ETAQ E-pistle 23-12

Last chance for “Great reads for adolescents” PD
It is still possible to attend the talk by children’s literature consultant Joy Lawn in the Lilley Centre at Brisbane Grammar School on Tuesday afternoon, 24 July but you need to act quickly! The reply date was Friday but we’ll be able to squeeze you in if you advise Admin Officer Trish Purcell (trish.purcell@bigpond.com) no later than noon on Monday. Please don’t just turn up without prior advice as it throws the catering plan out of whack.

Breakfast for Jim Buckley
Members are reminded that it is proposed to conduct a breakfast to formally mark Jim Buckley’s retirement after long service on the Management Committee. The event is planned for Sunday 19 August, the day following the state conference, in the hope that some country members will be able to attend. The event will start at 9:00 am and the restaurant venue will be advised as soon as a booking is confirmed. The cost to attendees will be $20 per person with ETAQ subsidising any additional costs.

If you wish to be part of this event, please let me know by Friday 27 July via email to gazco48@bigpond.net.au so that an appropriate booking can be made.

Feedback on ACARA’s draft senior English courses
ETAQ has provided feedback to ACARA on the suite of senior English subjects proposedfor the Australian Curriculum. The final version submitted has been posted to the “Australian Curriculum” Page to be found under the Discussions tab on the ETAQ website at http://www.etaq.org.au/?page_id=881. In addition, input was contributed to the response submitted by our affiliated national body, AATE, the Australian Association for the Teaching of English.

Peter Botsman Memorial Awards
Formal presentations of the Botsman Awards for this year will be made at the state conference on 18 August. Congratulations to the recipients who are:

• School level: John Acutt, Head of English at Ipswich Grammar School
• Beyond school level: Dr Anita Jetnikoff, Senior Lecturer at QUT

Have you registered for the state conference yet? 
If not, it should be at the head of your to-do list. With the theme of “Making connections”, the ETAQ State Conference will be held at Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane on Saturday 18 August. Tthe program, registration form and workshop selection form were included in the most recent mailing and can also be downloaded from the website at http://www.etaq.org.au/?page_id=308. A $20 late fee will apply to registrations postmarked after 10 August.

AATE National Conference in Sydney
Members are again reminded of the great opportunity to combine CPD an interstate vacationl represented by this year’s AATE national conference to be held at Sydney Grammar School on 3-4 October. Time is fast running out for Early Bird registrations which close 1st August. On-line registration can be effected at http://www.englishteacher.com.au/FiveBells/Home.aspx. Serious English teachers should not miss Five Bells.

A special deal on a PD event
Speakers Ink offers $50.00 discount for the first 10 ETAQ members to register for its PD event entitled Cyber Safety to be conducted at the State Library of Queensland (Auditorium 1 and the adjoining Queensland Terrace, 2nd floor, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane) on Friday, 10th August, 2012. You need to mention this message to be eligible.

The seminar is designed to support and inform teachers, librarians, educators and student welfare professionals in the care and management of our young people. There will be presentations from: Brett Lee – Specialist Internet Safety Consultant – INESS Australia Pty Ltd; Cathy Oxley – Director of Information Services – Brisbane Grammar School; Rob Priddley – Principal Advisor, Cybersafety and Reputation Management Learning Technologies, Information + Technologies, Department of Education and Training. Click here for Cyber Citizenship Details and Registration Form. Registration fee is $195.00 per delegate incl. GST .

Garry Collins
President, English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ)
 
Sunday, July 22, 2012