Welcome to the September edition of TA Talk.
What a delightful whirlwind September was!
We started with Australian Teacher Aide Appreciation Week, which is gaining more momentum year on year! Hundreds of schools planned professional development days for their teams and took advantage of our ‘open’ PD libraries during 1st to 5th September. Ever since, the team has been chipping away at a very long list of certificate requests!
In addition to all the resources and templates created to help schools celebrate, we also launched a competition to encourage schools to formally acknowledge and celebrate their TA teams. We received an enormous number of entries with photos, videos and stories about how schools celebrated. We loved seeing what you got up to, and whilst the competition for the morning tea was fierce, we managed to settle on a clear winner. More about that below.
Most importantly, during Appreciation Week, we announced the Australian Teacher Aide of the Year Award winners, Jenny Brown from Gosnells Primary School in WA, and the 2025 Australian Teacher Aide Team of the Year, the Primary Learning Enhancement Educational Support Officers at Sheldon College in QLD. We met to personally congratulate these outstanding educators, and were left with no doubt about the validity of this year’s awards result.
For the 3rd consecutive year, Australian Teacher Aide has been recognised by The Educator as one of the top educational service providers offering Professional Development to Australian schools. A big thank you to our member schools for putting Australian Teacher Aide forward for recognition again this year. We are enormously proud of this achievement, and of our small team who work collaboratively and conscientiously to provide a 5 star service to our members every day.
We hope you all have a restful holiday, and we look forward to supporting you and your team through the final term of 2025!
Warm regards Stella and Mandy |
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Celebrating our biggest year of awards yet! |
Another incredible year of awards marks the end of our busiest season and a true testament to the remarkable work of teacher aides across the country! We’ve been inspired by the stories shared and the passion shown by both teacher aides and the schools that support them.
As one nominator beautifully expressed, “They are not simply support staff; they are consistent, trusted adults who see the whole child and work skilfully to support both learning and wellbeing.”
As we wrap up this year’s celebrations, we’re already looking ahead to 2026, with some exciting changes to the awards categories on the way. Stay tuned - big things are coming! |
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AUSTRALIAN TEACHER AIDE APPRECIATION WEEK |
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We were thrilled to receive so many wonderful entries for this year’s Morning Tea Competition! It was truly inspiring to see the creative and heartfelt ways schools celebrated their teacher aide teams. As Australian Teacher Aide Appreciation Week celebrations come to a close, we’re excited to be announcing the winner of our Morning Tea Competition on our website! A big thank you to all the schools that entered (listed below). Your efforts made the judging process tougher than ever! |
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Brisbane Grammar School Browns Plains State High School Butler College Carine Senior High School Collingwood English Language School Dalby State School Duncraig Senior High School Eagleby State School East Maitland Public School Gin Gin State High School Gosnells Primary School Groves Christian College Gwynne Park Education Support Centre Harristown State School Helensvale State School Illaroo Road Public School John Paul College - Frankston King's Christian College Lakes Entrance Secondary College Margaret River Independent School Marsden Park Anglican College Mount Cotton State School Mount St Benedict College Narrogin Senior High School |
| Newton Primary School North Lakes State College Ocean Reef Senior High School Padua College - Queensland Penrith Public School Prenzlau State School Riverside Adventist School Sacred Heart College - Geelong Salesian College - Chadstone Salesian College - Sunbury Salvado Catholic College Springwood Central State School St Johns College - Dubbo St Joseph's Primary School St Luke's Anglican School St Margaret's Anglican Girls School Templeton Primary School The Hall State School Tully State High School Warilla High School Warrah Specialist School Wellington Point State School Westminster School Windaroo Valley State High School |
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2025 SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD |
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ATA Wins 5-Star Professional Development Provider Award for the 3rd year running! |
Schools across Australia were invited to rate providers on customer service, value for money, evidence-based content, ease of purchase, and speed of access to resources. We’re incredibly proud to be recognised in all of these areas, and we’re beyond grateful for the positive feedback and support from our partner schools.
Thank you for trusting us to support your professional growth. |
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| Allocating Education Assistants to Departments in Secondary School Tuesday 14 October 3.30pm AEST |
Are your school leaders exploring how to make the most of Teaching Assistants in secondary education? In this exclusive webinar, ATA guest presenter Rebecca Rourke, Head of Learning Diversity and Inclusion at St Mark’s Anglican Community School (WA) will share how her school has taken a bold, innovative approach to deploying Education Assistants (EAs) and is transforming the way support can be provided across the secondary setting. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how St Mark’s has reimagined the allocation of EA time and take away ideas you can adapt for your own school. |
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| Stronger Together: Resilience Through Better Communication and Relationships |
In today’s busy and ever-changing school environment, resilience and strong relationships are more important than ever — but how do you put them into practice?
International mindset speaker, Patty Duque, takes the complex science of resilience and makes it simple, practical, and directly relevant for teacher aides.
In this new resource Patty shows how something as straightforward as labelling an emotion can reduce its impact and discusses why effective communication eases stress so you can stay calm under pressure.
Discover everyday tools you can use to build your own resilience, support students more effectively, and strengthen the way you work with colleagues. |
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SPOTLIGHT ON ATAPS IN ACTION |
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Dalby State School, QLD
The teacher aides at Dalby State School have recently begun using ATAPS to guide their professional growth and development. Under the leadership of an experienced teacher aide, their team engaged in a professional development day where they explored the ATAPS framework. The session began with a presentation, followed by rich discussions as staff reflected on their skills, plotted themselves against the standards, and shared their perceptions of their current practice.
The PD was well received, with one TA commenting, “I found the sessions very empowering for myself and the ATAPS journey has been received [by the team] with eager anticipation ” With great enthusiasm, the school has already planned further sessions to continue the journey by collaborating, sharing ideas, and building capacity as a team. Congratulations Dalby State School on taking the first steps in your ATAPS journey! Could ATAPS support your school’s improvement agenda? Now is the perfect time to start the conversation. Discover how the ATAPS framework can elevate the work of your support staff. |
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ATAPS FACILITATOR TRAINING |
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8 More ATAPS Facilitators! |
Congratulations to another eight school leaders who have completed the ATAPS Facilitator training with ATA this month.
Mary, a school leader who recently completed ATA’s ATAPS Facilitator training, reflected on the real impact of aligning professional learning with standards: “I was so pleased I decided to participate in the training. I am now armed with more information and a better understanding of the standards so that I can help our department to make better use of more specific areas of training.” Kurt, another trained ATATPS facilitator summed up the workshops by saying “This is an incredibly comprehensive resource and system that was clearly communicated. Thank you!”
Discover how ATAPS facilitator training can equip you with knowledge, tools and strategies for successfully implementation. |
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UNDERSTANDING ATAPS - ONE FOCUS AREA AT A TIME |
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Understand how students learn. |
It is important to understand how students learn so that we can help them succeed. This means that we need to know that students learn in different ways. Being able to recognise how a student learns is the first step to supporting students effectively.
Knowledge & Skills to develop: - Learn about how the brain learns new concepts
- Learn strategies to activate prior knowledge
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Understand what cognitive load is and how you can reduce it
Want to go deeper: |
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Map your professional growth with ATAPS |
Every teacher aide’s role is dynamic, and growth looks different for everyone.
Our latest blog explores the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) Professional Growth Map — a practical tool designed to help teacher aides reflect, set goals, and track their career journey.
Whether you’re just beginning or already thriving, the Growth Map can guide you to identify strengths, highlight areas for development, and take purposeful next steps.
Read the full blog on our website and discover why reflection matters, how small, achievable goals can make a big difference, and how ATAPS can support you to deepen your impact in the classroom. |
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ATA AT THE NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT - MELBOURNE |
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We always love meeting ATA members when we go along to expos, and the National Education Summit in Melbourne did not disappoint! Here are some fun facts from our time at the NES in Melbourne:
- 200+ ATA notebooks were gifted to school leaders
- 27 schools entered to win a 12-month ATA membership
- 24 schools wanted to know more about ATA
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55+ connections made with experts
Did you miss seeing us at the NES? No worries – contact our friendly team today to learn more about the benefits of a school membership with ATA. |
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OUTSTANDING PARTICIPATION IN ATA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING |
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Congratulations to the following schools for achieving most highly, over the past month, in their professional development journey: King's Christian College QLD
Alexandra Hills State High School QLD Emmanuel College - Warrnambool VIC Kenmore State High School QLD |
Keep up the great work, everyone! |
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OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CHAMPION SCHOOLS |
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9-year Professional Learning Champions Dakabin State High School QLD Prince of Peace Lutheran College QLD 8-year Professional Learning Champions St Mary of the Angels Primary - Guyra NSW The Rock Central School NSW Indooroopilly State High School QLD 7-year Professional Learning Champions
Knox Grammar School NSW St Xavier's Primary School - Gunnedah NSW Biloela State School QLD Brisbane State High School QLD
Kelvin Grove State College QLD Crest Education VIC
6-year Professional Learning Champions Abbotsleigh Junior School NSW
St Mary's Primary School - Armidale NSW Bell State School QLD Benowa State School QLD Giru State School QLD Gympie Special School QLD
Sunshine Beach State High School QLD West Moreton Anglican College QLD Northside Christian College VIC Oxley Christian College VIC
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| 5-year Professional Learning Champions Bankstown South Infants School NSW Bombala High School NSW Broughton Anglican College NSW Corrimal East Public School NSW Monaro High School NSW Mount View High School NSW Padstow Park Public School NSW
Singleton Public School NSW St George Christian School NSW Tottenham Central School NSW Wyee Public School NSW Guardian Angels Primary School - Ashmore QLD Kenmore State High School QLD Mirani State School QLD Mudgeeraba State School QLD Murrumba State Secondary College QLD Scarborough State School QLD Springfield Central State High School QLD St Anthony's Primary - Alexandra Hills QLD Taroom State School QLD Melton Secondary College VIC
Newbury Primary School VIC Arbor Grove Primary School WA Bletchley Park Primary School WA Insight Training Group Australia WA Narrogin Senior High School WA |
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCHOOLS AND TRAINING ORGANISATIONS
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NSW Aspect Hunter School Avondale School Blue Hills College Central Coast Sports College Heritage College Lake Macquarie Hoxton Park High School Hurstville Adventist School Leeton High School Manning Valley Anglican College Morisset High School
St John's Catholic Primary School - Narraweena
QLD Aquinas College - QLD Arcadia Valley State School Baringa State Secondary College Blair State School Bymount East State School Caloundra State High School Canterbury College Clearview Christian College Cooloola Christian College Djarragun College Dunkeld State School Elanora State School Endeavour Christian College Helensvale State School Holy Spirit College - Mackay
Hope Adventist School King's Christian College Matthew Flinders Anglican College Mount Molloy State School Nirimba State Primary School Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School - Yeppoon St Andrew's Catholic College - Redlynch Valley St Mary's Catholic Primary School - Mackay St Matthew's Primary School - Cornubia St Peter Claver College Thornton State School Tiaro State School Western Suburbs State Special School
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| VIC Boneo Primary School Box Hill High School Donvale Christian College Echuca East Primary School Grey Street Primary School Harrisfield Primary School Launching Place Primary School Mill Park Primary School Miners Rest Primary School Parade College
Portarlington Primary School St Francis Xavier Primary School - Montmorency Strathcona Girls Grammar The Knox School
WA Belmont City College Carcoola Primary School Living Waters Lutheran College Lumen Christi College Rossmoyne Senior High School St Helena's Catholic Primary School St Kieran Catholic Primary School The King's College
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Harvest Christian College - Kadina Tyndale Christian School - Salisbury East Tyndale Christian School - Strathalbyn
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WHAT'S TRENDING ON THE ATA FACEBOOK PAGE |
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| You know you’re a teacher aide when walking into the room feels like walking onto a red carpet. |
Our most popular Facebook post celebrated the special impact teacher aides have in the classroom. It struck a chord with our community by capturing the joy, energy, and appreciation students feel when you walk in - reminding everyone just how important teacher aides are every day.
32,876 views 172 reactions, 21 comments and 29 shares |
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Leaders in Professional Learning for Schools
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