InTouch
Irish National Teachers’ Organisation
Cumann Múinteoirí Éireann
Issue No 87 September 2007
ISSN 1393-4813
■ GET INVOLVED IN YOUR UNION ■ ADVICE FOR NEW TEACHERS ■ INTERVIEW WITH THE MI
PLUS NEWS AND TIPS ■ GET INVOLVED IN YOUR UNION ■ ADVICE FOR NEW TEACHERS ■ INT
WITH THE MINISTER ■ PLUS NEWS AND TIPS ■ GET INVOLVED IN YOUR UNION ■ ADVICE FO
Putting U into the Union
A
s the new school year starts, I want to wish all
INTO members a happy and successful year in
schools up and down the country. In particular,
I want to extend a warm welcome to new members and
wish you every success in your career in primary teaching and in your membership of the union.
Just as teachers at this time set out plans and priorities for the year ahead so too must the INTO. And like
teachers we must build on previous work as well as
addressing new challenges.
On-going work includes ensuring that commitments
given in the programme for government, particularly
in relation to class size are implemented when and as
promised. Earlier this year, INTO members throughout
the country fought hard to secure these commitments
and now we must ensure delivery. We must also ensure
that school funding promises are honoured and end
the scandalous under-funding of primary schools.
Salary will also be a key issue this year. The
Benchmarking Body, to whom the INTO made a strong
submission last year, is expected to be published this
term. There are key salary issues which this report
must address.
In addition, the year will be an important one for the
INTO as an organisation. For some years now the active
participation of members at every level of the union
has not been as strong as in previous years. We intend
to make recruitment and active participation a major
feature of our work this year and all levels of the union
will work together on this.
There are many ways in which members can and do
interact with an organisation. We are determined to
ensure that our members are facilitated to participate
to the greatest possible extent in the affairs of the
union. It is only by doing this that we can accurately
represent the views and effectively meet the needs of
all members.
In schools I want to re-emphasise and stress the
importance of the role of the INTO staff representative.
The staff representative plays a vital role in the
Organisation from the recruitment of new members to
providing on-going advice, assistance and information.
This year I appeal to you not to let another teacher
represent you at branch meetings. If you are a member
who for some years has not attended meetings please
make a special effort to do so and make your views
heard.
Perhaps you are a member who for one reason or
another has not taken an active role in the INTO so far
but would now like to do so, this will be the year for
you.
We will also be organising a special conference for
younger members next spring so that we can actively
engage with matters of particular concern to young
teachers.
On a number of fronts it promises to be a busy year.
I ask you, the individual member to play your part to
ensure that it is a successful one.
General Secretary
In this issue …
INCREMENTAL CREDIT FOR HIBERNIA
STUDENTS
PG 9
INTO GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL
RESEARCH
PG14
CLASS SIZE CAMPAIGN HIGHLY
COMMENDED
PG15
ON-LINE COURSE FOR LEARNING
SUPPORT / RESOURCE TEACHERS
PG16
MEET THE CEC
PG 19
FIRST STEPS FOR NEWLY QUALIFIED
TEACHERS
PG35
InTouch September 2007
Pictured on front cover of this month’s InTouch: Caroline McCarthy,
Staff Representative, Scoil Mhuire Náisiúnta, Cora Finne, Co Clare,
speaking to Gareth Heagney, Acting Principal and Miriam
MacNamara, teacher.
3
Primary teaching – the profession
COMMERCIAL
PRODUCTS IN
SCHOOLS
Motions have been adopted at
INTO Congress in recent years
reflecting a growing concern
among members at the
increasing presence in
schools of commercial
products and schemes.
A policy document, adopted
by the CEC, was circulated to
all principals and INTO staff
representatives in the Forum
bulletin in June. It will also be
included in the Guiding
Principals Resource Pack and
is available in full on the INTO
website at www.into.ie.
The policy advises that
schools should consider two
criteria when looking at
schemes, (a) the advertising
content and (b) the educational quality. The INTO
policy expands on these principles and gives practical
examples for schools.
Feedback on the policy is
welcome to [email protected].
WARNING ON
FUNDING
A number of schools have
reported receiving letters from
debt collection agencies
demanding payment for services that were never ordered or
provided and threatening court
action in Ireland and/or abroad
if payment plus penalties is not
made immediately. INTO
advice in such cases is to establish at school level that no
commercial agreement was
made and to ignore the
demands. Other approaches
have involved free school
diaries or other publications.
Similar approaches will be
highlighted to all schools by
Head Office if details are
provided. Please send details to
[email protected]
In the classroom
MINISTER DECIDES
AGAINST
IMMERSION
EDUCATION
The Minister for Education
and Science announced
during the summer that
pupils in Gaelscoileanna and
Scoileanna sa Ghaeltacht will
have access to the teaching
of English at junior infant
level.
The CEC of the INTO wrote
to the Minister supporting
the views of the NCCA that
a variety of options including immersion education
should be available to
these schools. However, in
her response the Minister
reiterated her opposition
to immersion education.
Further details are posted on
the INTO website at
www.into.ie
INTO UNHAPPY WITH
DRAFT BEHAVIOUR
GUIDELINES
The National Education
Welfare Board published draft
guidelines on the development of codes of behaviour
prior to the summer. The CEC
made a detailed submission in
response calling for practical
suggestions, appropriate
supports and resources for
teachers, the inclusion of
sanctions as contained in
previous circulars and more
emphasis on the role of
parents and support in schools.
The INTO also sought more
specific guidance and clarification on a number of practical issues including record
keeping and urged the NEWB
to issue sample codes of
behaviour to schools.
The draft codes are available
on the NEWB website at
www.newb.ie and on the INTO
website. Comments from
members will be welcome to
[email protected].
INTO – trade union issues
CENSUS OF MEMBERS
The INTO is installing a new
membership database in
order to provide a more
informative and responsive
system to the management of
queries and cases, and to
assist in the organisation of
various conferences and training events. As part of the verification of data, INTO staff
representatives will be asked
to conduct a census in their
schools later this term. More
information will issue in due
course and the co-operation of
members will be appreciated.
4
OFFICERS’
CONFERENCE
A conference for the
Cathaoirleach and Secretary of
INTO Districts and Branches
will be held in Dublin on
Saturday, 15 September. The
officers will be briefed at the
conference on current issues
including the ongoing public
service benchmarking process,
school staffing and developments in education legislation
and policy. The conference will
also focus on building information technology capacity for
communication with branches
and districts. The final section
of the conference will deal with
the recruitment and participation strategy agreed by the CEC
prior to the summer and
propose developments at local
level within the Organisation
during the course of the coming
school year.
GUIDING PRINCIPALS
A new resource pack for principal teachers has been developed by the INTO. The pack
which is titled Guiding
Principals features a number of
fact sheets, guidance and
information on
issues for
school
principals,
a CD
containing
a school
plan and
other
resources, and a range of INTO
publications. The pack will be
distributed by members of the
CEC and INTO Principals’ and
Deputy Principals’ Committee
at special INTO Forum meetings towards the end of
September.
InTouch September 2007
World of education
Pages
News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 27, 34, 37
Departments
Conditions of Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Communications, Principals and Social Inclusion . . . . 10
Legal, Industrial Relations
& Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Professional Development & Trade Union Training. 16, 17
CEC / Head Office News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Around the Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
PENSIONS AND PAY
UNDER SCRUTINY
Members will have seen
recent media speculation
on public sector pay and
pensions in the lead up to
the publication of the Second
Report of the Public Service
Benchmarking Body.
An analysis posted on the
Department of Finance
website in June showed that
the public sector pay and
pensions bill rose by almost
% over the five years to
, and that education
showed the greatest rise.
The report also showed an
increase in public service
employment of .% in the
five year period mainly due
to additional staff in health
and education.
Pensions now account for
% of the total pay bill.
The report also showed,
however, that pay and
pensions as a percentage of
GNP and GDP had stayed
fairly constant.
Members can expect further
speculation as
various interest groups
report in advance of the
Benchmarking Report due
later this year.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
An updated version of Your
Child in the Primary School –
Tips for Parents was distributed
to schools through branch
secretaries in June. In response
to the increased enrolment of
international children whose
first language is not English the
INTO has published web
versions of the booklet in
Polish, Spanish and French as
well as in Irish and English.
These are available through
www.into.ie
InTouch September 2007
Contents
JOE TOPS THE POLL
IN SEANAD
ELECTION
pg 28
Senator Joe O’Toole was
elected to the first of the
three NUI seats in Seanad
Éireann after a prolonged
count in the Royal College of
Surgeons on Thursday, 
July .
Joe headed the poll of 
candidates on the first count
with , votes and
increased his total to ,
votes when elected on the
st count as the sole candidate to exceed the quota of
, votes. The turnout was
, voters.
Joe has been a member of
Seanad Éireann continuously
since  and has been a
constant voice for education
– in particular, primary
education – in An Seanad.
His candidature was
endorsed by INTO and after
the completion of the count
he expressed his profound
gratitude to the membership
of both the INTO and the
INTO Retired Teachers’
Association for their unstinting support throughout the
two-month long campaign
period.
pg 53
pg 27
pg 47
pg 39
Participation – your Staff Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Comhar Linn Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Benefits and Discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Cumann na mBunscol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Scéalta ó Iarrthóirí an SCG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29
Department of Justice Poetry/Rap competition . . . . . 30, 31
Interview with Minister for Education & Science . . . . 32, 33
NQTs – Advice as you begin your career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Retirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Craft in the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 41
Colour my Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 45
Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 – 55
Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 59
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5
Mary says
farewell
Changes
at Head
Office
M
ary Ward, Administrative Officer in INTO
Head Office and well known to many
members through her interaction with
them on the INTO query line and in the organisation of retirement planning seminars, recently
took early retirement from Head Office.
Pictured at the presentation to her from the CEC in
recognition of her work over the years are; Angela
Dunne, INTO President; Billy Sheehan, Assistant
General Secretary in the Conditions of Employment
Section; Mary Ward and Mary Lally, Senior Official in
the Conditions of Employment Section.
A
INTO at ICTU
INTO General Secretary John Carr,
Deputy General Secretary Sheila
Nunan, President Angela Dunne
and Vice-President Declan
Kelleher at ICTU Conference in
Bundoran in July.
The INTO delegation proposed
motions on early childhood
education and also on
provision and supports for
primary education.
Other contributions were made
on economic and social policy
debates.
number of staffing
changes have taken
place in Head Office
over the summer period.
Edna Jordan, Senior Official
with the INTO in the
Professional Development
Unit, who had been on
secondment to the
National Centre for
Partnership for the past five
years has now taken up a
full time position with the
NCP.
Orla Walsh, who joined
the INTO last year as an
official in the Professional
Development Unit has
completed her year secondment and is returning as
principal of Mary
Immaculate NS, Collooney,
Co Sligo. The CEC expressed
its thanks to Edna and Orla
at a function prior to the
summer and wished them
well in their future careers.
Like to join our Head Office team?
Vacancy for one Permanent Official and one Temporary Official
Organisation profile
Profile of successful applicant
The INTO is the largest teachers’ organisation in Ireland representing the trade
union and professional interests of more
than , members in the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The core mission of the INTO is to
provide a quality service to members on
employment and professional issues.
Applications are now invited for one
permanent official and one temporary
official at our Head Office in Dublin. The
temporary post will be effective until 
August .
They will be part of teams responding
effectively to the issues and queries raised
by members.
The successful applicants will be part of a
dynamic team at INTO Head Office. They
will be expected to have a knowledge of
the affairs of the INTO, to possess good
communication and interpersonal skills
and to be able to work effectively in a
team environment, showing commitment
and initiative.
They will also have an understanding of
current issues in primary education, and
have a third level qualification in education or industrial relations, as well as
having appropriate professional experience. Applicants should also be proficient
in the use and application of Information
and Communication Technology.
InTouch September 2007
Opportunities will be provided for
appropriate upskilling and training.
Application forms, job description and
conditions of service are available from:
The General Secretary, INTO,
 Parnell Square, Dublin .
Tel:   . Fax   .
Email: [email protected]
Completed application forms must
reach the General Secretary by  p.m. on
Monday,  September .
INTO is an equal opportunties
employer.
7
Hibernia students get incremental
credit
F
ollowing representations from the
INTO, agreement has been reached at
the Teachers Conciliation Council
that teachers with a post graduate diploma
in primary teaching from Hibernian
College will be awarded one years
incremental credit in respect of the period
of the course. Such teachers will start on
the same point of the common basic scale
(point ) as teachers with post graduate
diplomas in primary teaching from other
recognised colleges of education subject to
the condition that incremental credit
cannot be claimed or rewarded for periods
of substitute or temporary/fixed term
teaching undertaken during the duration
of course. Circular / sets out the
details of the resolution of the INTO claim.
Accordingly teachers with a post graduate diploma in primary teaching from
Hibernia who commenced on the second
point of the common basic scale and did
not undertake substitute or temporary
fixed-term teaching throughout the duration of the course are now entitled to claim
one year’s incremental credit in respect of
the period of the course. Teachers who
consider that they qualify for one year’s
incremental credit under the terms of the
circular should apply in writing to Primary
Payments Section, Department of
Education and Science, Cornamaddy,
Athlone.
Posts of responsibility – check your
entitlement
F
rom  September 
schools entitlements to
posts of responsibility are
determined by reference to the
number of authorised teaching
posts which have been sanctioned in the year which the
post of responsibility accrue.
Authorised teaching posts are:
. All mainstream teaching
posts warranted in a school
by reference to the enrolment of the school of 
September of the previous
school year.
. All sanctioned ex-quota posts.
. Teaching posts sanctioned
provisionally in accordance
with maximum class size
guidelines, if any, and/or
teaching posts sanctioned
provisionally in accordance
with the developing school
criteria if any, may also be
reckoned. However, in the
event that the post(s) is/are
suppressed following verification of the enrolment
teaching posts so reckoned
will be disallowed and
appropriate adjustments to
the post of responsibility
schedule implemented.
. Generally teaching posts
sanctioned prior to 
December of a school year
may be reckoned for the
purposes of determining
posts of responsibility providing that the teaching posts
are filled promptly. In this
case payment of the allowance
(if any) is made from the
date of appointment.
5. Save in exceptional circumstances teaching posts sanctioned to a school after the
end of the first term ie, after
 December will not be
reckoned for determining
the number of posts of
responsibility due to a school
in that school year. If reckoned payment of the
allowance if any is made
from the date of appointment.
. Supernumerary posts are
excluded from the number
of authorised posts in a
school.
Schools should check the schedule and ascertain whether they
have correct number of posts.
The current schedule of posts
of responsibility is available
from the Department of
Education website www.education.ie (Circular /) or
from the INTO website at www.
into.ie/ROI/WorkingConditions
/Promotion/ScheduleofPostsof
Responsibility/
Lunch time supervision (Circular /)
.. A school is entitled to 
hours supervision per
annum for each full time
teaching post including
temporary/fixed term
teaching posts or to a minimum of a  hours per
school (whichever is the
greater).
.. The number of full time
teaching posts allocated
to a school on  Sept in a
school determines
the number of hours supervision due to a school in
InTouch September 2007
that year. eg, if a school has
ten full time teaching
posts on  Sept, a maximum of ten supervision
payments of  hours will
be made to the school for
the school year.
.. There are no circumstances where additional
supervision monies can
be paid to a school over
and above the staffing
allocation of  Sept.
.. Where there is a shared
teaching post this post is
counted in the base
school when calculating
entitlement to supervision
allocation.
Roster for supervision
.. The principal teacher
should have prepared the
roster for supervision and
where possible this should
normally be drawn up
before the start of the
school year.
.. The roster should include
arrangements for provid-
ing supervision for short
term absences of  days
or less ie, for teachers to
swap days they are due to
do supervision duties. It
should be submitted to
the BOM for approval to
be retained in the school
for inspection by
Department officials.
.. The roster should be posted in a prominent position within the school so
that all teaching staff have
access to it.
9
Minority Ethnicities and Minority
Languages in Irish Education
S
t Patrick’s College Drumcondra hosted
the first ever ‘Minority Ethnicities and
Minority Languages in Irish Education’
on Thursday June . The conference was
organised by Karl Kitching, St Patrick’s
College and Rory McDaid, St Gabriel’s NS,
Dublin. The conference was opened by the
Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan.
Dr Dympna Deveine of UCD gave a presentation entitled Making a Difference:
Teaching and Learning in Newly Multi-Ethnic
Schools. This presentation was based on
research conducted in the last few years
highlighted the complexity of the issues
facing schools including the challenges to
school ethos and sense of identity, the
development of relationships not only with
pupils but also with parents, understanding racism, the need for national, school
and curricular policies and the need for
leadership and professional development.
Dr Barbara Lazenby Simpson of Integrate
Ireland Language and Training (IILT) highlighted the work of this DES established and
funded agency. One of the principle aims of
IILT is to identify, develop and implement
best practice in the delivery of language
support to newcomer children.
Annette Honan of NCCA spoke about
Intercultural Guidelines: Guidelines for Schools
– the aims of the guidelines and their key
principles.
Professor Jim Cummins from the
Rory McDaid, St Gabriel’s NS, Professor Jim Cummins, University of Toronto and Karl Kitching, St
Patrick’s College pictured at the conference on Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity in schools which
was held in St Patrick’s College Dublin, in June.
University of Toronto gave the keynote
address. He detailed language and literacy
development among EAL pupils in an international context. He emphasised the
centrality of language engagement for these
learners and highlighted the link between
the level of literacy engagement and literacy performance (OECD, ). He indicated that Ireland, given its early stage in
policy development, can learn from the
Census figures show
diversity in population
F
igures from the Central
Statistics Office
published during the
summer show the continuing
growth and diversity in Irish
society. A new question
revealed that six out of ten of
the Irish Asian community were
living in Dublin in  and
that Dublin also had the largest
number of persons with black
or black Irish ethnicity.
The CSO figures also show
that % of persons with black
or black Irish ethnicity living in
the state were born in this
country and that the resulting
10
age profile is quite young with
more than one third aged less
than ten years.
The latest figures also profile
the Traveller population in
Ireland showing that two out of
every five Travellers were aged
less than fifteen years in 
compared with one in five of
the general population. The
CSO figures also showed that
four out of ten Travellers who
responded lived in temporary
accommodation.
Further details are available
on the CSO website at
www.CSO.ie
experiences of others and, therefore, has a
choice in the creation and realisation of a
vision for its future. The afternoon session
focused a variety of teachers, community
workers and students who related their
own personal and professional experiences
of language acquisition and cultural integration. Over  teachers and other
professionals in the education field
attended the conference.
Principals in the Workhouse!
Our picture shows new and experienced principals at the INTO
organised summer course for them in the recently refurbished Old
Workhouse in Carrickmacross.
InTouch September 2007
Provisional/conditional recognition
T
he DES recently issued
Circular / in relation to the Protection of
Employees (Fixed Term Work)
Act  to schools. This
Circular deals comprehensively
with issues related to fixed term
work and contracts of indefinite
duration.
One of the most welcome and
significant clarifications
included in the Circular is in
relation to the teachers who
have conditional registration
from the Teaching Council with
the option for fulfilling the Irish
language requirement through
an aptitude test (SCG) or an
adaptation period.
The Circular confirms that
teachers who are currently
employed in the primary sector
and who have chosen to avail of
the adaptation period may
continue to be employed in a
fixed term capacity for the duration of the adaptation period.
Teachers with this conditional
registration are also eligible for
appointment in a fixed term
capacity to a fixed term or
permanent post at primary level.
Eligibility for such appointments
shall not extend beyond the
period for which conditional
recognition has been granted.
This includes teachers whose
provisional recognition had
previously expired but who have
now got conditional recognition
and have applied for the adaptation period.
As heretofore teachers who
have conditional or provisional
registration and who have
applied for the aptitude test
(SCG) continue to be eligible for
employment in a fixed term
capacity in either a fixed term
or permanent post in primary
schools. Eligibility for such
appointments shall not extend
beyond the period for which
conditional recognition has
been granted. In both cases
mentioned above, teachers are
eligible to be remunerated at the
trained rate of pay. The Circular
does specify that conditional
recognition shall be included as
an objective condition for a
fixed term contract and as an
objective ground for not issuing
a contract of indefinite duration.
The INTO has objected to this
and will continue to negotiate
in relation to this matter.
The INTO has welcomed the
clarification provided in the
Circular. Teachers whose provisional recognition has expired
are advised that if they have not
already done so, they should
contact the Teaching Council
with a view to being conditionally recognised and availing of
the adaptation period. They will
then continue to be eligible for
employment in mainstream
primary schools and remuneration at the trained rate for such
posts.
The terms of the adaptation
period have not yet been
finalised. However, as previously
indicated they are likely to
include assessment of the level
of competence of the candidates,
attendance at approved courses
in the Irish language, periods of
time spent in the Gaeltacht and
an assessment of the teaching
of Irish in the classroom. As this
matter has not been finalised,
the three-year period specified
in the Circular will not
commence until the terms of
the adaptation period have
been finalised by the Teaching
Council. However, teachers may
be employed as outlined above,
pending this agreement.
The Teaching Council has
written to teachers whose provisional recognition expired on 
August  in relation to this.
Teachers who have queries in
relation to this matter should
contact their District
Representative or the Legal and
Industrial Relations and
Equality Section of Head Office.
School evaluation – what’s the story
N
otices to schools in
which an evaluation by
the Inspectorate is to
be carried out this term issued
from the Department of
Education and Science last
June. This is in accordance with
an agreement in relation to the
issuing of notices made with
the INTO. These notifications
informed the schools that an
“evaluation” will be carried out.
It is important to note that in
most of these schools the
Inspectorate will be conducting
a Whole School Evaluation
(WSE), which will include an
evaluation of all curriculum
subjects in the school.
Other evaluations will be
carried out in schools this term
which will evaluate a theme or a
subject area in the whole school
context. Examples of such evaluations are the Science/Maths
and SPHE/English evaluations,
which were conducted in some
schools last year. The
12
Inspectorate has confirmed
that in some schools, these
themes (Science/Maths and
SPHE/English) will be evaluated
again this year. Other areas may
also be evaluated but no decision has been made at the time
of going to press about what
areas might be evaluated.
The Inspectorate has also
informed the INTO that, as in
previous years, in small schools
(up to four mainstream teachers) a WSE may be confined to
some subjects, usually four,
rather than all of the curricular
areas. This approach has been
adopted in response to
comments that evaluation of all
subjects in detail was extremely
burdensome for smaller schools.
The specific evaluations to be
conducted in each school are
determined centrally by the
management of the Inspectorate.
In addition to the notice sent
out last June, each school must
be contacted by the reporting
inspector three weeks in
advance of the start of the evaluation activity. The reporting
inspector at this stage informs
the school of the detail of the
evaluation activity that is to
take place in the school. The
INTO is aware that some
schools have already been
informed of the nature of the
evaluation to take place by the
reporting inspectors.
School evaluations are not
carried out during the first two
weeks of the school year, the
week preceding or succeeding
the Christmas holidays or in the
last two weeks of the school
year.
Schools which have been
notified that an evaluation is to
take place are advised to
consult the publication A Guide
to Whole School Evaluation in
Primary Schools, a copy of which
has been sent to all schools. It is
also available on the INTO
website www.into.ie and on the
Department of Education and
Science website www.education.ie
Schools should also be aware
that inspectors are obliged to
carry out their work in accordance with the published
Professional Code of Practice for
Evaluation and Reporting. In the
event of difficulties arising,
schools should also be aware
that a revised Complaints
Procedure, under Section / of
the Education Act has been
agreed. Details of this
complaints/appeals procedure
are available on the INTO
website www.into.ie and on the
Department of Education and
Science website www.education.ie and a copy has been sent
to all schools.
Schools with particular
queries in relation to school
evaluation are advised to
contact their District
Representative at the earliest
possible juncture.
InTouch September 2007
School appeal tests
maternity protections
A
judgement from London
has provided guidance
on aspects of Maternity
Protection law applied to primary
schools. Because of the similarity of maternity-related legislation and legal systems, aspects of
the ruling have relevance here.
In this jurisdiction, the
Maternity Protection Acts 
and  provide that an
employee will not suffer detriment due to maternity.
Provisions of such legislation
are similar across EU States.
One specific protection is the
right to return to the job which
the employee held before going
on leave, as reflected in our
panel exemption related to
maternity/adoption.
Interpreting “same job” was a
central issue in this appeal.
Blundell case
Ms Blundell, a teacher at St
Andrew’s PS, had claimed
gender (pregnancy) discrimination but had lost in all five
complaints before an
Employment Tribunal. She
appealed to the Employment
Appeals Tribunal and the
judgement of Mr Justice
Langstaff was delivered in May
. Upholding the original
decision generally, the Justice
gave detailed consideration to
two aspects; “same job”, and
consultation about teaching
duties.
Same job?
Ms Blundell had claimed she
was entitled to return to the
same job she had left, as
teacher of a Reception Class.
She was in fact given a choice to
return in a floating role or as
class teacher of Year Two.
The judgement endorsed the
original Tribunal ruling that the
nature of Ms Blundell’s work was
as a teacher, and that her place
of work was not a particular
classroom but the school; being
teacher of a reception class was
a temporary assignment.
Teaching preferences
Since the appellant was not
returning at the start of a school
year, the Head did not seek her
class allocation preferences.
The issue at appeal was whether
there was a maternity-related
detriment in not being consulted.
The original Tribunal had
found no detriment since there
was no guarantee of getting
one’s preferences. The Justice
rejected this, holding that Ms
Blundell had lost “something
she might reasonably think it of
value to have been afforded”.
Upholding this sole aspect of
appeal, he concluded that in all
the circumstances there was
“much to commend a mutually
agreeable settlement”.
(Full text accessible at
www.employmentappeals.gov.uk,
Appeal No. UKEAT/0329/06/RN).
Teacher’s equality
claim settled
A
n INTO member has
settled an Employment
Equality Act case which
had been before the Equality
Tribunal. The case concerned
the appointment process for
the position of principal
teacher in a Munster school, a
related complaint of discrimination on family status and age
grounds, and of victimisation.
A formal decision will not be
issued, in light of the
settlement.
Settlement
The claim was the subject of a
Tribunal hearing in June where
the member was represented by
INTO (Anne McElduff and Noel
Ward of the Legal, Industrial
Relations and Equality Section).
IN BRIEF...
● INTO was represented at the
Stonewall Conference
‘Tackling homophobia in
schools’ in London in July. A
full report will be in October’s
InTouch.
● The INTO LGBT Group holds
its next meeting in Dublin on
Saturday  September. New
members/enquiries always
welcome: email [email protected]
or phone   for
details. Meanwhile, the Group
Chairperson and Secretary
called for the deletion of
The BOM concerned was also
represented. Following the
initial day-long hearing, talks
took place. Following these, the
member agreed to a settlement
involving payment of a substantial sum of money to her by way
of compensation.
John Carr, General Secretary,
commended the member on
bringing the claim to a conclusion and for making
Management accountable for
serious breaches in selection
procedures and standards.
“This is a further case which
shows the consequences of
unsatisfactory practice. It again
highlights the importance of
training for members of the
new Boards being constituted
this year,” he said.
Section () from
Employment Equality law in a
recent letter to The Irish Times,
following an article in the
same newspaper. Copies of
this material may be obtained
through the above contacts.
● Figures released during the
summer showed a % rise in
Equality Tribunal cases on the
race ground in , while a
further volume of Census
 results indicated that
the life expectancy among
Ireland’s , Travellers is
similar to that of the settled
community in the s.
Civil partnership to be
introduced
T
he Programme for
Government contains a
commitment to Civil
Partnership legislation “at the
earliest possible date”. In a
speech on  July, the Taoiseach
reiterated this, linking it to
providing a “secure legal environment for same-sex couples”.
Civil partnership legislation
may give rise to a new form of
InTouch September 2007
family status in equality law
and that partnerships are
unlikely to be confined to
same-sex couples. The implications of such changes for INTO
members, and related implications for DES provisions, will be
reviewed by the Equality
Committee as the promised
legislation is published and
debated.
At the assembly for June’s Gay Pride march in Dublin.
13
INTO grants for educational research
T
he INTO Bursary Scheme for educational research will be continued in
the forthcoming academic year,
when a maximum of five bursaries of
€, will be awarded.
assessor to be nominated by the CEC. The
assessor will make recommendations for
the disbursement of the available funds. On
his or her recommendation, the
General Secretary shall arrange for the
disbursement of the grants.
●
●
Applications and disbursement procedures
Members who wish to apply for a bursary
should make their applications before the
closing date. Applications must be sent on
INTO Application Forms, which are available from the Education Policy Unit,
INTO Head Office, phone   
and on the INTO website
http://www.into.ie/ROI/WhatsNew/
Announcements/Other/
All applications received by the closing
date will be examined by an independent
Criteria
T
The conference this year will focus on the
themes of ‘Physical Education and Teaching
Approaches in Our Schools’.
Please note that only delegates nominated
by their branch and district can attend this
conference.
If you are interested in attending, you can
put your name forward as a conference
delegate at your September/October branch
meeting.
Nomination forms will be circulated to all
branch and district secretaries in
September and should be completed by the
delegate, signed by the branch/district
secretary and returned to the Education
Section, Head Office before Friday 
October.
14
●
Conditions of bursary scheme
Any project which has been approved as a
research endeavour by a recognised institute will be considered for grant purposes.
Criteria for selection of particular research
projects will be at the discretion of the
independent assessor, but he or she will be
asked to bear in mind:
INTO
Consultative
Conference on
Education 2007
he annual INTO Consultative
Conference on Education will take
place in the Clarion Hotel, Sligo, on
Friday  and Saturday  November.
●
A full list of terms and conditions are available from Head Office and on the INTO
website.
Current issues under consideration by
the Organisation.
That the selected projects should reflect
the various categories of research (eg,
psychology, philosophy, curriculum and
assessment, history, administration,
etc,).
That funding is made available for projects in a number of institutions.
Geographical and gender balance.
●
●
●
Copies of final research are to be made
available to the INTO.
Members may not receive more than
one bursary.
Only completed applications forms
received before the closing date, 
December  may be considered.
The Big Ballot
T
he Big Ballot is Ireland’s first
ever national ballot of children
and young people, which is
being organised by the Ombudsman
for Children’s Office (OCO). The OCO
wrote to schools in May inviting them
to participate. To date over ,
schools, Youthreach Centres and Senior
Traveller Training Centres have signed
up to take part.
The Big Ballot aims to ask as many
children and young people under 
as possible to tell the Children’s
Ombudsman what issues they would
like her to prioritise over the next
number of years. Children and young
people will vote on five issues in a
referendum style event in early
November. These issues were identified through research by University
College Cork and verified by  young
people. The five issues are:
1. Having a voice.
2. Health, wealth and material wellbeing.
3. Education.
4. Play and recreation.
5. Family.
A huge level of support and advice has
been provided to the OCO Big Ballot
team by all of the education
stakeholders including the INTO. The
OCO is really grateful for this and
knows that the advice of so many
experienced professionals has made
an important contribution to the
shape of the project.
Experienced teachers have developed
resource materials to support the Big
Ballot and hopeful make it teacherfriendly, as well as exciting for all the
schools involved. The primary materials explain the issues in a fun, age
appropriate way employing techniques
such as stories, case studies and all
are accompanied by an optional DVD.
These materials will reach registered
schools in early September.
During October, the Ombudsman for
Children will undertake a national
campaign to meet children and young
people involved in the project.
The Ballot itself will take place on the
week of  to  November, on
whichever day suits individual
schools. The results will then be
returned to the OCO and will be
publicly announced on  November,
Universal Children’s Day, at a major
event in City Hall, Dublin.
Approximately  young people,
representing all counties will attend
to announce their county’s result.
InTouch September 2007
INTO class size campaign
is highly commended
I
n June this year, the INTO’s campaign
to highlight class sizes in Ireland, ‘Is
Your Child Being Crowded Out?’ was
highly commended at the annual Awards
for Excellence in Public Relations. These
industry awards are an established event
in the Irish Public Relations calendar
and are a showcase of the best work in
the field of Public Relations and
Professional Communications.
The ‘Is Your Child Being Crowded Out?’
campaign was short listed for an award
in the category of Public Information
and while not scooping the overall
award, was highly commended by the
judges.
The Awards are run by the Public
Relations Consultants Association of
Ireland and the Public Relations
Institute of Ireland.
The Awards were made at a Gala Dinner
in the Mansion House on the  June
.
Class size at primary
level remains high
C
lass sizes in Irish primary
schools remain among
the highest in the EU
despite a reduction of one in
the staffing schedule, implemented at the start of the
school year /.
Figures released last month by
the Department of Education
and Science relating to the
school year /, show a
marginal decrease in the
number of pupils in classes of
 or more.
In overall terms, % of Irish
pupils are in classes of less than
twenty while % of pupils are
in classes of  to  pupils.
Almost a quarter of Irish pupils
(%) are in classes of  or
more.
Biggest decreases in the
number of pupils in large
classes are to be found in the
Fingal area of Dublin where
the percentage of pupils in
classes of  or more fell from
% to % and in Dun
Laoghaire/Rathdown where the
number of pupils in classes of
InTouch September 2007
 or more fell from % to %.
The largest classes in the
country are still to be found in
Co Wicklow, Meath, Louth,
Laois, Dublin, Kildare and Cork.
Reacting to the publication of
these figures INTO General
Secretary, John Carr, said,
“there was no room for complacency, while Irish class sizes
remained stubbornly high.”
He said that it was imperative
that the Government honour
the commitment given in the
Programme for Government to
increase the number of primary
teachers by at least , and
ensure that the staffing schedule is reduced from a general
rule of at least one teacher for
every  pupils in / by
one point a year to one for
every  children by /.”
He praised the success of the
INTO, ‘Is Your Child Being
Crowded Out’ campaign for
having forced this issue onto
the government’s agenda in the
Programme for Government.
Class size in Ireland
School Year 2006-2007
Carlow
Cavan
Clare
Cork City
Cork County
Donegal
Dublin City
DunLaoghaire/Rathdown
Fingal
Galway City
Galway County
Kerry
Kildare
Kilkenny
Laois
Leitrim
Limerick City
Limerick County
Longford
Louth
Mayo
Meath
Monaghan
Offaly
Roscommon
Sligo
South Dublin
Tipperary NR
Tiperary SR
Waterford City
Waterford County
Westmeath
Wexford
Wicklow
National Totals
% -



































% -



































% +



































15
INTO Summer Programme 2007
T
his year’s summer programme delivered  summer courses, two summer
schools and six on-line summer
courses to approximately , teachers.
The great success of the programme is due
to the teachers who designed the courses,
the tutors who effectively delivered the
courses, the co-ordinators who oversaw the
promotion of the courses and the day to day
running of them, and also to the teachers
who professionally participated in and
contributed to the programme.
All courses aimed to meet teachers’
needs in the classroom in a practical and
effective way. Face to face courses organised included:
● The Arts Factor.
● Outdoor Education.
● Life skills for Teaching and Learning.
● Active learning and Teaching
Methodologies.
● A Thematic Approach to Multiclass Teaching.
● Diversity Inside and Outside the Classroom.
● Sensitive Areas in SPHE.
● An Ghaeilge, Cumarsáid, Comhluadar agus
Craic.
● Movement and Music.
● Behaviour and Learning.
● Teaching and Learning in the Early Years.
Exploring the great outdoors on a lakeshore
trail in Valleymount on Outdoor Education
Course.
Newly Appointed Principals.
Twelve ICT courses.
We appreciate that members of the INTO
chose the INTO Professional Development
●
●
Unit as their number one provider for
online learning.
The courses were:
● Appreciating the Visual Arts.
● Mathematics: Sharpening Minds not Pencils.
● A Cross Curricular Approach to Human
Rights Education in Primary School.
● Interactive Teaching Methodologies.
● Teaching English as an Additional Language
(INTO in collaboration with Marino
Institute of Education)
● Developing an E–Learning Culture (INTO in
collaboration with NCTE).
This year’s programme would not have
been possible without the support and
funding from NCTE and the Department of
Education and we acknowledge this with
thanks. We also wish to acknowledge and
thank our programme sponsors:
Outside the Box Learning Resources, VHI
Healthcare, Cornmarket Group Financial
Services and Prim-Ed.
Sincere thanks also to all school principals
and boards of managements who facilitated
the release of teachers to attend design
team meetings, co-ordinator training seminars and tutor training seminars and to
those schools who provided us with venues
and facilities for our courses.
INTO on-line introductory course for learning-support/
resource teachers
T
he INTO will deliver an
online introductory
course for learning
support/resource teachers on
its online professional development site www.intoelearning.com The aim of this
professional development
course is to particularly guide
learning support/resource
teachers who have taken up the
position in their schools for the
first time.
Learning support/resource
teachers sanctioned under the
general allocation scheme will
be supporting children with
literacy and numeracy difficulties, borderline/mild general
learning disabilities, mild
general learning difficulties and
specific learning disabilities.
The learning support/resource
teacher may also be supporting
children who have mild behavioural/emotional difficulties,
16
mild language delays and other
difficulties but who do not qualify for an individual allocation
of resource teaching, Circular
SPED /. The particular
course is not intended to cater for
resource teachers supporting children with low incidence disabilities. The course being delivered
this year has been modified in
light of participant suggestions
from last year’s course.
The course will be delivered
over eight weekly modules
beginning Monday 
September.
● Module  – Introduction.
● Module  – Selection and
Assessment.
● Module  – Models of Support.
● Module  – Approaches and
Methodologies : Oral
Language and Reading.
● Module  – Approaches and
Methodologies : Writing and
Spelling.
Module  – Approaches and
Methodologies :
Mathematics.
● Module  – Approaches and
Methodologies : Supporting
Behavioural/Emotional
Difficulties.
● Module  – Administration
and Record Keeping.
The modules are designed to
lead the teacher through the
initial stages of setting up a
learning support/resource
system in their school and the
management of children receiving such support. Modules are
informative with an interactive
component. Participants will be
requested to complete various
activities to reinforce learning
and to contribute to a discussion forum on a modular basis.
Although modules will be delivered on a weekly basis participants can work through
modules at their own pace.
●
In order to reduce the isolation of online learning and to
promote the sharing of good
practice participants will be
grouped according to their
geographical location. In order
to facilitate this participants
are requested to register and
pay on the course on www.intoelearning.com between
September  and .
Participants will then be
grouped and informed of their
respective groups in order to
commence the course on
Monday th. Each group will be
facilitated by a practising learning-support/resource teacher.
Each course costs €. Once
a participant has paid they are
automatically enrolled on the
course.
For further information on
this course please contact Kim
Lally on / or e-mail
[email protected]
InTouch September 2007
Appointment procedures seminars
A
seminar on Appointment
Procedures will be held on Wed 
Oct  in the Clarion Hotel Sligo.
The aim of the seminar which is presented
by INTO Officials is:
● to update principals on the procedures
relevant to the appointment of teachers;
● to update principals on recent legislation
and Equality Tribunal decisions in the area;
● to enable principals, in their role as
members of selection boards, to manage
the appointment of teachers more effectively;
● to provide principals with information
on the implementation of the Protection
of Employees (Fixed Term) Work Act
 and the Protection of Employees
(Part-Time) Work Act .
(A similar seminar was held on Monday  May
in the City North Hotel, Dublin. This seminar
which was attended by  participants is the
fifth of such seminars which have proved to be
DATE
Wednesday
24 October
INTO ONE-DAY SEMINAR
Appointment Procedures
INTO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2007
Seminar application form
extremely successful and beneficial.)
To secure a place on this seminar please
complete the application form below and
return to:
Linda Johnston, INTO Head Office, 
Parnell Square, Dublin , Tel:  
or e-mail [email protected]
The DES has authorized the release of
teachers to attend the seminars but
unfortunately substitute cover is not
provided for such release.
VENUE
Clarion Hotel,
Sligo
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
Wednesday
10 October
Cheque in the amount of € made payable to INTO enclosed with
this application
Signed/Sínithe: ....................................................................
PLEASE COMPLETE IN BLOCK CAPITALS
Please complete in full and return to
Name:..................................... School address: ...............................
Teacher no: ............................
.........................................................
Roll no: ...................................
.........................................................
Phone no.(school):................
.........................................................
INTO Professional Development Unit,  Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
Participants Comments from previous Appointments Procedures Seminars:
‘Very enlightening and informative…’
Phone no.(home): ................. Phone no.(mobile) .........................
‘Brilliant….could have listened all day…’
‘Need more seminars like this…’
‘ Content of seminar very beneficial all round….’
Email address: ....................................................................................
‘Well worth doing…excellent presentation…’
New courses for INTO Staff
Representatives
A TEAM CHALLENGE ON INTO
SUMMER COURSE
ew courses are being organised
during the - school year
for staff representatives. The first of these
courses will take place on the evening of
October  and continue on October . It
will be held in the Bloomfield House
Hotel, Mullingar and will commence at
.p.m. on Thursday  October and
conclude on Friday at .p.m.
This course is designed to give participants an insight into the workings of the
union and to update them in matters
relating to their role. It will also provide
N
information to participants on conditions of employment, legislation and
other education issues. Participants will
get a chance to interact with other staff
representatives and to meet with some
of the staff of INTO Head Office and
District Representatives. Substitute
cover will be provided for October .
Meals and accommodation costs will
also be covered by the INTO.
Staff representatives will be contacted
directly by Head Office with regard to
this course.
REMINDER
Froebel College of Education in association with INTO Professional Development
Unit Special Education Needs Post Graduate Diploma Course in Resource Teaching
commencing Friday  October .
Lectures will take place on weekends and will be located in Dublin.
For further details contact: Linda Johnston, INTO Professional Development Unit,
 Parnell Square, Dublin . Telephone: - or email: [email protected]
InTouch September 2007
17
Meet the CEC
MARY CAHILLANE, DISTRICT 1
ary was born in the Kerry
Gaeltacht and is a native
gaeilgoir. Her earliest recollections of primary school are of
having a photograph taken
sitting in the Sam Maguire
while it did its many tours of
Kerry primary schools during
the glorious four in a row years.
After graduating from Mary
Immaculate College in Limerick
Mary taught for two years in
M
Our Lady Immaculate Junior
National School, Darndale. She
then moved to Northern
Ireland. She has been teaching
in St Kierans PS, Poleglass, a
disadvantaged area on the
outskirts of Lisburn for  years
where she teaches infants and
is the drama co ordinator. She
is the current Chair of the
Northern Committee of INTO.
Mary is a great supporter of
Cumann na mBunscol and a
passionate Kerry supporter.
Mary constantly campaigns for
better salaries for teachers in
Northern Ireland alongside
more resources for schools
particularly in disadvantaged
areas. She believes in unity of
teachers’ unions alongside
better working relations with
unions that represent ancillary
staffs in schools.
PETER MCGRANE, DISTRICT 5
eter McGrane, Rockcorry, Co Monaghan,
represents District 5 on the CEC which covers
the counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Louth. He
has been an active and involved member of the
INTO at branch and district level since he joined in
1967. He is a member of Cootehill Branch INTO
since transferring from Ballybay Branch and has
acted as Secretary at branch level and as Secretary
and Treasurer at district level.
As District Representative he followed in the footsteps of four of his classmates in St Patrick’s
Drumcondra; Senator Joe O’Toole, Donal
P
O’Loingsigh, Austin Corcoran, past presidents and
John Carr, General Secretary. His first appointment
was in St Brendan’s NS, Coolock, and then to St
Michael’s BNS, Cootehill, becoming principal in
1975. He is currently principal of St Michael’s SNS,
Cootehill.
Peter represents 1,714 teachers in District 5 and
brings to the CEC table the views and concerns of
members. He is very concerned at the lack of attendance at branch meetings and would wish to see
more participation by members. Peter feels that the
CEC representative at local level is very important.
SÉAMUS O’LONGAIGH, DISTRICT 13
éamus was born in Tuam,
Co Galway and moved to
Cork aged four. He attended
Modh Scoil (Scoil Barra) in
Anglesea Street, Cork, for all of
his primary education. He then
attended the all-Irish Secondary
School at North Monastery CBS,
Fair Hill.
S
He graduated from St Patrick’s
College in  and graduated
from a four year business
degree course in University of
Limerick in . He
commenced teaching in St John
the Baptist CBS in , an All
boys senior school and is a
teaching principal there today.
He was a shared learning
support teacher in St John’s and
Sexton St CBS for eight years
from  to . He has been
an active branch member since
; staff representative,
Congress delegate from ,
Branch Committee District
Delegate, Branch Officer
(Organiser) and is on the CEC
since . He represents over
 teachers in Kerry and
Limerick.
Seamus’ highlight of  was
the re-election of Joe O’Toole
and Finian McGrath.
NOREEN FLYNN, DISTRICT 9
oreen Flynn joined the Executive in  to
serve as District  Representative which
encompasses , teachers in  schools stretching from Celbridge, Co. Kildare, to the South Inner
City, Dublin. Noreen, a native of Kinnegad, Co
Westmeath, was among the first cohort of B Ed.
students to graduate from Carysfort College of
Education in . Her teaching career began in
Kinnegad BNS. In  she was appointed to Mater
Dei PS Basin Lane, Dublin, and is currently an
Assistant Principal. Noreen served as Branch
Organiser for Dublin City South and District Treasurer.
N
InTouch September 2007
The CEC conducts its business through a number
of standing Committees. Noreen is currently a member
of the standing committee that deals with teachers’
pay, pensions and conditions of employment. She
was a member of the Statutory Educational
Disadvantage Committee (EDC), established in
2002 under the Education Act (1978). Noreen is
currently the INTO representative on the Schools
Implementation Committee of the National
Education Welfare Board (NEWB). Noreen shares
the concerns of her branch officers about low levels
of involvement of younger members in the INTO.
19
Inishturk NS wins website award
Kitt and kin
Congratulations to St Columba’s NS, Inishturk, who, earlier this year,
were awarded a star site status by scoilnet.ie. This is a great
achievement as the school is on an island with a population of only 70
people and the school size is 8 pupils.
In a unique election result three members of the same family who are
all INTO members were returned to Dáil Eireann in the General Election
last May.
Tom Kitt TD, Minister of State and Government Chief Whip was joined
by his sister Áine Brady TD who taught in Scoil na Mainistreach,
Celbridge, and his brother Michael Kitt TD who was previously a
member of Seanad Éireann
Irish Teacher Wins 2007 Innovative Teachers Award for EMEA
C
ongratulations to Ronan Ward, a
primary school teacher at SN Muire
na nGael, Dundalk, Co Louth, who
has won an an Innovative Teacher Award at
the EMEA Innovative Teachers Forum 
in Paris, France . He will now move on to
represent Ireland at the Worldwide
Innovative Teachers Forum, to be held in
Helsinki, Finland in November .
His winning project, in the Primary
Schools Community Learning Category, was
entitled ‘Who Lives Here?’ Utilising technology and aimed at - year olds, the
project encourages pupils to explore the
diversity of multiculturalism by exploring
backgrounds of people who differ in colour,
religion, culture and nationality living in
modern day Ireland. The project challenges
pupils to examine their feelings and beliefs
towards other ethnic groups.
The event brought together more than
150 forward-thinking educators represent-
Primary teacher wins drama
award
C
ongratulations to Ciarán
Gray, a primary teacher
from the North Strand
in Dublin, who won first prize
in the  P J O’Connor Radio
Drama Awards.
Ciarán’s play In the Real World
is a comical play about people
trying to find the right place to
fall in love and the right person
to do it with!.
Julie Parsons, Chair of the
judging panel, described In the
Real World as a “fast, funny and
elegant play that used snappy
20
dialogue to introduce chat up
lines and contemporary
concepts such as computer
dating”. Presenting Ciarán with
his prize Adrian Moynes,
Managing Director of RTÉ Radio
said: “Ciarán’s radio drama is a
well-crafted and professional
piece of radio writing that
entertains and amuses with the
use of snapshots of modern
irish society.”
For further details see
www.rte.ie/radio1/
pjoconnorawards/
ing  countries across Europe, the Middle
East and Africa including four Irish teachers
from Louth and Cork. Promoting the innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom, the
two-day event concluded with the
Innovative Teacher  Awards, given to
ten teachers who demonstrate exceptional
examples of integrating technology and
innovation into the classroom curriculum
and learning environment.
SU DOKU
The Comhar Linn
Su Doku challenge
is to fill every grid
with one of the
digits  to , so that
all  digits appear
on each row and
each column, as
well as in each of
the  squareshaped cells. There
is a unique solution to each puzzle.
Good Luck.
Solution on
page 
InTouch September 2007
Your INTO staff representative
I
NTO staff representatives provide the
vital link between INTO members in
schools and INTO branches, district
officers, CEC representatives and INTO
head office. All schools are recommended
to appoint an INTO staff representative to
represent INTO members on the staffs “in
all matters relating to their professional
interests” according to Rule  of the INTO
Rules and Constitution.
●
●
●
●
●
Calling meetings with members in the
school as and when necessary.
Advising on the initial stages of individual member grievances.
Representing the collective interests of
members in consultation or negotiation
with the school authorities.
Ensuring the implementation of all
agreements to which the INTO are party.
Arranging for and conducting relevant
ballots.
Duties and responsibilities of INTO staff
representatives
Staff representative training and support
The duties and responsibilities of the staff
representative include:
● Recruiting new members of staff to the
INTO.
● Bringing all information received from
branch, district, CEC representatives and
INTO head office to members’ attention.
● Maintaining close links with the local
INTO branch and with members in the
school.
All schools were issued with INTO Staff
Representative Handbooks in . This
handbook is a reference point and a
resource book for staff representatives.
Updated material is frequently sent out to
staff representatives for inclusion in this
handbook. It is anticipated that this handbook will be revised in the near future.
Each INTO district has a panel of staff
representative tutors who, in consultation
THE ROLE OF THE INTO STAFF REPRESENTATIVE
IN A SMALL SCHOOL
have been the Staff
Representative in a seven
teacher rural school for the past
four years. We also have a parttime resource teacher and
substitute teachers who work in
the school on a regular basis.
My role as staff representative
includes encouraging new
members of staff to become
members of the INTO and
informing them of the various
benefits and advantages of
membership. I also make parttime and substitute teachers
aware of their eligibility to
become members of the union.
I attend the quarterly meetings of the branch and encourage other members of staff to
attend also. Where it is not
possible for all members on the
staff to attend I inform them of
any pertinent issues that arise.
If there is a vote imminent I
encourage all members to attend
the relevant meeting or if the
vote is a postal one I remind them
to return their postal ballot.
Any information or documentation received from the branch
secretary, CEC representative or
head office is first brought to
the attention of all members on
I
InTouch September 2007
staff and is then placed on the
INTO notice board in the
staffroom.
My local branch (Ennis)
maintains close links with staff
representatives and organises
staff representatives training
from time to time. It also runs
an annual social event for staff
representatives. This provides a
valuable opportunity to link in
with colleagues in the other 
schools in the Ennis area.
Part of my role also includes
dealing with the preliminary
stages of any complaint a
member may have and representing members’ interests to
the board of management. I
also ensure that all policies that
have the agreement of the
INTO, board of management
and Department of Education
and Science are executed.
I enjoy the role and find that it
keeps me up to date with current
developments and constantly
aware of the importance of my
professional trade union.
Caroline Mc Carthy,
Scoil Mhuire, Corofin,
Co Clare
(Caroline is pictured on this
month’s InTouch front cover.)
with branches within each district, provide
staff representative training. This training
includes explaining the structure and
organisation of the INTO, exploring the role
and responsibilities of the INTO staff representative, and highlighting relevant policies, agreements and legislation pertinent
to the role. As well as district based training
INTO Head Office has planned a schedule of
national training seminars. The first of
these seminars is taking place on October 
and  in the Broomfield House Hotel in
Mullingar.
Appointment of INTO staff representatives
All INTO members within a school can
present themselves for appointment as
their school INTO staff representative.
Where more than one teacher presents
him/herself for appointment a secret ballot
is conducted to select who shall be appointed
as staff representative. Generally staff
representatives hold office for three years.
THE ROLE OF THE INTO STAFF REPRESENTATIVE
IN A LARGE SCHOOL
work in Swords Educate
Together National School.
Our school opened in 
with a staff of two teachers.
Heading into the current school
year we have a staff of 
teachers. As a staff representative in a developing school my
first INTO job of the school year
is to talk with each of our newly
appointed teachers about the
organisation and membership
of it. Some of these teachers are
newly qualified and I feel it’s
important to spend time with
them highlighting the range of
entitlements and benefits
being a member of the INTO
brings.
I also encourage them and
indeed all my staff to get
involved in the INTO – going to
local branch meetings, new
members meetings, seeking
nominations to branch
committee, Congress, INTO
conferences etc.
We have a very active branch,
Dublin North West, and they
provide refreshments after
branch meetings which is a
really effective way of facilitating ‘mingling’ among attending
teachers.
I
I was a little hesitant to
become the INTO representative as I didn’t feel I had sufficient knowledge of the various
procedures and wasn’t comfortable with the idea of mediating
if a staff relations’ issue developed in the school. However,
the training provided by our
district staff representative
tutor trainers banished my
concerns. I learned about the
structures of the INTO, the various aspects of my role and the
details about general
procedures for approaching
any issue that may arise in my
school that would involve the
INTO. I also learned that I am
not alone in my role. I always
have the support of my branch
secretary, branch organiser,
CEC representative and INTO
head office.
I enjoy being an INTO staff
and would recommend anyone
to put themselves forward for
it. I feel part of the organisation
and in a position to contribute
to it.
Mary Lynch
Swords Educate Together NS,
Applewood, Swords,
Co Dublin
21
DRAW WINNERS
Questions & Answers
MAY 2007
CAR – Toyota Auris
JUNE 2007
CAR – Toyota Auris
JULY 2007
CAR – Toyota Auris
Mary Kelly, Scoil Ioseph
Naofa, Kilmallock, Co
Limerick.
Sally Mackey, Scoil Bhríde,
Rathdowney, Co Laois.
Billie Grogan,
Raheny,
Dublin .
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Football
Final Tickets
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Football
Final Tickets
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Football
Final Tickets
Oreena Lawless, St
Nicholas Monastery NS,
Dundalk, Co Louth.
Elaine Cronin, Holy
Rosary Primary School,
Ballycragh, Firhouse,
Dublin .
Donal O’Shea,
Mallow,
Co Cork.
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Hurling
Final Tickets
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Hurling
Final Tickets
WEEKEND FOR TWO plus
two All Ireland Hurling
Final Tickets
Johanna Mc Kenna,
Behemore NS, Ballina, Co
Mayo.
Dara Glynn, SN Oir
Cheann, Urhan, Eyeries,
Beara, Co Cork.
Caitriona Cosgrave,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
CASH – €750
CASH – €750
CASH – €750.
Una Mc Elwaine, Scoil
Choca Naofa, Kilcock, Co
Kildare.
Marie Ryan, St John of
God’s School,
Islandbridge, Dublin .
Micheal O’Fearraigh,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Q
A
Is tax relief available for tuition fees
paid?
Yes, tax relief is available for certain full
time and part-time courses. A number of
requirements must be fulfilled in order to qualify.
These include, inter alia, the course must be an
approved course in an approved college, full-time
and part-time undergraduate courses must be of
at least two years duration, postgraduate courses
must be at least one and not more than four years
duration.
Claims may be made by individuals who pay
fees to an approved college on behalf of
himself/herself, spouse, child or person of whom
the claimant is/was legal guardian. The relief
applies to fees up to €, and is available at
the standard rate.
TIP
If you are paying tuition fees, review
the terms and conditions to see if you
qualify and if so, make a claim. The full terms and
conditions are available on www.revenue.ie
where you will also find a claim form.
Crossword No. 97
A draw for 2 x €100 will be made from all correct entries
Simply complete the crossword and send it
to InTouch, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, before Friday 28th September, '07
NAME:
Across
1. The doctor has a note for the rabble.
(3)
3. Might Meg rid Navan of this mathematical representation? (4,7)
8. How considerate, to give the
accountant some jewellery. (6)
9. Does this parasite have the measure
of you? (8)
10. Louts may assume this yoga position. (5)
11. The smell of a southern coin. (5)
13. Despite its many locks, it's usually
open to all! (5)
15. Health-enhancing substance provided by vain Tim. (7)
16. In which environmentally-friendly
transport arrangement one's
motors get on swimmingly? (3,4)
20. This is likely to give you the pip!
(5)
21. Confuse Doug with a cheese. (5)
23. Traditionally, it goes on ahead in
France! (5)
24. With tact, Paul can make a sling.
(8)
25. Recollect about the visit. (6)
26. The parasite led a snooker ball and
was highly pleased! (7,4)
27. Article found in an absinthe bottle.
(3)
Down
1. Exam trial run for the taunt that's
going. (4,7)
2. Incinerate a scalper who is completely exhausted. (5,3)
3. Goddess who is out of this world! (5)
4. Zilch stops some becoming something! (7)
5. Helps dismember the beast. (5)
6. Acted in a disorderly way, to dire
destruction. (6)
7. Say nothing when you keep her. (3)
12. Might a tall gate lie over this type
of pasta dish? (11)
13. Has Mr. Richard a vertical face? (5)
14. Jumped about a plate. (5)
17. Cloudy, having too many actors. (8)
18. It's designed to delay the advance
of Public Transport. (3-4)
19. Crushed citrus from the countryside. (6)
22. Horrify a quiet friend. (5)
23. As cheerless as Dickens' house. (5)
24. Sever the T.U.C. backing. (3)
In Touch Crossword No. 96 Solution
Across
1. Firefighters 7. Cod 9. Prod 10. Truant
11. Writ 14. Cycle 15. Nuala 16. Cash 18.
Muses 21. Young 22. Coypu 23. Salve
24. Vole 25. Poult 26. Twill 29. Nore
33. Starch 34. Sewn 36. Art appreciation
Down
1. Fir 2. Ride 3. Fate 4. Gaudy 5. Tonal
6. Scar 8. Dutch auction 9.
Pennsylvania 12. Manual 13. Gangs 14.
Camel 17. Asylum 19. Steal 20. Scope
27. Water 28. Lyric 30. Rota 31. Shia
32. PSNI 35. Wan
ADDRESS:
Winners of Comhar Linn Crossword No. 95 were
Liam McKenna Ayrfield, Dublin 13 and Ilona Frayne, Balbriggan Co. Dublin.
Winners of Crossword No. 96 were
Marie Quirke, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow and
Mary Walsh, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
InTouch September 2007
23
Cumasú
An LDS programme providing training for leaders in DEIS Schools
E
vidence from international
literature, in relation to
the role of the school
principal, suggests that effective
leaders exercise a powerful
influence on the effectiveness of
the school as a centre of learning. Shared decision-making
and collegiality are key factors
to improving schools in areas of
socio-economic disadvantage.
Disadvantage and social
exclusion in educational terms
are almost inextricably linked to
failure in the formal education
system and the perpetuation of
the poverty cycle. Poverty,
broken homes, lack of familiarity
with the dominant language
and ethnicity and special educational needs are amongst those
factors used most frequently in
the debate around educational
disadvantage and social inclusion
in Ireland at the present time.
The DEIS Initiative launched
earlier this year by the Minister
for Education and Science Mary
Hanafin TD focuses on addressing educational needs of children and young people from
disadvantaged communities,
from pre-school through second
level education (three to  years).
Its frame of reference is based
on the definition of “educational
disadvantage” in the Education
Act () as: …the impediments
to education arising from social
and economic disadvantage,
LDS team
members
Enda
McGorman,
Carmel Lillis,
Pat Hanrahan
and Kevin
Haugh
reviewing
material for
the DEIS
Programme
which prevent students from
deriving appropriate benefit
from education in schools.”
“Schools need to draw on the
funds of knowledge which exist
in all communities, even the
most impoverished” Moll, L.
and Grenberg, J ().
Thrupp, M. () observed
that the “challenges,” if that is
the right word, faced by many
schools serving in very disadvantaged populations is that
they are simply overwhelmed
by the depth of problems
surrounding them!
LDS has been involved in the
process of examining the leadership needs of schools in the
DEIS Initiative and aims to
provide support for school leaders in the target schools
through its programmes.
The Cumasú programme has
been developed to meet the
emerging needs of school leaders
and will continue to respond to
the needs identified by participants in the programme.
Aims of the Cumasú Programme:
●
●
●
To provide the leadership
training in DEIS Schools.
To support the challenge of
leadership in schools in areas
of socio-economic disadvantage.
To support the personal and
professional needs of school
leaders in challenging environments.
Follow-up programmes have
been developed for Band 
school leaders based on needs
identified at the April and May
events and will be rolled out
during this school-year.
Programmes will also be held
at various centres throughout
the country for school leaders in
Band  Urban and Rural Schools,
with a view to providing support
in the target schools.
Schools will receive letters of
invitation to participate from
Leadership Development for
Schools (LDS) in due course for
the forthcoming events.
Tánaiste
new programme of leadership development focusing on newly appointed
deputy principals at primary level
has been developed by LDS.
Tánaiste Primary will endeavour to develop
the skills necessary for deputy principals to
approach their role with confidence and to
work effectively with the principal and
other school leaders in order to ensure high
quality teaching and learning in the school.
Programme participants will be
facilitated in developing their understanding of leadership in schools today and to
enhance their interpersonal skills and
A
24
competencies in the exercise of their role
in the school community.
Programme content
Reflecting the main concerns of deputy
principals, Tánaiste Primary will include:
● The evolving role of the deputy principal
in leading learning in the school.
● Working collaboratively as part of the
leadership team.
● Interpersonal leadership – emotional
intelligence.
● Communication skills and managing
conflict.
The programme will be facilitated by LDS
personnel, all of whom are experienced
deputy principals and principals.
It will consist of two two-day residential
sessions with substitute cover provided. It
is proposed to hold the first residential
session in October, with the second following in the spring term. As this is a national
programme, the venue will be centrally
located.
Applications are invited for this
programme and interested deputy principals should visit the LDS website to
complete the form online (www.lds.ie).
InTouch September 2007
INTO/AIB Visa
Card
Competition
Would you like to save hundreds
of Euro on your Green Fees?
Welcome to the Golfers
Passport to Ireland which
allows members to play for up
to half price at over  courses
throughout Ireland, as well as
in the UK and overseas! So if
you want to save hundreds of
euro on your green fees
look no further than
Open Fairways.
The concept is simple!
Join today and you will
receive a beautifully illustrated
Golfers Passport and a membership card. Simply select the
course you wish to play, call and
reserve a tee-time and present
your Open Fairways membership card on arrival to obtain
your discount.
Membership benefits
include:
● Up to half price green fees at
+ courses in Ireland, the
UK and further afield.
● % off accommodation at
+ in Ireland’s premier
hotels.
● Average saving of € per
fourball.
PC
Live! is happy to
announce a great
discount for all INTO members.
One year subscription with
cover CDRom for € or, €
without the CDRom. PC Live!
will also provide two free issues
( months for the price of )
and a free DVD courtesy of
www.busybeedvd.com.
PC Live! is packed full of the
latest consumer lifestyle and
home entertainment technology as well as news, reviews,
tips, features and competitions
on everything from digital
cameras, multimedia PCs, notebooks, plasma screens, MP
InTouch September 2007
●
●
Golfing holidays discount.
-page superbly
illustrated colour Golfer's
Passport and membership
card.
For further information
and a
●
●
●
full
course
listing
please telephone 
  or
visit www.openfairways.com
Look at what you could save:
● The K Club – four for the
price of three green fees,
saving of €.
● Tulfarris – four for the price
of two green fees, saving of
€.
● Dunmirry Springs – four for
players, printers and much
more.
To avail of this great offer
simply contact Craig at
   or log onto
www.pclive.ie/into
Choose your free DVD from
the following list:
● Capote.
● Life of Brian.
● Black Hawk.
● Down Labyrinth.
● Taxi Driver.
the price of two green fees,
saving of €.
Roganstown – four for the
price of two green fees,
saving of €.
Carton House – % off total
green fees, saving of €.
The Heritage % off total
green fees, saving of €.
INTO members have the
special opportunity to
join for just € (RRP
€).
To join contact
  
or join online
using the
special reference code into.
Competition
Win a Golfer’s Passport valid for
one year.
Just answer the following
question: – Which Irish Golfer
won the Open Championship
in Carnoustie in July of this
year? Send your answer on a
postcard along with your
contact details to: Benefits
Section, INTO,  Parnell
Square, Dublin .
V
IVAS Health are having a
sale, offering special introductory prices for adult premiums on selected hospital plans
– including specially designed
Teachers Plan – when you start
your cover on  September. If
you are new to health
insurance, join VIVAS Health
now and avail of health insurance for as little as €. per
month. Remember, all VIVAS
AIB
recently ran a competition for INTO
members giving them the
opportunity to win one of four
€, prizes. Competition
entrants completed a tiebreaker, named the General
Secretary of the INTO and sent
their entry to INTO Head Office
on a postcard. The competition
was open to both new and
existing AIB/INTO Affinity card
holders. The winners of the
competition answered the
question correctly and in the
opinion of the judges had
completed the tie-breaker in
the most apt and original
manner. Our very best wishes
and congratulations to the
winners: John Roban,
Enniscorthy, Co Wexford; Joe
Lyons, Patrickswell, Co
Limerick; Marjorie Murphy,
Dublin, and Eolan Ryng, Cork.
Health plans are available to all
customers. Call VIVAS Health
today on     or log on
to www.vivashealth.ie
*The sale price is available on
selected hospital plans for year
 only. To access reduced pricing, cover must be effective on
 September . Prices are
net of tax relief at source (at the
standard rate) and include %
INTO group discount.
INTO MEMBER BENEFITS
INTO members can also avail of
two weeks free DVD rental from
www.busybeedvd.com
For a full list of member benefits check out
www. into.ie/ROI/benefits
25
National Awards time again!
T
he  Cumann na mBunscol
National Awards in association with
Gaelic Telecom will take place in the
Lyrath Estate Hotel Kilkenny on Saturday, 
December. This is the tenth year of the
awards and in  Gaelic Telecom, an official partner of the GAA sponsored the
awards for the first time, taking over from
Roadstone, the original sponsors of this
innovative scheme.
Following a review of the awards, An
Coiste Náisiúnta decided to place the
emphasis on schools’ entries this year.
However, there are still two categories for
counties: Public Relations of the Year and
Publication (including website) of the Year.
The categories for schools are as follows:
. Best Handball/Rounders Promotion.
. Large School of the Year ( pupils or
more).
. Small School of the Year (less than 
pupils).
. Best Hurling/Camogie Promotion.
. Best Football Promotion.
Schools may enter up to four of the five
categories. In addition there is the
Promotion of the Year Award which caters
for initiatives not already included in the
above categories. One final category is the
Pat Trainor Memorial Award, named in
honour of the late Treasurer of Cumann na
mBunscol Náisiúnta. This is awarded to a
teacher in recognition of his or her
outstanding service to the organisation.
The  winner was Tom Garry, retired
Principal of Guardian Angels’ NS,
Newtownpark Avenue, Dublin, who was
instrumental in the formation of Cumann
na mBunscol Náisiúnta in the early s.
Above: Nickey Brennan
Uachtaran CLG, Margaret
Cunningham,
Cathaoirleach Cumann na
mBunscol Náisiúnta, and
Alan Falsey, Gaelic Telecom
with some of the children
at the launch of the 
Gaelic Telecom Awards.
Left: Cha Fitzpatrick
Kilkenny hurling star,
Brigid O’Donoghue, Gaelic
Telecom, Eileen Fitzpatrick,
Kilkenny camogie star and
Nickey Brennan, Uachtarán
CLG at the launch of the
 Gaelic Telecom
Awards.
Formal launch of the  awards
The formal launch of the  Awards took
place in the Lyrath Estate Hotel last month.
In attendance were Uachtarán Cumann
Luthchleas Gael, Nickey Brennan, Ned
Quinn and Barry Hickey, Cathaoirleach and
Treasurer of Kilkenny County Board,
respectively, Jim Fennelly, PRO, and Paul
Kinsella, Secretary, Cumann na mBunscol,
Chill Cheannaigh. Stars of the Kilkenny
hurling and camogie teams Cha Fitzpatrick
and Eileen Fitzpatrick, both of whom are
trainee teachers, were also in attendance.
Representing Gaelic Telecom were Brigid
O’Donoghue, Alan Falsey and Máire Coyne.
Members of An Coiste of Cumann na
mBunscol Náisiúnta were in attendance
and ably assisting all present were some
children from local national schools in
Kilkenny.
26
Words from a previous winner
Says Joanne Breen of Scoil na mBráithre,
Dún Bleisce, Co Luimnigh, and winner of
the  Small School of the Year,
“Compiling the project for the awards
provided me with an invaluable insight
into the trojan work that Cumann na
mBunscol do for the young boys and girls
in our schools.”
Submissins and later closing date
Over €, is available in prize money in
each category. Submissions may take a
number of formats – collections of reports
and newspaper cuttings, a photo album, a
DVD or video – the only limitation is your
imagination! The closing date for submitting projects for this year’s awards is
Wednesday,  October.
Cumann na mBunscol encourages as
many schools as possible to enter as many
categories as possible. Much good work is
being carried on in the national schools the
length and breadth of the country – it’s
time to let it be known nationally that the
promotion of Gaelic games in your school is
as good and if not better than the rest of
Ireland! Details of this year’s awards can be
downloaded from www.scoilsport.org. Go on
don’t be shy, prove that Gaelic Games are in
a healthy state in your school and county!
InTouch September 2007
GAA resources for primary schools
Test your wits
Competition
T
he GAA have developed a
range of resources specific
to primary school teachers that allows them to incorporate the fun and excitement of
Gaelic games into the
classroom as well as the playing
fields. The Céim Ar Aghaidh/Step
Ahead and Fun Do Learning
Resource Packs empower teachers to create appropriate
lessons for all areas of the
primary school curriculum.
Céim Ar Aghaidh uses the fun
of Gaelic Games to deliver an
exciting range of learning activities to support the primary
school curriculum for lrish,
English, Maths, History,
Geography, Science, Art and
more. The Pack can be used to
support teaching in a variety of
subject areas and the exercises
can be adapted to suit children
of varying abilities.
The GAA Fun Do Learning
Resource Pack provides teachers
with a range of hurling and
gaelic football activities that
can be incorporated into any
physical education class for
pupils aged  –  years. The
Pack incorporates:
two interactive DVD-ROMs;
three DVDs;
five resource books.
The Céim Ar Aghaidh/Step
Ahead and Fun Do Learning
Resource Packs combine education, technology, health and
sport to provide teachers with
the first comprehensive learning package to support the
primary school curriculum.
Packs are available from County
Games Development
Committees. Log onto
www.gaa.ie for more information.
Sea
Stallion
Galway based
teacher to
perform in T36
Viking warship
comes home
t is  years since the
Vikings came to Ireland, sailing in their infamous warships.
Now the National Museum of
Ireland is uniting with the
Viking Ship Museum in
Denmark to bring them back.
In  archaeologists excavated five Viking age ships at
the bottom of the Roskilde Fjord
in Denmark. The largest of these,
Skuldelev , turned out to be
the remains of an ocean-going
long ship built in  in Dublin.
A project to reconstruct this
ship was launched in Denmark
in  and Her Majesty Queen
Margrethe named the ship
Havhingsten fra Glendalough (Sea
I
InTouch September 2007
now how and general
knowledge against
Brendan’s huge variety of
crosswords! New Island presents The Book of Crosswords I
& II – two brainbusting
collections – with over 
puzzles that will keep the
reader enthralled for many
hours. Win your own copy of
Brendan’s confounding
conundrums by solving the
following riddle:
The Book of Crosswords
by Brendan Treacy is
published by which
company? (,).
To enter, please write your
answer on a postcard, with
your name and address and
post to Crossword
Competition, INTO,
 Parnell
Squre,
Dublin .
Closing
date for
receipt of
entry is 
October,
.
K
Arrival at Dublin on  August.
Photo: Werner Karrasch. Copyright: Vikingeskibsmuseet i Roskilde
Stallion from Glendalough).
On  July  a crew of brave
men and women set sail from
Roskilde ‘back’ to Dublin. This
trial voyage tested the replica
ship under realistic conditions
in the very waters the original
ship was built to cross.
The Sea Stallion is displayed
as part of an exhibition at the
National Museum, Collins
Barracks until its return to
Denmark in summer .
Admission to both the exhibition and the ship is free of
charge. Visit www.museum.ie
or www.havhingsten.dk for
information.
Fiachra Ó Dubhghaill, a
teacher on career break from
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh,
Galway set up Dragonfly
Theatre last year with two
others. Having just returned
from their highly successful
debut in the New York Fringe
Festival, they are now about
to perform for seven nights
as part of the Dublin Fringe
Festival.
Their new play, Married to
the Sea by Shona McCarthy
will be presented from  to
 September at . pm at
T36 (the Teachers’ Club) on
Parnell Street, Dublin.
27
Ó Bhéal Feirste go Baile
SCÉALTA Ó IARRTHÓIRÍ AN SCG
Ainm: Dáithí Mac Roibeaird
Áit Dhúchais: Béal Feirste
Oiliúint: Coláiste Mhuire Béal
Feirste
Faoi Láthair: Scoil Eoin Pól Loch
an Iúir, Co Dhún na nGall
R
ugadh agus tógadh mé i
mBéal Feirste. Chuaigh
mé go Coláiste Mhuire
Béal Feirste agus bronnadh
céim B.Oid. orm sa bhliain
. Bhain mé céim M.Oid.
amach sa bhliain .
Bhí mé ag obair in St
Nicholas PS,
Carrickfergus agus St
Anthony’s PS, Larne go
dtí an bhliain  agus
bhog mé go Scoil Eoin
Pól, Loch an Iúir, Scoil
Gaeltachta áit a bhfuil
mé ag múineadh faoi láthair. Is
as Dún na nGall dom’ bhean
chéile agus shocraíomar ar
bhogadh ó Bhéal Feirste go Dún
na nGall mar gur theastaigh
uainn na páistí a thógáil faoin
tuath.
I undertook the modules over
three years and found this gave
me a better work/ course
balance. I was able to follow the
course material provided by
Marino (Cóir Ghaoithe) and this
made preparing for the exam all
the more easy.
The practical element of
Paper  was at the time very
time consuming, preparing the
course work etc. but as it was
based on a local study I found it
very useful again and I really
enjoyed gathering up the information. I also really enjoyed
reading the Prós/ Filíocht and
found the choice interesting.
It’s just a pity there are not
more ‘Ulster’ writers included
in Leoithne Gaoithe.
Candidates should ask teaching colleagues for their
local knowledge especially for Paper . Use
the course material from
Marino – it is most
useful for exam preparation. I would also recommend that candidates
would seek provisional
recognition at the earliest
opportunity as there can be an
amount of ‘paper work’ to be
processed which can be time
consuming.
I’m glad it’s over. Even
though I didn’t find it too
stressful a process the pressure
was on to complete it for recognition purposes. Sin ráite tá mé
anois ag baint suilt as mo shaol
múinteoireachta anseo i
nGaeltacht Thír Chonaill. Tá an
SCG thart agus dúshlán eile
romhaim –WSE – anois, sin
ábhar eile!!!!
Ainm: Helena Martin
Áit Dhúchais: Tamhlacht
Oiliúint: Ollscoil Brunel,
Londain
Faoi Láthair: Newcastle-UponTyne
I
come from Tallaght and
attended St Mark’s NS. I
completed a BA degree in
Geography and Irish at St.
Patrick’s College,
Drumcondra. When I
completed my BA, I
went to London to
complete my PostGraduate study in
Primary Teaching.
In London I
attended Brunel
University. I decided
this was the best route as it
meant I would finish my studies a year earlier and it was
financially a more viable
option. I attended Brunel
from September  to June
.
For the past year I have
been working as a supply
teacher in England
(Newcastle-Upon-Tyne). I
have taught all levels (reception year to year ).
As I had Irish as a major
subject in my initial degree I
was entitled to an exemption
from parts of the SCG. I had to
complete the Practical
Elements of Paper  and Paper
 and I had to undertake the
‘Múineadh na Gaeilge’ question on Paper . I studied for
the exam myself. I found the
SCG exam to be at an
adequate level, even for those
who have not studied Irish in
the last few years.
There is a lot of
work to do in the practical element –
research, lesson plans
etc. but if you plan
accordingly it can all
be completed. There
is a good choice of
questions for the
‘Múineadh na Gaeilge’
section.
I found it useful to get my
information for the Practical
Element in English first and
then to translate it.
Sometimes the schools have
information on the area and
locality which will be very
useful for the project.
It is great to have
completed the exam as this
means I am now fully recognised in Ireland and it’s one
less worry!!
T U I L L E A D H E O L A I S – F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N
F
urther information and registration
forms available from the SCG Office,
Coláiste Mhuire, Marino
Institute of Education, Griffith
Avenue, Dublin . Tel: 
. Information and
forms may be downloaded
from the website
www.scgweb.ie
The Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta
sa Ghaeilge is an Irish Examination which
primary teachers who received their training
outside of the State must undertake and
pass in order to achieve full recognition as
28
primary teachers within the state. To undertake the exam it is a condition that candidates must hold or must have held
in the past provisional recognition as determined by the
Department of Education and
Science (up to March ’) and
subsequently by the Teaching
Council.
The next Exam will take place on ,
 and  March . Candidates must
register with the SCG Office.
The closing date for registration is 
September .
SCG Exam –
Applicant Numbers
 - 
 
 
 
Percentage of
applicants who achieved % or above in
the  exam
Paper 
Paper 
Aural
Oral
%
%
%
%
InTouch September 2007
an Choilig
Ainm: Susan Durcan
Áit Dhúchais: Ballincollig
Oiliúint: St Mary’s University College,
Strawberry Hill, London
Faoi Láthair: St Fin Barre’s NS, Cork
I
am from Ballincollig in
Co Cork. I studied for an Arts
Degree in UCC from -
and obtained my H Dip in
Education in  from UCC. I
never taught at second level as it
was not what I had really wanted
to do. I applied for the PGCE in St
Mary’s in Strawberry Hill and
completed it in . I spent a year working in Windsor before returning home
last August. I chose the college because I
wanted to spend time living in London
Ainm: Annette Ní Shé
Áit Dhúchais: Leitir Ceannain
Oiliúint: University of
Hartfordshire
Faoi Láthair: Inis Bó finne, Co na
Gaillimhe
I
was reared in Letterkenny. I
loved Irish at school and
achieved an honour in the
Higher Level Leaving Cert
paper. I went to UCD and took
an Honours Science
Degree,
InTouch September 2007
and also because the college had such a
good reputation.
I am currently teaching as a
mainstream class teacher in St Fin Barre’s
NS in Cork. I taught Junior and Senior
infants last year and will be teaching rd
and th class in the coming year.
The SCG was a very stressful
experience for me although the
fact that it was condensed into
five months probably made it less
painful than if it had been spread
over a longer time period. I
attended an SCG course provided
by Cork Education Support Centre
and did all parts of the exam in Easter
. The course was extremely helpful
and the tutor was very supportive of the
whole class. The modular structure of the
majoring in Computer Science
then went to New Zealand for a
year to work. Eight years ago I
decided to visit friends living on
Inishbofin Island, Co Galway.
Shortly afterwards I moved
there too with my family.
A couple of years later when
my youngest girl was about six I
felt I could get back into the
workforce and I saw that there
was a need for a teacher in the
local primary school so I made
SCG was good. Once the Practical
Elements had been completed you
could concentrate and focus on Papers 
and  in the Easter exam, knowisng that
you already had some marks under your
belt.
My recommendation to candidates
would be to start early!! If possible start
studying before the Education Centres
begin their courses. Go to a
conversational Irish course
if possible to help your oral Irish.
I was delighted to pass the SCG and did
much better than I had expected. It’s a
great feeling to be able to add it to your
CV when applying for jobs. It also means
you feel more confident teaching Irish in
the classroom and this means your class
are more likely to enjoy the subject.
the decision to train. The interview process of the University
of Hartfordshire,
England, was an experience in itself. We were
assessed at individual,
group and class (of +)
level. I felt very valued
as a mature student, a
mother, a person who
could bring worldly
experiences to the job. My
science background
was also
a ‘huge plus’. I am currently
teaching in Inishbofin NS, a two
teacher school with 
pupils. I decided to
tackle the SCG and was
determined to do all
four papers. I undertook
a course in the Galway
Education Centre which
luckily was held on a
Friday evening. The
course was excellent and geared
specifically towards the exams.
The book Cóir Gaoithe was an
excellent resource too.
The practical elements were
enjoyable and relevant to the
teaching of Irish and a very
good way of assessing the
ability and interest of the
teacher in the classroom. In
my opinion they should
have been weighted higher. I
put a lot of effort into the
study of Irish Grammar. I
wrote my own ‘Glance Card’
and concise notes. This
helped me achieve a high
mark on Paper  and
carried over also to the
other modules of the
exam. Don’t underestimate this aspect!
29
Rhyming and rapping Together
Primary schools poetry/rap competition
T
he INTO has agreed
to organise and
administer a
competition for
primary schools on
behalf of the Department of
Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Last year, the Department ran a
similar competition for the
National Information Day on
Disability entitled ‘Games We
Can All Play’, which proved very
successful.
This year’s National
Information Day on Disability
will take place in December,
. This is part of an EU wide
initiative to raise awareness of
people with disabilities in society. The aim of this competition
is to continue the work of rais-
ing awareness of people with
disabilities in our society among
primary school children.
Each school is asked to submit
one entry only from a pupil in
their school to their local county
co-ordinator (see below) by no
later than  October, .
Each entry may be selected
through the organisation of a
school based competition on
this year’s theme. A winner from
each county will be chosen to go
forward to the National Final in
December,  in Dublin
where the national winner will
be announced.
Each county winner will
receive a prize of €, worth
of ICT equipment for their
school and € in Book/Art/
Music Tokens for themselves.
The national winner will
receive a prize of €, worth
of ICT equipment for their
school and € in Book/Art/
Music tokens for themselves.
General Guidelines
• One entry per school of no
more than  words in
length should be submitted
to the county co-ordinator.
• The poem/rap should be written on one side of a page.
• Alternatively, an audio
recording of the poem/rap
may be submitted.
• Entrants must have been
enrolled in a recognised
primary school on 
September .
• No particular style of writing
is required.
• Pictures and illustrations are
acceptable.
• Entries may be in Irish or in
English.
Full rules of the competition are
available on www.into.ie
Judging
At county level, judging will be
undertaken by a judging panel
consisting of the county coordinator and two primary
school teachers.
At national level, a panel of
five judges will decide the
overall winner. The theme of
the poem/rap should be based
around Disability/Inclusion/
Special Needs.
INTO/DJELR POETRY/R AP COMPETITION CO-ORDINATORS 2007
Carlow
Maria Doyle,
Moyle, Carlow.
Tel:   (h)
Cavan
Fidelma Sheridan
St Patrick’s NS, Loch
Gowna. Tel:   (s)
  (h)
  (m)
Clare
Tony Sweeney
Sonas, Tobar na Meala,
Tobartaoscán, Ennis.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Cork
Alice O’Connell
 Brooklawn, Rushbrook,
Cobh. Tel:  (s)
 (h)
  (m)
Donegal
Paula Muldoon
Doonan, Donegal Town.
Tel:   (h)
Dublin
Goretti Newell
Brandon, Knocksinna Rd,
Dublin .
Tel:   (m)
InTouch September 2007
Galway
Michael Gallagher
Scoil Einde
Dr Mannix Road,
Salthill, Galway.
Tel:   (h)
 (s)
 (m)
Kerry
Siobhain Kearney
Sutton Place
Glenlarhan, Castleisland.
Tel:  (h)
  (m)
Kildare
Gerry O’Donoghue
Suncroft, Co Kildare.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Kilkenny
Betty Brennan
Presentation Con. PS
Castlecomer.
Tel:  (s)
  (h)
  (m)
Laois
Niamh Campion
Newtown NS,
Newtown, Crettyard.
Tel:  (s)
  (m)
Leitrim
Monica Scollan
Cappagh House,
Mohill.
Tel:   (h)
  (m)
Limerick
Brian Dillon
Castleconnell NS,
Castleconnell.
Tel:   (s)
  (h)
Longford
Mary McDermott
St Joseph’s Convent
of Mercy,
Longford.
Tel:   (s)
  (h)
  (m)
Louth
Peter Darcy
St Mary’s Boys NS
Congress Ave,
Drogheda.
Tel:   (s)
Mayo
Máire English
St Angela’s NS
The Lawn,
Castlebar.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
Meath
Mary Burke
O’Growney NS
Athboy.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Tipperary
Lucy Ryan
Miltown, Clonoulty
Cashel.
Tel:   (s)
  (h)
  (m)
Monaghan
Catherine Kelly
‘Ardglas’, Monalty
Carrickmacross.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Waterford
Gerard Duggan
Narabane, Kilmacow
Co Kilkenny.
Tel  (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Offaly
Eileen Moynihan
Daingean NS, Daingean.
Tel:   (s)
  (h)
  (m)
Westmeath
Fionnula Kirk
Scoil Mhuire
College Street, Mullingar
Tel:   (m)
Roscommon
John McLoughlin
Scoil na nAingeal Naofa,
Carrrick Road, Boyle.
Tel:   (h)
  (s)
  (m)
Sligo
John Conlon
‘Drummonds’, Glencar
Manorhamilton,
Co Leitrim.
Tel:   (m)
Wexford
John Brennan
 Ard Uain
Greenville Lane
Enniscorthy.
Tel:   (s)
  (m)
Wicklow
Bernie Melia
Gaelscoil an Inbhir
Mhoir, Emoclew Road,
Arklow.
Tel:   (s)
  (m)
31
“Partnership is the key feature
n October  InTouch
interviewed the newlyappointed Minister for
Education and Science, Mary
Hanafin TD, about her background and views on education.
Following her reappointment
InTouch caught up with the
Minister to discuss what she saw
as the highlights of her previous
term and the issues now
confronting primary education.
The previous interview can be
accessed on the INTO website at
http://www.into.ie/ROI/
Publications/InTouch/Archive/
I
IT: How did you feel when you
got the call from the Taoiseach?
MH: Well, once you get the call
you know you’re in the Cabinet,
it’s only when you go in the
door that you know what job
you’re actually getting. I had
made no secret of the fact that I
wanted to stay in education. He
told me he was happy to leave
me in education so I was very
happy as well! I was only in the
job for two and a half years so I
was very anxious to get a full run
at it. So that’s what I have now!
IT: What would you see as highlights of the previous 2 years?
MH: I think, specifically for
primary education, the additional teachers, the reduction
of class size, the huge allocation
of teachers for special education,
the support services including
SNAs, the publication of the WSE
reports, and the school building
programme. Whether it was the
external environment or the
internal environment, and
particularly what was happening
in the classroom, I think major
changes were made. I also think
there’s a very positive relationship with teachers and I think
that’s important in supporting
a profession which is so crucial
in every community.
IT: You now have five Ministers
for State reporting to you. Do you
think that’s a sign of how complex
education is becoming?
MH: It’s a sign of the importance
of making sure that education
32
links in with all other Departments and a sign of how complex
our society has become. From
the point of view of primary
education, the ones that directly
impact on our services are the
Minister for Children, the
Minister for Integration, the
Minister with responsibility for
School Transport and the
Minister for Disability, so there’s
a huge ‘power house’ there which
I think can only help to improve
the situation for everybody.
IT: Class size was an important
issue for our members during the
last year. Given the
commitments in the programme
for Government do you think
being able to implement the
revised curriculum – there’s a
lot that can be done in partnership with teachers now that this
element of programme for
Government is being
implemented. The very least we
can expect out of every class in
the country now is all children
are literate and numerate.
IT: A lot of discussion is taking
place on the Education for
Persons with Special Education
Needs Act. Do you see other
priorities to be addressed within
special education over the lifetime of the Government?
MH: Firstly on the Education for
Persons with Special Education
■ I love the sense of community that
is evident, the confidence and the
friendliness of the children and the
talents that are developed by their
dedicated teachers
schools can now plan a scheduled reduction?
MH: Don’t forget we began on
the basis of :. So it came down
then to : and then to : this
September. I’m sure it did not
go unnoticed by INTO members
around the country that Fianna
Fáil were the only people who
made this specific commitment
and that is why I was particularly
anxious that it made it into the
Programme for Government.
I think a lot of the issues are
actually quite complex, particularly when you’re talking about
educational disadvantage or
you’re talking about special
needs. Now there will be the
opportunity for teachers to be
able to do a lot of the things that
prior to this they felt that they
wanted to do but weren’t able
to do, like individual teaching,
and ensuring that the child who
is very bright is supported in
the same way as the child who’s
very weak. Adapting new
methodologies and approaches,
Needs Act, we will implement
that in full including the
Individual Education Plan and
the new appeals system. I think
those two things are particularly important. We’ll be working with the Council as regards
its full implementation and the
time scale for it. It’s obviously
going to involve a huge investment. We’re going to be
increasing the amount of
psychologists to  by 
and that’s only in two years
time. The development that I’m
particularly keen on is of the
Autistic Units throughout the
country and that is a priority at
the moment. The change in the
situation where smaller schools
were offered the administrative
principal and the increased
capitation has led to more schools
being willing to take these units
but I would hope that other
schools would also go see where
they’re working well. If we can
make strong links with health
services I think these units can
be very, very successful and of
course it means the child with
Autism can go to their local
school with their siblings and
can have the full benefit of the
SNAs and all the extra support
that they need there.
IT: Another priority for you when
you took over as Minister was
educational disadvantage. We’re
now in the second full year of the
DEIS Programme and while
people recognise that progress
has been made one of the
outstanding issues under the
Education Act is the statutory
committee. Have you plans to
reconstitute it now?
MH: I will reconstitute it but
I’m looking at the scope and
size of it in the context of a
more focussed committee.
IT: One of the big changes that
everybody has noticed throughout the country is the number of
children from a variety of international backgrounds in schools.
While there is now a schedule for
teacher appointments the issues
of resources for teachers and
professional development
opportunities are still of concern.
What developments do you see
in these areas?
MH: I would hope that the
Education Centres will be in a
position to offer courses which
can support teachers. It’s a very
new area for the whole country
and there are some cultural
difficulties but the office of the
Minister of Integration will be
able to look at the issues and
work with schools and with the
Department.
IT: One of the constant themes
in education in present times is
the growing complexity of school
leadership. What further developments do you see to support
school leaders?
MH: I introduced for the first
time the idea of the administrative deputy principal in primary
schools and that was in recognition of the role that the principal, particularly in the very large
schools, has with the increased
InTouch September 2007
of education”
number of staff, the increased
number of agencies that they
have to deal with and the
legislative requirements on
them. We also have to remember that % of all teachers have
posts of responsibility and it’s
really important that those posts
are used properly. People are
getting extra money to do an
additional job and if those jobs
are properly organised within a
school it can relieve the burden,
not certainly take away all the
responsibility of a principal,
but certainly can relieve the
burden for them. I’d like to see
greater attention being given to
that. In the broader sense
there’s the whole idea of selfevaluation within a school and
reviewing what they’re doing,
how they’re doing and the
school planning process.
We’ve said in the Programme
for Government that we would
increase the number of release
days for teaching principals and
expand the pilot scheme of
substitute cover for principal
release days. That actually
worked quite well where it
operated. We’ve also said that
we would provide people with
training options and review the
role of middle management.
More particularly, from the point
of view of financial support,
we’re talking about substantially
increasing the funding for the
ancillary and support services
grants so that principals have
better administrative support.
IT: Given concerns that have
been raised on inflation do you
see a front loading of the capitation grant increases?
MH: Every year we will have to
negotiate for the Book of
Estimates and every year brings
its own economic parameters
that we have to work within as a
Department and as a Minister
so it’s not possible to say exactly
how much or what will be
coming in any particular year
but I do appreciate that it is an
issue for schools, and the
commitment to double the
capitation grant will be met.
InTouch September 2007
Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin TD, receiving
her seal of office from President Mary McAleese in June 2007
in the presence of An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD.
IT: Recognising the progress that
has been made on the school
building programme, in both
new buildings and renovations,
one of the issues that played out
before the election was provision
in rapidly growing areas. Do you
have plans to address this issue?
MH: Rapidly growing areas are
and will be a priority over the
next couple of years so it may
mean that we end up not being
able to spend as much on
summer works for example.
The main bulk of the capital
funding for primary schools is
going to have to go into the
rapidly developing areas.
There’s huge demand and even
with the very best of planning
there are still families arriving
into areas looking for places
immediately so we are setting
up a Developing Areas Unit
within the Department of
Education. The new unit will
liaise with the local authorities
regarding the provision of sites
and deal with recognition well
in advance of places. We’ll also
be working with the Minister
for the Environment to see
what we can do in relation to
planning permission for things
like temporary accommodation.
It’s ridiculous that you have to
wait six weeks to get your planning permission and you then
might have to wait until it goes
to Bord Pleanála, and all for
something that’s going to be
temporary. €. billion is set
aside in the development plans
for new schools, and we’ll also be
ensuring that no rezoning for
residential development can
take place without making sure
that a portion of land is available
for the schools at the same time.
IT: What areas do you see as
important for development in
primary education?
MH: A continued focus on basic
skills and of course on Gaeilge
as a living language over the next
few years. It is something that
the teachers are well capable of
doing, even just using it more in
the playground and around the
school generally. Good use of
standardised tests, integration
and a continued commitment
to quality. We’ve also put in the
Programme for Government
things like teaching the National
Anthem and respect for the
National Flag. All of these are
important for us as an identity
and I’d love to see an increased
emphasis on these areas.
There is also € million set
aside for IT which will involve
hardware and software, training
for teachers, and technical
support but there’s no point in
us putting in the money unless
you see the response in the
schools. So the whole partnership approach that we talk
about in education has to filter
down through the schools and
into the classrooms. It is
happening but I want people to
work with me over the next few
years. The Programme for
Government is not all about
‘what is the Government giving
us’, it’s also about ‘how can we
together improve the society
that we’re living in’ and there’s
nowhere that’s truer than in
education. Partnership is the
key feature of education. For
extra investment, for extra
teachers, for extra buildings, for
extra IT I think we can all
deliver a bit more as well
because at the end of the day
we’re all interested in progressing and developing the education of the children in our care.
IT: What have you enjoyed about
your time as Minister so far?
MH: One of the things that I
have enjoyed most over the last
couple of years was the school
visits. The schools know by now
that when I visit, it’s not just in
the case of the opening of a new
building, it could be for
anything. As I’m going around
the country, visiting schools I
love the sense of community
that is evident, the confidence
and the friendliness of the children and the talents that are
developed by their dedicated
teachers. I know it’s hugely
important for schools to get the
kind of the endorsement for the
work that they’re doing from
the Minister of the day,
whoever that is. It also means
that I can’t travel anywhere in
the country without every child
knowing me. That can be fun
too!
33
The School Development Planning Service
S
Education Sector in the current -Year
Framework Social Partnership Agreement
Towards .
self-identified planning issues, including
curricular and/or organisational priorities,
on this day.
The Service aims to support collaborative
planning as a means of promoting school
effectiveness and renewal.
Schools may close, with board of
management approval, for one day during
/ for development planning
purposes.
SDPS facilitators are available to assist
school communities in addressing their self
identified planning priorities, including
curriculum and / or organisational issues.
The importance of quality in schools, of
school self-evaluation, and of the role
school development planning plays
in both, is central to Modernisation in the
This day will link in with each school’s
ongoing development process, in the
context of the School Development
Planning Initiative. Schools may address
Facilitators may be contacted by phone
each Thursday from September to June for
development planning advice and assistance.
DPS (Primary) was launched in
September  to promote the
practice of development planning in
primary schools.
Meet the SDPS team
National
Co-ordinator
Eileen
Flynn
Regional Co-ordinators
Catherine
Hennessey
Christy
Carroll
Geralyn
Costello
Noel
Loftus
Sean
Balfe
Nora
Collins
Services to Schools
E
ach school’s SDPS
Facilitator will make
contact early in
September with a proposed
date for the school’s development planning day. Schools are
advised not to make any
arrangements with regard to
this day in advance of being
contacted.
An appropriate starting point
for planning this year might be
to consult initially with staff,
parents and board of management in relation to progress
made on matters addressed in
previous years and to identify
any issues outstanding.
The agenda for discussion
with your SDPS Facilitator
should emerge from this or
from other priorities identified
within your own school.
Whole Staff Presentations:
34
schools/school clusters may
select one of the following
topics if relevant to their ongoing planning agenda:
. Literacy: creating and meeting
realistic goals for your pupils.
. Numeracy: creating and
meeting realistic goals for
your pupils.
. Assessment: improving the
use of pupil assessments.
. Individual Teacher
Preparation/Reporting: bringing whole-school planning
decisions into classroom
practice.
. School Development Plan:
assisting in drafting and
implementing your school’s
three year development plan
(may be of specific interest to
schools included under DEIS).
.NEWB Guidelines for
Developing School Codes of
Behaviour: guidance in the
preparation or review of a
Code of Behaviour. It is
expected that these guidelines will be available in
Autumn .
If your school worked on one of
the above modules in the last
school year, the starting point
in / will be to review
progress to date and to identify
issues yet to be addressed
before moving on to address
other priorities.
The full range of services
available from SDPS is listed on
their website at www.sdps.ie:
Planning advice
Facilitators may be contacted
by phone each Thursday from
October to June for
development planning advice
and assistance.
Materials by post/e-mail
On request, facilitators will
forward planning materials and
guidelines to schools by post or
e-mail.
CONTACT SDPS
(PRIMARY)
SDPS may be contacted in
any of the following ways:
Telephone: ()  
Fax: ()  
E-Mail: [email protected]
Post: SDPS (Primary),
Drumcondra Education
Centre, Drumcondra,
Dublin 9, Ireland
Webmaster:
[email protected]
Development Planning
Helpdesk: [email protected]
InTouch September 2007
First steps
Advice for newly qualified primary teachers as they begin their career
C
ongratulations on your
first post as a newly
qualified teacher! Your
first year will be a demanding,
complex, challenging one but
full of great insights, real satisfaction, immense learning
opportunities and a great sense
of achievement. Hayes ()*
refers to  key principles for
getting better at teaching:
● Learn from others.
● Have confidence in your own
ability.
● Hold fast to your principles.
● Accept that you may need to
modify your views.
● Show your enthusiasm and
willingness to help others.
● Share your delights and
encouragement.
● Discuss your concerns with
someone who will be
supportive.
● View criticism as a helpful
contribution to your development.
● Respond positively and be
generous with your praise.
What will be important
throughout your first year is to
remain positive and forward
thinking, no matter what challenges you encounter.
Remember that all teachers
will have experienced the challenges facing you in your first
week so seeking help and
asking advice from other staff
members will greatly help and
support you. If your school is
participating in the National
Pilot Project on Teacher
Induction the school will have
assigned a mentor to you.
Teachers by their very nature
help and support each other
and most teachers remember
only too well what it is like to be
an NQT. One of the outstanding
trademarks of a teacher is to
the ability to think, reflect,
assess and act decisively – there
will be times when you will
make mistakes but these
mistakes will be learning
opportunities. Be confident and
patient and the journey will be
extremely worthwhile.
You are now entering a school
community which will have its
own ethos and identity. It is
important from the start to act
professionally in all your dealings with pupils, staff members,
board of management
members and parents. Be on
time for all school activities.
Many NQTs are concerned
about their planning and
preparation. DES have issued a
blue book Guidelines for probationary teachers in primary
schools, (December ),
which the principal will have in
the school. This is a ‘must-read’
for all NQTs as it contains all
the information on planning
and preparation that you will
need. It is important that the
principal inform the local
inspector immediately of your
appointment and while you are
waiting for the first visit from
the inspector it is essential to
plan ahead. NQTs are expected
to plan on a weekly basis and it
is extremely important that you
have your notes completed for
the week ahead and ready for
inspection. Good teaching will
depend on how well you plan
for the class you are teaching.
Consulting with other staff
members and gathering as
much information as you can
about the class will be crucial to
the whole planning and preparation process. Your two points
of reference for planning are
the Primary School Curriculum
documents and the school plan.
In your first weeks of teaching
it is very important to establish
systems and routines. Children
thrive on routines and will
respond to fair and consistent
systems. Think about the
classroom climate and
atmosphere that you would
■ It is important from the start to act
professionally in all your dealings …
InTouch September 2007
like to cultivate and work
towards that goal. Give careful
thought to the transition
between lessons, the going out
and the coming in to the classroom, the storage of lunchboxes and other equipment,
what happens on the wet day,
where to store the copies and
workbooks etc. Always keep
instructions clear and simple. It
is important to keep the focus
on the children’s learning
needs and pace your lessons
accordingly.
In the first few weeks there
will be high priority areas which
you will need to attend to:
● Roll-book – seek advice on
filling in the roll – it is an
important school record.
● Get essential information with
regard to children in your class
who have medical conditions
eg, diabetes, allergies etc.
● Familiarise yourself with the
school code of discipline and
work to this code. In your own
classroom you will have a
system which suits the class
but always operate within the
school code of discipline.
● Familiarise yourself with the
homework policy – what is
acceptable for the age group
that you are teaching – the
school will have a policy on
homework.
● Familiarise yourself with the
health and safety procedures
within the school eg, procedures for leaving school
grounds, first aid, fire-drills,
what to do if a child falls ill,
who the designated liaison
person is, etc.
● Find out what supervision of
the yard entails – in many
schools NQTs are afforded
the opportunity to
shadow experienced
members of staff for a
few weeks before
undertaking yard
duty themselves.
Ask the principal if
that is a possibility
in the school in
which you are working.
During the year there
will be many other school policies that you will refer to for
information in relation to many
aspects of school life. At the
start of each term find out what
events will be coming up that
will impact on the timetable for
your class eg, parent-teacher
meetings, school play, school
tour etc, Make a list of
questions that you would like to
ask the mentor or buddy or
principal and prioritise from
your list on a need-to-know
basis. Don’t try to do everything
at once.
When you finish school in the
evening, take time to draw your
breath and have a chat with a
colleague or friend. If you don’t
pace yourself in the beginning
you may find that by Christmas
you are exhausted! Do care for
yourself and find that ‘third
space’ where you can relax and
forget about the working day.
Here are some important
areas, which you will work
towards:
● Establishing a purposeful,
positive atmosphere with
good classroom order.
● Preparing and planning
thoroughly.
● Observing the children in the
teaching and learning
contexts and planning to
cater for the children’s needs.
● Differentiating for the children in your class, consulting
with SET and parents so that
you can plan effectively and
efficiently.
● Assessing your teaching and
learning as you go and using a
variety of assessment tools.
● Facilitating the development
of social skills and attitudes,
at every opportunity.
Be assertive, be confident and
be professional in your attitude,
manner and dress as a teacher.
Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat!
Mary Burke, Co-ordinator
of the National Pilot
Project on Teacher Induction
(Primary)
■
*Ref: Hayes, Denis. () The
Handbook for Newly Qualified Teachers,
London: David Fulton Publishers.
35
Retirements
CAIRBRE LÁIR
AUSTIN CORCORAN RETIRES
Back left to right: Denis Bohane (ex President); Emma Dineen, CEC Rep, District XII; John
Carr, General Secretary; Bernadette Milner, Secretary, Cairbre Láir; Vincent Cronin, ex
Benefit Funds Committee; Eddie Moloney, Chair, Cairbre Láir; John Daly, Benefit Funds
Committee; Noel Coakley, ex Standing Orders Committee; Pádraig O’Connaíll, Runaí,
District XII.
Front left to right: Joan McCullough, Jimmy Collins, former INTO President and CEC
Representative, Ann O’ Sullivan, Anne O’Donovan, Marion O’Driscoll and Maura White.
Austin Corcoran, Deputy Principal of St Kevin’s Boys
National School, Finglas West, Dublin and former
President of the INTO retired on
 September  after  years of service to his
school and to national teachers in general. Austin is
pictured with Ciaran O’Flanagan, Principal; Sean
Markham, former Principal; and Senator Joe O' Toole,
former General Secretary of INTO.
BALLINA BRANCH
DISTRICT 4
Left to Right: Declan Kyne (Chair); Padraig Langan (retired); Margaret
Kiely (retired); Sean Rowley, former President of the INTO and CEC rep; Noeline
Cummins (retired); Jim Higgins, CEC Rep; Vincent Duffy (Secretary).
CURRY BRANCH
Pictured at retirement function for Doris Clements, are: back
row: David McVeigh, Cathaoirleach; Nanette McDonagh; and
Frank McGee, District Secretary. Front row: Jim Higgins, CEC
Rep., District ; Doris; Lawson Clements; and Myrtle Nairn.
DISTRICT IX
The long-awaited retirement
function for the retirees of 
in District  took place in the
Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley on
Tuesday  June.
Retirees are pictured with the
Vice-President, Declan Kelleher;
General Treasurer, Sheila Nunan;
CEC Representative, Noreen
Flynn; District Chairperson,
Ciarán Tierney, District Secretary;
David O’Sullivan (middle-left);
and District Treasurer, Mary
Frewen (back-left).
InTouch September 2007
37
Craft in the
classroom
I
nitiated by the Crafts Council of Ireland,
Craft in the Classroom aims to raise the
profile of craft in primary schools through
the introduction of craftsperson residencies.
The project provides teachers with:
● Access to highly skilled craftspeople.
● Training and support in maximising creative partnerships with
craftspeople.
● Creative ideas on interpreting the Visual Arts Curriculum.
● Help towards the cost of project materials.
And provides craftspeople with:
● Training in devising projects complementary to the Primary Visual Arts
Curriculum.
● Links with schools seeking to develop projects with craftspeople.
● Support in undertaking creative partnerships with schools.
●Funding support to work in schools.
Over  schools and  children have already benefited from the
scheme.
Cubist artists and their philosophies and works, through the medium
of paper making
Photographs
illustrate paper
making
methods
Project Outline
Our Craft in the Classroom
project took place at Scoil Bhride NS, Lisdowney, Co Kilkenny, and
was co designed and facilitated by Polly Minett (Paper Maker) and
Mairead Dowling (Teacher) for classes from third to sixth.
The project took place in spring  and our objective was to
explore the topic of Cubist Artists and their philosophies and
works, through the medium of paper making, covering the following strands from the Primary School Visual Arts Curriculum:
Drawing and Design /Colour / Print / Construction and Fabric and
Fibre. Materials used would be recycled fabric (fitting in with the
Green Schools requirements) and plant fibres such as banana leaf
and cotton.
The project was designed to be facilitated in four, three hour
contact sessions – with extra time taken in class for preparation
and following up on any relevant spin off topics – and designed as
three individual mini projects which would fit into our central
theme:
.An individual piece based on a design inspired by examples of
Cubist art.
. Collaborative pieces, based on ideas and designs developed in
session one.
. Collaborative construction, based on cubist designs.
. Finishing off work and drawing the project together.
These sessions were designed to gradually get more challenging and build on the children’s growing confidence and
skills.
Key Aims
Based on the above, our aims for the project
were as follows :
For the children (from the Visual Arts
Curriculum)
InTouch September 2007
39
●
to ensure as much as possible
that the whole experience is
enjoyable for all involved.
For the craftsperson
to facilitate a cross-curricular
project through the medium
of paper making;
● to share ideas, expertise and
skills with all parties;
● to collaborate closely on all of
the above with the teacher;
● to challenge perceptions of
paper making;
● to gain deeper knowledge of
the school curriculum.
●
A paper
making
project nears
completion
Overall reflection on the project
●
●
●
●
to help the child develop
sensitivity to the visual,
spatial and tactile world,
and to provide for aesthetic
experience;
to help the child express
ideas, feelings and
experiences in visual and
tactile forms;
to enable the child to have
enjoyable and purposeful
experiences of different art
media and to have opportunities to explore, experiment,
imagine, design, invent and
communicate with different
art materials;
to promote the child’s understanding of and personal
InTouch September 2007
●
●
●
●
response to the creative
processes involved in making
two and three-dimensional
art;
to enable the child to develop
the skills and techniques
necessary for expression,
inventiveness and individuality;
to enable the child to
experience the excitement
and fulfillment of creativity
and the achievement of
potential through art
activities;
to foster sensitivity towards
and enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts;
to provide opportunities for
the child to explore how the
work of artists and craftspeople might relate to his/her
own work.
For the teacher
to facilitate the above project
and integrate it into all
subject areas of the curriculum, where possible;
● to research background links
with the project and extend
these into future classroom
planning and projects;
● to learn skills and techniques
in paper making in order to
disseminate these skills
through the rest of the
school;
●
We both felt that the project
was extremely successful and
that we achieved all our aims
and objectives. The children
were actively involved in most
aspects of the project, including decision making. Their
understanding and appreciation of cubist art and philosophies is apparent in their
finished pieces and their
comments about their work.
They are now aware that paper
making is a versatile creative
medium that can be applied in
a variety of ways.
One of the main outcomes of
this project for both teacher and
craftsperson is the firm belief
that nothing should be taught in
isolation; we assimilate information better when we are actively
involved and it is taught in relation to other things.
We all found working on the
project very enjoyable, stimulating and worth while. The
evaluation of this project
strongly highlights the possibilities for using a creative craft
medium such as paper making
as the vehicle for a cross-curricula approach to teaching. We
both hope we get the opportunity to continue working in this
way.
■
Written by Polly Minette
and Mairead Dowling,
who participated in the project
this year.
The Crafts Council of Ireland is
continuing to roll out Craft in
the Classroom across Ireland.
Visit www.ccoi.ie/education for
more information.
41
Colour my learning
F
eeling blue? Seeing
red? Green with envy?
Or perhaps you’re
simply ‘browned off’?
Amongst us ever
more gregarious humans colour
coded chatter gets the message
across in a most, well, colourful
way.
Eavesdrop on any conversation in a home décor store or
tune in to prime time TV and
you’ll find yourself wondering
the effects of cool blue in the
bedroom and yellow for that
welcoming ambiance in the
hallway.
So what about colour and the
classroom?
One day I wore a pink outfit to
school – a very uncharacteristic
departure from my lengthy
devotion to brown and green.)
Conspirational looks and
charming smiles came from the
boys and almost every girl in
my class of six year olds complimented me. A happy
atmosphere pervaded the classroom all morning. There
seemed to be an invisible
thread binding us together. We
did a great morning’s work.
Had my pink outfit
transformed a bleak Tuesday
into one of those days that
makes you glad to be a teacher?
And if so, how?
Thinking back, the pink
outfit had empowered me. I was
more confident and the children’s reactions had made me
even more so. Pink is a warm,
nurturing colour and can
induce a sense of belonging. It
is no coincidence that pink is
associated with femininity and
womanhood. It is the colour of
the womb. Our class that morning was a pink cocoon! And I
couldn’t dismiss the notion,
that as the focus of their attention for most of the school day,
they were somewhat bored with
my usual colour combinations!
Which got me to thinking –
was there more to colour in the
classroom than painting day?
And have we adults somewhat
‘dumbed down’ our emotional
and psychological responses to
all manner of things in the
name of efficiency and expediency, while children are more
finely tuned to subtleties, such
as colour?
Colour is energy – each colour
comes to us on its own wavelength and frequency. Colour is
not only seen but absorbed by
every cell in the body. Colour
enters our subconscious. We
have colour memories. Colour,
believe practitioners of
Ayurvedic medicine, is related
to the seven charkas or energy
spots of the body and affects
our physical well being.
Spirits can be raised,
emotions soothed, harmony
restored, aggression calmed,
depression lifted, aches
relieved and minds stimulated
through professional colour
therapy. So why not bring a
little of this to the classroom?
My own school, of the early
nineteen sixties was a bleak,
laughterless place. A long stay
in hospital in those same years
is deeply etched upon my
psyche. I can recall the exact
shade of yellow on the walls of
both institutions – a dull
mustard – the colour of fear.
Today, schools are quite likely
to be painted white which
symbolises purity, peace and
protection. White is for openness and freedom. It is a blank
canvas – awaiting ideas,
provoking discussion and
promoting work. To benefit
from colours, we should meditate upon them and there is no
doubt that school children
meditate upon the walls for
considerable lengths of time!
Staring at the walls doesn’t
seem such a bad idea now…
But too much white can be
isolating. Balance is needed.
■ Our class
that morning
was a pink
cocoon!
InTouch September 2007
43
Yellow is the colour of the intellect. It’s good for the memory,
stimulates clear thinking,
promotes organisational skills,
improves self confidence. It is
the colour of discernment and
intellectual discrimination. It is
warm. A good colour for a test
paper, I found myself wondering?
I recently visited a school
which had had its entrance
foyer repainted in shades of
golden yellow, sunny orange
and pale green. The waves of
colour curved gracefully across
the walls, coming together and
then lifting away upwards
towards some unseen heaven.
The effect was immediate on
me. I smiled inwardly. Orange
can relieve and release
emotions, it raises esteem and
lifts depression. Yellow is warm
and energising, the colour of
the sun. Green, the colour of
nature, promotes empathy with
people and the world, is also
good for the emotions, induces
calmness and comfort. I felt
very welcome.
Approximately eighty per
cent of what a child learns in
school comes to him/her visually. And colour helps us to
process and store those images
more efficiently. Recall is aided
by colour. And some research
InTouch September 2007
■ Spirits can be raised, emotions
soothed, harmony restored,
aggression calmed, depression
lifted, aches relieved and minds
stimulated … why not bring a little
of this to the classroom?
suggests that we are
programmed by evolution and
development to the colour
structure of the natural world.
Therefore we should surround
ourselves by those same natural
colours, avoiding strange,
psychedelic colours. If you
happen to have seen Stanley
Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001
Space Odyssey you may, like me,
recall feeling strangely unsettled. The swirls of colour pulled
me in and absorbed me –
purples and violets surrounded
me. These colours have a deep
effect on the psyche, they are
artistic and spiritual and the
colours of make believe.
However, persons attracted to
violet may be inclined to live in
a fantasy world.
We can’t all become professional colour therapists over
night. Yet we could make small
changes or even not so small.
Consider the school uniform.
Generally they are in dark, practical colours – grey, navy, dark
green and deep red or even
purple. Grey is considered a
negative colour, the colour of
clouds and smoke and symbolises loneliness. The deep blue
of the night sky is soothing but
a dark blue can be exactly that,
dark and depressing. Dark
green too has negative, deathly
connotations. And remember
we don’t simply see our school
uniforms, we wear and absorb
them.
No longer will I exclusively
use black as a backdrop to
display work. Yes it can be
comforting and protective but
can also prevent growth and
change. Perhaps the coolness
and calmness of blue, which
appeals to a higher part of the
mind. Also a simple change,
like painting the classroom
door magenta, relaxing, a spiritual elixir and good for anger.
Art classes can be used to
redecorate the classroom. Paint
large sheets of paper in those
waves of yellow, orange and
green and put all around the
walls. Change to shades of blue
for calmness and peace ( avoiding dark blue) or silver and
gold. Silver, the colour of the
moon, balances and
harmonises. Gold re-energises
and is an inspirational colour.
Re-invent the (thankfully)
obsolete dunce’s corner into a
colour corner of calmness.
Turquoise encourages communication, red will help conquer
those negative thoughts,
orange will increase self esteem
and perhaps green for empathy
and comfort. That clenched up
six year old ball of anger may
emerge yellow and mellow!
Whatever our nature, whatever the mood of our little
charges – there is a colour out
there that will just tickle you
pink!
Annette Black teaches in
St Killian’s NS,
Clonskeagh, Dublin.
■
45
Co-operative games in
the primary school
T
he importance of games for
children in the context of their
social and linguistic development is widely acknowledged.
Games are a valuable, fun and
interesting way of helping children to work
together and to raise the level of co-operative consciousness within the class. The
Strand: Games, of the PE Curriculum,
enhances the development of skills and
provides opportunities for social interaction. A balanced programme of games
ensures that the child experiences a wide
variety of activities that provide enjoyment
and challenge and that foster a lifelong
interest.
In SPHE, active learning is the principal
learning and teaching approach that is
recommended and there is also a particular
emphasis in SPHE on children working
together. This can include many different
types of group interaction, such as Co-operative Games, which enable children to work
together in a caring and co-operative way,
to include all children, to develop both coordination and problem solving skills and
to help children to work together as a
social unit. Co-operative Games link
elements of the PE and SPHE curriculum very easily.
Games involve children at three
levels: at a physical level, at an
emotional level and at a cognitive level. Games range from
active games that require
space for movement to
quieter games and
activities that can
be used in the
classroom.
Games can keep small children busy, big
children happy and all children active.
GAMES
Touch the ball
●
●
●
●
●
You will need a variety of objects in a variety of sizes, eg, a soccer ball, a soft ball, a
tennis ball, a golf ball, a coin.
Ask the group to stand in a circle and
place the largest object in the middle of
the circle and tell the group they must all
touch the object without touching each
other.
Once they can figure out how to arrange
themselves so that they can do this for
ten seconds, give them a smaller object.
Work all the way down to the coin.
Non verbal birthday line up
●
●
●
Rocket launch
●
●
Count how many people, including yourself, are in the group.
Sitting in a circle, one child calls out the
starting number (which is the number of
children in the group).
● Anybody can stand up
and call the next
number and so on down to number one
but if two children stand up at the same
time the countdown has to begin again.
When number one is reached, all the
group stand, raise their arms and shout
“We have Lift Off”.
The following instruction is given:
“Without talking, line yourselves up
according to the month of your birth and
possibly even the day and date”.
The players themselves must work out
the beginning, end and order of the line,
by mime or any other non-verbal
communication.
Other suggestions for order of line up
include alphabetically, numerically or by
letters making up a sentence.
Pattern ball
A ball is thrown from one person to the
other in the circle until each person in
the circle has received the ball once.
● No-one should be passed the ball more
than once.
● The group must then
remember and repeat the
pattern.
● Two/three balls might be
introduced to the circle or
the pattern might be
repeated backwards.
●
Hoop circle
● Ask the children to hold
hands in a circle with a hoop
hanging on each pair of joined
hands.
● The children try to move the
hoop around the circle without
releasing their hands.
■ Games are a valuable, fun and
interesting way of helping children
to work together and to raise the
level of co-operative consciousness
within the class.
InTouch September 2007
47
● Some older children can try
this blindfolded.
Frogs and lily pads
●
●
●
●
Divide the children into
groups of three and give each
group three vinyl spots or
hula-hoops.
In each group there must be
one ‘frog’ and two ‘tadpoles’.
The objective is to get the frog
from one side of the hall to
the other, however the frog
can only step on the vinyl
spots to cross and the spots
can only be moved by the
tadpoles.
Teacher can act as the ‘Pond
Police’ making sure that no
frog steps off the lily pads.
●
Hold the rope relay
●
●
●
●
●
The great big hop
●
●
●
●
Ask the children to hop
around the hall .
If a child makes contact with
another child they must stay
together hopping at the same
time.
Soon groups of hopping children contact each other and
join to form a larger hopping
group.
Finally all the group are
hopping as one group, creating the ‘Great big hop’.
●
●
Class in groups of no more
than five. Each group has a
rope.
All children must have both
hands on rope.
Each group face five
beanbags, - metres away.
On the signal teams must
race to the beanbags keeping
all hands on the rope.
They must pick up one bean
bag and put it on the head of
one group member BUT teams
cannot use their hands as
they are still holding the rope.
They race back to the finish
line, drop the beanbag and
repeat for each team member.
If they drop the beanbag on
the way back they must
replace it without using their
hands.
Bull ring
Divide the class into groups of
four. Each group has a curtain
ring, four pieces of string m –
m in length and a ball.
● Task is to transport the ball
from one end of the hall/yard
to the other using the string
and the curtain ring.
● Once moving they can only
touch the string.
● Allow children to improvise.
● Eventually share methods
between groups.
● Best method appears to be as
follows: Each child doubles
his/her piece of string around
the ring. The four children
are holding the string equal
distance away from the ring.
They keep tension on the ring
so it stays horizontal and the
ball balances on it.
●
●
●
●
●
●
Divide the group into smaller
groups where they must
arrange themselves into
lines, with an average of
about  children per line.
Each line is given a ball and
the group must pass the ball
from one end of the line to
the other without the ball
touching the floor.
This can be done in a number
of ways, using their backs, from
side to side, through their legs,
from chest to chest, or giving
the group an opportunity to
make up
their own
way.
●
Slowly and carefully the children sit on each other’s laps,
thus creating the co-operative sitting circle.
Farmyard
●
●
●
●
The players stand in a large
circle and choose a number
of animals.
These animals should be
divided as equally as possible
among the group.
With eyes closed the players
should walk about and find
their own kind by making the
appropriate sound, eg, ‘baa’
‘meow’ etc,
When two animals of the
same kind come across each
other they should hold hands
and find others of their kind
until the group is complete.
The blindfold trust walk
Suspension bridge
Ball relay
Dress the mummy
(Note to teacher – this game is
great fun but can waste a lot of
paper).
● Set up teams with two to four
players on each team. One
person on the team will be the
mummy and each person will
be given two rolls of toilet
paper.
● The teams are to circle around
the mummy and pass the
toilet paper to each other
while wrapping the mummy
in it.
● Someone in the group could
be assigned to decide who
has created the best mummy
design.
musical instruments which
the group imitate (they must
not look at, or indicate in any
way, who is giving the lead).
The person outside the door is
called in and they must guess
which of the group members
is leader of the orchestra.
This is a stretching exercise
where the children are divided
into groups of about six.
The first person in the group
must be touching the wall
and that person stretches
their body as long as possible.
The other group members
lengthen the stretch by joining on, the objective being to
see how far across the hall the
group can stretch.
●
●
●
●
Children are divided into
pairs. One person leads the
other person blindfold or
with the eyes closed.
The leader leads the blindfolded person around,
explains where s/he is taking
him/her and what to expect
and also offers reassurance.
The blindfolded person
should have complete trust in
the person leading.
After a short while partners
switch roles.
Co-operative sitting circle
●
●
●
Ask a large group of children
to stand in a circle, each child
facing the back of the child
next to them.
Ask the children to hold each
others waist.
The children must be standing close to each
other.
Human pretzel
●
●
●
Two people leave the group.
The rest of the group hold
hands in a circle and twist
themselves over and under
and through each other without dropping hands.
The people waiting away from
the group come back and are
challenged to untangle the
group so they stand as they
began, in a circle holding
hands.
● The ‘Pretzel’ co-operates as the ‘un-tanglers’
figure out who goes
where.
Leader of the orchestra
●
●
One person from the group
is asked to wait outside
the room for a
moment.
Another person is
chosen as leader of the
orchestra and s/he
must lead the group
by ‘playing’ different
InTouch September 2007
49
Co-operative great big
jump
● One person stands at
a starting line and jumps.
● The next person jumps
from where the last
person landed and so on
until everybody has
jumped.
●
The aim is to see if the group
as a whole can better their
collective distance, the ‘Great
Big Jump’.
Animated alphabets
●
●
●
Divide the children into
groups of five or six.
Explain that you will call out a
letter of the alphabet and
they are to make a body
sculpture of it in their groups.
After a while they can race to
see which group can do this
first.
CO-OPERATIVE
PARACHUTE GAMES
Overhand grip
●
●
●
The children stand in a circle
around the parachute.
Ask the children to lift the
parachute and grip it firmly,
clenching their fists around it
and with knuckles facing the
ceiling.
The children can then lift and
lower the parachute, which is
a very effective strengthening
and stretching exercise.
Using a parachute for play activities
Big ball
The parachute becomes the
solar system.
● A ball (representing the
planet) is introduced onto
the parachute and the group
must work together so that
the ball travels all around the
edge of the solar system.
Group co-operation is required in
order for this to work.
●
●
●
Activity 2
●
The sea
●
●
●
The parachute in effect
becomes the sea. Five words
are introduced to describe
the movements of the sea:
still, gentle, breezy, windy and
stormy.
The teacher or any group
member can call numbers
from one to five, one = still
and five = stormy, and the
group must move the parachute as appropriate.
Hand signals can then be
introduced for the five words
and one member of the group
indicates how the parachute
should be moved by using
hand signals.
Air conditioner
●
●
●
●
Frogs in the pond
●
●
●
Beanbags are used as frogs for
this game. The children must
try to make the ‘frogs’ hop
from colour to colour on the
parachute.
They then make the ‘frogs’
disappear to the bottom of
the pond ie, down the hole in
the centre of the parachute.
Ropes can also be introduced
to the parachute and these
are called ‘snakes’. These
must disappear down the
hole also!
InTouch September 2007
●
The group are divided into
two. Holding the parachute
half the group crouch down
while the other half try to lift
the parachute above their
heads.
Alternate and repeat to create
a breeze.
An alternative game of air
conditioner is for half the
group to hold the parachute
while the other half of the
group lie underneath the
parachute on their backs,
heads facing towards the
centre.
The people who are holding
the parachute raise it overhead and pull it back down
but stop the parachute at
elbow level, to ensure safety
of the people lying
underneath.
Repeat a number of times and
then swap around the groups.
CO-OPERATIVE STRETCHING
ACTIVITIES USING A PARACHUTE
Activity 1
●
Encourage the group to place
their feet together and firmly
on the ground as if they were
frozen.
Extend arms, take the strain
on the parachute and try to
lean back and look up at the
ceiling.
Repeat activity, this time
taking two/three little steps
under the parachute.
●
●
●
All the group face in a clockwise direction and grip the
parachute with the right
hand.
Now, take the strain of the
parachute by pulling away
from it whilst continuing to
grip it.
Point the left hand out
straight from the parachute
and try to balance.
Repeat the exercise above,
this time pushing the left hip
away from the parachute and
repeat on the other side.
Activity 3
Biceps curl
Hold the parachute by taking
an underhand grip, ie, with
the knuckles pointing
towards the ground.
● Hold the parachute at hip
level.
● Ensure the elbows are flexed
and feel the strain of the
parachute.
● On the count of one, two,
three, very slowly pull the
parachute towards the
body.
● On the repeat count of one,
two, three, very slowly move
the parachute away from the
body.
● Repeat this activity, facing
away from the parachute.
●
Activity 4
Triceps extension
● Place the parachute on the
ground.
● Ask the group to lie on the
ground on their backs, knees
bent at a ninety degree angle.
● Extend the arms over behind
the head and catch the parachute, ensuring that the parachute does not touch the head.
● Take the strain of the parachute (see Activity ).
● On a count of one, two, three,
pull the parachute over the
head.
● On a repeat count of one, two,
three, bring the parachute
back to its original position.
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN
PLAYING CO-OPERATIVE GAMES
Efficient group learning
requires the development of a
wide range of learning and
social skills and good classroom
management. Group processes
in the class will be more effective when the games are introduced at an early age and over
time and when the process is
regularly reviewed. The following reflections may enhance Cooperative Games in a class.
● Does the game work for
everybody?
● How can we improve it?
● Do the suggestions work?
● Is everybody involved?
● Is everybody making an effort
to make it work?
● Will we put this on the list of
‘Games we like’?
This article has been
contributed by the PE and
SPHE team, PCSP
■
51
New beginnings!
Develop your school website
A
cross the country,
September in
schools has always
been a time of new
beginnings, fresh
ideas and renewed enthusiasm
and, of course, many new challenges. Looking back, it seems
that the children’s September
excitement was about new
school books, new teachers and
new friends. Even though much
has changed, that excitement still remains
making
■ new beginnings,
fresh ideas,
renewed
enthusiasm
… new challenges
September an ideal
time to begin thinking
about developing a school
website.
The school website presents
teachers and children with an
immense opportunity to showcase and share their work with
InTouch September 2007
schools in Ireland, schools overseas and with their local community. There are a number of
different stages in the development of a website, many of
which do not involve using the
computer at all! It is best undertaken collaboratively, involving
teachers and children and
should reflect the ethos of the
whole school, not just one class.
The school website could be a
project ‘managed’ by th and
th class children who can then
work with other classes in gathering the content but in also
deciding on an appropriate
theme for their website and in
managing
the
ongoing
update
of the
site.
Currency
is an
important
aspect of
any
website
but this
does not
mean
that
items
need to
change
every
day! It can be
useful to begin with
a brainstorming activity
with the children and then
develop a short questionnaire
for all teachers and other
classes to agree what information the school should present
on the site. Some questions to
consider:
. Who do you think will
access/look at our school
website? This question is
targeted at determining who
the ‘audience’ for the site will
be and therefore the type of
content and content areas of
the site.
. Are there important school
events which need to be
highlighted on the site? e.g.
match results, large-scale
project work, Christmas
concert etc.
. Should we have a poetry
section?
4. Look at some school websites
and decide what makes them
attractive or interesting: .
(a) What do you like about
the design/colour/images?
(b) Navigation – Is it easy to
find things on the site and to
‘navigate’ your way around
the contents?
In analysing the responses, children should be mindful of what
is feasible to implement. In
addition, they need to agree on
a ‘design metaphor’ and branding for their website; the school
crest might be a good place to
begin for ideas on branding.
Website design and development taps into different learning styles. There are different
skills required: graphic design,
writing, information flow and
organisation, discussion and
agreement on what to include
and exclude. It presents children with an interesting platform to share their work which
can sometimes go unnoticed on
the school walls. (By using the
digital camera they can still
exhibit their work on the classroom walls and around the
school but also on their website,
thereby extending their learning activities beyond the school
day).
How do I learn about website
design?
The NCTE has developed
courses on website development and these can be accessed
via the Education Centres and
the ICT Advisor in your area can
also help you out. For further
information on courses available, check out www.ncte.ie/
ICTTraining/Courses/.
To develop a website you
need to use particular software.
There are a number of different
software packages available,
some of which are more technical
than others e.g. Dreamweaver,
Frontpage. WebsiteX5 is one such
package which many Irish
teachers and children find suitable for their needs. You may
also want to explore the development of a blog or a wiki as an
alternative to the website.
There has been a significant
increase in Irish primary school
websites over the last year and
below are some examples
which you might wish to
explore for some ideas before
you begin building your own
school website.
Scoil Náisiunta an Inbhir,
Co Mhaigheo:
www.iol.ie/~bmullets
St Senan’s Primary School,
Wexford:
www.stsenansps.ie
Geevagh NS, Sligo:
www.softwarecentral.ie/
geevaghns
Timahoe NS, Laois:
www.softwarecentral.ie/
timahoens
St Joseph’s NS, Dublin:
www.stjosephsterenure.ie
Scoilnet’s Schools Online:
www.scoilnet.ie/
Schoolsonline/
Some other website which may
be useful in September
www.naturedetectives.org.uk
www.scoilnet.ie
www.scispy.ie
www.iamanartist.ie
www.teachnet.ie
www.planetaqua.ie
www.primaryscience.ie
www.ncte.ie
■
Anne White, National
Coordinator, National
Centre for Technology in
53
NCTE
he NCTE delivers a range
of ICT professional development courses to teachers
through the network of
Education Centres. Courses
can also be customised and
arranged to take place in your
school.
T
Further information available
at: www.ncte.ie/ICTTraining/
Courses/
Support groups
NCTE support groups aim to
provide an infrastructure for
teachers, living in the same
ICT AND SPECIAL
NEEDS
locality, to meet and discuss
ICT topics that they wish to
explore in greater detail.
If you wish to organise or
join a support group, contact
your local ICT Advisor at:
www.ncte.ie/ICTTraining/Advi
sorNetwork/
Special Needs and ICT – The
basics
Provides practical sessions to
build confidence in using ICT
and gives exposure to a range
of ICT uses with special
needs students.
Special needs and ICT –
learning support
INTERNET AND WEB
DESIGN
Internet and email for learning
This is a hands-on course to
enable participants to develop
the knowledge and skills to use
the internet and email effectively in teaching, learning,
communication and research.
Website design and development for learning
To understand the rationale
behind and develop the skills
required to design, construct
and develop an educational
website using web authoring, image editing and FTP
software programs.
Advanced Web Authoring for
Learning
Learn advanced techniques
for improving the layout and
presentation of a website as
well as developing effective
techniques for using graphics, applets and sound.
DIGITAL MEDIA AND NEW TECHNOLOGY
Introduction to digital media
Learn to use scanners, digital
cameras, digital recording/
editing and the internet in the
classroom.
Digital Video for Education
The course is intended to
provide teachers with the
necessary skills to take
advantage of digital video as a
Encouraging a hands-on
approach to learning, each
module begins with a curricular exemplar, followed by
cycles of ‘learn and practice’
and finishing with an indepth discussion on classroom implementation –
from curricular as well as
classroom management
perspectives.
InTouch September 2007
Empowering Minds Programmable Bricks
Learn how to build structures
which, using motors and
sensors, can be programmed
to behave in certain ways or
take readings from light,
touch and temperature.
NEW – AUTUMN 2007
ONLINE COURSE: The internet
– A teaching and learning
resource A highly interactive
online course covering areas
such as, searching for educational content on the web and
how to use this to enhance
your teaching; how to successfully implement internet
and/or email projects; how to
deal with the area of internet
safety in the classroom. It also
looks at future trends in ICT
hardware and software.
GENERAL
Using ICT as a teaching and
learning resource
pedagogical tool in the classroom.
course will provide advice and
strategies in developing safe
approaches to teaching and
learning while using the
Internet and suggest
classroom activities, practical
resources and easily accessible support materials.
Special needs and ICT –
autistic spectrum disorders
Explore ways ICT can be used
to support individual
students’ needs using online resources/software and
learn about the use of these
resources and strategies to
assist with their integration
into the curriculum .
Other special needs and ICT
courses
●
●
Introductory ICT Modules
●
●
●
Integrating internet safety into
teaching and learning The
The course is intended to
provide teachers with information on ICT use in learning support as well as
specific strategies, tools and
resources to use in the integration of ICT into the
curriculum.
●
Creating presentations and
worksheets using ICT.
Introduction to PCs and file
management.
Introduction to digital media.
Introduction to the internet
and email.
●
●
ICT and Special Needs –
Mild General Learning
Disabilities.
ICT and Special Needs –
Moderate,
Severe/Profound General
Learning Disabilities and
Multiple Disabilities.
ICT and Special Needs –
Deaf/Hard of Hearing.
ICT and Special Needs –
Introduction to ICT and
Visual Impairments.
TECHNICAL COURSES
Computer networking
(basic and client-server)
Practical activities to
examine the hardware and
software required to
implement a computer
network in a school.
Solving basic computer and
software problems To enable
participants to identify and
solve a variety of everyday
technical problems associated
with a modern computer and
its operating system software.
Autumn courses are currently
being scheduled and details
will be published at:
www.ncte.ie/ICTTraining/
CourseSchedule/
These courses are fully funded
by the NCTE.
55
Irish Children’s Writers and Illustrators 1986-2006
A Selection of Essays edited by Valerie Coghlan and Siobhán Parkinson
C
hildren’s literature may
be appraised at three
levels: for under-eights,
there are the picture books with
minimal text; for eight-totwelves, there are the short
stories with a balance of
picturebook and text; and for
twelve-to-sixteens, there are
the longer stories and novels.
This book, edited by Valerie
Coghlan and Siobhan
Parkinson, sets out to identify
the key players in the creation
of Irish children’s literature in
English in the  years between
 and  – the years, coincidentally, of the Celtic Tiger.
Writers and illustrators are Irish
by birth, background and/or
affiliation.
The book comprises thirteen
individual essays chronicling
thirteen writers and illustrators, catalogues their combined
 publications in the period
and critiques the output of each
individual artist in global
terms.
In summary, the book
provides a ready-made audit of
the best of Irish children’s literature over the past  years. It
will be a valuable handbook for
student teachers in Colleges of
Education to ascertain what is
best in this genre. It will also be
of use to classroom teachers
An Rún Mór
le Caitríona Ní Mhurchú
L
eabhar deas dea-scríofa
suimiúil atá againn
anseo. Tá an Ghaeilge
simplí agus is beag deacrachtaí
a bheadh ag daltaí sna meanranganna leis an téacs seo. Tá
na léaráidí, atá ar gach
leathanach, ar fheabhas agus
cabhraíonn said go mór an
scéal a chur ar aghaidh. Tá an
scéal seo bunaithe ar na heachtraí a thiteann amach nuair a
theastaíonn piscín mar pheata
ón bpríomhcharachtar, cailín
óg d’árbh ainm Mailí.
Níl a tuismitheoirí sásta in
aon chor cead a thabhairt do
Mhailí piscín a fháil mar pheata,
toisc go bhfuil ailléirge orthú
maidir le cait. Tugann an t-údar
Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, léargas
greannmhar dúinn ar conas a
dhéanann Mailí iarracht cat a
fháil mar pheata. Tógann Mailí
cait na gcomharsan. Cuireann
an cailín na cait i bhfolach i
dtarraiceán ina seomra codlata.
Nuair a tháinig na comharsana isteach ag lorg a gcat, nocht
an fhírinne í féin dá tuismitheoirí. Rith Mamaí agus Daidí
suas staighre agus chonaic said
na cait i seomra Mhailí. Fuair
InTouch September 2007
gach duine de na comharsana a
chat féin ar ais. Tá clabhsúr
sásúil ag an scéal áfach mar
tugann duine de na comharsana,
Bean Uí Shúilleabháin, piscín
mar bhronntanas do Mhailí. Tá
Mailí go sona sásta mar tá an
piscín díreach cosúil léi féin.
Taitneoidh an clabhsúr seo go
mór le páistí.
ISBN 
Foilsitheoir The O’Brien Press
€.
Léirmheas le: Dónall Ó
Fionnáin, An Scoil
Náisiúnta, Cuillean, Co
Thiobraid Árann.
■
and teacher-librarians for the
same reasons. Any school in
possession of the entire 
publications listed will have a
treasure trove in its hands.
Cost: € plus €. p.+ p.
ISBN: ---x
Publisher: Children’s Books
Ireland (CBI) and Church of
Ireland College of Education
(CICE) Publications,
 North Great George’s Street,
Dublin .
www.childrensbooks.ireland.
com
■
Reviewed by Austin P.
Corcoran, INTO President
-
How To Remember
(Almost) Everything Ever!
by Rob Eastway
T
his book provides a fascinating insight into how
the brain works and
focuses particularly on
memory. It is aimed at - year
olds.
Part one explores how to
remember more. It allows the
reader to test out how they
remember and how they can
improve their memory.
Part two examines what
scientists have discovered
about the brain, how brains
memorise and how memory
can play tricks. For example, a
class of eight year olds were
asked to draw the big clock in
their classroom which was
covered up for the test. All the
children, except one, drew
numbers on the clock face. The
other child drew Roman
numerals. The classroom clock
had no numbers at all. Even
though they looked at this clock
every day their memories were
wrong.
Part three gives ‘ Fantastic
Mnemonics’ for remembering a
wide range of facts/information
eg, left/right, port/starboard,
months of the year, cycles of the
moon, order of the planets,
seven longest rivers in the
world etc. It would be an entertaining resource for a senior
class library.
Published by Wizard Books, it
is available at a cost of €.
ISBN .
Reviewed by Marion
Cummins, Scoil Muire,
Dunkerrin, Birr, Co Offaly.
■
57
Dear Me!
Reflex
R
eflex is a sports teaching aid. It improves
reactions, coordination and is fun to
use.
My colleagues use the three Reflex boards
during PE, we follow the games from the Teaching
Booklet which comes with the product.
A number of these games are based on the
games segment of the PE Curriculum – catching,
throwing and running with a ball – and
compliment these important skills development
exercises.
The booklet incidentally
has very little text and the
games are presented in
visual images and are easy
to follow. It has Games for
GAA, rugby, soccer, basketball and here the staff uses
it when preparing teams for
matches during training
and other staff members
use it during general PE.
One of the games from
the booklet is a warm-up
game, North, South, East and
West – here the children
stand one metre from the
Reflex board which is
placed on the ground and a
ball is thrown onto it by a
student. The ball bounces
unpredictably towards
another student who catches it and throws it at
the Reflex board again.
The students are on their toes waiting for the
ball, throwing, catching and running with the
ball and having fun.
All of our classes follow these Games, from our
youngest to those in th class. As the dimensions
are mm x mm (’ X ’) we installed a
second board on our wall, the students have a
bigger target and we get more use from it.”
From junior infants, to
children with special needs
to those fortunate to represent our school we get enormous use out of this
relatively simple product.
It’s light, durable, the
students love it and the
booklet makes it easy to
use.
For more information
contact Irish Sports
Products at Unit 1, Windsor
Hill, Glounthaune, Cork. Tel
(021) 4355055 or visit their
website at www.irishsportsproducts.com
Reviewed by Tomas
O’Se, GS De hIde,
Fermoy,
Co Cork
■
… Other recommended titles …
Discover Art at Dublin City
Gallery The Hugh Lane
An introduction to modern and
contemporary art for young
people by Jessica O’Donnell.
Have you every seen a couch
made with hundreds of hairclips, oil paint squeezed onto a
canvas in thick colourful blobs
or one of the smallest horses in
the world? Discover Art brings
the younger reader through the
collection of the Dublin City
Gallery The Hugh Lane where
exciting discoveries are waiting
to be made. Ideas for practical
art activities are also included.
Costs €. from the Gallery
bookshop. Tel   or
visit www.hughlane.ie
The A-Z Guide to the European
Union
Published by the National Adult
Literacy Agency this guide is for
InTouch September 2007
anyone who wants to learn
more about the EU, but it is
particularly for adult literacy
students. It contains interesting
facts and figures about the EU,
its members, history, culture
and institutions. It will tell you
more about each of the 
Member States and the main
EU institutuions. Download
from publications section of
NALA at www.nala.ie or contact
NALA at (tel)  ;
(email) [email protected]
De-scribe
A Plain English Guide to Political
Terms
An innovative approach to children’s creative writing and
storymaking.
This initiative from the
Longford Arts Office and
County Library Service consists
of a manual and CD. These have
been designed to offer teachers
and parents practical support
in all aspects of creative writing
and story telling.
The basic technique involves
the author/child creating and
telling the story and an adult or
older children acting as ‘a
human pen’ or scribe.
Also published by NALA this
guide aims to help the public
become more familiar with
some of the most common
political terms. It also includes
a list of eferences and websites
of the main political parties.
Download from www.nala.ie.
Contact Anne Collins,
Creative Writing Development
Officer,
Longford County Council;
Tel.  ;
email [email protected]
for copies.
by Marie
Brannigan
D
ear Me tells the story of
ten year old Cathy who
is sent to live with her
Granddad when her mum is
taken ill. Cathy’s dad does not
live with her and her mum
anymore, and so when her
mum is sent to hospital for
some “TLC medicine” to help
her “remember how to smile
again” Cathy must go stay with
her elderly grandfather away
from all her friends.
This is an endearing and well
written story of one child’s
battle to understand and cope
when her mother suffers a
breakdown and her world
changes forever. Cathy is largely
unaware of the truth behind
her mother’s absence yet her
emotions are still strong and
her confusion is palpable.
I have reservations in recommending this book to a particular age group as the subject
matter is heavy and upsetting
at times yet the style of writing
is very childlike. Cathy is ten yet
seems much more immature
than that and the average ten
year old would not find the
story interesting. It reads like a
book for a much younger child
yet the content does not correlate with this. It really is a case
of read it yourself to judge best!
The book is published by
O’Brien Press. ISBN I.
Price is €.
■
Reviewed by Mary Tierney
St Colman’s NS, Clara, Co
Kilkennny
59
Prof Collins and the feminisation
of teaching
Dear Editor,
The June InTouch (p.-)
carried the full text of Prof Tom
Collins address to Congress.
In his contribution Prof
Collins says that he greatly
welcomes the feminisation of
teaching and sees this as
“Bringing qualities of childcenteredness, nurturance and
emotional intelligence into
places where these qualities in
the past were not as evident.”
This general statement linking feminisation with these
qualities could be viewed as a
slight on the legions of male
teachers who did bring these
traits to the formation of their
students in past generations.
As a male teacher I would like
to believe that I bring these
qualities to my class life as
much as my female colleagues.
A lack of positive male role
models for many young boys
growing up in areas where the
influence of drug lords and
thugs is only too evident is a
real concern. I know of one
pupil who told his teacher
“You’re the only man I ever saw
reading a book !”
I am also surprised at Prof
Collins endorsement of the
single genderisation of the
teaching profession.
Primary teaching has a fantastic and proud tradition of men
and women working together
long before most other professional groups in this country
and long may this continue.
In my experience the happiest working environments are
those with a mixture of male
and female and younger and
older staff all contributing to
bring a variety of knowledge
and skills to their workplace.
Is mise le meas
Carl O’ Brien
Vice Chairperson
District 
Young teachers and class size
Thank you
A Chara,
Having read the recent
comments from some of our
school inspectors in relation to
young teachers I would like to
make the following points:
Please let us know the sizes of
the classes these young teachers
were being asked to teach. How
many of them had more than 
children? In disadvantaged
areas, how many of them had
more than  children? Is it fair
to expect our young teachers to
cope in these overcrowded
conditions? I myself will be
paying very little heed to these
negative comments until the
class size issue is dealt with
once and for all. Please level the
playing pitch (oops, there are
very few of those in our schools
either!) Minister, agus tabhair
seans do gach múinteóir, idir óg
agus aosta.
Joe Johnston
Scoil Mhuire, BAC 
Dear Editor,
A most sincere thank you to the
INTO for the generous contribution of € given for Holy
Family Primary School here in
Muheza.
It is gone directly to build a
house for a teacher .
Out here in the bush it is
necessary to be able to offer
accommodation to teachers –
even at that it is hard to get
teachers as the pay is so bad,
but a roof over their heads is a
big incentive.
Your generous support is
greatly appreciated here and
makes all the difference to us.
Asante Sana, and Karibu Sana
to anyone who fancies a trip to
the East African Bush.
Anytime, welcome!
Mary Gurrin
Muheza, Tanzania
Africa
People in need
2007 Presidential Dinner
Irish charities to benefit from millions of Euro raised during the
2007 RTE People in Need Telethon
bo
ok
ed
District X will host the Presidential Dinner
in honour of
Angela Dunne
in the Dolmen Hotel, Kilkenny Road,
Carlow
on Saturday  October .
Fu
lly
Tickets at € each are available from:
Ned O’Keeffe, Oak Park Road, Carlow.
Tel  / 
E-mail: [email protected]
District X members to order their tickets
through their branch secretaries.
Cheques to be made payable to:
District X Presidential Dinner.
he People in Need Telethon
is set to broadcast on RTÉ
One on Friday,  October.
During the last Telethon in ,
over , fundraising events
were organised and proceeds
were distributed to almost 
projects in the  counties. How
far will you go for People in
Need? Log on to www.telethon.ie
to register your event.
The telethon broadcast will
be presented by Ryan Tubridy
and Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh.
Packed full of entertainment,
and with regular updates from
T
fundraising centres around the
country, this year’s telethon
shows will feature plenty of
familiar celebrities behaving
badly, and all in a good cause.
Since its inception in ,
over € million has been raised
by the People in Need Trust
through the Telethon, supporting a wide variety of charitable
organisations nationwide. The
telethon has always placed a
special emphasis on smaller,
low-profile groups who would
have difficulty in raising sufficient funds for themselves.
Waiting list only
Contact Ned O’Keefe
at 059 9142741
or 086 3351759
InTouch September 2007
61
COPY DATE
STSG
■
■
Copy you wish to have
considered for publication
in the October issue of InTouch
should arrive in Head Office by
 September. Copy for
November issue should arrive
by  October.
REUNIONS
■
MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE
 YEAR REUNION OF FIRST
B.ED GRADUATES -
Reminder  Year Reunion
lunch at the Castletroy Park
Hotel Limerick on Saturday,
 October  at .pm.
So, rub in the anti-wrinkle
cream, get busy with the
‘natural’ hair colour, make
sure the dentures are firmly
fixed and come along to see
just how decrepit everyone
else is looking.
To book please contact:
Alice O’Connell  
([email protected]), Liam O’Brien
 , Sheila Crowley
 
Separated Teachers'
Support Group
Meeting:  September 
at .pm. Venue: Club na
Múinteoirí,  Parnell Square,
Dublin .
Separated, Divorced,
Widowed, Lone parent,
welcome. Members of ASTI,
TUI, IFUT, also welcome.
Further information from;
Chairperson: Maura Killackey;
/ ; / or
Secretary: Christina Henry;
/; /
BULLYING
NEW IRISH AID CENTRE
OPENS
■
■
Teachers Against Bullying
helpline aims to help
teachers and principals who
have been,or are being,
bullied by any member/s of
school staff and/or inspectors
and/or BOM.
Contact Teresa Mc Mahon.
Tel:  , - p.m.
email: tmm@eircom.net
CROCUS PROJECT
St PAT’S GRADUATES 
Calling all graduates of St Pat’s
! Your last chance to book a
ticket for the event of the year
on Saturday,  September!
Informal get-together in
Teachers’ Club on Friday .
Contact Catriona FarrellyCarney at -, Johnny
Mc Caw - or email
[email protected].
CARYSFORT CLASS -
Reunion will take place from 
noon to pm including Lunch
in Carysfort College on Saturday
 November . Over 
committed bodies to date!
Please contact Fintan Mc
Cutcheon at fmccutcheon@
esatclear.ie to express your
interest if you have not done so
already for detailed newsletter.
InTouch General Editor: John Carr
Editor: Tom O’Sullivan
Assistant Editor: Lori Kealy
Editorial Assistants; Yvonne Kenny;
Sarah Brady
Advertising: Mary Bird Smyth,
Advertising Executive; Merrilyn
Campbell, Booking Co-ordinator
Design: David Cooke
Photography: Moya Nolan, Index
Open.
InTouch September 2007
to promote awareness about
discrimination and stimulate
discussion.
In Ireland, the crocus blooms
at the end of January – around
the time of the international
Holocaust Memorial Day (
January).
For information contact:
Holocaust Educational Trust
of Ireland, Clifton House, Lr
Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin .
Tel:  ;
Email: [email protected]
www.holocausteducational
trustireland.org
The Irish Aid is the
Government’s official
programme of development
assistance to developing countries. In November , the
Irish Aid Volunteering and
Information Centre will open
on O’Connell St, Dublin.
This Centre is a state of the
art, multi-media exhibition
space and includes displays on
development issues and the
work of the Irish Aid.
School and youth groups are
particularly welcome to visit
the Centre.
As well as an interactive
exhibition space the Centre will
host a range of events, displays
and exhibitions on
development and the countries
we work in.
A visit to the centre would be
an exciting addition to any
development education activities. Advance booking for
groups is required.
More information about the
Centre is available on the Irish
Aid website,
www.irishaid.gov.ie/centre. If
you have any queries or wish to
book a group visit please
contact: [email protected]
WRITE FOR INTOUCH?
■
The next two issues of
InTouch will focus on the
themes of school leadership
and special education.
Members are invited to
contribute articles on relevant
topics. Please contact
[email protected] for further
details.
■
The Crocus Project is
intended for pupils aged
eleven years and upwards.
Schools from all over Ireland
participate in it every year.
Other countries are also
involved.
The Holocaust Educational
Trust of Ireland provides
schools with yellow crocus
bulbs to plant in Autumn in
memory of the one and a half
million Jewish children and
thousands of other children
who died in the Holocaust.
The yellow stars recall the
yellow Stars of David all Jews
were forced to wear under Nazi
rule. The activity provides an
opportunity to introduce young
children to the subject of the
Holocaust. It is a tangible way
Correspondence to: The Editor,
InTouch, INTO Head Office,
Vere Foster House,  Parnell Square,
Dublin 1. Telephone: .
Fax: . LoCall:   
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.into.ie
SU DOKU SOLUTION
InTouch is the most widely circulated
education magazine in Ireland. Articles
published in InTouch are also available
on our website www.into.ie
The views expressed in this journal are
those of the individual authors and are
not necessarily endorsed by the INTO.
While every care has been taken to
InTouch is published by the Irish National ensure that the information contained in
Teachers’ Organisation and distributed
this publication is up to date and correct,
to members and educational institutions. no responsibility will be taken by the Irish
National Teachers’ Organisation for any
error which might occur.
Except where the Irish National
Teachers’ Organisation has formally
negotiated agreements as part of its
services to members, inclusion of an
advertisement does not imply any form
of recommendation. While every effort is
made to ensure the reliability of advertisers, the INTO cannot accept liability for
the quality of goods and services offered.
63