Edvance Working Groups
Go deeper in your practice alongside your Christian school peers.
Edvance Working Groups bring Christian school colleagues together throughout the school year to learn, share ideas, and grow around a common area of focus. Each group gives you space to explore a topic that matters to your work, gain practical tools and expertise, and learn from others who are navigating similar questions.
Unlike a one-time workshop, Working Groups meet regularly throughout the school year. That means you have time to put new ideas into practice, come back with questions, learn from what others are trying, and continue building your knowledge and confidence.
How it works: Each Working Group is led by a facilitator and meets virtually throughout the school year. See individual group descriptions below for dates, topics, resources, and other details.
Cost to participate: $100/participant (unless otherwise noted). Schools will be charged up to a maximum of $500 +HST total across all participating staff.
Questions? Please contact us at info@edvance.ca
Working Groups
2026-27
Working Groups for Educators, Staff, and Administrators
Click on the drop down for working group details and the link to register.
The purpose of this working group is to prepare and guide teachers as they implement the “Jesus-Centered Sex Education Curriculum – Year 1” at their school. The “Year 1” is a part of a 4-year curriculum plan to ensure that students receive information on this topic for each year of high school. These lessons have been designed to be taught in a Physical Education or Religious Studies course. However, they can be used in other disciplines such as: Family Studies, Parenting, Challenge and Change, World Religions or a Sr. History. Our deep hope for this curriculum is to equip students to make biblically informed decisions throughout their life.
Target Audience: Secondary educators, administrators
Resource: “A Jesus-Centered Sex Education Curriculum” (shared via Google Folder)
Leader: David Dyck and Katie Plaisier
The purpose of this working group is to create a space where leaders can learn and work together to create and implement tools that will support and enhance curriculum mapping and tracking within Christian Schools
Target Audience: K-8 Curriculum Coordinators, Vice Principals, Administrators
Resource: The administrative tools that will be shared were created by Carolyn Bentum, Carla Alblas, and Lisa VanderKuip.
Leader: Lisa VanderKuip, Student Support Services, Edvance & VP of Learning, Beacon Christian School
The purpose of this working group is to provide a collaborative space where educators can support each other as we implement the Difference© resources into our classrooms. Difference© is a free suite of resources to help your class or school navigate an increasingly complex world inspired by Jesus to embrace difference and champion a culture of hope and empathy.
Target Audience: K-8 Educators
Resource: Difference for Primary Schools - free to download once you’ve been trained
Leader: Rachel de Haan, Ottawa Christian School
The purpose of this working group is to create a space where educators can connect, learn from one another, and share ideas, resources, and strategies for supporting students who benefit from a Life Skills pathway. Together, we will explore practical ways to build meaningful, inclusive programs that help students develop independence and prepare for life beyond the classroom.
Target Audience: Secondary educators
Leader: Tamara DeWaard, Hamilton District Christian High
The purpose of this working group is to equip school leaders, communications staff, admissions personnel, and others involved in school marketing with practical tools and strategies to strengthen their school's communications and enrolment efforts. Recognizing that marketing responsibilities in a Christian school often fall to people wearing many hats, this series focuses on accessible, high-impact practices that can be implemented without a large budget or specialized expertise.
Target Audience: Leaders, Communications & Admissions Personnel, Office Administrators
Resource: No book purchase required, but we will recommend free and optional resources during each session if you want to go deeper
Leader: Sarah Burt, Director of Marketing, Edvance & Victoria Kooy, Marketing Engagement Manager, Edvance
The purpose of this working group is to create a space where everyone in a role in education can learn together, engage in discussions, enhance their knowledge, and implement strategies for mental health and wellbeing in their classroom and beyond.
Target Audience: Educators, Student Support Workers, and Administrators - Mental Health Professional Development
Resource: Specific topics about mental health/social emotional learning will increase your knowledge and expertise throughout the year, plus provide resources for educators in each topic area
Leader: Tricia Schinkel (Registered Psychotherapist, Art Therapist; School Counsellor at Calvin Christian School)
Ever feel like you're scrambling to plan an upcoming PD day? This working group is for school learning leaders who would like support from Edvance and each other in designing and implementing a staff professional learning plan (PLP) using templates provided. The group will consider your school's identity, strategic priorities, and staff needs as the foundation on which to develop a comprehensive professional learning plan to shape your professional development calendar.
Target Audience: School Learning Leaders – Principals, VPs, Directors of Learning
Facilitator: Justin Cook, Director of Learning at Edvance
The purpose of this working group is to create a collaborative space where educators, administrators, and literacy coaches can learn together, engage in discussion, deepen their understanding of reading assessment, explore tools such as Acadience© and DIBELS©, and implement effective assessment practices. Together, participants will consider how to use assessment data to inform instruction and programming and monitor student response and progress.
Target Audience: K-8 educators, Student Support Services educators, administrators, literacy leads
Resource: We will be working through the book: Reading Assessment Done Right by Stephanie Stollar & Kate Winn. All participants will be required to purchase a copy of the book, which can be found at Scholastic or Amazon.
Leader: Lisa VanderKuip, Student Support Services Coordinator, Edvance & VP of Learning, Beacon Christian School
The purpose of this working group is to create a space where for those in a mental health professional role at school:
- To troubleshoot specific concerns and clinical or ethical needs
- To share resources
- To follow best practices and to meet requirements of governing bodies/colleges of registration for peer supervision (SW/CRPO)
- To provide a sense of community and connection
- To provide personal support/stress management from a network of similarly engaged professionals
Target Audience: For those with paid contracts within the schools doing a clinical mental health role (Social Work, Psychotherapist - School Counsellor or School Social Worker, etc)
Leader: Tricia Schinkel (Registered Psychotherapist, Art Therapist; School Counsellor at Calvin Christian School)
The purpose of this working group is to think through the philosophy of teaching in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Many argue that education is changing, and some are even going so far as to say it’s no longer necessary. As teachers working in collaboration, we will read together and think through a Christian perspective on teaching in an AI age.
Target Audience: Teach Like a Human: Playful Practice and Serious Faith in the Age of AI, David J. Mulder (2025). This source is required and is the basis for each discussion.
Leader: Mandy Wiebenga, Woodland Christian High School
This working group is for secondary school guidance counsellors. Dates and topics will be decided by the group.
Facilitator: James Apers, Hamilton District Christian High
The purpose of this working group is to create a space where educators can learn and work together to better understand and respond to student misbehaviour through a Responsive Classroom approach. Participants will explore practical strategies for preventing and responding to challenging behaviours while strengthening relationships, supporting positive behaviour, and fostering a positive classroom community.
Resources (Optional): We will reference selected chapters from the books “Teaching Self- Discipline” and “Teasing, Tattling, Defiance & More.” Having access to a copy of the books may be helpful, however, it is not required.
Target Audience: For those with paid contracts within the schools doing a clinical mental health role (Social Work, Psychotherapist - School Counsellor or School Social Worker, etc)
Leader: Janelle Wensink – Gr. 4/5 Teacher at Calvin Christian School, Unity Campus; Responsive Classroom Educator
Have you ever wondered how to systematically and explicitly teach writing? The purpose of this working group is to create a collaborative space where educators can learn together, engage in discussions, deepen their understanding, and implement explicit writing instruction in the classroom.
Resources: We will be working through the book: The Writing Revolution 2.0 by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler. All participants will be required to purchase a copy of the book. (If you have a copy of The Writing Revolution, purchasing The Writing Revolution 2.0 is optional)
Target Audience: K-12 educators, Administrators
Leader: Lisa VanderKuip, Student Support Services Coordinator, Edvance & VP of Learning, Beacon Christian School
Working Groups for Teaching for Transformation (TfT) Schools
Your Teaching for Transformation (TfT) implementation grows stronger when educators have space to learn, reflect, and collaborate together. To support this work, Edvance is once again offering three levels of Working Groups designed to help Edvance affiliate schools deepen their implementation of the TfT framework for both staff and leaders.
NOTE: This Working Group launches in August with an in-person session
This working group is specifically designed for current TfT schools that have hired new staff. Attending the August launch sessions will create a space where recently hired teachers can be fully onboarded and equipped for successful implementation of TfT so that they can join your school’s TfT journey. This working group does not include a monthly online check-in.
Cost: $500/participant
Leader: Justin Cook, Director of Learning, Edvance
NOTE: This Working Group begins October 30, 2026 at the Edvance Conference in Ancaster, ON
The 201 Classroom Design Working Groups bring together teachers in specific roles to support and collaborate with each other in their ongoing TfT implementation. These teachers have already completed the first-year implementation journey supported by Edvance, and now want to collaborate with teachers in their similar role to deepen their practice of TfT.
The group will facilitate collaboration among participants to design and implement one or more formational learning experiences (FLExes) out of an existing unit.
Cost: $100/participant
Working Group Leaders:
Stacy Kok, SK Teacher at Cairn Christian School
Jill Walters, Gr. 6 Teacher at Cairn Christian School
This working group is specifically designed for instructional leaders (principals, VPs, instructional leads) to receive ongoing TfT resources and support from Edvance and collaborate with other leaders in their own plans and resources. This working group will also develop a thorough understanding of coaching within the TfT framework, attend a coaching intensive conference hosted by CACE, and interact as a group to receive resources, collaborate on identifying staff learning priorities, and problem-solve challenging situations together.
Cost: $100/participant + attendance at the CACE TfT Coaching Intensive ($299 USD per person if we can get a group of 10+ people)
Leader: Justin Cook, Director of Learning at Edvance