ETAQ E-pistle 16-12

Reminder re Brisbane May seminar
Our final PD event in Brisbane for Semester 1 will be a seminar (3 hours 15 minutes of CPD) with the theme “Storytelling and the Power of the Word” to be conducted at Brisbane Grammar School next Saturday, 26 May.

Our two keynote speakers are literary studies academic Professor Pat Buckridge and author and illustrator John Danalis. In addition, there will be the usual suite of supporting workshop sessions.

The program and registration form have been mailed to members and are also available for download from the website at http://www.etaq.org.au/?page_id=768. If you plan to attend and have not yet registered, please make that a job for Monday. I hope to see you there.

Free DVD available
A DVD entitled “Reading and Viewing for Comprehension” is a recent release from ACTF (Australian Children’s Television Foundation). It’s intended for lower secondary and primary students. If you’d like a free copy, all you have to do is write a review of the resource for publication in Words’Worth. Email me at gazco48@bigpond.net.au if you’re interested.

State conference call for presenters
Isn’t it time you presented a session at the State Conference? Proposals are currently sought for workshops or papers to be presented at the annual ETAQ State Conference to be conducted on Saturday 18 August at Lourdes Hill College at Hawthorne in Brisbane. The theme is “Making connections”.

The Call for Presenters document was included in the most recent mailing and can also be downloaded from the website at http://www.etaq.org.au/?page_id=308. Don’t just attend the conference; be part of the program.

Are you planning to attend the AATE national conference in Sydney in October?
If so, financial assistance is available. ETAQ will cover the cost of earlybird registration for three members. In return for this assistance, awardees will be required to:

• submit an article for publication in Words’Worth on some aspect of their conference experience and
• participate in a “Future Leaders” Forum at the conference

One of the three “scholarships” is specially earmarked for early career English teachers (1^st 5 years). If you would like to be considered for one of these awards, send me an email to gazco48@bigpond.net.au outlining your teaching experience and current work situation and explaining why you would be a worthy recipient.

Botsman Award nominations
Do you have a colleague whose contribution to English teaching deserves to be acknowledged by one of this year’s Peter Botsman Memorial Awards? Nominations are required by 1 June. Let me know by email to gazco48@bigpond.net.auif you have a name for consideration.

Garry Collins
President, English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ)
 
Sunday, May 20, 2012