Program Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)
Successful Project Profiles
Elementary, Junior & Senior High Level
School Year |
||||
2025-2026 |
2024-2025 |
2023-2024 |
2022-2023 |
2021-2022 |
2020-2021 |
2019-2020 |
2018-2019 |
2017-2018 |
2016-2017 |
2015-2016 |
2014-2015 |
2013-2014 |
2012-2011 |
2010-2011 |
2020-2021
Leadership by Canoe
20-21-43/EJS
School: Dr. John Wickwire Academy
Grade: 5-12
Employer: SSRCE
Project Coordinator: Adam Leuschner
Project Team Members: Kajiek Jaskowiak
This project will continue to build and develop safe and inclusive canoe-based experiences for students in the South Shore Regional Centre of Education while supporting best practices for teachers within the SSRCE. We hope to see these canoes and the accompanying equipment as a “shared resource” that can be utilized across grade levels and subject areas, supporting cross-curricular learning opportunities for all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. We are very thankful for the support from the NSTU and our other funding partners (Health Promoting Schools, SSRCE, Up-Lift Nova Scotia) in bringing our project to reality, supporting meaningful educational opportunities on the water.
East Antigonish Cross-Country Ski Program
20-21-53/EJS
School: East Antigonish Education Centre
Grade: 4-12
Employer: SRCE
Project Coordinator: Corey Hayne
Project Team Members: Patrick Duggan, Jyl Boyle
East Antigonish Academy/ Education Centre Is a P-12 school in Antigonish County. The purpose of this program is to allow students the opportunity to explore the outdoors in a different form. The Cross-Country skis will be used in by Physical Education classes, after school groups and other classes to allow for a true cross curricular approach to learning. Using our recently developed trail system with several outdoor working spaces the skis will be beneficial to all students and staff at the school for years to come.
Canoe for Life
20-21-70/EJS
School: Richmond Education Centre/Academy
Grade: 4-12
Employer: SRCE
Project Coordinator: A.R. Fraser
Project Team Members: Lois Landry, Jason Maclean, Rachel Kuramoto
Canoe4Life Is a program offered to grades 5-12 as well as our adaptive physical education students at Richmond Education Centre/Academy which allows students to discover outdoor canoeing skills. It Is an inclusive program which gives all students a chance to succeed by creating learning opportunities in an outdoor environment with hands-on, tactile activities. The entire course is taught in an outdoor setting, often In a remote/wilderness type environment and requires participants to engage in a significant amount of physical activity, which also requires considerable preparation and endurance. The project will also encourage students to spend more time outdoors while learning how to paddle on lake water. In addition, the program will also promote teamwork, leadership, self-sufficiency and creative thinking skills while addressing a wide range of curriculum outcomes.
Decouvrir la randonnee
20-21-86/EJS
School: Centre scolaire Etoile de l'Acadie
Grade: 4-12
Employer: CSPA
Project Coordinator: Luciann MacDonald
Project Team Members: Eric Mouneau, Noemie Godin, Nicolas Renou
J'ai soumis une demande pour ce projet en esperant que je pourrai enfin install er une patinoire portatif dans notre champ de base-ball. Ce projet sera realise debut 2022 avec les efforts de plusieurs membres de la communaute scolaire. Ce fut une demande pour une patinoire avec les dimensions d'environ 44" x 88". Les eleves pourraient apprendre comment patiner durant les heures de classes sans avoir besoin de payer des frais et pourraient egalement l'utiliser apres les heures de classe avec la supervision d'un parent. De plus, nous avons eu du financement des autres comites scolaires afin d'assurer la securite des eleves. Nous avons re u des fonds pour acheter des patins, des casques et des guides en plastiques pour aider aux eleves qui ne sont pas encore capable de patiner.
2019-2020
Planetarium Education: Expanding Horizons
19-20/43/EJS
School: Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre/Academy
Grade: P-12
Employer: CBVRCE
Project Coordinator: Bruce Miller
Project Team Members: Matthew Parsons and Andrew Clarey
Our project, Planetarium Education: Expanding Horizons, will allow students to learn inside a planetarium. Students built a large planetarium out of cardboard and we’re able to use a projector, mirror, and software to project accurate simulations of stars and full-dome planetarium movies on the ceiling of the dome. This space allows students to learn about stars, constellations, and other astronomy-related topics in an immersive and engaging way. The captivating space is also great for storytelling and will allow older students to lead activities and lessons for younger students. We believe it will be a unique and popular learning space for our school.
2018-2019
Canotage de la classe à l’eau
18-19/22/EJS
School: École Acadienne de Truro
Grade: 5-12
Employer: CSAP
Project Coordinator: Guy Desgagne
Ce projet va permettre l’achat de canots, d’une remorque et de materiel de sécurité pour les canots. Les élèves des classes de 8e à 11e année participeront du materiel necessaire au projet (pagaies, modification d’une remorque et preparation de l’equipement de sécurité) à l’intérieur de leurs classes de technologie, EMC, construction et charpenterie. Ensuite, les classes de 5e à 12e année seront invitees à des classes de canotage. En plus, des projets communautaires et parascolaires pourront utiliser le materiel du projet lorsqu’ils seront approuvés.
Diffusion de la langue française et de la culture acadienne et francophone
18-19/30/EJS
School: École du Carrefour
Grade: 6-12
Employer: CSAP
Project Coordinator: Lisette Valotaire
Project Team Members: Michel Collette, Malou Déry
Le projet « diffusion de la langue français et de la culture acadienne et francophone » vise à créer un environnement collaboratif qui vise la diffusion de la langue et de la culture francophone, tant dans la salle de classe que dans la communauté.
Notre projet a 2 objectifs :
A. Créer un mécanisme afin que les élèves puissent diffuser du contenu francophone à l’aide d’une chaine YouTube de l’école du Carrefour.
B. Diffuser le contenu de cette chaine YouTube (et autre ressources en lien avec la langue française et la culture acadienne et francophone) dans plusieurs endroits dans l’école (à l’aide d’une télévision branchée à Internet, « télévision intelligente »).
2017-2018
Accessible Coding for Students with Disabilities SSRSB
17-18/09/EJS
School: South Shore Regional School Board
Grade: K-12
Employer: SSRCE
Project Coordinator: Connie Bird
Project Team Members: Jim Dexter, Heather Kirby, Barbara Welsford
Today coding is enjoyed by many students across Nova Scotia in 4-6. Coding is built in to curriculum outcomes within the Information and Communication Technology/Coding 4-6 Integration (Streamlined Curriculum). Students participate in various coding activities including “The Hour of Code” enjoyed by students in all grades. Yet for many students with special needs this curriculum is not accessible. Students with physical disabilities, cognitive delays, visual impairments and some learning disabilities struggle with accessing the websites, the text, the process of coding and how it is taught. As an inclusive education system we need to consider ALL students when rolling out curriculum. There are a number of coding products on the market today that is considerate of students with a variety of disabilities. This project will utilize a variety of accessible coding products for a range of students to meet curricular outcomes in grades 4-6 and beyond. They will have opportunities through coding to enhance math skills, problem solving, literacy and challenge higher level thinking skills and be able to engage in coding activities that they otherwise do not have access to. We will test drive the various products with a range of students and grade levels and bring teachers in to train them on these products. They will be available in resource rooms, learning centres and classrooms in our board. As part of Assistive Technology assessments we will recommend these products when appropriate.
Central Kings Recording Studio
17-18/57/EJS
School: Central Kings Rural High School
Grade: 6-12
Employer: AVRCE
Project Coordinator: Paul Hutton
Project Team Members: Greg Milne, Parker Eyn, Graham Colwell
Students at Central Kings have been learning and playing guitar since the inception of the project, and the guitars are also regularly used in our high school music classes. Many of our students are writing original songs or creating original arrangements of existing material, and the goal of the recording project is to create a recording studio that will allow students to produce professional-quality recordings of solos, guest and groups, and also to learn how to use recording and sound equipment. Central Kings offers multiple opportunities for students to make music, but no way to capture, preserve and distribute all of these performances. As well, many students hope to build a career in music, and need access to proper recording equipment in order to create audition recordings for application to post-secondary institutions.
2016-2017
Virtual Experiences, Real Learning
16-17/14/EJS
School: Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre/Academy
Grade: 4-12
Employer: SRCE
Project Coordinator: Bruce Miller
Team Members: Ethna Gillis, Denis Cormier, Barbara MacKinnon
Although they are worthwhile experiences, even local field trips can be challenging to undertake, and more exotic locations like Angel Falls, a coral reef, or a Vietnamese jungle are out of the question. By using high-resolution cell phones and VR Headsets, with software like Google Expeditions, students can be transported to virtual locations around the world. My project aims to take students on virtual trips so they can experience educational opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable. Surely it will be memorable to “visit” the moon or be underwater with sharks. These trips should lead to more in-depth discussions, writing, and learning.
Mindfulness in Action: Facilitating Growth of Mindfulness in Education
16-17/23/EJS
School: South Shore Regional School Board (Multiple Schools)
Grade: P-12
Employer: SSRCE
Project Coordinators: Shannon Hartlen and Kelly Humphries
This project involves the development of an education series entitled “Mindfulness in Action” which is open to all teachers and staff who engage with students daily. Throughout this series of seven, 90-minute sessions, participants will learn about the neurobiology of learning and mindfulness, as well as develop a personal practice while being introduced to classroom-based approaches. The goals of the project are to empower teachers to embed mindfulness-based practices into their classrooms, while support staff gains a better understanding and common language in support of this endeavour. Topics include: The Neurobiology of Behaviour, Mindful Communication, Conflict Resolution, Dealing with Difficult Emotions, Compassion, and Gratitude.
Flexible Classroom (Coffeehouse)
16-17/84/EJS
School: Clarks Harbour Elementary
Grade: All
Employer: TCRCE
Project Coordinator: Katrina Mood-Ross
Project Team Members: Kim Blades
The Flexible Coffeehouse Classroom (picture a Starbucks atmosphere) will be engineered to foster learning environments tailored for 21st century students for auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning styles. There will be independent zones, networking areas, research zones, reading zones, writing areas all with a variety of sitting/standing/kneeling and lighting options to foster ownership of learning and collaboration while integrating technology to promote motivation and engagement. Not everyone will be doing the same thing at the same time; individualism will be honoured and fostered in this classroom. Once the physical environment has been completed (creating a safe and comfortable working area) and routines of what it looks like, sounds like and feels like to use a space like this has been mastered our intention is to see the magic happen as we guide student learning and move these students forward in any area.
2015-2016
Diverse Identities; Creative Arts Outreach Program
15-16/62/EJS
School: Bridgetown Regional High School
Grade: P-12
School Board: Annapolis Valley Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Lori Whitman-Price
The Diverse Identities; Creative Arts Outreach Program, will give students, particularly those who would benefit from mental health support, the opportunity to celebrate and explore their personal identities by engaging them in cultural, creative and therapeutic experiences. Students will immerse themselves in creative mentoring, art exploration and other constructive opportunities that celebrate their individuality while getting them to explore their inner self. It is also a means of bringing students together collaboratively so they may encourage one another to foster personal growth and acceptance, while reaching out into our school and local community in a dynamic and enriching way.
Click here to return to Elementary/Junior/Senior table.
Click here to return to top of page.
2013-2014
Instrumental Music Portfolio Learning
13-14/54/EJS
School: Oxford School
Grade: 4-12
School Board: Halifax Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Pam Mason
Halifax All City Music offers instrumental music lessons to students starting in grade four and continues through to grade twelve. This program offers a unique opportunity, as a teacher, to teach each instrumental student at the elementary, junior high and senior high levels. Using Portfolio Learning, individual students will have opportunities to build a body of work that shows their progress in a given year and over the nine or ten years they can participate in the program. Multiple tablets will enable individual students the opportunity to develop their own compositions, expressing their musical tastes through understanding of music theory and they will then make an audio or video recording of their composition as they perform their own work. Each of these steps offers a very important learning opportunity for individual students and over time the students may gain more perspective on their own learning by reviewing their Portfolio.
Click here to return to Elementary/Junior/Senior table.
Click here to return to top of page.
2012-2013
Activités de plein air
12-13/53/EJS
School: École acadienne de Truro
Grade: P-12
School Board: Conseil scolaire acadienne provincial
Project Coordinator: Annik Caissie
Team Members: Julie Desgagné, Giséle Boudreau-Naime, Guy Desgagné
Nous voulons proposer des activités d'extérieur hivernales qui promouvoient une vie active et saine aux élèves, aux membres de la communauté, au personnel de l'école et aux membres du club de plein air. Il y a des objectifs à propos des activités de plein air dans les programmes d'études des élèves de la maternelle à la 12e année. Avec le matériel de plein air (des boussoles, des cartes, des raquettes et des GPS), nous pourrons répondre aux objectifs des programmes d'études tout en faisant des activités intéressantes pour les élèves. Pendant les cours d'éducation physique, les élèves vont faire des activités de plein air avec le matériel acheté. Le matériel sera aussi utilisé par le club de plein air de l'école.
Click here to return to table
2011-2012
Track and Field in Schools: The Pole Vault Initiative in the CBVRSB
11-12/39/EJS
School: Sydney Academy
Grade: 4-12
School Board: Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Jim McEachern
Team Members: Kevin Deveaux, Joel LeBlanc
The Pole Vault Initiative involves a direct pilot introduction of the pole vault to the physical education program at Sydney Academy High School, grades 10-12.
This program will introduce school faculty to pole vault technique and drills to be incorporated in physical education curriculum and in drills for other sports. The program will allow students in the school programs to obtain technique and drills to enhance flexibility, speed and strength, with injury prevention benefits. The Initiative will appeal to groups of students not yet enrolled in school sport or perhaps not yet obtaining maximum benefit of physical education classes.
The pole vault resource will be made available to all other schools, senior high and junior high, in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board (CBVRSB).
The program module will be created using existing available video analysis technology, local and provincial/Atlantic support staff and their expertise, while utilizing the pole vault equipment purchased for the program through the strong support of generous partners of Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union PDAF Program and Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Wellness.
Phase One was scheduled for completion in January 2012, with purchase of the pole vault landing system. Phase Two is schedule for February – March 2012 with an Instructor – Student Clinic with in-servicing for Physical Education staff and other interested resource staff. Phase Three comprises student practice to take place March - June 2012 as part of the physical education module.
Participants would complete the evaluation form and this would be reviewed by program coordinators in June, 2012.
Click here to return to table
2010-2011
Mimio™ Interactive Technology Support
10-11/48/EJS
School: Hants North Rural High School
Grade: P-12
School Board: Chignecto-Central Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Patricia Pertus
Team Members: Charmaine Wilkie, Debbie Thomas
With our world becoming a more multi-media environment, the Mimio™ interactive technology, which is simply a bar containing infrared and ultrasound sensor technology, can transform any dry erase board into an interactive whiteboard. This will allow our teachers to present to their students a more engaging lesson that will not only promote an interest in learning, but meet the various learning styles within the classroom. Included with this technology are components; such as, MimioTM Vote, which will be used to enhance teacher assessment of students' understanding in a more readily and flexible manner. Also, the portability of the MimioTM will open the door of all classrooms to a world of opportunities that are otherwise inaccessible to our students.
Click here to return to table
2009-2010
Using and Testing Handheld Portable Assistive Technology Devices to Support Students with Autism
09-10/15/EJS
School: Hebbville Academy
Grade: 5-12
School Board: South Shore Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Catherine Rahey
Team Members: Yvonne Rafuse
The iPod Touch is a powerful portable device that has the potential to provide students with Autism Spectrum Disorder a wide variety of "on the go" daily supports. From list making options to visual timers this portable device is proving to be a powerful education and communication tool for students with ASD. This grant will provide 10 iPod Touches to students with the Autism Spectrum Disorder. APPS including Visual Timer can monitor and set limits on classroom activities. The students will be taught how to use the devices, as will their teams. A variety of APPs will allow students to be independent and learn to self monitor their activities noted on their daily schedules, picture based schedules can easily be developed by the classroom teacher and support workers using 1000 Words (currently in Beta test mode) and Proloquo2Go is an APP that provides affordable and engaging Augmentative and Alternative Communication supports to specific students. These are just a few APPS that we will be testing and implementing in our school system to support students with ASD.
Click here to return to table
Fast Forword Programming
09-10/48/EJS
School: Whycocomagh Education Centre
Grade: P-12
School Board: Strait Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Betsy Jardine
Team Members: Debbie MacKay, Mary Humphrey, Ann Whalley
The Fast Forword Project Team from Whycocomagh Education Centre will target reading development in children that have exhausted current options for reading. Fast Forword is designed on the latest neurological research in which the brain is no longer viewed as unchangeable, but as an active organ that continues to change and develop new pathways throughout its life.
Learning maps developed through the intensive programming target improvements in memory, attention, processing speed and sequencing. The program adjusts itself to the child becoming increasingly more challenging as the students improve in performance and lessens in difficulty if the child is struggling, maintaining a ratio of success for the child.
The program will be implemented in a short term intensive manner. The students will have their schedule changed to allow them to use the Fast Forword technology for 30-90 minutes daily for 10-12 weeks. Installing the program to a laptop will allow easy sharing amongst three schools within the Strait region.
This program claims to improve a child's reading ability 1.3 years in 12 weeks of 90 minute per day programming. Testing with children in different geographic locations within the Strait Regional Board will help to determine the software's effectiveness.
Click here to return to table
2008-2009
Ways of Knowing About Salmon & Eels
08-09/39/EJS
School: North Queens School
School Board: South Shore Regional School Board
Project Coordinator: Sylvia Moore
Team Members: Yvette Rawding
In "Ways of Knowing About Salmon and Eels: Integrating Mi'kmaq and Scientific Learning at North Queens School", the school and the community of Wildcat First Nation will work together to create this cross-grade, cross-curricula project focused on the life cycle of salmon and eels and the interrelationship of all life on earth. The salmon eggs will hatch in an aquarium located in the school and the eels will be housed in an aquarium in the First Nations community. The project will culminate in the release of the salmon and eels at a gathering that includes a Mi'kmaq drumming ceremony.
Click here to return to table
Click here to return to main Successful Project Profiles page