HPEC One Day in May: Inclusive Physical Education and Wellness Program:

Session Descriptions:

Omnikin Ball: If you like learning new games, getting active, and having boat loads of fun, then this is the session for you! OMNIKIN is a great Canadian company that offers a wide range of equipment for great games that get kids moving, are super inclusive of all skill levels, and create a buzz amongst the students in your school. We will be playing a bunch of the games that are possible with these balls, learning some pro tips, breaking a sweat, laughing, and talking about other game possibilities.

"I Don't Feel Like It" - Rethinking How We Motivate Our Students (And Ourselves): Motivation doesn’t just happen—it’s built through action. This presentation explores how both body and mind influence motivation and gives educators skills to motivate their students—and themselves. Learn practical strategies to create an engaging, resilient environment in physical education. Best suited for grades 7 and up.

Inclusive Sexual Health Education: Making Sex Ed Work for all Your Students: Traditional sex ed has focused on heterosexual and cisgender people and relationships, but that leaves out many students. Whether you have some out 2SLGBTQI+ students, or none, your sex ed classes can be inclusive, welcoming, safe, caring and respectful places for students of every gender identity and sexual orientation.

Let's Get Active Together: Inclusive physical activity with and for children experiencing disabilities: Renew, refresh, and recommit to inclusive and adaptive physical activity with inspiration and ideas from The Steadward Centre! In this session we will cover inclusive instructional strategies, tips for eliminating barriers to physical activity, recharge our inclusive mindset and get active with demos and games!

Nutrition and Mental Health: Join AHS Dietitians to learn about the connection between your food, brain, and body. This session will translate the science of nutrition and mental wellbeing into practical nutrition strategies for teachers. Participants will leave with tangible ideas to support your own wellbeing, which in turn, supports the wellbeing of students.

Energize Your Class: Physical activity offers many benefits above and beyond physical health. This workshop will offer games and activities you can incoporate into any subject area. Join us in learning how to re-energize your students, break up sedentary time, and increase physical activity across the school community.

Fostering Belonging in the Outdoors: Building Connections to the Landscape, Others and Self: Through technology, our society has never been so connected but disconnected at the same time.  Is there a solution? Yes! You can find it right outside of your classroom.  The great outdoors provides an environment to foster meaningful connection and belonging.  What better way to do this than through fun and play!  We will be using the Ever Active Outdoor Learning Quick Draw card deck for inspiration for this action-packed outdoor session.

Warmed Up and Ready to Go for Secondary Classes: Safely developing physical literacy, positive attitudes, and behaviours, making healthy choices, and total well-being. Warming up for activity prepares body and mind for engagement. Active, fun, and engaging games, with and without equipment, can both warm players up and mentally prepare them for play. Come prepared to participate. 

Smashball - An Introduction to Elementary Volleyball: Frustrated with starting your volleyball units? Kids not having any fun because of all of the errors and mistakes? Try Smashball, a Volleyball Canada developmental program to get kids moving and understanding the games. The focus - SMASHing! The part of the game kids love the most but never get to do while learning volleyball.

Keynote Presentation: Danielle Peers (they/them) is a Canada Research Chair (Tier II, SSHRC) in Disability and Movement Cultures, and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. Danielle studies how movement cultures (including art, recreation, and sport) can be used to transmit and transform a community’s values, politics, and inequities. Mobilizing embodied disability justice approaches, Peers prioritizes deep, intersectional collaborations, in order to co-create knowledges and practices that reduce harm and create more accessible, affirming, and transformative movement cultures. Danielle’s work draws from their experiences as a Paralympic athlete, coach, dancer, and filmmaker. Danielle has done extensive accessibility and equity consultation in education, sport and recreation, and non-profit sectors, and is currently the University of Alberta’s Academic Lead, Equity Praxis and Systemic Ableism.

For more information about HPEC Conference 2025, feel free to contact Jonathan Dick at [email protected].