
Family Studies Teachers Association
Mind, Body and Soul
October 28, 2022
Registration now closed.
(No refunds after October 14th)
Location
Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School
105 Braemore Drive, Antigonish
Click on map to access directions
Coldstream Thursday Night Social
We have booked Coldstream for everyone to pop in and socialize from 8-10. The day of conference is always so busy and teachers seldom get the chance to truly catch up and network with other teachers so we thought it would be great to offer a gathering spot to do that. Light snacks will be provided. We hope to see everyone there.
Coldstream Clear Distillery: located at 25 James St in Antigonish
Accommodations
Microtel Inn and suites: 902-735-0101
Rate is 145.00 but rooms must be booked by Sept 27th to receive that rate.
admin@microtelantigonish.com
The Claymore Inn and Suites: 902-863-1050
Group Confirmation Number: 037195
Arrival Date: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022
Departure Date: Friday, Oct. 28, 2022
- Two double beds @ $135 (single occupancy) -$145(double occupancy) plus tax per night.
- Rooms with one double bed and a pull-out sofa bed @ $135 (single occupancy) -$145(doubleoccupancy) plus tax per night.
Rooms must be booked by September 27th to receive that rate.
Any changes or cancellations must be made 48 hours prior.
Maritime Inn: 902-863-4001
Room Type | Quantity Offered | Rate | Description |
Select Queen | 9 | $135+HST | 1 Queen Bed |
Select King | 6 | $135+HST | 1 King Bed |
Select Double | 12 | $135+HST | 1 Queen Bed & 1 Double Bed |
Premier King | 3 | $150+HST | 1 King Bed with more amenities and a bigger room. |
Suite | 1 | $200+HST | 1 King Bedroom , 1 Queen bedroom, 1 common area with pullout couch. 1 common bathroom |
Rooms must be booked by September 27th to receive listed rates.
Agenda:
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Conference Registration |
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. | Welcome and Introductions |
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Session A |
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Break |
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Session B |
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Lunch (included with your registration) Lunch will be provided to participants on site. |
12:00 noon - 12:30 p.m. | FSTA Annual General Meeting |
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Session C |
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Session D |
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. | Gather and Gab |
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Thank you and Send Off |
Fees:
NSTU Members (includes membership) | $85.00 |
Students / Retirees / Pre-Service Teachers / Other Affiliates | $55.00 |
NOTE: Lunch is included with your registration.
As per NSTU Operational Procedure 14 E. IV.: receipts of payment and attendance will not be distributed until the conference has concluded.
Conference Program Contact Information
Stacey Purdy
Email: slgbain@nstu.ca or fstaconference@nstu.ca
Workshops
Full Morning Sessions (9:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)
AB1: Tour of Baxter Farm
Participants will be traveling via school bus to tour a local farm. The Baxter farm works with sheep and cattle.
AB2: Mattie Sisters Sewing Circle
Learn the basics of sewing from a group of sisters from the Antigonish community. Participants will be immersed in a supportive, fun-loving environment where they will learn how to hand stitch, sew on a button, hem pants and more!
AB3: Food In Society led by Crystal Peach
Introducing Food in Society/International Foods 10! During the session we will make a featured dish, sample foods from countries around the world, and learn about this exciting curriculum!
Session A (9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.)
A1: Meditation with Jilian Marchand
Jillian Marchand is the founder of Exploring Embodiment, which seeks to inspire others on their self healing journeys alongside her. She is a Usui Reiki Master and Trauma Informed Breathwork Facilitator with Pause Breathwork. Her background in dance allowed her to explore her passion for movement, music and expression and to connect to her body from a young age. She now carries these passions into her breathwork & embodiment classes to share how these somatic tools can move and transform our energy and shift our everyday experiences.
The session will teach about how we can use intentional breathing throughout the day to create shifts in our experience & include a guided meditation and breathing practice to clear the mind and bring in more relaxation.
A2: RealCare Infant Simulators led by Team Lead Derek Murphy
In this session, you will join other educators who use the RealCare Program for a one-hour training and information session. This session will provide training on the fundamentals of RealCare Baby, including Control Center Software, assessment tools, lesson planning and more.
A3: DBT with Registered Psychologist Stephanie Teasdale
Introduction to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills for the classroom. Special focus on Distress Tolerance Skill: Self Soothe. Creating self-soothe kits with students.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a modified type of cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT). Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others. DBT includes skill building sessions that include strategies and methods in 5 modules. The full DBT Skills Training Modules includes:
- Mindfulness
- Distress tolerance
- Emotion Regulation
- Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Walking the Middle Path
This session will focus on the Distress Tolerance skill: Self Soothe. A strategy found by Many students to be very helpful is creating a self-soothing kit. In DBT, “self-soothing” is using the five senses to regulate emotions and increase feelings of calmness. To help prevent overwhelming distress, students can incorporate soothing things into their routine and environment, or they can utilize sensory soothing to grounding themselves when they start to get upset.
The value of having the “kit” is that everything is already together in one place. When students start to feel distressed, they don’t have to think about what they should do or try to find what they need; they can simply pull out the box or bag and begin to try things. Having the kit to look through and choose from can create a new, positive ritual to replace previous unhelpful rituals.
The self-soothe kit, anti-anxiety kit, calm down kit, happy box, self-care kit… whatever you call it, is an emergency kit of items that will help soothe students in stressful moments. Think of it like a first-aid kit for emotions. We have first-aid kits for physical damage, why can’t we have one for our emotions too? The cool thing about these kits is that students create them and customize it to fit their needs.
Session B (10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)
B1: African Drumming
An interactive presentation, participants will learn the language of African Drumming, how to play a variety of drums and percussion instruments, as well as the significance of drumming in the lives of our African Nova Scotian students and communities. Led by Morgan Gero and student drummers.
B2: Naomi Society led by Deidra and Ashley
This presentation will include an introduction and overview of the Naomi Society. Participants will have the opportunity to talk to professionals about recognizing warning signs of an abusive relationship, and how to respond and refer to available resources.
B3: Wool Dyeing
Interested in the art of dyeing wool? Denise Bekkers, owner/operator of Sugarloaf Holsteins will be on hand to demonstrate this process for participants. This will be an interactive workshop where folks can practice on the wool from the Bekker’s farm.
Full Afternoon Sessions (12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
CD1: Sugarloaf Holsteins
Tour of a dairy farm milking 150 cows three times a day. The group will be shown the dairy barn and milking parlor, calf nursery, feeding and equipment. The farm also includes beef cattle and sheep, so the advantages of diversifying will be discussed. We can also talk about how to organize a farm field trip, things to prepare for and questions for farmers and staff. This is a good opportunity to talk about the cost of food with students, the input costs for farmers, food supply and value-added products. (Milk is not just milk.)
CD2: Mattie Sisters Sewing Circle
Learn the basics of sewing from a group of sisters from the Antigonish community. Participants will be immersed in a supportive, fun-loving environment where they will learn how to hand stitch, sew on a button, hem pants and more!
Session C (12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.)
C1: Yoga & Mindfulness for the Classroom
This will be a mindful movement workshop that will provide insight and techniques that can be adapted to use in any classroom to meet the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of any age. It will include a gentle yoga practice, rooted in ashtanga yoga, as well as pranayama (breathwork) and mindful meditation practice. Come and be inspired to add mindful breath, movement, and awareness to your own life, classroom, and community to create an abundant life from the inside out. It all starts with the breath! All ages and abilities are welcome.
C2: African Cuisine
Join two community members as they walk us through a delicious African inspired dish. Participants will have the opportunity to prepare and sample the food with the leaders.
C3: Dog Therapy
Take part in a presentation about the process of training a dog for dog therapy. Learn about how this therapy is implemented in the school setting and hear inspiring stories of how our furry friends can help to heal the soul.
C4: HRY with members of the AWRC
Take part in a presentation about the Healthy Relationships for Youth program that is implemented in many schools across the province. Learn about the program and how it might become part of your curriculum with staff coordinators from the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre.
Session D (1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
D1: Yoga with Britt
Britt found yoga over 15 years ago. She quickly fell in love with all things yoga; learning to move the body to free the mind, becoming curious about what meditation and breathwork can offer the mind, space & body. With this new found love & curiosity, she was completely inspired to pursue her passion and become a certified yoga instructor. So she enrolled into the Semperviva Yoga Teacher Training School in Vancouver, BC. Here she completed her first 200 hour YTT. Since this training in 2009, she’s completed many other trainings/courses along the way; Breakthrough Your Blocks Kundalini Awakening with Gloria Latham, 5 Elements with Janet Stone and various workshops with Gurumkh..to name a few.
Britt has created a very mindful practice filtered by framework through her Kundalini-inspired and Vinyasa Flow background. Her creative flow sequencing will awaken your energy and teach you to build balanced poses from the ground up so you can mindfully focus on using the power of breath and movement, on and off the mat :)
Britt spent the majority of her 20’s traveling before eventually returning to her roots in Antigonish, NS, where she now leads in-person weekly classes & various online yoga challenges.
D2: Acadian Dish
Roll up your sleeves and participate in preparing a lovely dish that is Acadian inspired. Discuss the culture and history of Acadians in Nova Scotia as you work to prepare some yummy food.
D3: Wool Spinning
Join members of the Antigonish community as they demonstrate how to spin wool. Participants will have the opportunity to try it out and become wool spinners! A fun, creative session to look forward to!
D4: Art with Adele
Join artist and educator, Adele McFarlane Wile, for a session on how to use art in the classroom to help students connect to what they are learning and express and explore their own lived experiences. This session will introduce participants to simple drawing and artmaking techniques that can be incorporated into your lessons, with a focus on easily accessible materials and approaches.