CURRENT OFSHEEA NEWS

Some examples of the types of grants available through this award: 

• Needs assessment or evaluation of school breakfast or snack programs, after school activities, such as budgeting and smart shopping workshops.
  Purchasing fabric for students with limited resources.
  Providing funds for child care for a student who needs to study for examinations.
  Paying admission and transportation costs for home economics/human ecology/family studies related field trips to support students with limited resources.
  Provide funds for classroom projects to benefit community/volunteer initiatives.

*Operating costs and teaching supplies or equipment (including computer hardware and software) are NOT eligible.
Provision of food (eg. for breakfast programs) is NOT funded.

Dear Family Studies Educators,

If you’re wondering where our March newsletter went, you’re not alone – we’re wondering where March went altogether! It seems like we’ve reached the time of year where the days and weeks seem to fly by, despite the amount of work we all need to get done before the end of June. We know you’ve got things in hand, but we’re here to help too!

Upcoming Workshop:

Wednesday April 17th at 4:00 PM

Our April workshop will be presented by  Claire Bilik. She is a Registered Dietitian with the Middlesex-London Health Unit on the School Health Team. She works with public health nurses and the school community to create supportive food environments in schools that foster positive relationships with food and body image. If you are still working on developing a classroom that helps students develop a positive relationship with food, than this workshop is for you!

Please follow this link in order to register:
https://forms.gle/NymfSK6FMXsrKW9MA 

Podcast:

Find our Podcast Here: https://whatthefamilystudies.buzzsprout.com/

In our most recent podcast episode we interviewed Reid Ball, who is studying food science at the University of Guelph and is currently in his fifth and final year doing co-op work at the Guelph Food Innovation Center.

This amazing new episode is designed to be used in the classroom in order to introduce the topic of careers in the food industry! And if you’re an OFSHEEA member, read on, since we have got some great resources to accompany the episode. 

Resources: 

We have some great new resources to accompany the latest episode of our podcast, especially for our OFSHEEA members.

The first lesson  – really a 5-day mini-unit – allows students to explore careers in product development and marketing in the food industry. The goal of this lesson is for students to conduct research about innovation in food science and explore the careers and the steps involved in the creation of a new food product.
Find it here: https://ofsheea.education/download/foods-food-product-development-five-day-lesson-plan/

In the second lesson, Students will learn about the field of food science, its various career opportunities, and the importance of staying updated with food trends and sustainability. They will also gain insights into the study program at the University of Guelph and the co-op experience at the Guelph Food Innovation Center.
Find it here: https://ofsheea.education/download/foods-careers-in-the-food-industry-lesson-plan/ 

Save the date! The Canadian Symposium is coming to Ontario

OFSHEEA is excited to be a host organization for the next Canadian Symposium, which will be held from February 28th – March 2nd 2025 in Hamilton, Ontario. While we work on further details, we hope that our Ontario Family Studies will plan to attend, and that some of you will consider writing papers to share the amazing work know that you are doing!

For further information on the Canadian Symposium, please visit their website: https://www.ca-symposium.com/

Dear Family Studies Educators,

As an Educational Organisation, it is so important to OFSHEEA that we respect and honour Black histories and cultures throughout the year. In February we take some extra time to reflect on our commitment to make classrooms in Ontario spaces that value Black history, Black joy, and Black excellence. We hope that some of the resources that we have shared on our social media this month have helped our community to continue this work.

Upcoming Workshop:

For our February workshop, Nicholas Ryan from the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board will be with us to present on AI in the Family Studies Classroom. We know that this is an important topic for many of our members and colleagues, so we hope you will join us for a dynamic conversation about this increasingly important topic in Education.

Podcast:

Find our Podcast Here: https://whatthefamilystudies.buzzsprout.com/

In our most recent podcast episode we interviewed Family Studies teacher Jennifer Sobec  from Niagara District School Board about her transition from a new sewist to finding ways to draw students into her program through student interests like cosplay, upcycling items, and making fashion fun!

Our next episode will feature representative from Studica about RealCare Babies and other simulation tools that can be used in the family studies classroom.

Resources: 

We know that some of our members might be teaching a food of a fashion class for the first time this semester, and we want to support you with this new challenge! We are making the materials from our 2023 Food and Fashion Lab workshops available to our members, including the recordings of the workshops themselves. Members can find these resources using this link:  https://ofsheea.education/download/resources-ofsheea-food-and-fashion-lab-workshops/

We are also working on some great new recipe resources for our members, where we include information for food lab planning along with a lab-friendly recipe! For our first one, we have recipe that’s great for Black History Month (or any time of year), Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Rice and Peas. OFSHEEA members can find the resource here: https://ofsheea.education/download/foods-jamaican-jerk-chicken-rice-and-peas-food-lab-recipe/

Do you want to make more connections in your subject area? Are you looking for some guidance and support in Family Studies, or do you have wisdom and experience to share with teachers who may be new to the subject area?

OFSHEEA is launching our mentorship program, which will be a great opportunity and experience for OFSHEEA members!  Please complete the form at the link below in order to register for this exciting new program.

Great News! OFSHEEA will once again be offering our popular Food and Fashion Lab workshops in preparation for the new school year. These workshops are great opportunities for teachers to improve their confidence and skills when teaching practical content to students!

One of the most fun and rewarding aspects to teaching Nutrition and Fashion courses is the hands-on component.  Fostering students’ skill development while keeping them as safe as possible is a challenge that we want to prepare you for. To this end, OFSHEEA wants to share an upcoming opportunity for professional development created for teachers new to family studies (or for those just looking for a refresher).

OFSHEEA will be offering 2 different virtual workshops via zoom, one on how to run Food Labs and another on Fashion Labs.  The dates and times are as follows:

Fashion Lab Workshop  –  Wednesday August 24, 2022   9:30am  –  12:30pm

Food Lab Workshop –  Tuesday August 30, 2022  12:30pm – 3:30pm

Equity! CRRP! Anti-Oppression Education! Bias! Power and Privilege! These are just some of the current hot topics in the media and in education discourse. This session will explore these important concepts and how they impact our classrooms. Participants will leave with practical and actionable lesson activities to take back to your school, department, and classroom.

Save the Date for this upcoming workshop, registration will open in September!