ECSD Elementary Summer Summit: Full Schedule

ECSD Elementary Summer Summit 2026: September Starts Here
Join us on August 28 for a day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration designed to help you start the school year strong! Choose from over 25 sessions featuring classroom-ready resources, practical strategies, and ready-to-use lessons across literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, assessment, inclusion, faith permeation, and wellness. Whether you’re exploring the new Grades 4–6 Social Studies curriculum, discovering Dynamic Math, or looking for fresh ideas to support every learner, you’ll leave confident, energized, and September ready!

9:45am MDT

Supporting Vocabulary Acquisition in Math (K-6)

LIMITED

Friday August 28, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Session Materials

Every math lesson is filled with words, but which ones really matter? In this interactive session, we’ll use a simple analysis tool to unpack the vocabulary demands of a math lesson, distinguishing between words tied to context, content, and prior learning. This approach helps teachers plan targeted supports that make math more accessible without lowering the cognitive demand. Walk away with practical strategies, planning tools, and classroom-ready structures to intentionally support vocabulary development in every math lesson.

Speakers

Benjamin Prather

Math Consultant, Edmonton Catholic School Division

Benjamin is a mathematics consultant for the Edmonton Catholic School Division. Following a rewarding stint as an Emerging Technology consultant, and a return to the classroom, he has returned to his true passion: mathematics.

In the role of a mathematics consultant, Benjamin brings his interest for mathematics and technology to the forefront. His goal is to empower educators and students through the promotion of multi-modal representation, bolstering math vocabulary, and implementing high-impact teaching... Read More →

Caroline Lepps

Math Consultant, Edmonton Catholic School Division

Caroline is a math educator with over 30 years of experience helping students and teachers embrace the playful side of mathematics. She believes the best learning often happens in the messy space between struggle and a breakthrough—and she designs sessions that celebrate exactly... Read More →

Friday August 28, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
2A

K-6

11:00am MDT

Concept Circles for Mathematical Learning

LIMITED

Friday August 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Session Materials

This session explores how concept circles can be used as an engaging structure for helping elementary students represent mathematical ideas through images, words, and manipulatives. Participants will experience hands-on tasks that show how placing manipulatives directly on the circles strengthens students’ discourse, visualization, modelling, and representation skills. The session highlights the role of the central circle in uncovering mathematical relationships and patterns, offering a powerful entry point for deeper reasoning. Teachers will leave with practical strategies for designing interactive tasks that make mathematical thinking visible.

Speakers

Meredith Aubin

Elementary Math Consultant, Edmonton Catholic School Division

Meredith is an Elementary Mathematics Consultant who has been with Edmonton Catholic Schools since 2014. She is passionate about helping students to love learning mathematics in meaningful ways. You can also find her spending time outdoors, enjoying restaurants around the city, listening... Read More →

Haidee deRoca-Garcia

Elementary Math Consultant, Edmonton Catholic School Division

Haidee de Roca-Garcia is the Elementary Math Consultant for ECSD. She has taught K-6 for almost 30 years and is passionate about making mathematics engaging for all learners. She believes curiosity is a superpower and numbers are the best! When not learning something new every... Read More →

Friday August 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
2A

K-3

12:45pm MDT

Mission Possible: From Data To Action

LIMITED

Friday August 28, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm MDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Session Materials

Welcome to Mission Possible: From Data to Action—an overt operation where teachers become instructional agents on a quest to build targeted, efficient intervention systems. After a rapid briefing on high‑leverage data, you’ll examine student profiles, craft tailored supports, and design small‑group structures that maximize every instructional minute.
Your mission concludes with a debrief and a clear plan for deploying these strategies in your own classroom. Agents will depart equipped with two mission‑critical resources: a Math Intervention Planner and a Small‑Group Instruction Playbook to guide ongoing implementation.

Speakers

Amy Swinkels

Math Consultant, Edmonton Catholic School Division

Amy is a Math convert! Being a child that hated Math and was highly unsuccessful in Math, it became her absolute passion to help make Math fun, meaningful and successful for all students. When not championing Math, Amy is either reading absolute garbage on a beach or running marathons... Read More →

Friday August 28, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm MDT
2A

K-6

2:00pm MDT

Dynamic Math: Introducing A New Math Resource

FILLING

Friday August 28, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

Limited Capacity filling up

Session Materials

Discover Dynamic Math, a new resource designed to fully align with Alberta’s New Math Curriculum for grades 3–6. This session will introduce teachers to the teacher guide, student textbooks, and blackline masters that support strong pedagogy and seamless classroom implementation. Participants will explore how the resource connects directly to the manipulatives already provided in schools and how it strengthens both conceptual understanding and practice. Available in English and French, Dynamic Math offers a cohesive, hands-on approach to teaching mathematics. Join us to see how this resource can elevate instruction and support student success.

Speakers