IPPN

The IPPN Support Office will be closed from July 13th until August 17th. However, if you are in need of urgent advice i.e. something that cannot wait until the end of August, please send information by email to support@ippn.ie. Members of the IPPN Executive have kindly volunteered to respond to urgent enquiries during the holiday period. Please revert to the links at the end of this E-scéal which contain information relating to the to main queries being received by the Support Office. This is the last E-scéal you will receive before schools reopen. We have asked the DES again not issue circulars during the official summer holidays in recognition of a Principal's entitlement to official leave.

Buíochas
This past year gone has been another challenging year for school leaders. We would like to thank the Principals and Deputies who have been generous with their time and expertise for the benefit of fellow school leaders by serving on our National and Executive Committees. We also thank the dedicated staff at the IPPN Support Office who have worked on so many projects, events and delivered services for our members. Finally, we wish to thank you, as a member of IPPN, for your support and belief in IPPN.

We trust that you will take a well-deserved break during the summer holidays to fully relax, renew and rejuvenate. Remember, if you don't look after yourself, it is unlikely that anyone else will.

Is sinne le buíochas,

Larry Fleming, Virginia O'Mahony & Seán Cottrell

Newly Appointed Principals - Summer Course, Resources and Mentoring
Congratulations to all those who have been appointed to Principalship in 2008. If you have been appointed recently, or if your school is about to make an appointment, please contact the IPPN Support Office with contact details for the new Principal. This will allow us provide key supports and services before the beginning of the new school year:

• Ciall Ceannaithe - online summer course (EPV days)
• A resource pack for Newly Appointed Principals including the Principals' Information Management System (PIMS), copies of Leadership+, Member Services booklet, free credits for textaparent.ie
• Mentoring - confidential support and advice from an experienced Principal
• 2008principals@ippn.ie - a group e-mail for discussion, questions and answers. This mailing list is facilitated by 2 experienced Principals.

Retiring Principals - Associate Membership
We wish those 350 Principals embarking on this new stage in their lives a happy and fruitful retirement from the 'front line'. We are aware that some retired Principals like to remain in contact and within 'the loop'. If this is the case, please contact the Support Office by phone or e-mail with your school roll number, home address, mobile phone number & e-mail address. Retired Principals can now take out Associate Membership of IPPN, forms are available to download here. This will enable you to keep in touch more easily with former colleagues, and to continue to receive Leadership+ and other publications.

Do you know of Schools having difficulty in recruiting a Principal?
Many schools nationwide are experiencing considerable difficulty in attracting even one application for the post of Teaching Principal. We are currently aware of at least 4 schools in such a situation. If you know of a school with this problem in your immediate area or county, please forward details of the school to Larry Fleming (by email to president@ippn.ie). Details will be held in strictest confidence.
This information will be used to inform IPPN policy on the recruitment and retention crisis in the system at present.

Deputy Principals' Conference - Resources
The presentations and a synopsis of the questions and answer sessions from the Deputy Principals' Conference in Ballinasloe on 19th and 20th May are available to download here. to access materials from the following:

• Fiona King - SEN: Pupil Withdrawal or In-class Support
• Jim Hayes & Angela Lynch - Building Professional Relationships
• Pat Goff & Larry Fleming - Inclusion - Policy & Practice
• Gretta O'Shea - Tánaiste Programme
• IPPN Executive Committee Q&A
• Attendee evaluation forms

Principal's Information Management System (PIMS)
Those schools who ordered their copy of PIMS 2008/2009 should receive them by post this week. Schools that closed before 27th June should contact their local Post Office because due to the size of the package, An Post may not have been able to leave a copy at your school. If you did not book your free copy of PIMS by May 12th you can purchase a copy (to cover once-off printing costs) by contacting the IPPN Support Office at support@ippn.ie.

Teaching Vacancies - wwww.educationposts.ie
Educationposts.ie has proven to be a huge success, particularly since the DES officially recognised online advertising of vacancies, with more than 1,700 vacancies advertised so far in 2008 on educationposts.ie and over 6,000 teachers registered to receive automatic email alerts. If you have any feedback on how the website could be further improved, please send it to project@ippn.ie

Membership Renewal - Direct Debit Option now available
Membership renewal forms will be sent to your school at the beginning of the new school year. This September we are introducing a Direct Debit facility as a means of removing one further task from your workload. Just like paying the electricity or telephone bill, it saves administration time for both yourself and our support office staff. Should you wish to deal with Membership renewal now rather than in September, you may download the application form here. If you renew by direct debit before September 30th you will be automatically entered in a free draw for one of 20 weekend breaks for two in a range of 4* hotels.

IPPN On-line CPD - Summer Courses - EPV Approved
This summer, IPPN is offering its most comprehensive Summer Programme of Professional Development to date. The topics being covered are at the core of every Principal's working day and will provide greater understanding of the role and innovative solutions to the many challenges facing Principals. Available courses include Challenging Behaviour, Bullying - Prevention & Counteraction, Ciall Ceannaithe for Newly Appointed Principals & The Principal and the Law.