencies – from critical thinking to cultural and global citizenship. Come out and discover for yourself how grasslands CAN and WILL save the world!

LOCATION: Nose Hill Park – Calgary Winter Club Parking Lot: 4611 14 St NW; Calgary; T2K 1J7 

Meet at the Nose Hill Park parking lot located behind the Calgary Winter Club. CPAWS will be on-site 30 minutes ahead of session start time to welcome and gather everyone together. You will need to arrange your own transportation. If you are late, lost, or cannot make it, please text or call Sheri at 403-921-2314. 

What to Bring: 
As detailed in the safety section below, please come prepared to be active outside for 2.5 hours – i.e., wearing appropriate clothing & footwear, and outfitted with water & snacks.

Safety: 

• Please consult local weather forecasts and come equipped with wind & temperature appropriate clothing and footwear, i.e. comfortable winter boots, ice cleats, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and instant handwarmers/heat packs.
• If there are any medical concerns (allergies/injuries) that CPAWS should be aware of, please be in-touch with Sheri via text @ 403-921-2314 in advance of the program’s start time. This will ensure that she can customize the route and activities for everyone’s needs. 
• All participants that require medical equipment/medication such as an EpiPen & inhaler are expected to have these with them during the program in accordance with our risk management policy. 

Waivers: 

• CPAWS has a master agreement with RockyView Schools. So, if you are a RockyView Schools teacher you DO NOT need to sign a waiver.
• If you are NOT a RockyView Schools employee, please download the PDF waiver below and bring along your completed waiver. I will collect them at the start of our session. Extra blank waivers will be available the day of, just in case!

Looking forward to learning on the land with you!

P.S. If you would like to learn on the land with us all day, join our afternoon session too! PDTCA 2024: (Pre-Reg 30 OFFSITE) Journey to the Hear... (sched.com)

I hope that you can join me for my fly tying session this year. We will meet at my school (St. Luke's Outreach) in Okotoks which is located at; 23 Riverside Drive, T1S 1B3. We are on the 3rd floor. We will begin tying at 10 am at the school and tie until noon. We will break for lunch and then begin our second half of the session again at 1pm. We will then tie a few more flies and then we will finish around 3pm. I am requesting that each participant pay a $10 fee to cover the costs of the tying materials for this session. It does not matter if you are an accomplished tier or if you have never tried this activity before, you are all welcome to join us.

Hop aboard the historic Stampede Trolley for a round trip to and from Stampede Park!

• 11:10 AM – 11:25 AM – boarding/pick-up
• 3:20 PM – drop-off
• PLEASE GATHER IN THE HYATT LOBBY – the trolley/s will park by the curb on Centre Street in front of the Hyatt.
• Trolley(s) may arrive earlier than boarding/pick-up times

You will experience an interactive and hands-on makers workshop, diving into some of the Calgary Stampede’s most iconic themes: Pancakes, Parades and Posters.
 
Be among the first to delve into the captivating world of the upcoming Sam Centre before it opens in Spring 2024. Engage with themes that go beyond the well-known aspects of the Stampede – stories of the Rodeo and Midway, the barns and tents, the animals and athletes. Uncover the grit and determination that define Southern Albertans. Discover how the Sam Centre fosters a deeper understanding of our community's heritage and empowers your students to be active participants in their learning journey.

Planning for a substitute in advance is great, but what happens when you are suddenly drawn from the classroom immediately for 1, 2 or even 3 days? This double/triple session will provide teachers with ready to use activities and cooking for when an unexpected substitute with or without foods experience will be in your classroom.
This session will be held in Chestermere High School, 5km east of Calgary on Highway 1.
CHESTERMERE: Chestermere High School 241050 Highway 791, Calgary, Rockyview

Journey to the Heart of Our Parks – From Egos to Ecosystems to Ecojustice

Who, what and why is a park? Three complex questions - one simple answer: US!

Humans lie at the heart of park purpose, pride, prejudice, and promise. So, come hike with us, Teacher humans! And together, we’ll trail-travel into the ‘peopled’ heart of Alberta’s protected and public wild spaces, from nation-building believing to Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas achieving. 

With ecojustice as our compass, we will not only explore the intricate interactions and ecosystems our parks seek to protect, but also empower YOUR humanity to ‘make better’ Alberta’s parks for all!

LOCATION: Nose Hill Park – Calgary Winter Club Parking Lot: 4611 14 St NW; Calgary; T2K 1J7 

Meet at the Nose Hill Park parking lot located behind the Calgary Winter Club. CPAWS will be on-site 30 minutes ahead of session start time to welcome and gather everyone together. You will need to arrange your own transportation. If you are late, lost, or cannot make it, please text or call Sheri at 403-921-2314. 

What to Bring: 
As detailed in the safety section below, please come prepared to be active outside for 2.5 hours – i.e., wearing appropriate clothing & footwear, and outfitted with water & snacks.

Safety: 

• Please consult local weather forecasts and come equipped with wind & temperature appropriate clothing and footwear, i.e. comfortable winter boots, ice cleats, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and instant handwarmers/heat packs.
• If there are any medical concerns (allergies/injuries) that CPAWS should be aware of, please be in-touch with Sheri via text @ 403-921-2314 in advance of the program’s start time. This will ensure that she can customize the route and activities for everyone’s needs. 
• All participants that require medical equipment/medication such as an EpiPen & inhaler are expected to have these with them during the program in accordance with our risk management policy.

Waivers: 

• CPAWS has a master agreement with RockyView Schools. So, if you are a RockyView Schools teacher you DO NOT need to sign a waiver. 
• If you are NOT a RockyView Schools employee, please download the PDF waiver below and bring along your completed waiver. I will collect them at the start of our session. Extra blank waivers will be available the day of, just in case!

Looking forward to learning on the land with you!

P.S. If you would like to learn on the land with us all day, join our morning session too! PDTCA 2024: (Pre-Reg 30 OFFSITE) Why Grasslands CAN... (sched.com)

How does an animal’s adaptations affect their survival? What effect will this have on their ability to pass on their genetics and so affect their species biodiversity? How does the environment impact these adaptations? Come explore the Canadian Wilds and learn all about the footprints animals leave on the environment and the footprints the environment leaves on the animals. Discussion will also include how humans are affecting these footprints in negative and positive ways, with a focus on the positive. This is an outdoor, walking session. Please come dressed for the weather.
Session location: Meet at Karsten Discovery Centre. 
CALGARY ZOO 210 St. George’s Dr. NE; T2E 7V6

Ever wondered what a day in the life of a conservation researcher looks like? Excited about making conservation connections in the classroom? Join staff from the Calgary Zoo as we lead you how we leverage our interdisciplinary expertise to protect wildlife in Canada and around the world. Hear tales from the field, learn conservation techniques and strategies to integrate this work into your classroom. This session will be a teaser of our new program Conservation Science.
Session Location: Karsten Discovery Centre
CALGARY ZOO 210 St. George’s Dr. NE; T2E 7V6

Come show off your braiding skills as we learn to make traditional Ukrainian bread know as Kolach, and practice pinching (and eating) Perogies. Bring your culinary skills and your appetites.
AIRDRIE: WH Croxford School 2654 Chinook Winds Dr SW; Airdrie

Off Site - Okotoks Curling Club
Whether you are interested in curling and have never tried it before or are a seasoned curler, this session will teach you something new about the game. There will be on and off ice instruction as well as a short game at the end. Should participants have questions about how to incorporate curling into elementary PE, resources are available.
OKOTOKS: Curling Club 99 Okotoks Dr, Okotoks

We are presenting a workshop on Indigenous Perspectives that includes "hands-on" experiential sessions with teachers actively participating in an "Educational Teaching" Sweat Lodge, Indigenous games and traditions, and discussions with regards to the application of foundational knowledge regarding Alberta Education's curriculum and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.

Where: Camp Horizon ( Located about 50 minutes West of Calgary just past Bragg Creek) Hwy 66 10 KM Southwest of Bragg Creek, Bragg Creek, AB T0L 0K0

What: Our planned Indigenous Perspectives workshop will include the following:
1.) Teaching/Educational Sweat Lodge Experience conducted by Indigenous Elders
2.) Indigenous Traditional games and talking circle
3.) Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Metis, Inuit and curriculum connections.

George Taven of Seeds Connections will be hosting the day and coordinating the logistics. Walter White Bear will be the Keynote speaker and Sweat Lodge Elder.

Walter will also engage several other locally recognized and respected elders to assist with the other sessions throughout the day.

KEY POINTS

1.) This workshop will be conducted at Camp Horizon from 8:30am - 3:00 pm . Teachers are responsible for their own transportation.

3.) We can have up to 50 people register.

4.) It is vital to read the attachments which are descriptions of each of the sessions as well as expectations and appropriate dress and details of what people should be aware of if they are planning to participate in the Educational Teaching Sweat Lodge.

5.) Teachers need to bring their own bag lunches. Participants should bring their own water bottle.

6.) Teachers wanting to participate in the Teaching Sweat must bring appropriate change of clothes and towel.

7.) We will require each participant to fill out and sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form when they first arrive.

This course is focused on giving you a foundation and tools to support and understand Autism in the classroom and how to effectively support the varying needs presented by our students. Starting with How is Autism diagnosed and moving through the topics of sensory processing, sensory overload, motor skills, theory of mind, executive functioning and communication. We will also delve into activities of daily living, family and social life. Through a blend of presentation and audience participation these topics will be tied to effective teaching strategies, practical strategies and supports. Case studies will be provided. 
THERE WILL BE NO PARTICIPANT FEE COLLECTED.
Off-site Address: 2651 Chinook Winds Drive NW Airdrie Alberta T4B 0B4

Immerse yourself in the warmth of Destination Africa while its resident animals inspire you in this workshop that will demonstrate strategies and techniques that combine art with scientific inquiry and open the door to descriptive writing. Be prepared to have fun and discover your inner artist as you slow down and appreciate the finer details around you. No previous artistic experience necessary, just a willingness to have a go!
Please bring your favourite writing instrument, and a journal or blank paper. 
Session Location: DOW Classroom, in the Enmax Conservatory
CALGARY ZOO 210 St. George’s Dr. NE; T2E 7V6

Join us for an adventure at TELUS Spark Science Centre to get a taste of all we have to offer you and your students! We'll take you on a tour through K-3 programming, including all of those new curricular connections and then travel through some of the sights and sounds of the science centre, including our Creative Kids Museum, designed specifically for young learners.
220 Saint George's Drive Northeast, Calgary, AB T2E 5T2

Want to design a conservation action project with your students but don't know how to get started? In this presentation, we will introduce you to conservation action project ideas, tips for getting started, as well as introduce you to our Conservation Champions Festival as a way to celebrate and showcase your students' work.
Session Location: Karsten Discovery Centre
CALGARY ZOO 210 St. George’s Dr. NE; T2E 7V6

Join us for an adventure at TELUS Spark Science Centre to get a taste of all we have to offer you and your students! We'll take you on a tour through 4-12 programming, from joining a semester-long design challenge to witnessing a live knee surgery. Then travel through some of the sights and sounds of the science centre to help you make connections when you come for a field trip.
220 Saint George's Drive Northeast, Calgary, AB T2E 5T2

Looking for ways to get your students outside and engage them in real world science? Come explore Citizen Science, why it’s important and how to incorporate it into your classroom. We will look at various classroom-ready Citizen Science initiatives then head out on to zoo grounds to test them. You will leave equipped to turn your students into citizen scientists!
Session Location: DOW Classroom, in the Enmax Conservatory
CALGARY ZOO 210 St. George’s Dr. NE; T2E 7V6