Welcome to the May edition of TA Talk.
There is always something exciting happening on the ATA calendar, and earlier this month we were excited to announce the launch of our annual awards program, Australian Teacher Aide of the Year. We hope to make this the brightest awards season yet, and our website features all the information required to submit a winning nomination, as well as a promotional flyer to help create awareness of this opportunity. Teachers and school leaders, please make sure you allow plenty of time to craft your school's submission for this prestigious award. Nominations close on Thursday 29th June, and based on how the year is flying along, that day will be here in a flash.
We are making great progress with the Australian Standards for Paraprofessional Educators in Schools. On 1st June, we will be presenting a fully completed draft document to the Industry Reference Group for feedback. Next week, we will run the first of a number of school trials at Nudgee College in Brisbane, where their teacher aide team will be participating in an action research workshop to gather feedback on the career level statements and expectations. We feel very excited to be at this stage, and almost on schedule too!
Just a reminder that memberships can be renewed at any time, and if you are planning to renew your subscription prior to the end of financial year, please get in touch, or go to your member portal and select 'renew subscription'. Similarly, if you are not yet a member, now is the perfect time to ensure a membership with ATA is budgeted for, and we are happy to assist you with account creation, if required.
This year, we have seen a surge in Victorian school memberships (go Victoria!!). Based on feedback from members, the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 is a strong influencer, and schools are responding to professional learning recommendations set out for employees. For other states and territories with similar requirements, we are here to help!
As the next issue of TA Talk will be the closing day for submission of nominations for this year's awards program, we wish those of you nominating a teacher aide or team all the very best of luck.
Warm regards
The ATA Team