TA TALK

Issue 56

June 2020

Term 2, 2020, will go down in history as being one of the most extraordinary and unexpected experiences for education. It has been hectic to say the least, but you have risen to the challenge and been extraordinary yourselves, in every way possible. Congratulations!

 

Whilst on the topic of extraordinary, we had the pleasure of speaking with school leaders from Tagai College in the Torres Strait Islands earlier this week. They are doing an amazing job facilitating our signature program, Effective Teacher Aide Practices for Schools (eTAPS). At Tagai College, teacher aides are employed at campuses across 17 islands. Despite challenges with technology, language and location, facilitators and teacher aides are highly motivated to connect and learn, in order to help their students succeed. What an incredible example of leadership, all round!

 

Nominations for Australian Teacher Aide of the Year close next Friday 3rd July. That means you have little more than one week to submit your entry. We urge you to put 'pen to paper' today and acknowledge a teacher aide who deserves recognition not only at school level, but nationally. Thank you to schools that have already submitted nominations for this year's awards. We wish you all luck!

 

Welcome to the many new schools that have recently joined ATA. We know from your feedback that our online resources are giving school teams the opportunity to continue their professional learning remotely. There is no doubt that our new members contributed to a record attendance at our most recent webinar, Essential Behaviour Support Skills Part 1, Prevention. Over 200 members registered for this event!

 

Enjoy a well earned holiday. You truly deserve it!

 

Warm regards

 

Stella and Mandy

Nominations close Friday 3rd July

It's that time again!

 

Recognise a teacher aide at your school by nominating them for the Australian Teacher Aide of the Year award. 

 

Criteria:

• Positive impact on student learning and wellbeing
• Collaboration with colleagues and the community
• Continuous improvement through professional development and training

 

This is your opportunity to acknowledge the important role teacher aides play in your school by nominating them for Australian Teacher Aide of the Year.

 

We received over 100 nominations last year, and the winner was Jacque Mengel, from Maribyrnong Primary School in the ACT.

 

Will your school have the winning nomination this year?

When schools invest in the professional development of their teams, there is a level of accountability.

 

Members can use their CPD Diary to keep a record of their completed professional development. They can then use the CSV reporting feature to forward a list of diary entries to their supervisor.

 

Simply follow the steps in the FAQ below.

Essential Behaviour Support Skills for Schools Part 1: Prevention

In our new 3-part behaviour series, we address the 10 Essential Skills which are widely used as part of a whole school approach to behaviour management.

In Part 1, Prevention, you will learn to use the language of expectation to talk with students about learning and behaviour, and explore practical strategies that prevent behaviour issues arising in the first place.

More Assistive Technology for Students with Disability

More Assistive Technology for Students with Disability, presented by Jeff Souter, is available in our member Professional Development library. Jeff who is the Queensland Department of Education, State-wide Advisory Visiting Teacher for Assistive Technologies demonstrates how to help students engage with the curriculum. Some of the apps and features you will learn to use in this webinar include: iPad accessibility features, PowerPoint screen recording, voice control tools, augmented reality and many more freely available assistive tools.

LIVE WEB EVENT: Essential Behaviour Support Skills for Schools Part 2: Encouragement

Tuesday 14 July 2020 at 3:30pm AEST

In our new 3-part behaviour series, we address the 10 Essential Skills which are widely used as part of a whole school approach to behaviour management.

 

In Part 2, you will learn to use the language of acknowledgement to recognise and encourage appropriate behaviour, and explore practical strategies to promote positive and respectful relationships.

PREVIEW THE LATEST VIDEOS

Not yet a member but want to know more about our professional development? 

 

You can view short trailers of many of our video resources. The latest previews are on the ATA home page, and you will also find links to previews in each of the Interest Groups.  

It's a good sign!

12,932 views
816 reactions, comments and shares

 

Based on comments posted, I think there is a fair population of teacher aides who worry about this. 

 

As top fan, Chris says: Everyday is different and what worked yesterday may not work today. It's a continual learning curve. I love the small victories!

Hurry! the 2020 Teacher Awards are closing soon!

Sincere thanks to all who have tagged others, shared posts, downloaded flyers and generally helped us spread the word about this important calendar event.

 

As nominations are about to close (3rd July), we wish all nominating schools the very best of luck :)

Set your PD goals

Australian Teacher Aide is proud to offer the most extensive range of professional development in Australia; all customised for the education support role. See for yourself! Download our Professional Planner for Schools and view our long list of resources.

 

Then, choose your school membership plan, according to student number, and support your teacher aide team with our online professional development, presented by experts, every day, any time, and wherever you are.