Instead of winding down for the term, we have two major initiatives that are keeping the ATA team on the go!

Both of these initiatives stem from our mission to empower educators to help students succeed, and that absolutely includes paraprofessional educators in schools.

The Australian Teacher Aide of the Year awards, now in its fourth year, is an enormously important event, and one that keeps us super busy from start to finish.

The awards are open to schools from all education sectors, and with just 22 days left until nominations close, you still have time to nominate a teacher aide who is making a positive impact on students, colleagues, and the community.

Our other project is developing the Australian Standards for Paraprofessional Educators in Schools (ASPES).

We believe that having a set of national standards can contribute significantly to the recognition of the essential role of paraprofessional educators in supporting student learning and engagement, and we have been working towards this goal for a quite a while.

In order for the standards to reflect the quality teaching and learning support practices that are required to achieve successful outcomes for students, we are inviting schools and other education stakeholders to provide feedback. See below for details.

This month we shine the spotlight on Kolbe Catholic College, another professional learning champion school, that has been using ATA resources for the past five years, to build the expertise of their LSOs.

We welcome all our new member schools, and remind you to request a new school member orientation if you haven't already done so. Onboarding is a valuable process and ensures schools maximise the benefits of membership.

We wish everyone a fabulous holiday break. See you next term!

Warm regards

Mandy and Stella

Schools have just 3 weeks left to nominate an outstanding teacher aide or support team making a positive impact on students, colleagues, and the community.

The categories are:

• 2021 Australian Teacher Aide of the Year
• Australian Teacher Aide of the Year - State Finalist 
• Australian Teacher Aide of the Year - School Team 2021
• Australian Teacher Aide of the Year - Highly Commended 

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - CONSULTATION ON DRAFT 1

We are seeking expressions of interest from schools that wish to participate in a reference group to provide feedback on Draft 1: Australian Standards for Paraprofessional Educators in Schools. The first review will seek feedback on the following:

• Purpose of the standards
• Organisation of the standards
• Domains of teaching and learning support

The Reference Group aims to include the diverse and long term needs of Public, Catholic and Independent schools in each State and Territory.

Step Up Stand Tall - Changing the Mindset of the Paraprofessional

Tuesday 13th July 2021 @ 3:30pm AEST

Taryn Riles is a school learning support officer (SLSO) at Boorowa Central School, and is the current Australian Teacher Aide of the Year.

Taryn is passionate about inclusive education for all students of diverse backgrounds, and a facilitator for the Stronger Smarter Institute. 

Join Taryn for this motivating webinar, as she shares her passion for her role, and her vision to empower teacher aides to take ownership and pride in their profession.

How to avoid and manage meltdowns in students

Louise Griffiths, a teacher at Mount Evelyn Christian School, works in The Butterfly Centre, a specialised classroom for students who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder or who have survived trauma.

In this webinar, Louise shares 8 key strategies she uses to coach the education support team to help children avoid and manage meltdowns. Here is what Kristine from Victoria said, following the event:

"As a classroom teacher who values her teacher aides, I will communicate what I have learnt and encourage the team to access this information."

Kolbe Catholic College has a diverse population of secondary school students, including refugees, and many students who require adjustments to be made through quality differentiated teaching practice. 

The 12 learning support officers (LSOs) at the college work alongside teachers to support students, and are provided with opportunities to participate in professional learning to meet the needs of all students.

 “Australian Teacher Aide has been a great resource for our staff to complete Professional Development at a time and place that suits the College. The variety of subject areas allows staff to tailor their Professional Development to their needs. With new resources being added regularly, ATA is ever evolving, and we find that there is always something for everyone on the site.”

- Jane Wenlock, Co-ordinator of Learning Support. 

Onboarding is a valuable process and ensures schools maximise the benefits of membership. We also get an opportunity to connect with you and learn what is important to you and your team! When you participate in an orientation we will:

• listen to your professional learning needs
• show you where to find resources that meet your school’s strategies and goals
• share ideas on how other schools successfully manage their PD
• provide you with links to key information to share with the support team
• show you how to link new staff to your school account, use the CPD diary, and be issued with certificates.

What do you remember from your school days?

67,551 views
4,064 reactions, comments and shares

Ringing the school bell, marching into the classroom, singing God Save the Queen at assembly, carbon paper, encyclopaedias in the library and hand-written borrowing cards, small bottles of (usually warm) milk for morning tea, thin slippery-sided toilet paper, school nurses issuing spoonfuls of pink polio medicine, chalk boards, the trolly with the overhead projector, the duplicating machine and smell of ink, the cane, playing elastics ... We received 2200 comments!! Such nostalgia :)

Promise we won't do the math!

135,836 views
1,815 reactions, comments and shares

We said we wouldn't do the math, and we didn't! But my, some of you are now teaching your students' children!! Totally devoted :)