Dublin Report 2007/2008

This is a new branch which has been set up this year.  We had an excellent presentation by Prof. Mary O’Sullivan to launch our Community of Practice last December, hosted and supported so well by Catherine Woods and the School of Health and Human Performance in DCU with a very large attendance.

In March there was an excellent workshop on Team Building given by Jim Cain, from USA, organised by Glenn Carpenter and hosted in Santa Sabina, Sutton.

In January / February there were a total of 10 cluster inservice days held in the three Education Centres in Dublin organised by JCPE.  The importance of a local Community of Practice was discussed at these meetings.   Contact details of attendees were taken and areas of interest / expertise etc.  These details are incomplete and I would ask anyone who is in the Dublin area who wants to be involved or contacted about events to email me at ptimoney111@eircom.net .  Dublin is a large area and things can be organised for the whole area but it is also possible and advisable that clusters should develop in local areas.  In my own school area of West Tallaght, PE teachers from 4 local schools have met a couple of times and have also benefited from a grant from the Local Sports Partnership.  Mike Barry from Irish Wheelchair Assoc gave a workshop on integration of disabled students in PE class.  We have also met the manager of a new Leisure Centre / Swimming Pool to discuss how schools could benefit from this new facility.

As mentioned the benefits of involvement / awareness of Local Sports Partnership should be looked at.  I am involved in South Dublin Local Sports Partnership and I have been contacted by Dublin City Sports Network asking for a representative of PEAI to go on to their board. 

Jimmy Kelly organised and hosted workshops on the use of Dartfish, movement analysis software.

A working group has been set up to support PE teachers who work in schools with limited facilities and Marie Clonan is representing PEAI.

There are a number of workshops being organised at the moment and details will be sent out to those on email list when finalised.  If you want to organise /host a workshop, please do so.  Since I started my involvement with PEAI, my motto is “Don’t ask what the PEAI can do for me, ask what I can do for the PEAI”.  Partnership is something that is working in many areas.  Also please become a member and sign up if you have not already done so.

I want to thank Con Moynihan, Mike Carey, Ger Murphy and others on the executive for their support and for the work they do.

Enda Timoney, Community of Practice, Dublin Branch, PEAI

September 08.