New VEC Committee

Our new VEC Committee has now been elected and will convene for the first time on 11th February, 2010 in Co. Louth VEC Head Office in Chapel Street, Dundalk. They will find it a very busy session as our new Chair and Vice Chair will be elected, and the various Schools' Boards of Management and other committees throughout the scheme will be ratified.

The new committee members are listed below:

• Martin Bellew (M.C.C)
• Seán Bellew (D.T.C)
• Declan Breathnach (M.C.C)
• Terry Brennan (M.C.C)
• Marianne Butler (D.T.C)
• Aishling Bracebridge
• Jim D'Arcy (M.C.C.)
• Bernard Devlin
• Anthony Donohoe (D.B.C.)
• Audrey Dorian
• Aidan Faughey
• Úna Kirk
• Imelda Munster (M.C.C.)
• Bernard Murnaghan
• Gerald Nash (D.B.C.)
• Ciarán O'Donnell
• Audrey O’Dowd
• Liam Reilly (M.C.C.)
• Jim Ryan (M.C.C.)
• Tomás Sharkey MCC
• Oliver Tully MCC

2009 CLVEC Staff Retirements

We wish all the very best and a long and happy retirement to staff members who retired from the scheme in 2009. A full list of these staff members can be viewed below:

Education Officer
Eugene Winters

Bush Post Primary
James Pepper

O'Fiaich College
Michael Challoner
Mary Cooney
Ann Cullen
Eoin O’Brien

Scoil Uí Mhuirí
Monica Agnew

St. Olivers' Community College
Frank Brady
Gerard Corrigan
Brian Lennon
May McBride
James O’Brien

Launch of New CPD Programme for Co. Louth VEC Teachers

Co. Louth VEC have recently engaged with the Second Level Support Service (SLSS) of the Department of Education and Science to put in place an ongoing programme of continuous professional development (CPD) for the scheme’s teaching staff.
As part of this collaboration teaching staff were surveyed last term as a means of ascertaining the current CPD needs of teachers. At this point the survey results have been analysed and a long-term best fit CPD programme has been developed. This programme commenced for Co. Louth VEC teaching staff on 19th January 2010 and will comprise different elements that are tailored for different groups and combinations of teachers across the scheme.
The first element of the CPD programme will run from January to May 2010 and is being aimed at all those teachers of Business subjects currently employed in Co. Louth VEC schools/centres. This group of teachers came together on the afternoon of 19th January 2010 in the boardroom at VEC head office, Chapel St. Dundalk and were facilitated by Ms. Fiona Kindlon and Ms. Della Meade from SLSS. The afternoon’s programme was devoted to “Practical Approaches to Enhancing Student Motivation in the Classroom” and the feedback from all those involved was very positive. The second and final part of this particular programme takes place on 15 March and 12 May 2010 respectively.
The teachers involved in this round are:

• Susan Ayton VTOS Drogheda


• Karen Wilkonson VTOS Dundalk


• Kathleen Brennan DIFE


• Phil Walsh DIFE


• Barbara Cooney DIFE


• Oliver Gray DIFE


• Maria Larney DIFE


• Regina Marron Walker DIFE


• Martina McKevitt Bush PPSSheila McDonald Bush PPS


• Evelyn Gallagher St. Oliver’s CC


• Annette Gannon St. Oliver’s CC


• John Healy St. Oliver’s CC


• Jane Gibney St. Oliver’s CC


• John Clune St. Oliver’s CC


• Valerie Kelly Scoil Uí Mhuirí


• Martina Farrell Scoil Uí Mhuirí


• Michael McGettigam O’Fiaich College


• Mary O’Hare O’Fiaich College


• Evelyn Sheeran O’Fiaich College


• Audrey Flood O’Fiaich College


• Noreen Mackin O’Fiaich College


• Ciara O’Meara O’Fiaich College

Two new CPD programmes will be offered in the September to December 2010 period and relevant teachers will be notified of the details before the summer holidays.

Employee Assistance Service for Teachers

Teachers! Do you know that you and your immediate family members can avail of a free counselling service?

The Employee Assistance Service can help with issues in any of these areas:

• Work related issues
• Family issues
• Emotional concerns
• Relationship difficulties
• Stress
• Harassment and bullying
• Isolation
• Workload
• Addiction
• Bereavement
• Health concerns
• Workplace conflict
  
  Here are some facts about the Employee Assistance Service for Teachers.
  
  It is free (the service is paid for by the Department of Education and Science).
  It is for teachers, their spouses or partners and their dependents above the age of 16 and even mother/ father where appropriate.
  The service provides access to a professional counsellor / psychotherapist who will listen in a non-judgemental way.
  The service is offered 24 hours/ day and 365 days of the year.
  The service is provided by ringing a Freephone number 1800 411 057.
  You can get immediate support by talking to the counsellor who answers the phone (this might be a single session or may involve further phone conversations).
  The service can also arrange face to face counselling (up to 6 counselling sessions). These are the steps involved: When you phone the service you are matched with a counsellor in your area. You can request to meet with a male or female counsellor and if you prefer you can ask to talk to a counsellor outside your area if you have concerns about privacy. The Employee Assistance Service will contact the counsellor and check that they can offer a service within 5 days. The local counsellor then phones the teacher/ client within 48 hours to make an appointment.
  This service is confidential.
  The Employee Assistance Service for Teachers is provided by Vhi Corporate solutions.
  Check out the website www.vhi.ie/dep_edu_science./index.jsp to find lots of useful advice about dealing with a range of issues.
  
  
  

Co. Louth VEC Training Programme aimed at combating racism and sectarianism

Co. Louth VEC recently secured PEACE III funding from the Co. Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership to deliver a major project under strand one of the programme which focuses on reconciling disparate communities. The Co. Louth VEC led project is aimed at combating sectarianism and racism on a cross border basis. The Project will run to the end of 2010. Co. Louth VEC has teamed up with two other Co. Louth based organisations to deliver this project: the North South Exchange Consortium based at DKIT and Coexist based in Dundalk town centre. The project is supported by the European Union's PEACE III Programme as awarded by Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership.

Co. Louth VEC PEACE III Project is managed by Eamonn Quinn, Project Co-ordinator with administrative support provided by Aoife Hughes and is based in the Chapel St office of Louth VEC. Eamonn has wide experience working on PEACE funded educational projects and of working within the community and voluntary sector.
Eamonn said “the Louth VEC PEACE III Project has the potential to bring enormous benefits to project participants and the wider community in tackling sectarianism and racism. The Project intends to hold a number of training programmes during 2010 in Co.Louth and possibly South Armagh/South Down to enable participants to deal more effectively with issues of racism and sectarianism within their own communities." Eamonn added he is available to meet with colleagues within the VEC who have a shared interest in this area of work and can see where possible linkages/partnerships might be developed between this project and those currently underway /in the planning process in the VEC’s school/Colleges.


Contact Details:
Eamonn Quinn
PEACE III Project Coordinator
Co. Louth VEC, Chapel St., Dundalk, Louth.

Tel: 00 353 42-9334047

Mob: 00 353 87 9370628
e-mail: eamonn.quinn@louthvec.ie

€4.2m Funding for Co. Louth VEC Schools

Since our last publication it is with great pleasure that we can report that an additional €3.1m in funding has been allocated by the Department of Education & Science for improvements in our schools and centres. This brings to €4.2m the total funding received from the Department in the 2009/2010 school year for capital projects.

In addition to the Summer Works Schemes of €1.1m which was reported in our last newsletter, funding has been received for a number of Emergency Works Projects. Bush Post Primary School has upgraded the toilet facilities at the school and the boiler has been replaced.

O’Fiaich College has a new boundary fence in place and work in currently underway on roof repairs and the installation of an elevator. In conjunction with Sustainable Energy Ireland, a comprehensive photovoltaic installation is taking place on the roof of the school. The energy generated with this installation will be fed directly into the college’s main switchboard to offset the electrical base load. In addition, remote view of the PV panels will occur with the installation of CCTV cameras transmitting images back to a TV display located at the main reception area.

The completion of this work will see O’Fiaich College become the flagship for the Department and will be used as a model for similar future upgrades throughout the country. The Principal, staff and students are to be congratulated for their patience while all this disruption was taking place. However, all would agree, it was well worth it!

As a result of these improvements, the demand for the use of the building has increased and this has resulted in the college moving a section of its course to the IQON Building at the Finnabair Industrial Estate from January 2010.

It is now 30 years since St. Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda had its first intake of students. Over the years thousands of students have passed through its doors. This year sees long overdue maintenance work being carried out. In addition to the complete toilet upgrade, new security lighting, CCTV cameras and a new fire alarm are being installed. The drainage system is also getting a complete upgrade, and the staff room and administrative offices in the school, which have served staff well over the years, are also being improved.

Just before Christmas, the sod was turned on the new €1M five classroom extension to Drogheda Institute of Further Education. Work has now commenced and staff and students expect to be in the new building for the commencement of the 2010/2011 academic year. The college numbers have risen dramatically this year due to the extensive range of excellent courses on offer and also aided by the down-turn in the economy which has seen more and more people returning to education.

Work on upgrading the toilet facilities in Scoil Uí Mhuirí has recently been completed, while work is also nearing completion to improve roof and cavity wall insulation levels in the school.

Co. Louth VEC is very aware of its obligations to make its buildings more accessible for persons of limited mobility. With this in mind, a number of centres have installed automated doors, such as the VEC Head Office and the Drogheda Centre for Continuing Education, DIFE and O’Fiaich College. In the near future, automated doors will be installed in St. Oliver’s Community College, Bush Post Primary School and Scoil Uí Mhuirí. Planning approval is currently being awaited for the installation of a lift at the Drogheda Centre for Continuing Education.

It is exciting times in Co. Louth VEC at the moment as work is underway in seeking extensions to St. Oliver’s Community College and Scoil Uí Mhuirí as student numbers are increasing rapidly – a testament to the high calibre of staff and excellent courses on offer within the scheme.