Eagle Vale High School's teacher mentor Martin Toaetolu and Fed Rep Andrew Waterson (third and fourth from left) attended an information session about Federation given by Theo Bougatsas with beginning teachers Deonie Bird, Myvanwy Hudson, John Collyer and Steven Rix.

Campaign to boost activism underway

Federation has enhanced efforts to recruit members and inspire activism with the appointment of two Project Officers.

The Project Officer positions for term 1 are Nicole Calnan and Theo Bougatsas. The creation of the positions is the result of an Annual Conference decision in relation to recruitment and activism in the union.

The prime focus of the Project Officers is to recruit new members, assist with the Beginning Teachers Conferences, attend Beginning Teachers meetings and Teacher Mentor Conferences.

Nicole Calnan has been working in the Blacktown and Liverpool areas and Theo Bougatsas in the Campbelltown-Camden area with the great assistance of Organisers Jenny Diamond and Kathy Deacon.

The Project Officers have had very positive responses from the schools and meetings where they have met new and beginning teachers. The response to the upcoming Beginning Teachers Conferences at Bundanoon has been particularly overwhelming.

Particularly pleasing has been the response from new teachers who have approached both Theo and Nicole in schools to tell them about their positive experiences at previous Beginning Teacher Conferences.

Both Nicole and Theo will continue their work in rural NSW in upcoming weeks (the Western Region and North West respectively) as well as attending recruiting and information sessions at various NSW universities.

Based on the positive response evident in schools as witnessed by the Project Officers, with the recruitment of many new members and the overwhelming response to the Bundanoon Beginning Teacher Conferences, the future certainly looks bright.

Local association welcomes new teachers

Beginning teachers welcomed in Broken Hill

For further information

March 2005 contents