WAATA is organised, run and managed by practising education assistants.
Our prime objective is to provide professional learning programs that enable our members to develop personally and professionally in order to more effectively contribute to the continual improvement of education.
Our Association’s objectives are:
- To enhance the professional expertise and status of education assistants to improve the quality of education in Western Australia.
- To create a network of those engaged as an education assistant, which will foster education, thought and practice and set before itself and the community the ethics of professional responsibility and peer support.
- To organise and conduct regular meetings, workshops and a Conference for the advancement of professional development for education assistants.
There are many advantages of becoming a member of such an enthusiastic and supportive network of like-minded colleagues from all over our great state. Browse our site to learn more about us.
WAATA conducts a weekend Annual Conference with approximately 220 delegates attending from all over Western Australia.
The conference begins with registration followed by a Sip ‘n’ Chat gathering on Friday evening.
Saturday commences with PD sessions delivered by professionals from a varied selection of education related areas. After lunch, further sessions follow, including the Keynote Address, prior to the AGM.
Our Annual Dinner concludes Saturday’s proceedings.
On Sunday morning, we have another round of PD sessions with a Plenary Session to close the conference at 12 noon.
Our professional development conference weekends are usually held in August every year.
History
During 1993/4 the steering committee formulated a Constitution and incorporated the association. The new association certainly fulfilled a need in the field of education, for it attracted membership across the profession, with teacher assistants from government, independent and catholic education sectors joining up.
In 1995 the association formed its own conference committee to convene their very first conference. It was a huge challenge but a great success. As the years passed, the conference grew from strength to strength and the number of attendees soon reached 400.
Networking during this time was one of the main goals of the committee. Attracting members from as far north as Wyndham and Christmas Island and as far south as Albany, and to the east, Kalgoorlie. This was indeed a great feat. Many friendships were renewed and new ones made each year.
Another committee goal was to deliver workshops to country teacher assistants as it was not easy for people living in country towns to access professional development. Committee members travelled to and conducted workshops in several country towns such as Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie. In some years as many as three or four country workshops were held.
WAATA Achievement
August 2017
The West Australian Association of Teacher Assistants will celebrate its 25th Conference Anniversary.
Committee Member Achievements:
October 2017 – PTCWA Awards
WAATA’s treasurer, Lyn Worth, is a very worthy recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Professional Service Award.
Lyn has been a Committee Member of WAATA since 1994. In her many and varied roles over this period of 23 years, she has edited the Newsletter (1998), worked on the Conference Committee and performed the essential role of Treasurer twice 2001-2007 and from 2015-current. Lyn took on the role of secretary from mid 2015-2016 to ensure the continuation of WAATA.
Lyn was awarded Life Membership in 2008 for recognition of her tireless service to WAATA. Her dedication to WAATA is outstanding and very worthy of an Outstanding Professional Service Award!
This prestigious award was presented to Lyn by Samantha Rowe, MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education & Training at the 2017 awards night.
The award recognises the value of individual contributions to education in Western Australia. Through service as volunteers in their chosen professional association, individual teachers and support staff make a valuable and personal contribution to maintaining and improving teaching standards in Western Australia. It is this service that we choose to celebrate and recognise, and it is in this context that the Outstanding Professional Service Awards have been established.
October 2016 – PTCWA Awards
Immediate Past Chairperson, Bev Dainton, received an Award for Outstanding Professional Service for her contribution of 10 years’ service to The West Australian Association of Teacher Assistants Inc.
This prestigious award was presented by the Minister of Education the Hon. Peter Collier, MLC at the 2016 awards night. The award recognises the value of individual contributions to education in Western Australia. Through service as volunteers in their chosen professional association, individual teachers and support staff make a valuable and personal contribution to maintaining and improving teaching standards in Western Australia. It is this service that we choose to celebrate and recognise, and it is in this context that the Outstanding Professional Service Awards have been established.
