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South Western Alberta Teachers' Convention Association
Feb 24 -25, 2022
Its time to start planning for our 2022 convention!
click here to present a proposal.
Friday's Closing Keynote
Tweeting about this year's SWATCA? Add us@swatca and use the tag#sabca2021.
All attendees are reminded that SWATCA is a closed convention open to ATA members only. Persons wishing to attend SWATCA who are not currently ATA members are required to contact the ATA to arrange membership.
Question: Are teacher assistants/educational assistants/spouses of teachers/children of teachers eligible to attend teachers’ conventions?
Answer: No. Conventions are closed events designed for ATA members who hold the highest level of membership available to them and for a few invited guests. Central office and school administrators do not have the authority to direct teacher assistants or educational assistants to attend teachers’ conventions. (taken from the ATA website)
Alternate professional development
While the mode of convention will be very different this year, the criteria and process to apply for alternative professional development remain the same. To find more information click, More information
To apply for Alternate Professional Development click, Apply here.
Expectations for Online Convention Attendance
With Teachers’ Conventions again being virtual for 2022, am I required to go into school on those days?
Teachers’ conventions are days when you decide which sessions you attend to best meet your professional development needs. You should attend convention from home or another location where there is stable internet access. If your school is the only location you can access that has strong internet in your area, you may participate from school at your discretion;check with your principal. You cannot be directed to participate from your school if you don’t want to.
For more on the ATA’s attendance policy for online conventions, please click HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Convention Attendance Requests
As in a normal year, you may request to be absent from part or all of their assigned convention for the following reasons:
- To make use of a leave provision in your collective agreement (e.g. sick leave, parental leave, personal leave)
- To attend an alternate professional development event that is scheduled during your assigned convention.
- To attend a convention other than the one you are assigned because you either:
- Are a distance/online education teacher or seconded teacher who lives outside of the geographical area of your assigned convention; or
- Have found yourself in an attendance conflict beyond your control.
- To coach a school team at a provincial finals tournament.
More information about the specific eligibility criteria for convention attendance requests can be found HERE.
To submit a request, please use the online form at https://ata.smapply.ca/.
If you have any questions about convention attendance or would like to request to be absent and don't know where to start, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Frequently Asked Questions
A full list of answers to frequently asked convention questions can be found HERE.
