PDTCA 2025: Full Schedule

The PDTCA Board hopes you have an amazing Convention 2025!
Emergency Procedures Calgary Telus Convention Centre
Emergency Procedures Hyatt
Human Rights Statement
Land Acknowledgement

CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE (CTCC) and HYATT - address

Pre-Registration will OPEN February 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and CLOSE February 17, 2025 AT 8:00 p.m.

For Pre-Registered sessions please use the pre-registration link on the pre-registration page at pdtca.org. Adding the session to your Sched schedule does not mean you are pre-registered.

Reason to Create a Profile in Sched
You do not need to create a profile and log in to see sessions in Sched. However, if you want to add yourself to a session to create a schedule or evaluate a session you must be logged in.

Convention at a Glance Link will be available here in Mid-February
Off-Site Addresses are included.

Professional Responsibility
“On the two school days of your assigned teachers’ convention, you have a legal and professional responsibility to attend convention. If you are not able to make it safely to your assigned convention, however, your collective agreement may include impassable roads or inclement weather clauses that you can access. If your collective agreement does not include language specific to road conditions or weather, you may make use of the personal leave clauses of your agreement in most cases. Please be aware that using any of these types of leave may require you to pay substitute costs, forego a portion of your salary and benefits, or report to your school or another work location in your district. Refer to your collective agreement for more information. Should you require any additional information or if you need assistance interpreting your collective agreement, please contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208 or 780-447-9400.”
This information is also found on the Frequently Asked Questions page on the www.ataconventions.ca website. If you have any further questions regarding this, please contact Daniel.Maas@ata.ab.ca.

09:00 MST

(Pre-Reg MAX 30) Pastel Perfection: Mastering Chalk Pastels and Oil Pastels Techniques

Thursday February 20, 2025 09:00 - 11:20 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

Get ready to delve into the world of chalk and oil pastels with an exciting workshop that will elevate your art projects. Unleash your students' creativity as they capture the mesmerizing beauty of the Northern Lights, create stunning Alberta landscape using a 1-point perspective, and bring vibrant watermelon or pumpkin still to life. The difficulty level can be tailored to suit the grade level being taught. By the end, you'll have three completed projects and access to step-by-step instructional PowerPoint presentations and links to the YouTube instructional videos. Get ready to ignite your students' passion for art!
This session has a participant fee of $10.50. Pre-Registration Link

Speakers

Izabella Orzelski

Teacher, Fine Arts Council

Izabella, an accomplished artist and educator, holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Alberta. Her contributions to art education have been recognized with the Winspear Fund Grant and the Dahesh Museum Award in New York. She is... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 09:00 - 11:20 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Language Arts (TQS 3), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee Yes
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required Yes

11:40 MST

Insta-Poetry

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

Discover the world of poetry through social media, particularly Instagram, with your middle school class. Join us to explore poets worth following and engaging activities to do with your students. This session aims to be practical and inspiring!

Speakers

Ashley Relling-Huezo

Teacher, Rocky View Schools

Ashley is a middle years humanities teacher at Chestermere Lake Middle School. She has been teaching middle grades in British Columbia and Alberta for over 10 years. Ashley is an avid reader, regularly balancing multiple genres of books. She is on a mission to help middle school students... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

English Language Learning (TQS/LQS 4), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

13:00 MST

Handbells & Steel Drums

Thursday February 20, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

A chance to get a few ideas to teach Handbells and Steel Drums in the Classroom

Speakers

Teena Trick-Wilks

Teacher, Chinook's Edge School Division

Teena Trick-Wilks believes in sharing the Love of Music to help build ones mind, soul, body and life. With a diverse background from teaching 4 years old to 80 years old students in the public, private and community settings, she can offer many ideas to help foster music in your... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Music & Band (TQS 3), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

14:20 MST

Drum set intro

Thursday February 20, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

A chance to learn how to work a drum set, and how to use the drum set in your classroom to help build a sense of beat and subdivisions!

Speakers

Teena Trick-Wilks

Teacher, Chinook's Edge School Division

Thursday February 20, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Music & Band (TQS 3), ECE (Pre K-K), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

09:00 MST

Work smarter, not harder. Utilizing time effectively - Collaborative workspace

Friday February 21, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

Bring your friends, bring your work. Use this time to work with peers to calibrate your marking across subjects or grades.

Do you need some ideas on how to get assessments done effectively with timely feedback? Do you struggle with HOW LONG it takes to look at assignments? Then this session is for you. Work with your peers to calibrate assessments and learn strategies to work more effectively.

Speakers

Barb Olson

I will try anything with enthusiasm, even this event! I am Mother to 2 boys and you can find me watching their sports around Rockyview.

Friday February 21, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Reflection/Collaboration (TQS/LQS 2), ECE (Pre K-K), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

10:20 MST

Struggling to comment

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

Struggling to find the right balance between curriculum and what caregivers understand? What is most important to highlight on a Report Card Comment? How to create personalized and meaningful comments using the comment bank in PowerSchool. Work with peers to collaborate and create comments to use now!
*Bring a device if you would like to work digitally.

Speakers

Barb Olson

I will try anything with enthusiasm, even this event! I am Mother to 2 boys and you can find me watching their sports around Rockyview.

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Assessment (TQS 3), ECE (Pre K-K), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

11:40 MST

Finding Our Place-Fostering School Belonging for Junior and Senior High School Students"

Friday February 21, 2025 11:40 - 14:00 MST

Telus 110 - CTCC

In this session, we will share current findings on the importance of school belonging in relation to student academic success and personal well-being. Additionally, we will share how a value framework and strategies help school staff foster school belonging for all students.

Speakers

Yvonne Renaud

Yvonne currently works as a Junior High teacher just outside of Calgary. In her 20 year career in education, Yvonne has taught grades 7-12 both in Alberta and Quebec. She has occupied roles such as a learning coach, classroom teacher both in traditional and specialized contexts, academic... Read More →

AJ Verhappen

AJ is passionate about brains and how they learn and grow. Through over 15 years of teaching experience, AJ has seen first hand the impacts of belonging on student learning and engagement. It is important to them that all members of a school community find a place where they feel... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 11:40 - 14:00 MST
Telus 110 - CTCC

Fostering Effective Relationships (TQS/LQS 1), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No