IPPN

Published: 12 November 2020

I am no longer receiving networking@ emails. What do I do?

• Log in to your www.ippn.ie member account
• Go to ‘Supports, Mailing Lists, Manage My Mailing Lists’ on the menu tool bar
• The email address associated with your membership is listed in the ‘Email Address’ field
• Select mailing lists to which you wish to subscribe
• Scroll to bottom of page and select ‘Submit Changes’ button.

I want to receive networking@ to another email address. How can I do this?

Step 1

• Log in to your www.ippn.ie member account
• Go to ‘Supports, Mailing Lists, Manage My Mailing Lists’ on the menu tool bar
• The email address is listed in the ‘Email Address’ field
• Select the ‘Unsubscribe’ field
• Scroll to bottom of page and select ‘Submit Changes’ button.

Step 2

• Update the email address listed in the ‘Email Address’ field
• Select the mailing lists to which you wish to be ‘Subscribed’
• Scroll to bottom of page and select ‘Submit Changes’ button.

Published: 12 November 2020

Example of Deputy Principal Support Group Meeting
On Tuesday, November 5th, Clare Education Centre was delighted to host a meeting of 28 Primary Deputy Principals. Orla Brady, Deputy Principal of Crusheen NS facilitated the meeting.

Pairic Clerkin, CEO of IPPN, attended and outlined how IPPN are currently supporting and want to continue to develop support for Deputy Principals. Martin Moloney, Chairperson of the IPPN Clare County Committee, outlined the role of Clare IPPN in supporting deputies and explained the benefits of small support groups. He highlighted the importance of strong leadership in schools. Ger Ruane, IPPN Treasurer and IPPN Clare County Committee CPD organiser, explained how IPPN’s local Professional Development events are open to Principals and Deputies. IPPN welcomes opportunities to organise bespoke events for Deputy Principals. He also highlighted the importance of Deputy Principals being fully familiar with the running of the school, as they may have to take on the role of Acting Principal in the absence of the Principal.

Participants availed of the opportunity to explore common issues in ‘Breakout Rooms’. Feedback in the plenary session focused on building and sustaining staff morale (Pizza parties, gift lunches, mindfulness speakers etc), sharing good practice and exploring common issues such as Parent Teacher Meetings, wellbeing, meeting the needs of high-risk pupils and substitute cover.

Future themed meetings are planned for the IPPN Deputy Principal Support Group. Possible topics for discussion include leading meetings, leading SEN and running the school when the Principal is absent.

It was suggested that consideration could be given to the creation of a support group for Deputy Principals of larger schools (where the Principal is Administrative) and Deputy Principals of smaller schools (where the Principal is teaching).

Published: 12 November 2020

Schools are currently making preparations for Parent/Teacher meetings, as well as deciding when to schedule them into the 2020/21 school year. Most parents look forward to the meeting, even if it is only for 10mins to discuss their child’s progress. The majority of meetings proceed smoothly and with good humour and teachers and parents generally feel appreciated and affirmed by the experience.

In last week’s e-scéal, we included Guidance issued by the DES for the facilitation of parent/teacher meetings for 2020/2021 school year.

The following are some issues/suggestions that may need to be considered:

• What is the school’s preferred option for facilitating parent/teacher meetings?
• What if a parent becomes upset and/or aggressive during a parent/teacher meeting?
• What if a parent wants to record the meeting? If online, confirm to the parent that the session is not being recorded and that there is no one else with you in the room. Ask the parent to confirm the same.
• What if more than the allocated time is required? Discuss and agree the procedure to be followed in these cases. There may be instances where a teacher does not feel comfortable meeting a particular parent(s) on their own. In such cases it would be advisable to support that teacher by sitting in on the meeting or by having a Support teacher present during the meeting. If online, specific permission will need to be obtained from the parent(s) attending. Be aware that some parents may surreptitiously record a parent/teacher meeting. This is illegal and can only be done with the consent of the parties involved. Many schools now post prominent notices to this effect. (See above)
• Normally parents of children availing of additional support, will want to meet those teachers. These can be arranged as a follow-up to meeting the class teacher or involve both teachers at the same time. These arrangements will depend on the school context and procedures, especially in the context of Covid-19 protocols.

Published: 10 November 2020

 

 

News Mag Media are publishers of curriculum-linked monthly children's news magazines. We've been publishing The Primary Planet since 2011, which is aimed at 4th - 6th class pupils. We publish News Flash for our younger readers (2nd - 4th class pupils).

We also, in conjunction with COGG, publish an Irish-language news magazine called Eipic. This is aimed at the senior end of gaelscoileanna and primary schools in Gaeltacht areas, as well as the JC cycle in mainstream secondary schools. Each issue of The Primary Planet and News Flash come with an online Teachers Resource Pack and planning document. Our website provides further reading, quizzes, maths challenges, cloze tests, comprehension exercises and more, that run in tandem with each monthly issue. 

 

EIPIC Flyer

The Primary Planet and News Flash Children’s are monthly curriculum-linked news magazines. They are topical and current with something for everyone. This makes them suitable for both avid and reluctant readers.