"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)
