DIRECTORS' MESSAGE

Welcome to the November edition of TA Talk. What a busy month it has been! 

Our team has welcomed an exceptional number of new schools this month, and we are cognisant of some significant drivers that are contributing to the surge in membership. These include: rising anticipation around the future availability of a set of professional standards for education support staff which will support performance and professional growth planning, the recent inclusion of professional development requirements for TAs in certified agreements in a number of jurisdictions, and the increasingly widespread acknowledgement by school leaders of just how important the professional growth of education support staff is to achieving high performing teaching teams and successful student outcomes. 

Last week, as one of the final stages of development, we commenced a number of pilot programs in schools to test the relevance and usefulness of the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS). We were overwhelmed with the number of schools that expressed interest in participating in this action research program, and the high level of interest has enabled us to select a comprehensive cross section of school settings. 

We are also excited to announce that we will be presenting workshops for school leaders next year, on how to use the Standards to build the capability of education support teams. You can find out more, and register your interest below.

Exciting times ahead, so do stay in touch!

Warm regards

Stella and Mandy

THE ATAPS PILOT PROGRAM HAS COMMENCED

During a series of 3 workshops facilitated by ATA between Term IV 2023 and Term II 2024, schools are learning how to use the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) framework to support the performance and professional growth of education support staff. Feedback from this pilot program will help ensure that the standards are meaningful and relevant to teaching assistants, in all school settings.  Congratulations to the following schools participating in the ATAPS Pilot Program. 

Australian Capital Territory  

Galilee School – Communities at Work 

New South Wales 

Tallowood School 

Monaro High School 

Northern Territory 

Katherine School of the Air 

Queensland 

Harristown State High School  

St Joseph's Nudgee College 

The Sycamore School 

Victoria 

Montmorency Secondary College 

Padua Secondary College 

Western Australia 

Arbor Grove Primary School 

Ocean Reef State High School  

St Mark's Anglican Community School  

Catholic Education Sandhurst,Victoria

St Francis of the Fields School - Bendigo 

St Michael's School - Tallangatta 

St Monica’s School- Wodonga 

St Patrick's School - Tongala 

St Joseph's School - Rochester 

St Augustine's School - Wodonga 

St Francis of Assisi Primary School - Baranduda 

St Francis of the Fields School - Bendigo 

St Michael's School - Tallangatta 

St Monica’s School- Wodonga 

St Patrick's School - Tongala 

St Joseph's School - Rochester 

St Augustine's School - Wodonga 

St Francis of Assisi Primary School - Baranduda 

St Mary's Catholic Primary – Inglewood 

Sacred Heart College - Yarrawonga 

Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership 

Catherine McAuley College - Bendigo 

Doxa School – Bendigo 

ATAPS WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOOL LEADERS

The Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) presents a significant step forward in recognising the professional identity of teaching assistants, and ATA is excited about the possibilities for schools using the framework, once published.

In the second half of 2024, ATA will be presenting workshops for school leaders on how to implement the ATAPS framework to support the professional growth of education support staff in schools. Click below to register your interest in attending one of these workshops, and we will keep you informed.

 NEW RESOURCE

Pathways to Teaching for Teacher Aides

Many universities around Australia are creating pathways to teaching to address acute teacher shortages. 

In this webinar, Dr Elizabeth Murray, provides an overview of the current state of play in the teacher education space, and discusses a traineeship-type model to up-skill teacher aides who wish to retrain as primary and secondary school teachers. Libbey also shares a number of case studies that exemplify the recognition of prior learning and credit opportunities possible.

2024 WEB EVENTS

We are excited to have already confirmed a number of live web events for next year. The following events will be available for registration on the ATA website very soon:

• Introducing ATAPS – A professional growth framework for education support staff; presented by Stella Liliendal, ATA
• How teachers and TAs work together to support students with ASD; presented by Ros Sullivan, The Sycamore School
• 3 ways to build the capability of teaching assistants and how schools benefit; presented by Rachel Hawkins and Nathan Schubert, Monaro High School
• Collaboration counts - Effective models of learning support; presented by Lateticia Strohben and Andrea Back, West Moreton Anglican College

OUTSTANDING PARTICIPATION IN ATA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

This month we are celebrating four schools for their outstanding participation in ATA professional learning. Collectively they were issued with 100 certificates of completion! Congratulations to:

Toowoomba North State School (QLD)

Newbury Primary School (VIC)

St Bernard's Primary School, Wangaratta (VIC)

The Rock Central School (NSW)

GETTING AROUND THE ATA WEBSITE

If you are new to Australian Teacher Aide and looking for a quick tutorial on how to find your way around the member portal, our New Member Orientation video is a must-view resource. In just under 15 minutes, you will learn where to access professional development resources, how to register for live web events and how to view and update your continuous professional development record.

WHAT'S TRENDING ON THE ATA FACEBOOK PAGE

Pathways to Teaching for Teacher Aides

10,049 views
72 reactions, 29 comments and 12 shares

Clearly, there is much interest in pathways to teaching for teacher aides, as we had a great number of FB followers clicking through to watch the preview of this webinar. Whilst we encourage everyone to follow their career dreams, we do hope some of you will hold the fort in schools as teacher aides :)

Leaders in Professional Learning for Schools

This email was sent to: @{aspediacrm-person-email}

Sent from Australian Teacher Aide

PO Box 5784, Maroochydore BC QLD 4558

Manage your communications preferences or Unsubscribe