DIRECTORS' MESSAGE

Welcome to the April edition of TA Talk. We hope you had an enjoyable Easter break, and are ready to tackle term 2!

This month our focus has been on the launch of the 2024 Australian Teacher Aide of the Year Awards, which open next week, Thursday 2nd May. 

We are also leading up to facilitating the final Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) school pilot workshop. In workshop 3, participants will review their professional learning, provide feedback on the Standards, and map their progress in the professional growth cycle. The feedback acquired throughout the pilot will enable the ATAPS industry reference group to make some final decisions about the Standards, in readiness for publication later this year. 

We are certain that the Standards, along with the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, are driving a sharpened focus on the professional learning needs of education support staff, to maximise their potential and contribution to teaching and learning in Australian schools. 

Thank you to those who submitted an application for the Customer Service Consultant and Marketing Officer positions, recently. Next week, we commence interviews for these roles, and we are looking forward to welcoming two more fabulous people to our amazing team very soon.

If you are a regular newsletter reader, you will have noticed that we are sending this issue of TA Talk one day early, as tomorrow is ANZAC Day. Like many, we will be pausing to pay our respects to the brave troops who paid the ultimate price whilst serving our country. 

Warm regards

Stella and Mandy

2024 AUSTRALIAN TEACHER AIDE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

It's nearly awards time, again!!! Do you have some TAs at your school that deserve to be recognised through this national awards program? Put your advocacy caps on and share this news with your colleagues. More details, including a downloadable flyer, are on our Awards website page.

UPCOMING EVENT

Practical Strategies for Working with Small Groups of Students in a Classroom
Tuesday 14 May 2024 @ 3:30pm AEST

In this webinar, ATA Facilitator, Kim Nuske, will share her expertise in working with small groups of students, including: 

* The key role of the facilitator

* Communication and organisation

* Structures and routines

* Teaching strategies

* Behaviour management

* Observations and records

This webinar will be presented at 3:30 pm AEST. Check the start time for your location, to avoid disappointment.

 NEW RESOURCE

3 Ways to Build the Capability of Teaching Assistants and How Schools Benefit

Rachel Hawkins (SLSO Coordinator) and Nathan Schubert (Assistant Principal) from Monaro High School have developed a framework to build the capacity of their SLSO team. In this webinar, they share their journey over the past 2 years that led to the implementation of an effective model for up-skilling and supporting the professional growth of SLSOs.

OUTSTANDING PARTICIPATION IN ATA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

This month, we celebrate the following four schools for their outstanding participation in ATA professional learning. 

Newbury Primary School (VIC)
St James College (QLD)
Oberon High School (VIC)
St Anthony's School, Toowoomba (QLD)

JOB BOARD UPDATE

Positions Vacant

Park Ridge State High School in Queensland has a position vacant for a teacher aide.

Looking for staff?

Schools with ATA membership can advertise positions vacant for education support staff on our Job Board.

Looking for work? 

Individual ATA members can advertise positions wanted. 

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE SURVEY

The research team at the University of Melbourne are conducting two short online surveys to find out what Australian adults, who work and live with children, know about supporting children’s health and mental health. Can you help? if so, here are the survey links:

Examining Adults Knowledge of Child Mental Health:

https://melbourneuni.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3eKrlcBovNIK21w

Examining How Adults Support Children’s Mental Health

https://melbourneuni.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hVrjudHTnGZhky

WHAT'S TRENDING ON THE ATA FACEBOOK PAGE

2024 Australian Teacher Aide of the Year 

Our TAs go above and beyond, everyday!! This was the recurring sentiment in the 35 comments made on this post. Thank you for sharing your appreciation on social media, but there is one more step ... and that is to formally nominate your teacher aide or TA team in this year's awards, and make your acknowledgements really count. Nominations open on Thursday 2nd May. We can't wait to hear from you!

13,824 views
91 reactions, 41 comments and 39 shares

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