SEATCA 2025 - Southeastern Alberta Teachers' Convention: Full Schedule

9:00am MST

Empowered Kindergartens

Thursday February 20, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST

In this session we will be looking at 6 ways to move students from being engaged learners to empowered learners. Participants will explore ways to include peer learning, play, passions, projects, portfolios, and purpose to enhance their kindergarten programs.

Speakers

Christine Henke

Thursday February 20, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
S146 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Early Learning

Audience Early Childhood (PK - K)

9:00am MST

Complex Communication Needs & Augmentative or Alternative Communication

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST

S145

Do you have non-speaking students in your ECS classroom? Do you have students who are currently unable to effectively communicate via speech? Do you have students who have been recommended or provided augmentative or alternative communication (AAC)? Do you want to know more about AAC in general? This session is for you! Understanding complex communication needs, understanding the why and how of AAC, as well as practical ideas and resources will help build confidence and success within your classroom for both you and your complex communicators.

Speakers

Jennifer Roth

Jenny is a registered speech language pathologist with 10 years of experience in public education and 5 years in private therapy. She currently works for Grasslands Public Schools (Brooks, Alberta) and owns a private speech and language company (Speech With Miss Jenny). She has a... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
S145 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Inclusive Education

Audience Early Childhood (PK - K)

9:00am MST

Early Learning Collaboration

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 11:30am MST

F2005

Working in Early Learning is hard work and it is heart work. This session offers an opportunity for those working in Early Learning to use the time for what they need, whether seeking connection, collaboration or a space to tackle the never-ending list of supports and planning for the tiny, amazing humans we spend our days with, this is a space made for those who make Early Learning possible.

Speakers

Shyan Polson

Kindergarten/EELL Teacher, Grasslands Public Schools

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 11:30am MST
F2005 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Early Learning

Audience Early Childhood (PK - K)

10:30am MST

Inspiring ideas for loose parts play in early learning

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST

Kin Coulee Tobaggan Hill

In this session, educators are invited to a hands-on exploration in a beautiful outdoor space at Kin Coulee Park. Loose parts are open-ended materials that can be used and manipulated in many different ways. They can be natural, recycled or or purchased and inspire children's creativity in diverse ways. In responsive early learning environments, educators can use loose parts to stimulate children's curiousity and offer rich play and learning experiences. "When children interact with loose parts, they enter a world of “what if” that promotes the kind of thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical reasoning. Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions, and they bring a sense of adventure and excite to children’s play" (Daly & Beloglovsky, 2015).

Meeting Spot: At the kitchen by the toboggan hill. There is a blue shed a bit further back and we will meet near the shed.

**Please check back closer to the date regarding weather and any changes**

Speakers

Jennifer Usher

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST
Kin Coulee Tobaggan Hill 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Early Learning

Audience Early Childhood (PK - K)

10:30am MST

Universal language strategies for late, delayed, and emerging communicators

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST

S145

Early learning classrooms are filled with students who are not using speech to communicate, or just beginning to use language to communicate, or use language that is disordered. This session will dive into some of the reasons we are seeing a rise in delayed and disordered language. More importantly practical language strategies for teachers, assistants, and families to use with these children, to support emerging language understanding and use, both in and out of the classroom, will be taught.

Speakers

Jennifer Roth

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST
S145 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Inclusive Education

Audience Early Childhood (PK - K)

10:30am MST

Story Making for k-2

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST

S146

How do you help enrich storytelling for beginning writers? Come and learn how to use Story Making in your classrooms. This is very specific to beginning writing.

Speakers

Mona Harris

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST
S146 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Literacy

Audience Div 1, Early Childhood (PK - K)

10:30am MST

Early Childhood Education Council - what we offer and sharing session for Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST

S151

I will share the new structure of the Early Childhood Education Council as well as highlights from past ECEC professional development sessions in our local and from the Dec. 4 PD session with Alicia Burdess on Using Picture Books to Launch Big Beautiful Problems in Thinking Classrooms. Participants will be encouraged to network with other teachers at their grade levels to examine how they may use ideas shared, access more PD through the Early Childhood Education Council and work together to share best practices.

Speakers

Stacey McBain

I have over 20 years of teaching experience and have been a member of the Early Childhood Education Council for as long as I have been teaching. I have served on the provincial executive since 2022 and work with the council to provide quality professional development for Kindergarten... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am MST
S151 299 College Dr SE, Medicine Hat, AB

Pedagogy & Educational Research

Audience Div 1, Early Childhood (PK - K)