Dear ACEL SA,
I hope the year has begun well for you and that you found time over summer to rest and recharge. As we begin 2026, ACEL South Australia is delighted to share our first professional learning opportunities for the year.
Building on the success of our inaugural ACEL SA Breakfast in 2025, we are pleased to welcome Dr Shyam Barr on Friday 13 March for a session exploring the relationship between AI, student agency, and self‑regulated learning. Dr Barr will unpack how AI can both support and challenge independent thinking, and offer practical strategies for leveraging AI to strengthen rather than replace students’ self‑regulation skills.
The breakfast will be held at The Parks, Walford Anglican School, from 7.00am (for a 7.15am start) to 8.45am, with a light breakfast provided. All are welcome. Registrations close Friday 6 March.
REGISTER NOW
On Thursday 12 March, ACEL SA will host the South Australian launch of Cultivating Cultures of Thinking in Australian Schools: From Control to Curiosity, edited by Cameron Paterson and Simon Brooks. This free event provides educators with the opportunity to engage with the book’s key ideas, grounded in Dr Ron Ritchhart’s Cultures of Thinking framework, and to consider how thinking-focused learning environments can offer a hopeful, research-informed response to increasing standardisation and crowded curricula.
We are delighted to welcome both editors in person to Immanuel College from 4.30pm to 5.30pm, where they will share insights from their extensive work supporting deep learning across Australia.
REGISTER NOW
Later in the month, ACEL and ACEL SA will open nominations for state and national awards. Please keep an eye out for this communication and begin considering the inspiring colleagues you may wish to nominate.
Thank you again for your continued support of ACEL in South Australia. I would particularly like to acknowledge the wonderful work of our branch committee: Julie Tarzia, Emma Grave, Georgina West, Shane Hill, Michael Murphy, Kimberley Shean, and Anita Zocchi.
I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming branch events.