11 January 2024 - Termly Staff Meeting, STEM Grant, Key Updates
- Published: 11 January 2024
This week’s e-scéal includes information on the following:
- Planning Prompots
- Termly Staff Meeting
- Leave Policy
- IPPN Deputy CEO Appointment
- STEM Grants
- Ukrainian Teachers - Apply for Registration to Teaching Council
- IPPN NAPD Symposium
- Opening a Special Class - Part 3
- New Resources
- Latest Updates
- Global Village
- Key Dates
To help in prioritising your work as the new term begins, please see the Planning Prompts below. They come with a reminder that they are not a ‘To Do List’. Things that are relevant to another school may not have relevance to your individual school’s context and capacity.
As you set goals for the school, the P-I-E-W model developed by IPPN may well assist in identifying those goals and managing the implementation and embedding of the school’s priorities.
Professional Guidance - The Termly Staff Meeting
The value of the staff meeting at the start of each school term cannot be underestimated.
This opportunity to remind all staff of the very important daily practises that keep the school running smoothly and safely is paramount in keeping everybody on track and perhaps can help to avoid having individual conversations of a challenging nature regarding issues around professionalism and possible underperformance.
Professional Guidance – Leave Policy
At the start of the new calendar year, it is timely that all school Boards of Management and School Staff consult on a review or the development of a new Leave Policy in preparation for 2024 applications.
This highly important school policy is governed by the regulations and procedures set out in circular 0054/2019, which covers all types of leave available to teaching staff with approved contracts.
IPPN is delighted to confirm that the position of Deputy CEO has been filled through an external recruitment process. Brian O'Doherty, who currently serves as Sustainable Leadership Project Coordinator, has been appointed to the role.
Brian will work closely with the CEO, the President and the senior management team on IPPN's Advocacy & Communications and Supports & Services outputs in line with IPPN's strategic plan.
Click here to view Brian’s bio
The timing of and the process used for the allocation of grant funding for STEM before Christmas has been raised as an issue by members across the Network. IPPN will raise the concerns with the Primary Education Forum (DE and official education partners) in the first instance, and will then follow up with the relevant DE officials, to ensure that the most appropriate and equitable mechanisms are used to allocate funding of this nature to schools. We will keep members apprised of any developments via E-scéal.
Ukrainian Teachers – Apply for Registration to the Teaching Council
Teachers who qualified in Ukraine and have been granted Temporary Protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive can apply for registration with the Teaching Council process for Ukrainian teachers as a primary, post-primary, or special education teacher with the Teaching Council, if they can provide evidence of:
1. A qualification from the Ukrainian university in which they studied, or
2. Evidence of registration, or
3. A license to teach in Ukraine.
IPPN and NAPD have collaborated to convene a symposium on education and school leadership in Ireland, entitled “Reimagining leadership for effective schools”.
The symposium takes place on Thursday, 11th January, and will be attended by the primary and post-primary education stakeholders.
Opening a Special Class - Part 3
In this, the final of a three-part series on opening a special class, we explore the much-discussed area of ‘integration’ within a framework of inclusion in the whole school. Part 1 of this series of articles dealt with the importance of the people, policy and planning, and the physical environment as the special class is opened. Part 2 explored the purpose, process and proof. Part 3 looks at the final 3Ps: Participation, Partnership and Provision.
Click here to view/download the article.
Recently-added resources include:
- Deputy Principal, Teacher and SNA interview questions
- Whole school English plans
- Scéim bliana Ranganna 1 agus 2 – Gaeilge
- Reading and Writing Yearly Plan +
- Deputy Principal Interview – Questions and Marking Scheme
- Guidelines for new, substitute and fulltime Teachers
- Guidelines for Student Teachers & Others Working in ABC School
- Plean Scoile Gaeilg
Click here to view all new resources
To be shared with your Board, staff and parent body as appropriate
Circular 0001/2024 - Cost of living measure to support increased school running costs in 2024
Circular 0004/2024 – Extension to the Waiver of Abatement of Public Sector Pensions under Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012
Register to attend Focus groups of Principals and deputy principals to help develop the first SNA Workforce Development Plan
Global Village hosted their first webinar of the school year in December - An Introduction to Global Citizenship Education (GCE) in the Primary School Curriculum.
Stay abreast of GCE CPD and events at https://globalvillageschools.ie/
Join the Global Village mailing list by emailing info@globalvillageschools.ie.
Significant dates in January and February
- Word Search Day 16th Jan
- International Day of Education (UN) – 24th Jan
- Story-telling Week
- St Brigid’s Day – First Monday of February
- Safer Internet Day – 6th Feb
- Children’s Mental Health Week - Second week of February
- International Day of Women and Girls in Science – 11th Feb
- Random Acts of Kindness Day – 17th Feb
