RETHINK. MEASURE. CONNECT.
The Connects Unconference is an annual gathering where like-minded educators connect, share, and learn from the collective expertise found within the CIS Ontario community of schools.
This year’s theme ties together the exploration of evolving assessment practices, fostering belonging, tailoring communication across generations, and leveraging data to create meaningful and personalized learning experiences. It emphasizes the balance between human connection and technological innovation, urging schools to lead with purpose in a rapidly changing educational landscape.
CONNECTING
CONFERENCE HOMEPAGE
OPENING KEYNOTE
Manny Kandola
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Myke Healy
IMPACT REPORT
Smart people. Smart room. I learned a lot.
The opportunity to learn alongside professionals from peer schools whose experiences vary from mine made for an impactful day. I am returning to my school with practical tips and a new network to draw upon.
A wonderful day of connecting, sharing and learning with CIS Ontario colleagues UNconference-style.
Great opportunity to get together with other educators, share ideas and learn from each other.You will walk away with ready-to-use tools and the names of people you can contact for more support.
INSPIRING
I was inspired by the discussions about data-driven learning and AI and the CIS Ontario peers with excellent experience and resources to share.
It was a space where questions exploded into more questions. However, through it all, there are patterns of possibility that are emerging. And a collective facing of a fast-emerging reality that we need to navigate, and bend towards opportunities and away from pitfalls.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
The Evolution of Assessment & Academic Integrity in a Gen-AI World
FACILITATORS: Afzal Shaikh (TheYork School) | Emilia Martin (Upper Canada College) | Andrew Petrolito (Trinity College School)
How might we rethink assessment and academic integrity to value creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful collaboration in an age where AI automates traditional academic tasks?
ANSWERS & INSIGHTS
How can/might AI create environments where learning feels more like play?
1. AI as a Catalyst for Curiosity and Flow
When used well, AI makes learning feel exploratory and engaging. It helps students enter “flow” by supporting low-stakes, high-interest activities.
2.Teachers at the Centre
AI is most powerful when teachers model ethical, curious, and purposeful use. Educators lead by showing students how to use AI to think, not just to finish.
3. Playful, Purposeful Pedagogy
Pairing AI with inquiry and collaboration sparks deeper learning. Visible thinking routines and group tasks turn AI into a tool for dialogue and creativity.
4.Beyond the Task
AI should help students explore ideas and passions—not just complete work. When used playfully, it becomes a partner in curiosity and connection.
SCHOOLS TO CONNECT WITH
GenAI in Admissions:
• Trafalgar Castle School
• TheYork School
GenAI and Report Cards
• Trinity College School
How might we rethink assessment and academic integrity to value creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful collaboration in an age where AI automates traditional tasks?
Prioritize Process Over Product - Assessment should focus on how students think, not just what they produce. AI invites us to value creativity, inquiry, and critical thinking over rote outputs.
Uphold IntegrityThrough Culture, Not Control - Instead of reverting to pen and paper, schools should build a culture of academic integrity.This includes fostering confidence, shifting mindsets, and helping students understand the role of human thinking alongside AI.
Encourage Professional Collaboration and Experimentation - Faculty should be supported to share case studies, challenges, and new strategies. Holding space for experimentation— both for teachers and students—builds collective wisdom and responsive practice.
Align and Clarify Expectations- Establish clear, consistent expectations across departments about how AI can be used. Focus on essential, non-negotiable skills and make assessment relevant by balancing curriculum goals with student interests.
What skill sets do we want to be teaching our students so they feel inspired, motivated, and excited about learning and their future?
Build AI Fluency Through Practice - Students and faculty need regular, guided exposure to GenAI to build confidence and fluency. Personalized, real-time feedback from AI can enhance learning when used intentionally.
Teach AI as a Thinking Partner - Students should learn to use AI as a co-pilot—balancing machine input with their own voice, values, and critical judgment.This builds interdisciplinary, future-ready skills.
Leverage Capstone-Style Learning - Programs like AP Capstone can help students develop research, reasoning, and collaboration skills.These frameworks are well-suited for teaching GenAI integration in complex, meaningful ways.
GenAI in Academics:
• Lakefield College School
• Upper Canada College
• Havergal College
• TheYork School
• Trinity College School
RESOURCES TO FOLLOW UP WITH
• CIS Ontario Unconference Impact Report 2024
• CAIS GenAI Maturity Model • AI for Education
• Lakefield College School’s Summer AI Institute 2025
• Nexus byYuval Noah Harari
• The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil
• Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education by Sal Khan
• The AI Classroom by Daniel Fitzpatrick
• The AI Educator Podcast
• Hard Fork Podcast
TIPS, TRICKS & ADVICE
Keep Humans First: Let AI augment—not replace—the teacher. Relationships drive learning; AI can support once the connection is established.
Prioritize Data Privacy: Use secure platforms that protect student data and don’t train external AI models.
Communicate Clearly: Be transparent with your community about how AI aligns with your school’s values and policies.
Teach Prompting: Build prompt literacy using clear models. Better prompts = better, safer results.
Clarify Boundaries: Define when, how, and what types of AI tools are appropriate for different tasks.
Stay Critical: Acknowledge AI’s flaws.Train students to question outputs, not just accept them.
Join the Movement: Explore GenAI through Cohort 21—a collaborative, action-oriented PD journey.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
The Metrics of Belonging and Inclusion
FACILITATORS: Krista Koekoek & Lindsay Norberg (Havergal College) | Shauna Martini (Lauremont School) | Justin Medved (TheYork School)
How might we effectively measure, assess, and report on belonging, inclusion, and connection within our school communities?
ANSWERS & INSIGHTS
1. Purpose Before Performance
Belonging and inclusion efforts must be grounded in a clear sense of purpose, not just performance metrics. Schools should co-create definitions of wellbeing and belonging with their communities to ensure consistent language, direction, and impact.
2. Wellbeing Begins with Educators
Social-emotional learning starts with staff. When educators are supported in understanding their own wellbeing and emotional literacy, they are better equipped to model and foster it for students.
3. Measuring What Matters
Effective measurement requires alignment between activity and intended outcomes, tailored to each school’s environment. Not all data is useful—schools must choose what to collect and why, leveraging both internal and external expertise to analyze it meaningfully.
4. Systems Over Symbols
Belonging isn’t about programs—it’s about systems. From relationship mapping to progress dashboards and “Circle of Care” teams, schools need embedded structures that track, support, and sustain connection over time.
5. Bring Parents Along the Journey
Parent partnerships are vital—schools must engage them early, transparently, and consistently. Clear communication about wellbeing goals helps families understand the “why,” even if all the “how” isn’t figured out yet.
SCHOOLS TO CONNECT WITH
Lauremont School – Shauna Martini
St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School – DEIB Belonging Framework
The Bishop Strachan School – Circle of Care Dashboard, Grading & GradTracking
The York School – Rory Grant
Havergal College – Lindsay Norberg &Krista Koekkoek
Montcrest School – Parent check-ins at start of year
Holy Name of Mary College School – “School within a school” model – Grade 3
Authentic Connections – Student Resilience Survey & Challenge Success Partnership
Making Caring Common Project – Relationship Mapping Strategy
TIPS, TRICKS & ADVICE
Close the Loop: Always report back after surveys to show impact and build trust.
Lead with Data, Not Assumptions: Prioritize meaningful data over opinion, especially in wellbeing conversations.
Engage Before You Measure: Prepare students and parents with pre-survey conversations to build context and understanding.
Be Transparent: Share data insights openly with your community, and use opt-in participation to respect choice.
Use the Right Tools: Platforms like Looker Studio and BigQuery can make data actionable—especially with trained analysts behind them.
RESOURCES TO FOLLOW UP WITH
Mission & Data
Captains & Poets
OneTrusted Adult by Brooklyn
Raney
CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)
CIRIS – Canadian Independent Research and Institutional Services
Children’s Resilience Survey –Authentic Connections
Authentic Connections
RULER –Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
Mood Meter App (by RULER)
Belonging by Geoffrey L. Cohen
August Schools – Engagement & CommunicationTools
Power VI – Wellbeing & Inclusion MeasurementTool
Character Strong
Principal Matters Podcast – by William D. Parker
Clarify Mental Health Language: Define terms clearly and avoid using “mental health” as a catch-all. Precision builds understanding.
STRAND 2 SESSION SLIDES
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Communicating with Purpose: Message Received
FACILITATORS: Garth Nichols (Havergal College) | Maggie Houston-White (Havergal College)
How might schools adapt communication and admission strategies to align with evolving parenting trends and bridge generational divides, ensuring they resonate with today’s families and students?
ANSWERS & INSIGHTS
Faculty, students, parents
1. Design Communication Spaces with Intention
Consistency, clarity, and purpose should guide all communications—whether written, verbal, or visual. Establish norms for how, where, and when communication occurs (e.g., weekly updates, urgent alerts, monthly reflections), and choose platforms that align with community habits and expectations.
2. Create Purposeful Feedback Loops
Know who you want feedback from, what kind of feedback you need, and how it will be received and acted upon. Be transparent about who owns the information and how community responses are acknowledged and communicated back.
3. Support Faculty in Challenging Interactions
Equip faculty with clear protocols, response templates, and boundaries for engaging with high-conflict families. Build shared expectations through both family and faculty handbooks, including practices like a 24-hour pause before replying to emotionally charged messages.
4. Foster a Culture of Belonging Through Clarity and Education
Set the tone from admissions onward—make your school’s values explicit and lived. Use a family Code of Conduct, offer parent education events, and be thoughtful about when and why families are invited to participate in school life.
5. Center Student Voice with Care and Context
Go beyond speaking about students—create channels to listen to them. Ensure student input is taken seriously, responded to with context, and reflected in school practices.This builds trust, agency, and accountability.
6. When values don’t align with parent expectations
When entitlement arises, schools need strong, consistently applied policies backed by reflective practices. Monitor evolving community norms and revise policies to ensure respectful, values-aligned engagement from all stakeholders.
SCHOOLS TO CONNECT WITH
• HolyTrinity School
• St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School
• University of Toronto Schools
• Havergal College
RESOURCES TO FOLLOW UP WITH
Books:
• Hopes and Fears by Robert Evans & MichaelThompson - published by NAIS
• Outraged by Kurt Gray
• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
TIPS, TRICKS & ADVICE
Audit with Purpose: Regularly assess your communication platforms, timelines, and audiences. Ask: Are these tools still aligned with your school’s purpose, values, and vision?
Start with the Audience: Understand where different stakeholder groups (families, students, faculty) actually go for information—and design or revise your communication strategy based on those habits.
Simplify Access and Oversight: Limit who has access to key communication channels, and create a system to support staff who need help navigating platforms or reaching intended audiences.
Brand with Intention: Ensure all communications are consistently brandedand consider subtle variations by audience, so recipients immediately recognize when a message is relevant to them.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Measuring What Matters: Using Metrics to Elevate Learning & Define Success
FACILITATORS: Mark Dilworth (The Country Day School) | John Buchanan (Hillfield Strathallan College)
How might the metrics we track reshape educational experiences, inform smarter instructional strategies, and redefine success in the classroom?
TIPS, TRICKS & ADVICE
1. From Data Collection to Data Purpose
Collecting data is not enough—schools must focus on gathering the right data that aligns with educational values and student needs. Purpose-driven metrics enable educators to move beyond surface-level tracking and toward deeper, more meaningful insights that actually shape the learning experience.
2. Humanizing the Data Process
Data should reflect the full scope of a student’s experience—academic, social, and emotional. Numbers alone can be misleading if not contextualized with qualitative insights and teacher reflections; after all, students are not spreadsheets.
3. Empowering Educators Through AI and Analytics
AI has the potential to act as a co-teacher, supporting differentiation, identifying trends, and reducing administrative load. However, educators must be equipped with tools, training, and ethical frameworks to analyze, interpret, and apply data responsibly and with care.
4. Building a Culture of Data Engagement
For data to be impactful, schools must build a culture where teachers see its value, not as a tool for scrutiny but as a support for professional growth. Centralized data systems, clear frameworks, and shared language make this work sustainable and accessible.
5. Rethinking Success and Accountability
Traditional metrics often fall short in capturing the complexity of learning and growth. By incorporating wellbeing indicators, personalized benchmarks, and a willingness to question outdated paradigms, schools can redefine what success
SCHOOLS TO CONNECT WITH ANSWERS & INSIGHTS
• Lakefield College School – Heather Adams
• The York School – Student Dashboard work
• St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School
• St. Clement’s School
• The Bishop Strachan School
• Albert College
• Trafalgar Castle School
• Branksome Hall
• Upper Canada College
RESOURCES TO FOLLOW UP WITH
• PowerSchool – PowerBuddyTool
• Flint Learning Platform
• Learning Analytics Collaborative
• Looker Studio by Google
• MagicSchool AI
• Street Data by Shane Safir & Jamila Dugan
• Search Institute – School Climate Survey
• SchoolAI
• CIRIS – Centre for Institutional Research in Independent Schools
• Mission & Data
• The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian
• The End of Average byTodd Rose
Start Small and Build Thoughtfully: Begin with manageable systems and identify data stewards to guide development. Centralize data gradually and align its use with your school’s strategic and instructional goals.
Invest in Expertise and Ethics: Designate a data lead who understands both ethical implications and effective use. Ensure data collection processes are accurate, authentic, and actionable—not just performative.
Keep Students at the Centre: Metrics should serve learning—not overshadow it. Prioritize student experience, create shared definitions, and promote transparency in how data is accessed and used.
Foster a Culture of Trust and Reflection: Avoid surveillance-style oversight. Make data meaningful for teachers by encouraging critical reflection, respectful use, and regular questioning of what’s truly worth measuring.
STRAND 4 SESSION SLIDES