Posted 11 September 2007

CALENDAR CHARTS: Just to let you know that there are now live interactive versions of Spanish and isiXhosa (Nelson Mandela’s home language) on ww.thrass.co.uk/cart/cc.htm There are two new European PDF images to download - Italian and Polish. Voices for the Phoneme Machine Version 5 interactive charts (www.phonememachine.com) are to be recorded in late September, along with the German voices. The interactive version of the isiXhosa can now be downloaded by using the More screen (top right) in the English Calendar Chart section (of the Phoneme Machine).

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE PHONEME MACHINE: by ASLTIP (Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice) See www.thrass.co.uk/asltip.htm to be published this month. “Many therapists will know of the excellent THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) materials available….. I would have paid just for some bits of this program. Considering the whole thing was free to download, it was a wonderful offering from THRASS. Why not see if you can still take advantage of the free download offer?”

THRASS-IT CD-ROM: (now only sterling £20 for any number of computers at the same address and User Guide now comes by email) The CD-ROM is despatched in the post and the User Guide is sent via email. Important Site Licence Information for customers with multiple terminals/computers at the same address. As from 1 September 2007, we have changed the licensing arrangements for the THRASS-IT Site Copy CD-ROM (T-07S or T-08S), and you may now use the CD-ROM to install THRASS-IT on any number of computers/terminals at the stated Invoice Address, at no additional cost.

TALKTOGETHER PROJECT (www.talktogether.co.za ): The launch of the second TalkTogether School is to be on Thursday, 6 September. Sunlands Primary School, Cape Town, will be formally announced, as the second TalkTogether School on the African continent, at the South African Principals' Association (SAPA) conference (see www.sapaonline.co.za), at the Cape Town Convention Centre, Western Cape. The Principal of Sunlands Primary School is Alta van Heerden, also President of SAPA (Western Cape). The school is to be supported by Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), led by Joy Alexander and her team.

The third TalkTogether School is George Randell Primary in East London, Eastern Cape. The principal is Hilton Williams. The school is to be supported by University of Fort Hare, led by Margie Brookes and her team.

The training for the schools and the student teachers will be in October, led by Laola Altschul. Approximately, 125 people, teachers, student teachers and lecturers, will be trained at each school/university.

For more information about the project, the free materials and the TalkTogether Schools, South Africans can SMS their names to 32828 (R1.00 per sms), e-mail info@talktogether.co.za or write to the Absa Foundation, P.O. Box 7735, Johannesburg 2000.

ADVANCE NOTICE OF WMV AND IPOD FOR TALKTOGETHER: Initial Reactions to the launch of the TalkTogether Project Video - streaming video and the associated download is available by using the following links.
http://www.thrass-streaming.com/thrass/TTP_July_2007.wmv
http://www.thrass-downloads.com/wmv/TTP_July_2007.wmv
These will be linked to the THRASS and TalkTogether websites, as wmv files and iPods, over the next few days.

THRASS in NAMIBIA: The first course to be held in Namibia will be from
14-15 September, at Okahandja. The course will be for 40 literacy advisers, organised by NIED (National Institute of Educational Development), Ministry of Education. The training is to be extended to hundreds of other key personnel throughout Namibia, with a view to all teachers in Namibia being introduced to the THRASS methodology. Representatives of the University of Namibia will also be attending.

NEW CATALOGUES and ORDER FORM for September 2007: Abridged catalogues for the last few months of 2007, are available by using the links on www.thrass.co.uk/resources.htm (where you can also download the UK Order Form and also a low resolution pdf version of the catalogue).

For South Africans, the PWS catalogue, with the Order Form in Rands, can be obtained by emailing info@pws.co.za or call 012 523 1000. Further information is on website www.pws.co.za You only pay for the delivery charges from within South Africa.