CEIST | Catholic Education | An Irish Schools Trust

R.E. Teachers Gatherings
2023-03-07 10:00 - 14:30 (Europe/Dublin)
We look forward to meeting our R.E. Teachers at Gathering around the country in March 2023.
Tuesday 7th March – Osprey Hotel, Naas
Wednesday 8th March – Woodlands Hotel, Adare
Thursday 9th March – Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone
Registration to attend R.E. Teachers Gatherings is available here – Registration Form
Agenda for the day can be downloaded from here – RE Teachers Gathering March 2023

Details for 2023 Junior Cert Students available for download here
– JC RE Certification

R.E. Teachers Gatherings
2023-03-08 10:00 - 14:30 | Woodlands Hotel, Adare, Woodlands Hotel, Adare

R.E. Teachers Gathering
2023-03-09 10:00 - 14:30 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland

Student Leadership Conference 2023
2023-04-19 | St. Patricks College Campus DCU, St. Patrick's College Campus DCU
After a break of three years, due to Covid, we are thrilled to announce that the Student Conference will return for 2023. With the kind permission of DCU the event will be hosted on the St. Patrick’s College campus on Wednesday 19th April 2023 and will run from 10.00 – 15.00.
We look forward to an exciting and collaborative event and meeting as many as possible.
Register to attend here – Online Registration Form
Download the Photographic/Video permission form.

Symposium on Faith Leadership
2023-06-19 10:00 - 13:30 | Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore Court Hotel, O'Moore Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, R35D406, Ireland
Ethos should be evident and tangible within our schools. The responsibility for this and for leading your school as a “Faith School” lies with you as Principals and Deputy Principals. As Patron, it is our responsibility to support you in this and to provide you with the means and tools to do so effectively which we aim to do in all our interactions with you. Maintaining the focus on “Faith Schools” and “Faith Leadership” is particularly important at the present time as we explore the shape that Catholic Education will take into the future.
Register here to attend – Symposium on Faith Leadership

RE Teachers Information Session on CEIST RE Certification
2023-09-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Following on from last year’s very successful launch of our new CEIST Religious education Certification Programme for non-exam RE classes at Junior Cycle we are delighted to announce details of our 2023/24 Programme.

We will be hosting a short Zoom presentation on Wednesday September 13th at 14.00 to go through the programme. Kate Liffey who is well known to all our RE teachers will be in attendance to go through all the details.

We look forward to seeing all our RE teachers on this zoom.

CEIST Annual Conference 2023
2023-09-28 - 2023-09-29 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
CEIST will be holding its Annual Conference on the 28th and 29th of September. As with previous years this two day event will consist of several Speakers, Workshops and other Gatherings.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Conference Programme 2023

A brief break down of the two days are as follows:

Day 1
A Mass Celebrated by Bishop Paul Connell, , Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnois.
Paul Connell was ordained Bishop of the diocese of Ardagh & Clonmacnois on 18 June 2023. Paul has spent most of his priestly ministry in the service of education. During his time as both principal and president of St Finian’s College, Mullingar he steered the development of the Diocesan Boarding School into a vibrant and successful co-educational post-primary school. In more recent years, he has acted as Secretary to the Council for Education of the Irish Bishops’ Conference and as Secretary & Chair to the Catholic Education Service. He is also a Director of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA) and a Director and former President of the Secretariat of Secondary Schools (AMCSS/ JMB)

A Welcoming and Opening Address by CEIST CEO Gerry McGuill
Gerry was appointed as CEIST CEO in February 2022 having served as FLG Coordinator since 2014. Prior to joining CEIST Gerry had been Principal of Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan since 2002.

Keynote Speaker Address by the Director of Scottish Catholic Education Service Barbara Coupar.
Barbara is responsible for the operational activity of the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES). She provides significant support to the Catholic Head Teacher Associations to Church Representatives, school colleagues and others. Barbara has the lead role on the development of advice and support for the teaching of religious education in Catholic schools and works closely with Diocesan Religious Education Advisers, as well as colleagues in Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Barbara began her teaching career in 1998 and was formerly the Principal Teacher of Religious Education in Notre Dame High School, Greenock. In 1996 she gained a Bachelor of Divinity from the University of Glasgow.

The firsts days events will conclude with a Reception, Dinner and Evening Gathering

Day 2
Workshops on the Following Subjects:
RSE & SPHE at Second Level
Presented by Kate Liffey the Chaplain in St Brendan’s Community College, Birr
This workshop will be an opportunity for school leaders to explore RSE Policy development, and the newly published Junior Cycle SPHE Resources from CEP.

Supporting School Leaders to maximize the Potential of the Annual Review Meeting.
Presented by Denise Kelly of the Education Consultancy Service
The objective of this workshop is to support school leaders to maximize the potential of the annual post of responsibility review meeting (Circular 003/2018) with individual members of the In – School Leadership Team (ISLT).

Establishing a Special Class: A roadmap to delivery.
Presented by Pádhraic Gibbons, Principal of Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School in Drimnagh, Dublin.
This workshop is a practical, step by step, guide for school leaders and managers to establishing a special class, being aware of the challenges it incorporates and hopefully avoiding some of the pitfall with time for a Q&A session.

Early Identification and Resolution of Hidden Bullying in Schools Ensuring Psychological Safety and Wellbeing of Students.
Presented by Maria Garvey PhD, CEO Cooperative Learning Institute
This presentation introduces the Award Winning Helping Hands Wellbeing and Anti-Bullying Programme – an innovative intervention based on international best practice and leading thinking and is informed by rigorous, ground-breaking research. It is based on a sociometric diagnostic instrument which allows teachers identify vulnerable students who are being rejected, excluded, victimised in the peer group and who typically suffer in silence and do not report until the situation has escalated . The instrument generates a heatmap of hidden relationship dynamics in the class. The programme is effective in ensuring psychological safety, inclusion, and early identification and resolution of hidden bullying.

After the Workshops there will be two further addresses by the following speakers
Bernie McNally, Secretary General of the Department of Education.
Bernie assumed the role of the Secretary General of the Department of Education in 2022. Her role involves overseeing the implementation of the department’s mission and high-level goals, with a focus on supporting and overseeing delivery of an education system that meets leaners needs. She provides leadership in driving reform and innovation across the education sector. Her previous roles as Director General in the Office of the Ombudsman Ireland and as Assistant Secretary General in the Department of Children, Equity, Disability, Integration and Youth, means that Bernie has led a variety of policy, service and governance in areas including early learning and childcare, youth affairs, information management, research and evaluation, and corporate affairs.

Rob Halford, CEIST Director of Education
Rob Halford, Director of Education, CEIST will address the Conference on the essential relationship between the CEIST Education Team, school Leadership Teams, Teachers, Chairpersons and Boards of Management.

Child Protection Training for new to the role DLP/DDLP
2023-10-11 10:00 - 14:00 | Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar Park Hotel ,Dublin Rd, Marlinstown, Mullingar, Westmeath, N91 A4EP, Ireland
This event aims to educate those new to the roles of DLP & DDLP. The topics that will be covered at this event include the following:

Reporting Child Protection concerns and Role of DLP
CPOR and recording it in BoM minutes
BoM Obligations
Child Protection Inspections (CPSI)
Record Keeping

Induction For Newly appointed Principals Day One
2023-10-23 10:00 - 15:30 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
Our support for new principals will include contributions from the CEIST team and from experienced school leaders.
Areas covers include:

Being a Leader in a Faith School
Your Role as Secretary to the Board of Management
Partition support for new leaders
Real Life Practical Scenarios

JMB New Board Induction Training 11th of November
2023-11-11 | Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, Stillorgan Road Stillorgan, Dublin, Ireland
The JMB will provide training for Board of Management members at eight venues during the month of November. The Board of Management training session will provide board members with a clear insight into their roles and responsibilities as board members and the relationship between the Board and the Trustees. In looking at the role and functions of the board, particular reference will be made to the Articles of Management, government guidelines and relevant legislation.

JMB New Board Induction Training 25th of November
2023-11-25 | Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley, Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley, Fonthill Road, Liffey Valley, Dublin D22, X4W6, Ireland

Principal Winter Network Meeting 5th of December
2023-12-05 10:30 - 14:30 | The Killeshin Hotel & Leisure Club, The Killeshin Hotel & Leisure Club, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Laois, Ireland
Principals will gather on the dates and in the venues shown to meet their peers on a regional basis discuss current matters. The gatherings are an opportunity to exchange views and bring further clarity to topics of interest. Invitations to register for preferred venue will be sent after the mid term.

Principal Winter Network Meeting 6th of December
2023-12-06 10:30 - 14:30 | Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, Raheen Woods Hotel, Prospect, Athenry, Galway, Ireland

Principal Winter Network Meeting 12th of December
2023-12-12 10:30 - 14:30 | Great Southern Killarney, Great Southern Killarney Town Centre, Killarney, Kerry, Ireland

Principal Winter Network Meeting 14th of December
2023-12-14 10:30 - 14:30 | Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar Park Hotel ,Dublin Rd, Marlinstown, Mullingar, Westmeath, N91 A4EP, Ireland

Deputy Principal Network Meeting 22nd of January 2024
2024-01-22 10:00 - 14:30 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
Deputy Principals will gather on the dates and in the venues shown to meet their peers on a regional basis discuss current matters. The gatherings are an opportunity to exchange views and bring further clarity to topics of interest.
The following areas will be explored and reviewed at the upcoming meetings:

An overview of what CEIST is currently engaged with and what we plan to do.
A discussion on what else we can do to support Senior Leadership Teams.
WSE -What role can the DP play – before, during and after, Real life accounts.
Supporting the Senior Leadership Team – from within the team.
Leadership in a Faith School – progress of Focus group.

Deputy Principal Network Meeting 23rd January 2024
2024-01-23 10:00 - 14:30 | Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Cork, Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Cork

Deputy Principal Network Meeting 29th January 2024
2024-01-29 10:00 - 14:30 | Sligo Park Hotel, Sligo Park Hotel, Pearse Rd., Co. Sligo, F91 Y762, Ireland

Deputy Principal Network Meeting 31st January 2024
2024-01-31 10:00 - 14:30 | Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley, Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley, Fonthill Road, Liffey Valley, Dublin D22, X4W6, Ireland

Induction For Newly appointed Principals Day Two
2024-02-08 10:00 - 15:30 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
Our support for new principals will continue from our previous event. The second date will include contributions from the CEIST team and from experienced school leaders.
Areas covers include:

Managing School Finances
Your Role as DLP in Child Protection issues
Working as a senior leadership team
Real Life Scenarios

Leaders in a Ceist School Day 1
2024-02-24 09:30 - 15:30 | Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, Raheen Woods Hotel, Prospect, Athenry, Galway, Ireland
This programme is open to all teachers in CEIST schools who wish to explore what it means to be a leader in a CEIST School.
It will run over 3 Saturdays and attendance is required on all 3 dates.
It is a wide ranging programme that challenges both the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow to look at their understanding of leadership in a Catholic school in today’s world.
Topics and themes will include:

CEIST Provenance
Curriculum challenges and what it means for Leaders in CEIST schools
Ethos in Action -the challenges of handing on the faith to a new generation and making the values, ethos, teachings and founding intentions visible
Identifying your leadership style
Our CEIST values in action, Creating Community
The inclusive school- change and challenge
Establishing a shared vision and purpose-leading meaningful change and building leadership capacity.
Our search for school leaders
Self Review

Chairpersons CPD
2024-03-02 09:30 - 14:00 | Sheraton Hotel Athlone, Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland
CEIST is hosting our annual meeting of Chairpersons of our Boards of Management on Saturday, March 2nd. This will take place in The Sheraton Hotel, Athlone. We hope you will be able to join us in order to meet one another, exchange ideas and discuss updates.
Registration for the day is available through the link below. Please complete your registration by 5 p.m. on the 23rd February.
CHAIRPERSONS CPD (office.com)

Leaders in a Ceist School Day 2
2024-03-02 09:30 - 15:30 | Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, Raheen Woods Hotel, Prospect, Athenry, Galway, Ireland

RE Teachers CPD Day 1
2024-03-06 09:30 - 13:30 | Aspect Hotel, Dublin, Park West Avenue, Nangor Road Clondalkin, D12 Dublin, Ireland
The meetings will be an opportunity for our RE colleagues to meet one another, exchange ideas and discuss updates. In particular we will discuss each of the following:-

Optional CEIST RE Certificate (Junior Cycle) Your experience
Optional CEIST RE Certificate (Senior Cycle) Exchange of views
Open discussion on what has worked well for you and your students in recent years. Exchange of new ideas.

The keynote presentation will be by Dr Sandra Cullen who will present a workshop entitled ‘Pieces of a jigsaw: the religious education of the religion teacher’. Dr Cullen is Associate Professor of Religious Education and Head of the School of Human Development at Dublin City University.

RE TEACHERS CPD 2024 (office.com)

Leaders in a Ceist School Day 3
2024-03-09 09:30 - 13:30 | Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, Raheen Woods Hotel, Prospect, Athenry, Galway, Ireland

RE Teachers CPD Day 2
2024-03-13 09:30 - 13:30 | Castletroy Park Hotel and Suites, Castletroy Park Hotel and Suites, University Gates, Dublin Rd, Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Student Leadership Conference 2024
2024-04-17 09:00 - 15:00 | St. Patricks College Campus DCU, St. Patrick's College Campus DCU
We are delighted to announce that our Student Leadership Conference will take place on Wednesday 17th April 2024 in DCU St. Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra. This is a wonderful event which brings together students leaders and teachers from each of our 107 CEIST schools to hear and discuss the great work of student leadership happening across all our schools. The theme of this year’s conference is Making a Difference – our CEIST Values in Action.

Register to attend here – Online Registration Form

Induction For Newly appointed Principals Day Three
2024-06-17 10:00 - 15:30 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
Our support for new principals will conclude with our final event. The final day will include contributions from the CEIST team and from experienced school leaders.
Areas covers include:

Dignity in the work place
Managing HR issues
Minding Myself
Real Life Practical Scenarios

Welcome to Staff new to CEIST Schools
2024-08-26 15:30 - 16:00 | Zoom
This short session explores what it means to be a teacher in a CEIST school. It looks at how, as teachers, we can translate the mission and vision of CEIST into our schools on a daily basis.

CEIST Annual Conference 2024
2024-09-26 - 2024-09-27 | Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 XR82, Ireland
CEIST Annual Conference, Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Thursday and Friday September 26th & 27th, 2024.
As with previous years, this two day event will consist of several Speakers, Workshops and other Gatherings.
CEIST Conference Program

A brief breakdown of the two days are as follows:
Day 1
A Mass Celebrated by Most Reverend Paul Connell , Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnois.
Paul Connell was ordained Bishop of the diocese of Ardagh & Clonmacnois on 18 June 2023. Paul has spent most of his priestly ministry in the service of education. During his time as both principal and president of St Finian’s College, Mullingar he steered the development of the Diocesan Boarding School into a vibrant and successful co-educational post-primary school. In more recent years, he has acted as Secretary to the Council for Education of the Irish Bishops’ Conference and as Secretary & Chair to the Catholic Education Service. He is also a Director of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA) and a Director and former President of the Secretariat of Secondary Schools (AMCSS/ JMB)
Launch of Guímis , A Book of Prayer and Reflection for the CEIST School Community

A Welcoming and Opening Address by CEIST CEO Gerry McGuill
Gerry was appointed as CEIST CEO in February 2022 having served as FLG Coordinator since 2014. Prior to joining CEIST Gerry had been Principal of Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan since 2002.
Keynote Speaker Address by Dr Daniel Groenewald.
Dr Daniel Groenewald specialises in learning and leadership development, adult learning and high-performance thinking. Daniel is dedicated to empowering individuals, teams, and organisations within educational settings. With extensive experience spanning teaching, educational leadership, research, and professional development, Daniel excels in developing tools, frameworks, programs and processes that enhance leadership.
Over the past eight years, Daniel has focused on leadership capability development, programming, and high-performance thinking within the Catholic Education sector in both Perth and Melbourne. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Talent Management, Learning, and Leadership Development at the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools – a Catholic Education System with over 300 schools.
Daniel has successfully collaborated with educational systems to create and implement leadership frameworks and programs tailored to emerging, middle and senior leaders. His 2023 doctoral research, which identified the attributes of high-performing teams in Catholic secondary schools, provides valuable insights into educational leadership.
Qualifications: EdD, MEd, MA, GradCert (Catholic Leadership), GradDipEd, BA (Hons).
Certifications: LSI Accredited, DISC Advanced, Prosci Change Management.
Daniel is a fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders WA and the Australian Institute of Management, WA.

The events of the first day will conclude with a Reception, Dinner and Evening Gathering.
Day 2
Workshops on the Following Subjects:
Developing high-performing senior leadership teams in schools.
Presented by Dr Daniel Groenewald.
This Workshop will cover the characteristics that Principals, Deputy Principals and Middle
Leaders perceive as supporting senior leaders’ effective functioning. It will focus on leading high performing executive teams, high performing habits, psychological safety, feedback, coaching for performance, and developing effective leadership training. The Workshop will also examine how Principals, Deputy Principals and Middle Leaders perceive the Principal’s role in the SLT?

Forensic Psychologist – Internet Safety
Presented by Dr Maureen Griffin B.A, M.A. Ph.D.
Dr Maureen Griffin (Forensic Psychologist) has spent over a decade working with schools and organisations across Ireland regarding issues around social media, cyber-bullying and internet and mobile device safety.
This workshop will address some of the main challenges schools and teachers face regarding online behaviours. It will outline how schools can respond to such challenges and provide an overview of how to implement a school-wide “Recommended Best Practice: Social Media Agreement” for use at home.

Current Legal Issues-An Update and Review
Presented by Brian Matthews BA, MA, BCL, Dip. Employment Law
Most of Brian’s work is in litigation and dispute resolution. Brian advises on employment law, education law, child safeguarding, and data protection. Brian has represented clients before the CJEU (European Court of Justice), the High Court, and the Workplace Relations Commission.
This workshop will address some of the main legal issues schools face including Admissions law update

Expulsions and suspension – review of recent case law
Ancillary Staff – terms and conditions.
Overview of school grievance and complaints procedures.
Child Protection reporting issues
Disciplinary procedures for staff.

Applying a Framework to Manage Potential Conflictual Situations
Presented by Dr Joe O’Connell
Dr Joe O’Connell has served as a post-primary school principal, was founding director of St Senan’s Education office supporting the Boards of Management of the Catholic dioceses of Limerick, Kerry and Killaloe and was Director of Limerick Education Centre. He has served as Chairperson of a Board of Management and has also fulfilled the role of single manager.
Joe currently supports a wide range of organisations and professional bodies in addressing issues such as organisational development, managing and building relationships across the school community, dealing with challenging situations and promoting collaborative leadership and team development.

We will be Launching the pilot year of our new Cothú Initiative after the workshops
Cothú  aims to provide nourishment and sustenance to you as leaders of our faith schools.  The initiative is the result of a twelve-month reflection by a Focus Group established as a result of Symposium 2023.  We look forward to engaging with you on our reflections and getting the pilot year underway.  Table discussions will follow.
The Conference will conclude with lunch in the Eiscir Riada Lounge
