In a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum, employees across Grand Erie have the chance to engage with hundreds of historical resources, aligning with the Ministry of Education's new and expanded learning about the Holocaust in the grade 6 Social Studies curriculum and grade 10 History curriculum.
The partnership was designed to provide individuals with the experience to engage in, participate, and reflect on their own learning at the museum to deepen connections in relation to the new curriculum, gain further insight into the classroom and to expand the learning partnership to all departments, system leaders, parents/caregivers, students, and community members from committees. Upon their return, many individuals described a profound impact both professionally and personally.
"The collaboration with the Toronto Holocaust Museum leverages Grand Erie's learning forward by experiencing a cutting-edge immersive experience to understand the Holocaust and promote civic education and dialogue in an immersive environment for all." said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education "As a learning organization, our collective vision was to provide a unique opportunity to all staff and students across the district to make connections, enrich learning experiences, and further assist educators in teaching about the complex history of the Holocaust."
After working primarily with educators, connecting with Grand Erie's wider community provided "an interesting [opportunity] to see how vast the connections are, and to discover how staff will take their learning to work in different shapes and forms," shared Carrie Swartz, Director of Museum Experience.
Professional development on topics related to the Holocaust, world events, Human Rights and contemporary Canadian issues is one of the key equity strategies as outlined in the 2024-25 Annual Learning and Operating Plan and Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
Through district-wide learning opportunities, both in person and virtually, educators will have the tools to implement this critical learning with wraparound support.
