IPPN

Published: 22 June 2021

Buíochas & Support Office Opening Hours

As we come to the end of an extraordinary school year where school leaders were presented with challenges on a scale we have only known over the past 16 months, we want to earnestly and sincerely thank each and every one of you for the incredible job you have done in keeping your school open and working. From battles emerge heroes, and when the story of how Ireland coped with the Covid-19 pandemic, the efforts of school leaders and their staffs should be lauded and celebrated. Whether you were a newly-appointed principal or a 25-year veteran, in a large urban or small rural school, you have brought your school through circumstances never encountered before, to a point where we can contemplate a return to ‘normal’ sometime during the forthcoming school year.

For many, this was their final year in school leadership and retirement plans are now real. We want to wish every one of our colleagues closing the Leabhar Tinrimh or its digital equivalent for the final time this week or next, a happy and fulfilling retirement. We would like to thank them for their contribution to education and to the numerous children they have guided and supported throughout the years of their teaching career. You should reflect on a job very well done.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone well during the holidays and urge you and your family to enjoy a proper break over the coming weeks .September will bring a continuation of Covid-related restrictions to which we have grown all too accustomed. We hope that at some stage during 2021/22, those restrictions can be lifted when safe to do so, and regular and unbridled interaction can resume in our schools and communities. While each summer holiday period usually involves work for school leaders with appointments, summer programmes, repairs etc…, we would strongly advise you to build in a proper and substantial break from schoolwork. You need it for your own health and wellbeing, and to be ready and re-energised for the next school year. Unless you identify and take care of your own needs, it is unlikely that anyone can or will do so for you. You owe it to yourself. Don’t forget that one of the strongest forms of leadership is through example. Others will learn from you, as you prioritise the importance of your self-care.

Buíochas
Despite many challenges and difficulties in leading your school community, there will also have been happy and fulfilling moments. Remember and cherish these times. We want to acknowledge and thank the many principals and deputy principals, who have given of their time and expertise to assist their colleagues in IPPN. We thank in particular the members of IPPN’s Board of Directors and National Council, who have worked tirelessly throughout the year, the members of our County Network Committees in organising CPD and developing new Support Groups, the members of the Professional Guidance Panel, who supported colleagues during difficult times, the school leaders who answered the many queries posted on the mailing lists and the team of retired principals who worked on a number of special projects. We thank the staff of the National Support Office for their commitment and work in supporting school leaders. We thank you, as a member of IPPN for participating in our network and providing the collegial support that is the strength of IPPN. Bíodh saoire iontach agaibh i mbliana.

IPPN National Support Office - Summer Opening
The IPPN National Support Office will remain open during the summer to provide support to IPPN members. Our telephone lines are open from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, providing assistance if needed throughout the summer.

Bainigí taitneamh agus tairbhe as laethanta saoire an tSámhraidh.

Is sinne le meas

Páiric Clerkin      Damian White
IPPN CEO          IPPN President