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  

1. Expulsions and suspension – review of recent case law   
2. Ancillary Staff – terms and conditions.   
3. Overview of school grievance and complaints procedures.   
4. Child Protection reporting issues 
5. 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