Congratulations to all the Highly Commended nominees in this year's Australian Teacher Aide of the Year Awards.

We hope you enjoy reading about the amazing work of these teacher aides and how they each make an outstanding contribution to their school communities.

Thank you to the school leaders who made time to recognise the work of their teacher aides by submitting a nomination.

Highly Commended

Anne Mathew

James Busby High School, NSW

Nominated by: Monika Bray, HT Special Education

 

Anne Mathew, a School Learning Support Officer at James Busby High School, has been Highly Commended for her positive impact on student learning and engagement.

Anne has been working one-on-one with students to pre-teach the required set of numeracy skills, She uses strategies that allow her students to close the gap between an understanding of a skill and the application of a skill. As a result, students have demonstrated a significant improvement in their achievement of learning outcomes, enabling them to fully participate in the class lessons.

Highly Commended

Danielle Coleman

Auburn Public School, NSW

Nominated by: Naomi Bonus-Ross, Relieving Assistant Principal - Support Unit

 

Danielle Coleman, a School Learning Support Officer at Auburn Public School, has been Highly Commended for her excellent work supporting students with a wide range of special needs.

Danielle has demonstrated a strong commitment to meeting students’ individual learning needs. She supports classroom teachers with the delivery and implementation of their teaching and learning programs, and provides appropriate adjustments and differentiation of learning tasks. As a result, she has made a significantly positive impact on student learning and wellbeing, not only for students in the Support Unit, but for those in mainstream classes, as well.

Highly Commended

Eliza Cotton

Casino High School, NSW

Nominated by: Kylie Garrard, Head Teacher Learning and Support

 

Eliza Cotton, a Learning Support Officer at Casino High School, has been Highly Commended for providing outstanding learning support to students with disability.

Eliza works in partnership with the Learning and Support Team to provide extensive support to both students and staff within the school environment. She provides reading and numeracy support to students with disability, and has assisted with the successful implementation of the school wellbeing programs, including the School Breakfast Club program, which has contributed to an increase in student attendance.

Highly Commended

Michelle Burdon

Millers Forest Public School, NSW

Nominated by: Rhianne Crichton & Christyne Phelps, Classroom teacher and Principal

 

Michelle Burdon, a Learning Support Officer at Millers Forest Public School, has been Highly Commended for providing outstanding support to students with learning difficulties, behaviour disorders and mental health conditions.

Michelle has implemented many programs in the school, including reading programs, sight word testing, maths programs and emotional coaching. Her phenomenal connection with the children allows her to support their learning in a safe and engaging way, whilst catering to their emotional needs. Students who have worked with Michelle in reading programs have significantly improved in their confidence and decoding skills.

Highly Commended

Samantha Boughton

Yass High School, NSW

Nominated by: Melanie Meadley, Supported Learning Class (SLC) Teacher and SLSO Coordinator

 

Samantha Boughton, a School Learning Support Officer at Yass High School, has been Highly Commended for her work supporting students with developmental trauma.

Sam has worked tirelessly to develop her understanding and skills to become a trauma informed practitioner. She supports the school’s mathematics focus by helping students challenge themselves and is able to co-regulate students and keep them on task. Sam has a talent for finding ways to connect with students, and helps them feel 'seen' and listened to, and re-engage with learning. This has contributed to an improvement in attendance and a very significant reduction in negative behaviours and suspensions. 

Highly Commended

Beth Morrison

Katherine South Primary, NT

Nominated by: Catherine Shield, Assistant Principal

 

Beth Morrison, an Inclusion Support Aide at Katherine South Primary School, has been Highly Commended for her significant impact on student learning and wellbeing at her school.

Beth has demonstrated extensive knowledge of strategies to support students with disability and challenging behaviour. She is recognised by the school for her passion for inclusive education, and the positive rapport she develops with students. She works collaboratively with teachers to deliver literacy intervention. As a result there has been an increase in student confidence to engage with reading and writing tasks in the classroom.

Highly Commended

Trudy Dacey

Driver Primary School, NT

Nominated by: Ranae Graham, Assistant Principal

 

Trudy Dacey, a Kitchen Garden Specialist at Driver Primary School, has been Highly Commended for her significant commitment to innovation with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program, and for supporting disengaged students to connect with school through food.

Trudy works with the ‘Green Ants’ inclusion support program to develop life skills through cooking, and encourage regular school attendance. Trudy has met with education leadership and specialist staff to share the program and develop the capacity of staff and students to engage with STEM. She also supports the implementation of similar programs within the Palmerston and Darwin region.

Highly Commended

Ashlyn Forsaith

Mango Hill State Secondary College, QLD

Nominated by: Jodie Major, Head of Department - Inclusion and Engagement

 

Ashlyn Forsaith, a Foundation Teacher Aide at Mango Hill State Secondary College, has been Highly Commended for her outstanding work co-constructing the MultiLit reading intervention program.

Ashlyn coordinates the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program across Years 7-9, including resource development, tracking progress and one-on-one and small group intervention. She collaborated with the school’s Literacy and Numeracy Support Teacher to establish and implement this program in a secondary context. This year, Ashlyn digitised the entire program, transitioning from paper-based processes to effectively utilising online platforms.

Highly Commended

Darren Stockmeier

Gympie Special School, QLD

Nominated by: Debra Jacobson, Teacher

 

Darren Stockmeier, a Teacher Aide at Gympie Special School, has been Highly Commended for going above and beyond in supporting students with complex disabilities and health needs to reach their full potential.

Darren collaborates with the classroom teacher and shows initiative when working with students. He knows every student’s curriculum level and discusses each student’s Individual Curriculum Plan goals with the classroom teacher, and facilitates learning accordingly. He also liaises with disability support services, often resulting in improved understanding of the complex needs of the students, which in turn leads to improved student learning outcomes.

Highly Commended

Heather Osborne

Bremer State High School, QLD

Nominated by: Sally Goodfellow, Deputy Principal

 

Heather Osborne, a Lead Teacher Aide at Bremer State High School, has been Highly Commended for her commitment to providing support for students with disabilities, providing reading intervention and intensive language and communication programs.

Heather is a valued team member of the Special Education Unit (SEU) working with students from Year 7 to Year 12. She has contributed to significant measurable improvements in reading progress for students with intellectual disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has also collaborated with colleagues to reduce barriers for students with physical impairments, enabling them to participate in school activities.

Highly Commended

Janine O'Brien

Geham State School, QLD

Nominated by: Kylie Meagher

 

Janine O'Brien, a Lead Teacher Aide at Geham State School, has been Highly Commended for making a difference within the school community since 2010.

Janine supports students with additional needs, and helps build acceptance and understanding of individual differences. She works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve students’ educational, social, and emotional goals. She recognises that each child is different and offers a child-centred approach, adapting her style to accommodate individual children and small groups. She has also been instrumental in successful implementation of the school-wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program.

Highly Commended

Debbie Butler

Kangaroo Island Community Education, SA

Nominated by: Leanne Woods, Penneshaw Head of Campus

 

Debbie Butler, a School Support Officer at Kangaroo Island Community Education, Penneshaw Campus, has been Highly Commended for demonstrating excellence in her role.

Debbie supports students with disabilities, implements intervention programs, and leads other SSOs in behaviour learning programs. She coordinates the Mulitlit, Minilit, Quicksmart programs, and works with teachers to ensure assessments are completed, and SSOs are confident, trained and prepared for sessions with students. She also leads the Quicksmart Online pilot project for the Penneshaw Campus.

Highly Commended

Pranay Sharma

University Senior College, SA

Nominated by: Zahra Pirvali, Science Coordinator

 

Pranay Sharma, a Laboratory Manager at University Senior College, has been Highly Commended for his contribution to science projects and managing the practical running of the laboratories.

Pranay has a dedication and passion for science, and collaborates with science teachers to design experiments for students. His analytical and technical skills support timely and accurate decision-making in small teams. He explains concepts with patience until students understand, which leads to improved learning outcomes. Through his work in the Australian Defence Force, Pranay has also kept the Australian community safe during Op Bushfire Assist, and Op Covid-19 Assist.

Highly Commended

Robyne Enright

Kimba Area School, SA

Nominated by: Anne Moyle, Principal

 

Robyne Enright, a School Support Officer at Kimba Area School, has been Highly Commended for her outstanding support for literacy intervention.

Robyne works as part of a team of support officers taking on a leadership role regarding manual handling for students with disability, and timetabling and monitoring of children with medical issues. She manages and implements the Minilit intervention program, and utilises the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program as part of her intervention. In the last semester, 100% of her students undertaking the Minilit program achieved growth.

Highly Commended

Vonnie Pattinson

Northern Christian School, TAS

Nominated by: Kerrie Prentice, Learning Support Coordinator

 

Vonnie Pattinson, a Teacher Assistant at Northern Christian School, has been Highly Commended for positive impact on student learning and wellbeing.

Vonnie works alongside the Learning Support team to support the teaching and learning of students with a range of life experiences. She collaborates with teachers to help develop and implement activities that enable students to achieve their individual learning goals. She makes detailed records during lessons, and her observations and notes are valued by teachers. Through the work Vonnie has done, students have made amazing growth.

Highly Commended

Abigail Hart

Mackillop Education Maidstone, VIC

Nominated by: Caitlin Maree Burman, Principal

 

Abigail Hart, an Education Support Assistant at Mackillop Education, Maidstone, has been Highly Commended for her intensive and small group education support intervention for children and young people who are disengaged from learning.

Abigail has made a significant impact on the wellbeing and learning outcomes of students over the past four years, supporting children at the school, and in MacKillop’s Out of Home Care Program, to access and engage in education. She has designed, delivered, and reviewed programs that cater for diverse and complex needs of individual learners and has demonstrated a commitment to the science of reading, and trauma-informed practice.