DIRECTORS' MESSAGE

In this newsletter, the last edition of TA Talk for 2023, we pause to reflect on the year that was, and the many things we are thankful for.

We are buoyed by the number of school members around Australia that are using our resources to build the capability of education support staff. This commitment is highlighted in our most recent blog, where Michelle Nunn, Principal at Newbury Primary School, shares a valuable perspective on how to create a conducive environment for continuous professional learning.

Australian Teacher Aide membership has also given us the opportunity to continue as a 'business for good', and to date we have made just over 2,000 donations, through our Giving Program. 

We are exceptionally proud of the progress of the Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) which we plan to publish in Semester II, 2024. Leading the development of the Standards is a significant commitment on our part, however this social enterprise would not be at the pilot stage without the expertise of our Industry Reference Group. These educators, over the past 3 years, have committed time, expertise and collegiality to achieve a shared vision of a performance and professional growth framework for teaching assistants.

We also wish to acknowledge the webinar presenters who generously shared their expertise at our monthly live web events during the year, and contributed to our growing range of contemporary evidence-based resources to assist support staff build their capability.

For regular readers of TA Talk you may also know that this year we held the 6th Australian Teacher Aide of the Year Awards. Each year we are amazed at the extraordinary number of teacher aides, and teacher aide teams making an outstanding contribution to student learning and wellbeing.

We are honoured to have been recognised in The Educator Awards, for the 2nd year running for excellence as a professional development service provider. We proudly share this accolade with our fabulous team who bring their A-game every single day, living and breathing our company values and mission, 'to empower educators to help students succeed'.

The ATA office will be closed from 25th December to 15th January as our whole team take a well-deserved break.

@{aspediacrm-person-firstname}, our best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas, and a fabulous holiday break. See you in the New Year!

Warm regards

Stella and Mandy

2024 LIVE WEB EVENTS

If you are planning ahead for your 2024 professional development, you can now register for the following fabulous live web events, happening next year!

13 February

Introducing ATAPS - A performance and professional growth framework

The Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) is a framework designed to support the performance and professional growth of teaching assistants. The activities in this webinar provide an opportunity for TAs, teachers and school leaders to become familiar with the standards and professional growth stages.

12 March

How Teachers and Teacher Aides Work Together to Support Students with Autism

School leaders from the Sycamore School share strategies that make a significant impact on the educational journey of learners with autism.

9 April

Ways to Build the Capability of Teaching Assistants and How Schools Benefit

School leaders from Monaro High School share their framework for building the capacity of their SLSO team, which includes formalised inductions for new staff, education, collaboration and ongoing support.

14 May

Collaboration Counts - Effective models of learning support

In 2023, West Moreton Anglican College embarked on 2 projects to enhance learning support processes and practice. The outcomes have enabled a working model for identifying key priorities, as well as ways to improve collaboration and planning with leaders of learning and teaching teams.

Get in early and register for these live events, as places are limited!

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 WEBINAR PRESENTERS

Our sincere thanks go to the following presenters who contributed their expertise to help us empower educators to help students succeed.

John Mayes, Narangba Valley State High School, QLD - Introduction to Functional Behaviour Assessment & The Landscape of Anxiety

Dr Jane Wenlock, Kolbe Catholic College, VIC - Strategies to Support Students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect

Dr Judy Hartnett, Learning Through Doing, QLD - Making Mathematics Engaging for all Students

Rachel Hawkins, Monaro High School, NSW; Leanne Hillman, Bolster Education, NSW; Anna Kinane, St Joseph's Nudgee College, QLD - Unpacking the Career Stages and Expectations in the Standards for Paraprofessional Educators

Clea North, Life Without Barriers, QLD - How to Support the Cultural Identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students & Strategies to Build the Cultural Capacity at your School

Cheryl White, Humpybong State School, QLD - Leading Digital Literacy in Schools

Jade Hand, The Inclusive School, VIC - MTSS - A Whole School Approach to Inclusive Education for all Students

Dr Elizabeth Murray, Charles Sturt University, NSW - Pathways to Teaching for Teacher Aides

All these live web events were recorded and uploaded to our professional development library where they can be viewed by members. 

FOSTERING A CULTURE OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AT NEWBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Newbury Primary School is a diverse and vibrant school in Craigieburn, Victoria, with education staff (ES) employed in a range of support roles. The school has been on a highly successful professional development journey, since becoming Australian Teacher Aide members in 2021.

In a recent conversation, Principal Michelle Nunn shared her insights into how the school is using the Australian Teacher Aide resources to empower their ES team with continuous professional learning.

END OF YEAR REFLECTIONS by Bobbi-Jane Constable

Bobbi-Jane Constable, One School Global, kindly wrote to us in September to share a poem she had penned with end of year in mind. She prefaced the poem with the following:

'Being an Integration Aide is a lot like being a parent! It's the most rewarding, exhausting job in the world and I love it! The sad time of year is near where we have to say goodbye so I have written a poem, which I thought I would share. A little bit about the feelings we have along the way and the memories made through tough love and learning.'

Time to go!
There are days where I sit

to remind and encourage

and get very little done.
There are days I am run off my feet and have
zero energy left for fun.
There are days where the anxiety’s high
and I can’t get them off the roof
Days when the tables fly around
and I am ducking just to prove
That I am worth it and so are you
together we will get through.
Brighter days when you will see
just how amazing you can be.

Then over time you will change
because all you are is great.
You’ve grown so much not in height
but inside yourself, it’s fate.
Then it's time to fly away
off you go, you must
We will be left to ponder your time
as you leave us in your dust.
Tears will be shed for what once was
and how great you have become.
As we turn our backs and wipe our tears
and wave a sorry goodbye.
Return to class and start again
on the Integration Aide way of life.

Thank you, Bobbi-Jane!

OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CHAMPION SCHOOLS

Congratulations to the following schools celebrating their 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th continuous year of membership with ATA! This milestone reflects the commitment of the schools' leaders to the professional growth of their education support teams.

8-year Professional Learning Champions

Longreach State School QLD

Toukley Public School NSW

7-year Professional Learning Champions

Good Shepherd Catholic College - Mount Isa QLD
Gordonvale State High School QLD
Victoria Park State School QLD

6-year Professional Learning Champions

St Mary's Catholic Primary School - Warwick QLD

Sunshine Christian School VIC

5-year Professional Learning Champions

Brisbane School of Distance Education QLD
Kilcoy State High School QLD
St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School - Melton VIC
St Dominic’s College NSW

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCHOOLS AND TRAINING ORGANISATIONS

NSW

Balranald Central School

Davidson High School

Eden College

Lutheran School Wagga Wagga

Magdalene Catholic College

St Mary's Star of the Sea College - Wollongong

Tamworth High School

The Scots School Albury

TAS

Glen Dhu Primary School

VIC

Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership
DOXA School - Bendigo
Holy Rosary School - Heathcote
Holy Rosary School - White Hills
Notre Dame College - Shepparton
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary - Elmore
Sacred Heart College - Yarrawonga
Sacred Heart School - Corryong
Sacred Heart School - Tatura
St Anne's College - Kialla
St Augustine's College - Kyabram
St Brendan's School - Shepparton
St Francis of the Fields School - Strathfieldsaye
St Francis' School - Nathalia
St John's School - Euroa
St Joseph's College - Echuca
St Joseph's School - Beechworth
St Joseph's School - Benalla
St Joseph's School - Chiltern
St Joseph's School - Cobram
St Joseph's School - Kerang
St Joseph's School - Nagambie
St Joseph's School - Numurkah
St Joseph's School - Rochester
St Kilian's School - Bendigo
St Mary's School - Cohuna
St Mary's School - Echuca
St Mary's School - Inglewood
St Mary's School - Mooroopna
St Mary's School - Myrtleford
St Mary's School - Rushworth
St Mary's School - Rutherglen
St Mel's School - Shepparton South
St Michael's School - Tallangatta
St Patrick's School - Pyramid Hill
St Patrick's School - Tongala
St Patrick's School - Wangaratta
St Peter's School - Bendigo North

St Luke's Catholic Primary School - Shepparton

St Monica's School - Wodonga West

St Therese's Primary School - Kennington

Fleetwood Primary School

Kilbreda College

Norwood Secondary College

Rushworth P-12 College

St Bernadette's Primary School - Ivanhoe

St Francis Catholic College - Melton West

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School

St Luke's Catholic Primary School - Lalor

St Martin of Tours Primary School

Tarrington Lutheran School

QLD

Alpha State School

Assumption College - Warwick

Cedar Creek State School

Charters Towers School of Distance Education

Charters Towers State High School

Comet State School

Condamine State School

Dalby South State School

Eagle Junction State School

Emerald State High School

Ferny Grove State High School

Gin Gin State High School

Good Samaritan College - Toowoomba

Holy Name Primary School - Toowoomba

Lockrose State School

Longreach State High School

Mary MacKillop Catholic College - Highfields

Mater Dei Primary School - Toowoomba

Mitchelton State School

Mount Gravatt High School

Norman Park State School

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School

Our Lady of the Southern Cross College - Dalby

Sacred Heart Primary School - Cunnamulla

Sacred Heart Primary School - Toowoomba

St Anthony's School - Toowoomba

St Finbarr's School - Quilpie

St Francis de Sales School - Clifton

St John's School - Roma

St Joseph’s College - Toowoomba

St Joseph's School - Chinchilla

St Joseph's School - Millmerran

St Joseph's School - Stanthorpe

St Joseph's School - Tara

St Maria Goretti School - Inglewood

St Mary's School - Charleville

St Mary's School - Goondiwindi

St Monica's School - Oakey

St Patrick's Primary School - Mitchell

St Patrick's School - Allora

St Patrick's School - St George

St Saviour's College - Toowoomba

St Saviour's Primary School - Toowoomba

St Stephen's School - Pittsworth

St Thomas More's Primary School - Toowoomba

Stretton State College

Tamborine Mountain College

Theodore State School

Torquay State School

Vale View State School

Windera State School

Woodford State School

Zillmere State School

WA

John Calvin School Albany

Wesley College

ATA - LEADERS IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR SCHOOLS

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