"If you can't come to ETAI, ETAI will come
to you."
ETAI is getting better and better!
Newsletter 15: December, 2008
Dear Readers,
And the year rolls on, and we're into December, with three major
festivals on the way … Idh El Adha, Christmas, Chanuka, and
corresponding disruption and/or enrichment (depending how you
see it!) to the English teaching program in school!
The ETAI calendar also has some 'better and better' events this
month: the northern mini-conference in Hatzor HaGlilit, and the
annual Beer Sheva Winter Conference. (more)
Newsletter 14: November,
2008
Dear Readers,
We have, after consultation with the Board, a new slogan for
this year: 'ETAI is getting better and better!'
Which it is: more membership than last year, more events, more
ideas for the future, and a general feeling of enthusiasm and
purpose.
But in order to justify this slogan we need your help: if you
are a member of ETAI and are willing to help organize conferences,
mini-conferences… or have any other ideas to help ETAI provide
better service to its members … please get in touch with
Marna (etaioffice@gmail.com) or me (pennyur@gmail.com)! (more)
ETAI Newsletter 13: October
2008
Dear Readers,
October, and here is the second Newsletter of the school year!
I hope that things are going well in English classrooms all over
the country!
I am busy at the moment planning a 'Retreat' for the ETAI Board
at Amanda Caplan's home in Beit Hanan at the end of this month.
We hope to use the opportunity to recharge our batteries together
and plan ETAI strategy and events for the next year: increasing
membership, preparing conferences, advance planning of the International
Conference 2010, mini-conferences…watch this space!
But some recent Board decisions have been made through email,
as follows: the Winter Conference is to take place on December
28 (mark the date in your calendars!), at Ulpanat Amit in Beer
Sheva. Speaker proposal forms are available on our website (http://www.etni.org.il/etai/);
so please download, fill in, and contribute a presentation! (more)
ETAI Newsletter 12: September
2008
Dear Readers,
Here's the first newsletter of the new academic
year, and my first newsletter as incoming Chair of ETAI!
To start with a personal message: my heartfelt thanks
to Nava, the outgoing Chair, for the amazing job she has done
over the last year, and her continuing support and encouragement!
Only a year ago Nava initiated the slogan: If you
can't come to ETAI, ETAI
will come to you – a slogan we shall do our best to maintain
this year, with mini-conferences planned for various places around
the country, as well as the three major ones in the north, south
and centre. (more)
Newsletter 11: June 2008
Dear Readers,
The signs of summer are all around us now - report cards, end
of year parties, bagrut exams and, of course, the heat and humidity
to name just a few.
It's hard to believe that I initiated our slogan for the year
and this newsletter 10 months ago, and we are now at the 11th
issue. This has been an exceptional year for ETAI, with many mini-conferences
and film workshops held all over the country, in addition to the
annual regional conferences in Beer Sheva and Haifa. (more)
Newsletter 10: May 2008
Dear Readers,
We have reached a milestone with this newsletter - number 10.
Unfortunately, with April being such a busy month, we had to skip
the April issue of this newsletter.
April was not just busy because of the holydays and holidays,
but because we had our ETAI Spring Conference in Haifa on April
14th. Hundreds of enthusiastic teachers and students showed up
for the Spring Conference at a new venue, Reut Junior High School.
The participants included over 20 different exhibitors and no
less than 30 presenters, two of whom had just returned from participating
in the TESOL Conference in New York, Aviva Shapiro and Michele
Ben. (more)
Newsletter 9: March 2008
Dear Readers,
What's new at ETAI? This week members of the National Executive
Committee visited our new venue for the upcoming National Summer
Conference on July 15-16th in Jerusalem. The facilities at the
Bayit Ve'gan Conference Centre are well suited to our needs. They
include a light, spacious auditorium for about 450 people, a large
hall for the publishers and materials exhibition, good-sized rooms
for sessions, lots of seating in hallways for socializing, and
a cafeteria with ample seating. (more)
Newsletter 8: February
2008
Dear Readers,
Seeing as our conference theme for this year is "Perspectives",
the ETAI mini-conferences being held around the country are endowing
the word with new meaning:
The mini-conference at the Eshkol Payis in Maghar, organized by
Fran Sokel and Yousef Daghash, took place on January 24th with
a record-breaking 101 participants! Three days later, thanks to
Rose Whitman and Betty Simelmits, the Eilat mini-conference was
held at the Neptune Hotel. Avi Tsur and Penny Ur were there as
the main speakers, and the entire event, with over 40 participants,
was a great success, with plans for the next one already in the
air. As Rose said: "Most of the participants felt that at
last, something was being offered to our small community of teachers
that was not 4-5 hours away!!!" (more)
Newsletter 7: January 2008
Dear Readers,
Spring isn't even on the horizon yet, but everything seems to
be "coming up roses" at ETAI at the moment. Unlike the
weather we're having, the ETAI events are providing just what
our members want and need, and close to home as well.
The first in the series of "The Use of Film in the Classroom"
workshops, organized by Hanan Abu Dalu, took place in Beit Safafa
on January 14th. It was attended by 12 very enthusiastic participants,
who were treated to a
highly productive afternoon, with material provided by the helpful
staff from the British Council. (more)
