[etni] ETAI Newsletter - November 2012

From: ETAI office <etaioffice@xxxxxxxxx>
To: David Lloyd <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>, ETNI list <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:54:30 +0200
*ETAI For a lifetime of shared professional development*
Keeping in Touch - Newsletter 43: November, 2012


The school year started. And stopped for holidays. And started again. And
for the Jewish sector it stopped again for more holidays. And then started
again. And now, for all of us living within 40 kilometers of the Gaza
strip, school has stopped again. But even for everyone else, life isn't
exactly normal either. One thing that has become apparent during the past
few days is the importance of being able to communicate in English. The
news stations are busy broadcasting and interviewing people in English.
Social media is full of international interaction in English. The
diplomatic talks and contacts are conducted in English or translated into
English. Knowing English is important, and we English teachers are
important facilitators of that knowledge.

Being part of ETAI is a way to support and take pride in the important work
that everyone in the English teaching profession does.ETAI started off the
year with an event in Jerusalem on October 9that the American Cultural
Center in Jerusalem. Attendees were treated to a lecture by Ms. Leslye Orr,
who, legally blind from birth, is a champion for rights of people with
diverse learning needs and a role model in her own right for educators
everywhere. Following the lecture was a screening of the movie "The Brooke
Ellison Story." The film tells the true story of a young woman who, after
being severely disabled in an accident as a child, goes on to beat
tremendous physical and societal odds and, with the support of her family,
achieves academic success in high school and at Harvard. She becomes a role
model for able-bodied and disabled people alike. Thanks to Susan Bedien and
Eleanor Satlow for organizing the event and to the American Cultural Center
for hosting us. It was a stimulating and thought-provoking evening.

 The second ETAI event of the year was held at Oranim Academic College. On
November 13ththe second northern ETAI students' conference was held. The
conference was organized entirely by the student presenters and
participants, with the help of Jackie Teplitz and Fran Sokel. Following the
conference Fran commented, The atmosphere was terrific,... the
presentations were superb, the organisation was faultless ...What more
could we ask for? I am very proud of our initiative of having a students'
conference...Apart from promoting teacher professionalism, putting such
conferences together provides a wonderful opportunity for the colleges to
work together. We are certain that the southern ETAI students' conference
on January 20th, 2013 at Achvah Academic College will also be exciting and
successful!

We are also excited about being part of the centennial celebration for the
Reali Hebrew High School in Haifa. The ETAI winter conference will be held
there on Monday, December 10, 2012. There are 20 presentations planned for
two sessions, in addition to the three plenary talks to be given by Judy
Steiner, Elisheva Barkon and Penny Ur. Download the program from the ETAI
site: *www.**etai**.org.il* <http://www.etai.org.il/>. Members can take
advantage of pre-registration by December 3rdand get a discount. Teachers
who are required work on that day, and therefore must arrive late, are
eligible for a reduced entrance fee at 16:00. Don't miss the conference!
We're anticipating a very worthwhile afternoon.

Other events ETAI events are being planned. The ETAI spring conference will
be held at the Herzog High School in Kfar Saba on Monday March 18th 2013.
Mark your calendars! The annual mini-conference in Nes Tziona is also in
the works, to be held on Tuesday February 5th. We hope that other minis
will be held in both the north and the south of the country. If you are
interested in planning and hosting an ETAI mini-conference, please contact
Karen at the ETAI office *etaioffice@xxxxxxxxx*, 02-5001844.


And there's more! Beginning December 7thand running for nine weeks, SEETA
will be running another closed course *exclusively* for the members of the
SEETA Teachers Associations. The course, called Write On, is a practical
workshop focusing on developing your own tasks and materials for improving
learners writing skills at different levels. Samples will be given of
writing activities for participants to use and assess. A Certificate of
on-line Attendance will be awarded upon completion of the course. More
information about how to enroll will be available soon. You must be an ETAI
member to participate in this course. For a taste of SEETA online courses,
join the open course on E-Safety running now on SEETA,*http://www.seeta.eu*.


 Wishing you all a quiet, peaceful school year and I look forward to seeing
you at an upcoming ETAI event!

Michele Ben, ETAI Chair

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[etni] ETAI Newsletter - November 2012

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