DIRECTORS' MESSAGE

Welcome to the December edition of TA Talk.

This is our last newsletter for 2024, and what a tremendous year it has been! We trust you won't mind as we indulge in listing just a few of the many highlights at Australian Teacher Aide ...

The publication of the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS)

One of our most significant achievements has been the publication of the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS), an evidence-based framework that supports the performance and professional growth of teaching assistants in all Australian schools. ATAPS offers

a long awaited set of national benchmarks that will undoubtedly set the standard for excellence in education support practice going forward. We hope you are as excited about this as we are!!

The 10 fabulous new resource additions to our Professional Development library

We wish to acknowledge our 2024 webinar presenters who generously shared their expertise at our monthly live web events throughout the year, and contributed to our growing range of contemporary evidence-based resources to assist support staff build their capability.

Another successful awards programme

This year we hosted the 7th Australian Teacher Aide of the Year Awards programme. Each year as we read the nominations, we are inspired by the capability of this workforce, and the extraordinary contributions being made by TAs to support student learning and wellbeing.

The opportunity to help those less fortunate

Every year Australian Teacher Aide membership continues to grow, giving us the opportunity to participate as a 'business for good'. To date we have made 3,302 donations through our Giving Program. Thank you to all our members; we're pretty proud of this collective effort! 

Our team!

This year, Australian Teacher Aide has grown from a team of 5 to a team of 8! In February, we welcomed Teacher and ATAPS Facilitator, Kim Nuske, then in May we welcomed Marie Maroun who supports our Customer Service team, and Amy Davies, our Marketing Officer. Kim, Marie and Amy have assimilated in to the ATA team seamlessly, and we are delighted to see them thrive in their respective roles.

Ongoing recognition in education

We are honoured to have been recognised in The Educator Awards, for the 3rd year running for excellence as a professional development service provider. We proudly share this accolade with our fabulous team who bring their A-game every single day, living and breathing our company values and mission, 'to empower educators to help students succeed'.

As this brilliant year comes to a close, we are also a little in need of some rest and relaxation. Our team will be taking a well-deserved break from 23rd December to 10th January.

@{aspediacrm-person-firstname}, our best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas, and a fabulous holiday break. See you in the New Year!

Warm regards

Stella and Mandy

2025 LIVE WEB EVENTS

If you are planning ahead for your professional development in 2025, you can now register for the following fabulous live web events, happening next year!

11 February

Introducing ATAPS - A professional growth framework for teaching assistants

The Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) are now published! Kim Nuske of Australian Teacher Aide, Teacher and ATAPS Facilitator, will be exploring the key components of the ATAPS framework, practical strategies for using the framework to enhance your knowledge, practice, and engagement, and how ATAPS can support your ongoing professional learning. 

11 March

Neurodiversity and Brain Based Learning

Kristina Barisic, Director of Developing Minds, will explore how the brain, crucial learning and memory processes develop, examples of neurodivergence, and how learning can be impacted by brain-based differences, plus practical strategies for best supporting students in the classroom.

13 May

Teamwork in the Classroom: Insights from a Secondary Teacher

Kim Nuske, ATA Teacher and ATAPS Facilitator, is joined by secondary teacher, Amanda Bond, and teaching assistant, Jolaryenne Elia, to explore the effective use of teaching assistants in secondary classrooms, sharing insights, strategies, and real-life examples on how teachers and teaching assistants can work together to enhance student learning and classroom dynamics. 

10 June

Supporting Students in Science-Based Reading and Spelling Instruction

Karyn Fua, Director of The Literacy Collective, will share current research on how to best support students in the early years classroom, including high-yield instructional practices, and practical strategies to support both individual students and small groups. 

8 July

What Teachers Really Need to Hear from Teaching Assistants

Kim Nuske, ATA Teacher and ATAPS Facilitator, shares practical strategies teaching assistants can use to give classroom teachers effective, meaningful feedback including key 'flags’ to look out for when monitoring student progress, core elements to note when recording observations, what to share when communicating with teachers, and giving effective feedback so teachers can plan for learning.

12 August

What Students Need to Hear from Teaching Assistants

Kim Nuske, ATA Teacher and ATAPS Facilitator, shares more practical strategies for teaching assistants, this time with a focus on giving students effective feedback to support their learning, including using key words and phrases to encourage and affirm student learning, fostering a growth mindset through feedback, understanding the power of ‘yet’, and giving individual, targeted feedback.

9 September

Stronger Together - Resilience Through Better Communication and Relationships

International mindset speaker Patty Duque simplifies the neuroscience of resilience and the dynamics of human connection. You'll learn how to harness the power of your mind to build stronger relationships, navigate difficult conversations, and bounce back from setbacks with confidence and clarity.  

14 October

Allocating Education Assistants to Departments in Secondary Schools

Rebecca Rourke, Head of Learning Diversity and Inclusion at St Marks Anglican Community School in WA, reveals her school’s innovative approach to deploying Education Assistants (EAs) in a secondary school setting, and dives deep into how they reimagined the allocation of EA time, moving towards a departmental-based approach.

Get in early and register for these live events, as places are limited!

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 WEBINAR PRESENTERS

Our sincere thanks go to the following presenters who contributed their expertise to help us empower educators to help students succeed.

Stella Liliendal, Australian Teacher Aide

- Introducing ATAPS - A Performance and Professional Growth Framework

Ros Sullivan and Laura Newman, The Sycamore School

- How Teachers and Teacher Aides Work Together to Support Students with Autism

Rachel Hawkins and Nathan Schubert, Monaro High School

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

Kim Nuske, Australian Teacher Aide 

- Practical Strategies for Working with Small Groups of Students in the Classroom

- Differentiation Part 1 - What is differentiation and why is it important?

- Differentiation Part 2 - Strategies to collect and record evidence

Janie McCullagh, Mental Health First Aid Australia

- A Whole School Approach to Mental Health

Dr Jo Winther, AJ Psychology

- Supporting Students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Sarah Lovett, Our PDA Kids

- Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance

- A Whole School Approach to Supporting Students with PDA

All these live web events were recorded and uploaded to our professional development library where they can be viewed by members. 

FIND YOUR GIFT FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Everyone has a gift, and TAFE NSW can help you find yours with hands-on, practical learning and hundreds of affordable, accredited courses to choose from.

Gain specific training from industry-experienced teachers to advance your career. Achieve certification through courses such as School-Based Education Support, Inclusive Practice and Principles, and General Education. 

Select from full-time or part-time courses. Study online, on-campus or
a combination of both.

OUTSTANDING PARTICIPATION IN ATA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Congratulations to the following schools for achieving most highly, over the past month, in their professional development journey:

Newbury Primary School VIC

Sacred Heart College - Geelong VIC

St James College QLD

Yirara College NT

DON'T FORGET TO USE OUR JOB BOARD

POSITIONS VACANT

Haileybury Keysborough, VIC, has a position vacant for a tutor support officer.

Waverley Christian College, VIC, has a number of positions vacant for learning support assistants at their secondary Wantirna South Campus.

Waverley Christian College, VIC, has a number of positions vacant for learning support assistants at their secondary Narre Warren South Campus.

OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CHAMPION SCHOOLS

Congratulations to the following schools celebrating their 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th continuous year of membership with ATA! This milestone reflects the commitment of the schools' leaders to the professional growth of their education support teams.

9-year Professional Learning Champions

Longreach State School QLD

8-year Professional Learning Champions

Victoria Park State School QLD

7-year Professional Learning Champions

Leighland Christian School TAS

St Mary of the Angels Primary School NSW

St Mary's Catholic Primary School QLD
Sunshine Christian School VIC

6-year Professional Learning Champions

Brisbane School of Distance Education QLD

Coombabah State High School QLD

Highfields State Secondary College QLD

Kilcoy State High School QLD

St Xavier's Primary School - Gunnedah NSW

5-year Professional Learning Champions

Novo Education Space NSW

St Mary's Primary School - Armidale NSW

Benowa State School QLD

Dayboro State School QLD

St Ursula's College - Toowoomba QLD
Upper Mount Gravatt State School QLD

West Moreton Anglican College QLD

Al Iman College VIC
California Gully Primary School VIC
Glenroy College VIC

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCHOOLS AND TRAINING ORGANISATIONS

ACT

Canberra Institute of Technology

The Woden School

NSW

Marist College Eastwood

Murwillumbah East Public School

Orange Christian School

Our Lady of the Way Primary School

Tangara School for Girls

NT
M'Bunghara School

Yirara College

QLD

Beenleigh Special School
Bollon State School

Brigalow State School

Cairns Rudolf Steiner School Ltd

Concordia Lutheran College

Deception Bay Flexible School

Emu Park State School

Eungella State School

Grand Avenue State School

Kogan State School

Marshall Road State School

St Aidan's Anglican Girls School - Corinda
Townsville Catholic Education

Warra State School

Windaroo Valley State High School

Wisdom College

SA
Navigator College - Port Lincoln
Trinity College South

VIC
Ascot Vale Heights School
Caroline Chisholm Catholic College

Catholic Regional College - Caroline Springs

David Scott School
Foundation College
Geelong Grammar School - Corio Campus
Harkaway Hills College
Marian College - Sunshine West
Newhaven College
Penola Catholic College
Plenty Valley Christian College
Robinvale College
Sacred Heart College - Geelong
St Augustine's Primary School - Keilor
St Joseph's Primary School - Orbost
St Patrick's Primary School - Stratford
Upper Yarra Secondary College
Victory Lutheran College
Warrnambool College
Woodleigh School

WA

Alta-1 Kimberley College
Carmel Adventist College Primary
Carmel Adventist College Secondary
Collier Primary School
Dalyellup College
Divine Mercy College
Esperance Christian School
Landsdale Christian School
Victoria Park Christian School

WHAT'S TRENDING ON THE ATA FACEBOOK PAGE

ATA Top Tip: Bring the Christmas Cheer! 

Although many of our followers have started winding down for the holidays, our top-performing post highlights the commitment to fun and enthusiasm in classrooms right through to the end of term!

5,381 views
148 reactions, 48 comments and 22 shares

Leaders in Professional Learning for Schools

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