On November 21^st, our teachers spent time with our district literacy consultant to unpack the question:

We had primary and intermediate staff meet in grade groups. Together with consultant support, they explored instructional strategies and routines to support oral language development. The following are a few examples:

On our November 25^th Pro-D Day, our staff came together in the afternoon to participate in two learning sessions planned by our Pro D Committee: We explored a consultancy protocols & learned more about body awareness & Self-Regulation

The first session involved working with staff to access our collective expertise by exploring a problem of practice using a consultancy protocol. Teachers shared a problem of practice and worked through the protocol to access support and expertise from their colleagues. The protocol was followed with the support of admin and teachers who volunteered to share/ask for support. This helped our staff feel more comfortable sharing challenges in their practice and seeking feedback from colleagues.

The second session involved having our Educational Assistants participate in a learning session with our district sensory Occupational Therapist. The session was focussed on body awareness (Interoception) and how it relates to self-regulation. Staff learned practical strategies and reviewed ways to build interoception skills into the classroom to support learners.

Examples include:

-Morning check-in

-Sensory break with sensory bins

-Movement breaks

(see further examples below)