Welcome one and all to the October Notes from HQ round-up!
With October now wrapped up and the end of the year just around the corner, the finish line is coming into view! For our global teams, this time of year brings a mix of excitement and focus as we power through those final workshops and coaching sessions.
But before we dive headfirst into the month ahead, let’s rewind a bit and celebrate the highlights of October. In this recap, we’ll showcase the top performances from our amazing presenting team, revisit standout Slack posts from across the globe (including another great travel vlog from one of our US presenters), and share some awesome feedback from those students, parents, and teachers you supported last month.
Let’s jump in!
Team Australia
Not only has the Aus team been helping students get the grades they need in their exams this month, but many presenters and coaches have also been gearing up for assessments of their own across October. If you're sitting any exams in the coming weeks, we wish you the best of luck! Let's take a look at what else the team has been getting up to...
Aus Presenter of the Month
Manas
Congrats to Manas, our very deserving Aus Presenter of the Month! Manas achieved an incredibly impressive 100% stats and 10.00 teacher feedback score last month, sustaining an awesome effort across 10 seminars. We asked Manas which skills he's honed whilst presenting with Elevate that help him crush every sem he walks into:
"Presenting at Elevate the last year has helped me develop many skills, but one of the main skills it has helped me develop is being able to effortlessly interact with an audience in any context or situation. Whether that be in a more serious manner or having a banter session with the kids, I feel like interacting well with students is a skill that is really useful for an enjoyable session for both students and presenters, and is a skill I’m happy I’ve developed the last year."
Congratulations, Manas, on this well-deserved recognition. Here’s to more of the same in terms to come!
Standout Presenter Feedback
Lucas
"Just want to pass on that my presenter, Lucas, absolutely crushed it! Controlled the class the entire time, super engaging and informative, I cannot recommend him enough."
Oscar
"The presenter, Oscar was absolutely amazing. The students raved about his interpersonal skills. This was the same feedback from the Year 12s who also had Oscar. They said he made an essentially 'dry' topic really come alive."
Nandana
"Nandana was extremely professional. She also enquired about 8 of the students in the class who have special needs and what adjustments she could make - she incorporated my suggestions into her program. The program also covered everything that I had asked for. Nandana was very generous with her time, taking the time to engage with some of the students who were quite anxious about university pathways."
Ethan and Alana
"Ethan and Alana were absolutely brilliant. They were punctual, highly skilled at delivering this workshop, and had an excellent rapport with students. The material was beneficial and pitched at exactly the right level for our Year 10s, and both presenters engaged the students the entire workshop. Well done for such a brilliant session!"
Aus Coach of the Month
Nicholas
Well done, Nicholas! You’ve been named AUS Coach of the Month for October! Nicholas’s ability to connect with his students, inspire confidence, and nurture growth has made a genuine impact on their learning at a very important part of the year. His dedication to creating a supportive and motivating environment has not gone unnoticed by parents, students, or the coaching team, and he's received some awesome feedback as a result:
"Nicholas was amazing and really connected with my son. He was knowledgeable and structured the lessons well."
"Nicholas is very professional and connected with my son. Nicholas is a gem to your company."
We asked Nicholas about his experience as an Elevate coach so far:
"My experience with Elevate has been a rewarding one. Since beginning mid-2024, I quickly took on a number of programs with multiple different types of students and varying student objectives. What I have loved about my experience is the variety of learning types I have been able to adapt to. In doing so, my own concept of learning has changed. I love that each session is a fresh chance to communicate skills in a different, but impactful way."
Amazing work, Nicholas; thanks for helping to make October such an awesome month!
Standout Coach Feedback
Amy
"Amy is a great coach - she's very easy to talk to and since she's close in age, it's easier for her to understand my issues."
"Amy was an absolute legend. So informative and was truly able to totally get each of my very different girls and tailor the course to their exact needs. A coach truly gifted beyond her years. Biggest thanks, Elevate!"
Kayla
"My daughter really enjoyed learning with the lovely Kayla. She had a wonderful program going into this term. Kayla was bubbly and friendly, built a great rapport with her, and I found her time keeping excellent - to the point and succinct and that's what I needed given I only had a limited time. I also appreciate that she was accomodating with us. She was able to acccomodate with any changes we needed."
Sara
"Sara has been fantastic! Everything she is telling my daughter she's finding so useful."
Slack Channel Highlights
As always, we've got a load of great Slack posts to share with you this month, but before we jump in, we wanted to give a huge shoutout to not one, but two teams of Elevators rasing money for great causes across October and November. First up, we have Alyssa, Ellyn and Kate from team NSW who will be taking part in an incredible 37km walk to raise money for UNICEF. If you'd like to support Alyssa's efforts, you can donate by clicking the button below:
And secondly, a huge round of applause for Jemma, Ethan, Kiara, Alana, Isaac and Lucas for completing Relay for Life to raise money for Cancer Council. You can check out some great photos of the team's efforts below, and donate below:
Team NSW
This month, from Team NSW, we have: a selfie from Josie of her presenting at her old school (we love a full circle moment); a group photo from Michael after presenting a sem to his brother!; two first-sem-of-term-four group pics from Bethany and Victoria; a pit stop pic from Alannah; and finally, a very sad farewell post from the wonderful Amy who is leaving the NSW team after 3 and a half years. Amy shared a photo from her first and final sems, as well as a selection of the 400 Elevate photos she's taken whilst presenting. We're sad to see you go, Amy, but wish you all the best in whatever you do next!
Team QLD
From team QLD we have: a photo of the QLD team dinner from Kiara; a duck-themed selfie from Lindsey; a photo from Jemma fangirling after presenting where H2O Just Add Water was filmed; a carpool pic from Isaac; a group selfie from Taylor; as promised, some Relay for Life snaps from Jemma; and two more team pics from Hannah and Simeon.
Team VIC
In Team VIC's Slack channel we've got: a first-sem post from Jasmine (congrats!); a combo post from Maddie celebrating David's birthday and welcoming newbies Ollie and Mitch; a pic from Grace celebrating another first sem from Lewis; and two induction dinner posts from Oliver and Lewis! A huge welcome to all VIC newbies!
Team WA
Team WA shared: a group selfie from Sanjay; a transcendent post-sem snap from Bhakti featuring Daniel; and a final sem pic from Jade (wishing you all the best from the Elevate team, Jade, don't be a stranger!);
Team South Africa
Just as in Aus, November marks the final full month of the academic year for Team South Africa. As a result, our SA presenters and coaches are working tirelessly to support students as they prepare to put their best foot forward in exams. Let's take a look at some of the inspiring moments from across October.
South African Presenter of the Month
Tumelo
A big shoutout to a familiar face, Tumelo, for getting SA Presenter of the Month once again for October. Tumelo has kept her seminar standards high as always, walking into November with a 9.57 teacher feedback score and 9.57% stats across 10 sems in October. Fantastic work!
We asked Tumelo how she continues to develop as a presenter, here's what she said:
“Imitation is the best form of flattery. I emulate the best in the team; that’s how I keep growing. That’s the hack. Honoured to be surrounded by the best, shoutout Team Elevate SA!”
Great advice there from an outstanding presenter whose impact resonates far and wide. We’re lucky to have you on the team, Tumelo, thank you for another awesome month of presenting!
Standout Presenter Feedback
Jessica, Musa and Lucky
"All the presenters were amazing. Well prepared and very engaged with the learners. All the kids raved about Jessica, who was absolutely amazing. Musa was fantastic, and Lucky was real fun. Thank you so much for coming out. Our kids will remember this for a long time."
Samkelo
"Girls were motivated and impressed by Sam!"
Tumelo
"Tumelo is amazing; she really related to the students! The students absolutely enjoyed the session, and we had a great turnaround; everyone engaged and we think this is because Tumelo is was young and dynamic. This program is truly designed with our students at heart. Thank you, Elevate."
South African Coach of the Month
Lara-Lynn
Our SA Coach of the Month for October is Lara-Lynn! Lara-Lynn has had another great month of coaching, receiving 9.7/10 feedback across the board. Not only has Lara-Lynn been willing to jump on last-minute sessions to help out the team, but she has also been receiving amazing feedback from parents. A standout comment from a parent outline how Lara-Lynn's work with their child completely changed their study habits and has led to a transformative change in their approach to schoolwork! Amazing work, Lara-Lynn!
As 2024 draws to a close, we asked what lesson Lara-Lynn has learned across this past year through coaching:
"Each student is unique, but I’ve learned that a little laughter goes a long way. Creating a comfortable, welcoming environment helps students feel at ease, and that’s where true learning can flourish. I’m grateful for the countless opportunities I’ve had to help and "elevate" students in their studies. Those moments when the light bulb clicks on for them—that’s when I know I’ve done my job to #helpthekids."
What a quote! Thanks, Lara-Lynn, keep up the awesome work!
Team Photos
We've got a bunch of great team photos from South Africa this month, including a host of presenter submissions, some snaps from EOTDs across the country, a photo of our wonderful SA office team, and a pic of our CEO and Founder, DB, receiving a Stormers jersey on his visit out to the office.
Team UK
In the UK, students have just returned from their first break of the school year and are now back in classrooms ready to tackle the run-up to Christmas. For some this will mean mock exams, whilst for others it means getting good habits in place for the start of 2025. With our presenters now having a good 7 weeks of presenting under their belts, our UK team are ready to help students in both groups across the country.
Let's take a look at some examples of awesome presenting and coaching from across October.
UK Presenter of the Month
Jack
A big shoutout to Jack, who is our UK Presenter of the Month for November! With an outstanding 99.25% stats and a teacher feedback score of 9.25, Jack has charged hard at helping the kids last month. Awesome feedback from students and teachers shows just what an impact this has had.
We asked Jack what one of the most important skills presenting has taught him is:
“Presenting and working at Elevate demands a professional outlook on organization. Planning travel to seminars, managing your availability, and ensuring all needs are met for any school you are travelling to all require you to take full responsibility for your time in a way no other job Ive worked at before does. This has really helped develop my organisational skills in all aspects of my life.”
A valuable lesson, indeed! Thanks for sharing, Jack, and congrats again on a fantastic October.
Standout Presenter Feedback
Jack
"Jack was warm, engaging and informative. Spoke to myself and other staff to get a good idea of how to pitch the talk."
Jithin
"Jithin is a fabulous presenter and the children were very engaged and appreciated the advice."
Johnston
"Johnston is a great presenter. Staff and some students recognised him and one remarked 'he's the best one!'. Despite the train delays Johnston was cool and calm and completely unflustered."
Juanita & Jithin
"Jithin and Juanita were brilliant with the students."
UK Coach of the Month
Jagoda
Well done, Jagoda! You’re our UK Coach of the Month for October! Jagoda’s commitment to her students shines through in her impressive stats for the month, with fantastic feedback across the board. Her dedication to each and every student she coaches has been recognised in her feedback from students and parents, even inspiring one student to enquire how they might be able to become an Elevate coach:
"My daughter has been really inspired by Jagoda and was wondering what the process is to train to become an Elevate Coach"
"She's been so helpful because I know exactly when to revise and what's too much or too little"
"Jagoda is brilliant, my daughter seems a lot more focused and positive now, thank you!"
Here's what Jagoda has enjoyed most about coaching this year:
"I've loved getting to know and helping my students, it's been really rewarding hearing all of the positive impact during our last sessions, especially in their confidence. Excited for some update emails once they've aced their exams at the end of the year!"
Standout Coach Feedback
"Joao is fantastic and an amazing mentor for my son"
Slack Channel Highlights
Swipe for some highlights from the UK Slack channel, including: a team pic from Bhavesh; some snaps from Anna of her presenting travels to Marbella with Evie; a snap from Beatrice of a team axe-throwing trip; a post-sem photo from Hasnain after presenting with Parth; a group selfie from Sahra of her session with newbie Zainab (congrats on the sem debut!), and Nehemiah, which was very sadly his last seminar with Elevate!
Team US
Over in NYC, students are also halfway through their first semester back, and as the temperature starts to drop as Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, our US presenters continue to bundle up to get out to schools across the city - and country, with one presenter flying over to the west coast last month! Check out Martina's vlog of her trip and some standout performers from the team below!
US Presenter of the Month
Troy
Here as a previous Notes from HQ US Presenter of the Month winner, Troy has bagged the title for a second time in October, and with good reason! Troy has stacked up a teacher feedback score of 9.88 and 97.54% stats across a whopping 33 sems last month, which is no mean feat!
We asked Troy what it is about the presenting role that has meant he's stayed doing it for almost three years:
"I love getting people to see something in a different way. Reframing the way they see their goals, themselves achieving them, how they handle their stress, how difficult or “easy” school might really be. It’s all a mindset. Unlocking that in people is a powerful thing.
I’ve almost been doing this for three years - and I’ve seen how every New Yorker lives, from Staten Island to the Bronx. I never would have seen the city in such scope if it weren’t for Elevate - trust me, with this job, there’s never a dull moment!"
Some awesome insight into what it's like to present in the Big Apple there, thanks for taking the time to share, Troy!
Standout Presenter Feedback
Gabby
"LOVE Gabby, she is so good, personable, and is so herself that she just gets everyone engaged."
Hilary
"Hilary was a great presenter. She was engaging and really interacted with the students well."
Slack Channel Highlights
As mentioned above, below you'll find a vlog of Martina's trip to Oakland, California. Make sure you check it out!
From the US Slack channel we also have a photo from Pedro after he ran into Matthan, a pic from Brittany of a post-sem pizza party celebrating Mariah's first sem (awesome work, Mariah), and a snap from Martina of the US TikTok crew - check out their channel below!
And that's a wrap for October, folks. Thanks for joining us!
Remember, you can send any updates you'd like included in the next update to us at notesfromhq@elevateeducation.com - we'd love to hear from you!
If you haven't already, make sure you check out October's team shoutouts and our Meet the Team with Rob, our Aus Head of Coaching!
See you next month!
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