IPPN

Published: 27 October 2011

2012 Conference Countdown
Registration for Conference 2012 is available exclusively online at www.ippn.ie.  At the time of booking for Conference 2012 you will be asked to register for your choice of seminars, workshops, and information sessions.  IPPN Principals' Conference opens on Thursday, 26 January 2012.  Running parallel with education expo will be a series of self care opportunities.  These will include yoga and Pilates classes, nutrition, somatics, mindfulness and stress management sessions. 

Petition to lobby government to protect children from budget cuts
Barnardos are collecting names for a petition to lobby government not to cut budgets in education, health and social welfare that would affect children, particularly those already disadvantaged.  If you wish to add your name to this petition, click here

County Network Meetings
During September and October, IPPN annual County Network meetings took place.  Topics covered at the meetings included:
• Boards of Management – Getting the new BoMs to work
• Management of SEN on declining resources
• Temporary Teacher Contracts – Knowing what to use
• Employee Assistance Service - EAS updates
• Principals' Advice Services
• Issues for 2011-12
• Child Protection Update
• Important Dates and Contacts.

Click here to view presentations

Parent/Teacher Meetings
Every year, we receive numerous questions about Parent/Teacher meetings. Please click here for a sample of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.
 
When should parent-teacher meetings be held?
Typically parent/teacher meetings are held late in the first term – October/November. Other schools prefer to hold these meetings towards the end of the school year in late May.  A small number of schools meet parents twice a year.  These meetings are held outside of school hours.  Normally the school will close a quarter of an hour early to facilitate staff and they commence a quarter of an hour after school normally finishes, leaving a half hour break.  Most schools allow 10/15 minutes for each meeting.  Some teachers schedule time in the morning before school or after school during the week of Parent/Teacher meetings to meet parents if that suits both parties.  This can reduce the time pressure on teachers on the day of the meeting.
 
What about families that have more than one child in the school?
This requires some co-ordination by a post holder (e.g. Deputy Principal) or secretary.  A blank timetable with 10-minute intervals is created for all class teachers covering the two or three days (whatever number of days required) scheduled for these meetings.  The families with the largest number of children are timetabled so that the parents can meet all teachers that they need to meet in the one visit.  Let’s say a parent has four children, it might be a good idea to schedule them every alternate 10 minutes i.e. teacher of senior infants (child 1) at 2.30pm, teacher of Rang 2 (child 2) at 2.50pm.  This allows for any slight delays from affecting all other parents wishing to see the same teacher.  Having centrally co-ordinated the timing of parent teacher meetings for parents with one or more child, the timetable for each class teacher is given back to the relevant teacher.  Then each teacher schedules the remaining appointments for children without siblings in the school as these appointments will have no bearing on anyone else.
 
Do all teachers need to attend, including LS/RT?
Yes, normally parents of children attending out-of-class support will want to meet those teachers as well.  Each class teacher should arrange with LS/RT teachers time to meet with parents of children that are receiving additional in-class or out of class support for learning. Given the importance of any additional support for a child’s learning, it follows that whoever provides the support should be available to meet parents when official Parent/Teacher meetings are scheduled. 

Enough salt to keep your school open
With forewarnings of yet another severe winter as well as queries to the Support Office arising from the various accidents and incidents that happened last January, we have sourced a distributor of industrial salt suitable for use on the footpaths, play grounds and car parks of schools.

IPPN has partnered with Clearwater Technology Ltd, an Irish company, to provide Snowclear De-icer Salt to IPPN member schools at a specially-negotiated rate.

Last year, once the bad weather arrived, Clearwater Technology Ltd. supplied a number of schools nationwide with their high grade Snowclear de-icing salt product. Upon review they felt that schools would benefit more by having the product on site before the arrival of bad weather, rather than paying a premium to source it once the bad weather arrived. With this in mind, they approached us to provide members with a discounted deal which allows schools to order and take delivery of the product now so that it can be used immediately upon the arrival of the much-anticipated frost and snow.

Clearwater Technology is offering IPPN members two options on their Snowclear De-icer salt as follows:

Option 1:                                                                    
1 x pallet Snowclear De-icer salt                                      
(1050kg's/25kg bags/42 Bags per pallet)                            
IPPN Discounted Rate: €310 (Product is VAT exempt)           
Price includes delivery to school at a time that suits you       

Option 2:
1 x pallet Snowclear De-icer salt
(1040kg’s/8kg bags/130 Bags per pallet)
IPPN Discounted rate: €338 (Product is VAT exempt)
Price includes delivery to school at a time that suits you

‘We recently purchased a pallet of de-icing salt from your company, 'Clearwater'. I was very impressed with the next day delivery, the quality of the product and the excellent price. Your company is by far the cheapest and best value that I could find for a product of this quality’.
Dónal Ó hÓbáin, Principal Teacher, St Mary’s NS, Ashbourne, Co. Meath

We understand that a pallet is a substantial order for many schools. However as the average retail price of a 3kg bag of salt is €6.99, schools have the option of making their stock available to staff and others for domestic use at a much better price than the average quoted. (There is no VAT on this product and therefore no issue for schools selling it on to others).

To order contact:
John@ClearWater.ie - 0719642837/0868517547
KathrynColeman@ClearWater.ie - 0419801598/0872345247
http://www.clearwater.ie/
 
Is sinne le meas

Seán Cottrell & Gerry Murphy