October 28, 2026
Student Services
Literacy
Our Secondary Literacy Consultant hosted a two-day professional development session on October 16 and 17, 2026, at Heritage Park, bringing together 12 participants to discuss updates to the Gender Based Violence (GBV) materials and the new curriculum associated with the program.
The group included four principals, a resource teacher, a mental health worker, the provincial literacy lead, Tracy Giffin, and four teachers. The sessions provided an opportunity for participants to learn about curriculum updates, share knowledge and build confidence in supporting students as they work through the GBV content.
The professional development included a trauma-informed session, a session on human trafficking, and an update session with Tracy Giffin. Participants also took part in a wood-burning craft which provided an opportunity to connect and reflect alongside the important learning taking place.
An important outcome of the gathering was the establishment of a GBV support network. This group will serve as a resource for educators and school staff who have questions or encounter challenges related to the GBV materials or content.
By bringing educators and support staff together, MK continues to strengthen the network of people available to support schools as they deliver this important curriculum and respond to issues that may arise.
On October 9, 2026, ELA and Resource teachers at LSK took part in The Writing Revolution professional development session, focused on strengthening students’ reading and writing skills.
The training introduced strategies to support classroom learning and build on the UFLI and Acadience reading and writing programs. These practical tools can be especially helpful for students who experience challenges with reading and writing.
The session provided teachers with additional resources to support student learning and help build confidence and skills in literacy.
Numeracy
MK continues to support math learning across its schools through professional development, classroom resources and digital learning tools.
On October 7, elementary math teachers participated in a professional development session with Graham Fletcher focused on fact fluency and how it develops from the early years through middle school mathematics.
Math books and resources were also delivered to schools, and a new math pacing guide was developed and shared with teachers. The guides are also available on the MK Math website to help support classroom planning and instruction.
There is also exciting progress with IXL, with 611 MK students now using the platform! This growing participation gives students access to an engaging and valuable resource to support their math learning and build their skills.
On Thursday, October 15 fifteen of our math resource teachers from our community schools got together with our resource teachers in provincial schools who are supporting students from our communities, whose students mostly attend provincial schools. There was an exchange of practices in which all experienced the role of students in playing good old-fashioned hands-on games which were both engaging and focused on developing numerical fluency. The teachers in the provincial schools were able to share anonymous data and anecdotal evidence which supported the improvement they have seen over the years. Teachers seemed to be both engaged in learning and enjoying the day. All left with support materials that they used at the 5 centers that they rotated to during the session. As an old saying goes, “A good time was had by all.”
