*Reminder that Craft Club has been cancelled for Term 2

Monday 5th June WA Day Public Holiday

Congratulations to Kirsty Wilton for her award winning sweet entry of Carrot cake muffins, and to Kristy Shephard for savoury scones and whipped feta.

Thanks to everyone who contributed by donating, tasting, and joining in!

Please note that I will need to sign these forms before May 31^st in order for you to receive pay back from the beginning of the year. Please make sure you have these forms to the office by Monday afternoon to be eligible for the back pay.

Attached is more information Sue Normal has received from the Union. Here is also notes made from a conversation she had directly with the union.

Advanced Education Assistant- Union Conversation 24^th May 2023

Hi all, 

Following on from the last conversation with the union regarding the Advanced Education Assistant role, a few people have approached me some questions. I have tried to get answers to these (see below). 

Training:

• Is parent training adequate? They may sometimes take shortcuts that we may not be able to at school eg. Feeding- not able to lift students to burp as parent does it, Feeding- may feed child sitting on their lap

Yes, parent training is adequate so long as you feel comfortable with the training.  If you don’t feel that you have the necessary information and skills to support the student, you are able to say you wish to receive further training before you perform these duties.

• Can we say I don’t want to work with the student until you have training? Yes, if you don’t feel comfortable with your current level of training to manage the needs of the student, you can ask for training before you perform these duties. 
• When should training occur? (I asked this question regarding a student with complex needs).

Training should occur before you are expected to perform the duties. 

Medical:

• Where does the cut off happen when you need a nurse? 

There isn’t any sort of cut off.  Any decisions regarding nurses are made on a case by case basis and depends on the needs of the individual student.

• Should admin attend if an ambulance is called?

Yes, they should attend if they are available. Advanced Education Assistants and Level 3 Education Assistants don’t have full responsibility as we are there to assist in following out duties.  We carry out our duties following the direction of the teachers, principal and deputies. 

If we are on our own and were carrying out duties that required us to call an ambulance, we are still following the medical action plans that have been actioned by admin and the teacher so we are still working under direction of the teacher and admin. 

• If a level 3 EA is trained in PEG Feeding, are they still covered if it is not in their JDF?

Yes, so long as they have had training and they are comfortable performing the task.

Other:

• Does the pay level change at level 4

After the initial increase when you become an Advanced Education Assistant, your pay will increase each year as part of the bargaining agreement when all Education Assistant pays increase. It will increase at the rate that the has been agreed upon.

• Can an Advanced Education Assistant be moved to another school if they need Advanced Education Assistants?

No they can’t. Schools don’t have to have a quota of Advanced Education Assistants. The Advanced Education Assistant was created to recognise the skill set that staff currently have.

David from the union stressed that this role isn’t for everyone, and it is a personal choice if you want to apply or not. He also said that people may not meet the criteria to qualify as an Advanced Education Assistant as they have not been a level 3.3 for 6 months or more or they may not have had the relevant training so you may have a mix of Advanced EA’s and Level 3 EA’s in a classroom. If you have the skill set and are an Advanced EA, you can be expected to be called upon in classes where those skills are needed.

I have attached the JDF of both the Education Assistant Level 3 and the Advanced Education Assistant for staff to look through if they haven’t seen it before. If you are still feeling unsure about the process or the answers that I got from the union, please let me know. Alternatively, you can speak to Nat or call the Union or the Education Department for clarification for yourself. 

Sue

Attached is the agenda for the day. Also if you haven’t yet completed the survey and are attending, please do.

Finally if you don’t work on a Friday but would like to attend, please let me know. We will pay you for your time.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JKW7B5G

On 31^st May a number of extinguishers and fire blankets will be replaced.

Please see attached reference guide sent to families via Seesaw regarding illness at school

Please see the attached hand out on ways to help support students jumping.

Koby may start trying to connect with the school again. This may look like just coming on some days for recess play times. No one needs to do anything – just know that you may see him around from time to time. I don’t expect Dustin to come with Koby, but you never know!

Staff members and their immediate family can use our employee assistance program. 

The employee assistance program (EAP) gives access to counselling with highly experienced psychologists.

You and your immediate family can access up to 6 sessions each year. The sessions are:

• free of charge
• confidential
• available face-to-face, over the phone or via Skype.

Immediate family includes a de-facto partner or spouse and dependent children under 25 years of age.

Access the link to their website here Resource Centre - PeopleSense Australia