1. IPPN Workshop 2009 Office Administration Systems & Managing the Paper Mountain 1

2. Contact Details Aiden O’Brien principal@sncn.ie 2

3. Areas We Will look At Today Administration/Managing Information –Systems & Procedures Communication Time Management Meeting Management 3

4. Managing the School Office Distribution of duties between Principal/Secretary/ISM team –Principal/Secretary must be close knit team –Acknowledge your strengths & weaknesses –Assign tasks to secretary that play to his/her strengths & develop their capacity in relation to weaknesses –ISM team must be a “play to their strengths” type of system Delegation Log 4

5. Principal & Secretary –Planning meeting Each Monday morning @ 10… (or build it into a more suitable timeframe in smaller schools) Upcoming events Principal's diary Necessary communication with parents/teachers for that week Review of particular element of school administrative function (e.g. photocopying) 5

6. Managing the School Office Whiteboards - office/staffroom Office – weekly wall planner containing all events happening in the school on that week on a day by day basis e.g. –Course days, other absences, visitors to school, snámh, sciath na scol, due by dates, reminders etc. Staffroom similar but bigger to also include the following headings –Messages from Principal, DES, INTO, Staff, Social Committee –Staffroom NoticeboardStaffroom Noticeboard 6

7. Managing Mail Categorise & Prioritise Work with your secretary to filter Mail to prioritise… –DES, BoM, Education Centres, NEPS –CPD Opportunities for staff Mail not to prioritise… –Educational resources, anything non-school related, infomercial 7

8. Managing Mail - Process Incoming Mail (2) Prioritise You (deal with your own) (3) Prioritise to Others (4) Back to Secretary for distribution (1) Categorise (Secretary) 8

9. Managing Mail (Principal Mail) Mail I must deal with (1) Immediate attention (2) Delegate to Somebody Else (3) By specific date (4) Completed & ready for posting Schedule this in Outlook or your calendar Generally dealt with that day Your Outbox Perhaps an ISM team member 9

10. Managing School Office - Secretary  Professional approach  Financial Administration  Records management  Communication:  Filtering phonecalls  Filtering mail  Filtering visitors  Phone manner  Pupil database  Parent contact directory  DES/Diocesan Office  Ensuring pupils are signed in/out  There are times when office is not available  Summary Summary 10

11. Managing the School Office Paper Based - PIMS Use of Microsoft Outlook as an organisational tool –Calendar –Email –Tasks/To Do –Reminders –Contacts –Integrate with XDA 11

12. Outlook – Mail 12

13. Microsoft Outlook - Calendar 13

14. Your Office/Desk Space Your desk is work space not storage place –Clear the clutter @ end of each day –Work in progress folder at your finger tips –Certain information you use regularly within easy reach – drawer folders –Keep your computer desktop organised also 14

15. Your Office Space Most regularly used/required information Work In Progress Folder 15

16. Filing System 16

17. Filing System (sample headings) Alarm Architect/Building BOM (mins, correspondence, agendae) DES Grants DES Correspondence NQTs/Mentoring PPA Insurance School Insurance IWBs NCSE Newcomer Pupils PA Statistics Staff Meetings SENO SDPS/PCSP 17

18. Computer Desktop Organisation 2 Key Elements: File storage & Folder management File Naming Conventions – enabling easier retrieval of information 18

19. File Storage - Administration Principal & Secretary only have access to this 19

20. File Storage - Staff Some Contents: Individual teacher folders Common folders – sharing of resources Eolas Breise Folder Online Cúntas Online Termly Plan Template Plean Scoile Policy Dev-Rev 2008-09 Website Photos Supervision Rota Working Groups 2008-09 20

21. File Naming Convention Versioning system for policy development Naming convention for all generic school files Sample policy What’s the benefit? –Parents –Staff 21

22. Communication - Stakeholders Staff Board of Management Parents DES Pupils 22

23. Communication Staff –Memo system 1Memo system 1 –No server – laptop in staffroom –Paper Alternatives – bí cúramach! –Bing Bong –Staff Room notice Board –Working Groups –ISM –Senior Management 23

24. Communication –Questionnaires e.g. Self Evaluation –Key here is to inform but not to interrupt too much 24

25. Communication Board Of Management: –Traditional mail –Email – group (particularly for forwarding documentation for discussion @ meetings & establishing views) –Text-a-bom –Involvement in working groups 25

26. Communication Parents –Screen @ receptionScreen @ reception –Website –txt-a-parent –memo - outline naming convention & advantages –Eolas –System re: arranging appointments with teachers - regular reminders Link to Policy 26

27. Effective Time Management Effective Time Mastery 27

28. Understand Time It’s a paradox – we never seem to have enough of it, but we have all the time in the world So… it’s not that there is a shortage of time, but how you use the time available to you Concentrate on essentials & ignore non- essentials 28

29. Time Mastery Good Habits are the key to good self/time management Habits are learned behaviour and can be changed Identify bad habits and then… Give it 3 weeks 29

30. Time Mastery Identify the habit for change Carefully define the new habit you wish to develop Begin the new behaviour aggressively Do not deviate from the new habit until it is firmly established (up to 3 weeks) Ask other to people to help you change 30

31. Time Management Task Batching is a practical tool, but… –You must take control of it For example… –10:00-12:30 is my “Principal me" time Particular days/time of day for meeting parents/staff 31

32. Managing Meetings General Points –Staff meetings regularity? –ISM meetings –Senior Management Meetings –Working Group Meetings Participation and follow up are the key to success 32

33. Managing Meetings SPORTS approach to running effective meetings See handout 33

34. Some Templates Getting Teacher Feedback Principal Termly Plan Annual Curr/Org Development Plan 34

35. Future Developments… Request to Batt O’Keeffe to support the development of a pilot primary administration software package 35

36. In Conclusion… Can we, as Principals effectively administer & manage our schools? ….. 36

37. Yes We Can!!! 37