TA TALK

Issue 37

November 2018

While we have been celebrating ATA's 3rd birthday, we are pretty sure you have been counting down the days until end of year. Not long now! And 'yes' you will make it!

We are delighted with the acknowledgement that our Australian Teacher Aide of the Year winners and finalists have been receiving from their school leadership teams, education department executives, government ministers of education and the media. 

On Tuesday 11 December, we will be visiting Clare State School, in North Queensland, to present Lyn Corradi, this year's Australian Teacher Aide of the Year, with her award. The Australian Teacher Aide of the Year award highlights the role of education paraprofessionals nationally, and recognises individual teacher aides for their outstanding contribution to education in schools.

We continue to advocate for teacher aides by voicing our views on important issues. In our most recent webinar, we reviewed the proposed changes to the Education Support qualifications. 

Draft one saw some significant changes, the most significant being:

• the removal of the behaviour units
• a shift in focus from supporting students in the classroom, to outside school hours care and early childhood education
• an emphasis on business administration skills
• the units in common between Certificate III and IV, meaning that only 4 additional units of study are required to gain a Certificate IV.

We will be submitting our feedback on the proposed changes to the qualifications, along with feedback from our webinar participants. We urge you to go to the Skills IQ website, and have your say about the proposed changes, too. The review of draft two is scheduled between November 2018 and February 2019.

December is all but upon us. Almost time to dust off the Christmas tree and unpack those shiny baubles :)

Warm regards

Mandy and Stella 

What is a CSV file and how can I use it?

A CSV file is a plain text file that contains a list of data. In My Portal, members can download a CSV file containing a list of all CPD Diary entries created. This is a useful report to take to your supervisor when attending developing performance planning meetings.

MEMBER WEBINAR: Will the New Education Support Qualifications Match Your Job Role?

The current Certificate III and IV in Education Support qualifications are under review. Learn about the proposed changes, and what it means for you if you are starting your studies, or want to progress from a Certificate III to Certificate IV. The downloadable worksheet shows you what is staying in, what is being deleted, and what has been added. The proposed Certificate III has also been mapped to the Certificate IV. 

COMMUNITY WEBINAR: Building Resilience in School Communities

Professor Paula Barrett has been widely published in the area of prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression, and the promotion of resilience through the evidence-based FRIENDS Resilience programs. During this webinar, Paula covers a summary of risk and protective factors for emotional development. She also provides an overview of Resilience strategies that can be used across age groups.

2019 Web Events Commence in February 

Our live, interactive webinars are very popular, and we have some great topics planned for you in 2019. We will publish the events on the ATA website, and keep you updated in our newsletters. Here's a sneak peek: 

• Tips on how to write an effective resume
• Practical literacy strategies
• The new Digital Technologies curriculum unpacked 

10% DISCOUNT ON ALL SCHOOL MEMBERSHIP PLANS

This offer is strictly limited to the first 20 schools that respond. So if you have been contemplating becoming an ATA member school, be quick! Offer ends 9th December 2018 or earlier, if sold out, and payment must be made by Friday 21st December 2018. Use the online form (link below) to claim the offer and be sure to add the words SPECIAL OFFER after entering your school name, e.g Example Primary School - SPECIAL OFFER. 

Attention all teacher aides! It's Friday, and ...

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Many of you found this article an interesting read. According to the research, our children are becoming increasingly entitled, lonely and sad. But it's not all doom and gloom. The article provides some simple and practical tips to help make positive change.