CATCA 2025: Full Schedule

COMPLETE THE CATCA 2025 SURVEY TO IMPROVE FUTURE CONVENTION

CLOSURE REMARKS FROM CATCA 2025!

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE CONVENTION AND FOR CATCA 2026 WILL HAPPEN ON FEBRUARY 19 AND 20, 2026 AT RDP.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM YOUR ATA LOCALS.

All pre-recording videos will be up until May 31st.

9:00am MST

ATRF Your Pension Essentials

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

RDP Room 2602

This presentation is designed specifically for teachers that have recently joined the plan. It provides a general overview of the plan, including information about pension contributions, maintaining your spouse/beneficiary information, the eligibility requirements for a pension, purchasing leaves of absences and substitute service, and transferring service with another pension plan.

Speakers

Pension Counsellor

Pension Counsellor, Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund (ATRF)

A Pension Counsellor with the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund (ATRF) that has presented at numerous conventions and webinars and is available for one-on-one meetings with members throughout the year.

Thursday February 20, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
RDP Room 2602

Professional Issues (TQS/LQS 6), Division 1 (Gr 1-3), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12), Early Childhood Education (Pre K-K), All Divisions

10:20am MST

Leveling Up Learning: Using Games as a Formative Assessment Technique

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:20am - 11:20am MST

RDP Room 2602

Join us for an interactive session that explores the innovative use of games as a formative assessment tool. Participants will discover how to design and implement game-based assessments that not only gauge student learning but also foster collaboration, critical thinking, and motivation. We will discuss how to create engaging assessments that align with diverse learning objectives across subjects and grade levels.Three Learning Goals for the Session:1.Refine existing assessment practices by incorporating game elements that promote active learning and provide real-time feedback on student progress. 2.Design collaborative and interactive game-based assessments that align with diverse learning objectives across various subjects and grade levels. 3.Implement strategies for integrating game mechanics into formative assessments to foster critical thinking and teamwork among students.

Speakers

Shannon Ireland

Field Service Facilitator, Alberta Assessment Consortium

The Alberta Assessment Consortium is a not-for-profit education partner in the province, focused on everyday assessment to support student learning. Our facilitators combine their experience as Alberta teachers and teacher leaders with the expertise of the organization.

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:20am - 11:20am MST
RDP Room 2602

Assessment (TQS 3), Division 1 (Gr 1-3), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12), Early Childhood Education (Pre K-K), All Divisions | Curriculum & Pedagogy (TQS 3), Division 1 (Gr 1-3), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12), Early Childhood Education (Pre K-K), All Divisions

11:40am MST

AI Made Simple for the Classroom

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40am - 2:00pm MST

RDP Room 2602

We invite you to join us for this interactive exploration into how AI can assist you to make a real difference to your work-life balance while also increasing student engagement in your classroom! You'll walk away with an abundance of custom curricular aligned teaching resources for new or existing AB curriculum as well as a supportive community to help you navigate the journey of enhancing your professional practice with AI. Let's take care of your teacher's "to-do" list, so you can take care of your students!

The objectives for this session are:
Using AI to assist you with best-practice instructional strategies, assessment, and inclusion.
Using AI to make the complexities of outcome based assessment easy to manage
Teachers will be use AI to differentiate instruction
Teachers will be able to evaluate the output of AI resources on the basis of Teacher Quality Standards
Teachers will be supported while they learn very practical ways to achieve work/life balance with the use of AI
Teachers will be taken through the necessary process of reflection to generate resources built on best practices

Speakers

Sharon Skretting

CEO/Founder, Teacher Time Machine Ltd.

Teacher Time Machine is an Alberta based Educational AI company. We save teacher hours each week by giving them the technology tools and mentorship in outcome based planning and assessment! Some of our best selling features include: Hard Coded AB Curriculum, The ability to create... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40am - 2:00pm MST
RDP Room 2602

Curriculum & Pedagogy (TQS 3), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12) | Technology (TQS/LQS 2), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12)

2:20pm MST

Emotional Regulation and Art Therapy

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:20pm - 3:20pm MST

RDP Room 2602

Join us for an enlightening and interactive one-hour session focused on the transformative role of art therapy in fostering emotional regulation among students and staff. This workshop is designed specifically for teachers and support staff across all educational levels who are keen to explore creative, innovative and practical strategies for enhancing emotional well-being within the school environment.

Participants will have the opportunity for some hands on learning during this lecture.

Speakers

Jennifer Seniuk

ATR, RCAT, CCC, Belly Eye Art Therapy Inc.

Jennifer Seniuk is a registered Art Therapist in both the United States and Canada, and a dedicated counsellor who has committed her career to helping others through creative expression and therapeutic practices. Based in Alberta, she specializes in conducting workshops for school... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:20pm - 3:20pm MST
RDP Room 2602

9:00am MST

Unlocking Motivation: How to Reach and Reignite Disengaged Teens in Learning

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

RDP Room 2602

From the outside, it looks like they got in with a bad crowd and are hijacking their academic career to fit in. Threats and punishments do little to pull them up from their free fall and often yield the opposite result: pushing them toward even riskier behaviour.

Believe or not, even the so-called “lazy” kids secretly wish they were doing better in school. The problem is no amount of “shaming” them or their parents is going to get them care about school. So what then?

Parenting coach and teen advocate, Aly Pain talks about what’s going on behind the lack of motivation and why traditional intervention methods don’t work. She discusses how the developing teenaged brain influences their ability to cope with stressors and how focusing on emotional support is the key to success.

Key Take-Aways:

· The Bad Kid/Bad Parent Myth – Aly busts the belief that if you could just get the parents to engage with their student, everything would be fine. The reality is most parents are doing everything they can think of to get their student to perform.
· The Most Common Reasons WHY Good Students Go Bad – Aly shares what troubled teens and their parents tell her is behind the lack of motivation (and what teachers and parents can do about it). Spoiler alert: it’s not what you think.
· How to Support Students and Engage the Parents – Aly discusses concrete strategies to support struggling students in school and how to engage parents to do the same at home.

Speakers

Aly Pain

Owner, Speaker, Coach, Aly Pain Global Inc.

Growing up, Aly was the smart, fun girl on the outside and a frantic, anxious mess on the inside, going from award winning student and athlete to detention and failing out. She spent years healing the pain of dysfunctional family relationships, including an eating disorder, suicide... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
RDP Room 2602

Counselling & Student Support (TQS/LQS 4), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12)

10:20am MST

Respect and Boundaries: The Secret Behind Well-Behaved Classrooms with Cool Factor

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

RDP Room 2602

Why is it the “favourite” teachers have the best-behaved classes? Is it the secret candy stash in their desk, their silly mental health breaks, their ability to make a boring subject fun, or something else?

Chances are it’s their boundaries. Those teachers have mastered the ability to command the respect of their students and in doing so, their students understand and adhere to the rules of the classroom.

That doesn’t mean teachers need to tighten their rein. On the contrary, traditional views about power and authority only lead to more rebellion. The trouble is the concept of boundaries has become twisted to mean greater compliance using more controls.

Parenting coach and teen advocate, Aly Pain will share why teachers and parents need to model the respect they want from teens. She discusses the toxic cycle of resentment, retaliation, revenge and resignation that is triggered by teen defiance and how shifting your behaviour is the key to changing theirs.

Key Take-Aways:

· Why Students Don’t Respect You (and How to Change that Dynamic) – Aly explains how teachers lose their students’ respect and what they can do to turn that toxic dynamic around.
· How to Earn Their Respect Without Losing Yours – Aly discusses how teachers don’t have to give up control or become the fun teacher in order to earn their respect.
· The Secret to Winning Over the “Problem” Kids – Aly shares what’s really going in with the problem kids and the simple way to win them over.

Speakers

Aly Pain

Owner, Speaker, Coach, Aly Pain Global Inc.

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20am - 11:20am MST
RDP Room 2602

Counselling & Student Support (TQS/LQS 4), Division 3 (Gr 7-9), Division 4 (Gr 10-12)

1:00pm MST

Vocabulary: How can I enhance the words my students know and use?

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:20pm MST

RDP Room 2602

In this session, we will discuss the importance of vocabulary instruction, as well as strategies for integrating vocabulary instruction into lessons throughout the day. Attendees will be shown several different activities that are classroom ready and can be implemented immediately.

Speakers

Laura Donald

Shauna Koopmans

With a combined total of over 40 years of experience in K-12 education, we have experience teaching literacy to students in grades K-12. Laura is currently teaching grade 2 in Red Deer and Shauna is an instructor in the Bachelor of Education program at RDP.

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:20pm MST
RDP Room 2602

Language Arts (TQS 3), Division 1 (Gr 1-3), Division 2 (Gr 4-6), Division 3 (Gr 7-9)