Newsletter 16th September 2026
Updated: Sep 18
Wellbeing Week HPGNS!
It's Wellbeing Week in Hollypark GNS this week. We have lots of amazing events organised for the girls including yoga sessions, mindful colouring activities, 6th class Amber Team girls doing announcements every morning on the intercom and our amazing Sponsored Walk.
Wellbeing Week Poster Competition Winner!!
A huge well done to this wonderful girl in 3rd class who won our
Wellbeing Week Poster Competition.
What an amazing poster!!! This poster will hang in every classroom this year and remind us of the very important culture of respect we promote in HPGNS.
OUR SUPER SPONSORED WALK!
Siúlóid urraithe!
We had such fun this morning on our Sponsored Walk. Bhí an-spraoi (great fun) againn ar fad ar maidin. Everyone was in brilliant form as we walked our 3km to raise money for our In-School Therapy Dog.
See photos below! A big thank you- buíochas mór- to our PA, particularly Maryrose and Gráinne, the local residents, Jaz from Granada Club, Sarah from Newtownpark Tennis Club, DLRCOCO, the Gardaí, the Order of Malta and everyone on the team who helped to make this such a memorable event.
We always work together in HPGNS and we make a great TEAM!
MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW TOMORROW
BUT HERE A FEW......
A big thank you to Pauline who helps us cross the road safely every day!
Admission to Junior Infants September 2027
PLEASE NOTE ALL APPLICATIONS WILL NOW BE ONLINE
Application and Decision Dates for Admission to 2027/2028 school year.
The following are the dates applicable for admission to Junior Infants 2027/2028
The school will commence accepting applications for admission on | 28th September 2026
|
The school shall cease accepting applications for admission on | 23th October 2026 @ 3:00pm
|
The date by which applicants will be notified of the decision on their application is | 13th November 2026 |
The period within which applicants must confirm acceptance of an offer of admission is 27th November 2026 | 27th November 2026 @ 3:00pm |
Note: the school will consider and issue decisions on late applications in accordance with the school’s Admission Policy.
*Failure to accept an offer within the prescribed period above may result in the offer being withdrawn
The school cannot accept applications for Junior Infants 2027 before this process commences.
Nourish and Green!
Nourish and Green started delivering hot lunches to our girls yesterday. There was great excitement as the girls lifted the lids on their delicious lunches! Bhí ocras ar gach duine ag am lóin ach bhí lón Nourish and Green an-bhlasta!
Tesco Blue Tokens!
Great news we have been selected for the Tesco Community Fund collection in Tesco Honeypark. Please support this worthwhile cause if you shop in this store!
Thank you to Adrian on the PA for his work on this.
6th Class Subject Leaflets Department of Education and Youth
The Department of Education and Youth has created new subject and career leaflets
for all 6th class pupils, their families and their teachers.
I shared this with 5th and 6th class families yesterday. These leaflets explain the
subjects your child can choose for Junior Cycle and give short, easy to understand
information on each one. You can find the leaflets by scanning the QR code below.
A big thank you to all the Parents/Guardians who came to the AGM on Monday evening. I hope you found it informative.
Please consider getting involved with the AGM- they do such wonderful work.
Parking in the parish centre!
Fr. Philip visited the school on Monday and spoke to all of the girls.
Parents are invited to park in the parish carpark during drop off and collection times. We appreciate the parish facilitating us as we encourage the girls to walk to school.
National Children's Choir
5th and 6th class girls have started working on the NCC Repertoire. Further news to follow in the coming months but we hope to work alongside Hollypark Boys in preparation for cluster rehearsals later in the term. A super joint initiative between the two schools! We have worked on IMAGINE and LOCH LOMOND! A fabulous repertoire.
School Calendar / Féilire 2026/2027
The 2026/2027 calendar is available here.
Key Dates: Term One
HSE Vision & Hearing | 8th-11th September | Junior Infants |
PA - Halloween Costume and Jersey -COLLECTION | Friday 11th September | Whole School |
Wellbeing Week | Week beginning Monday 14th September | Whole School |
Sponsored Walk | Wednesday 16th September | Whole School |
School Closure: Staff Training | Friday 18th September | Whole School |
PA - Halloween Costume and Jersey -SALE | Friday 25th September | Whole School |
GOAL Jersey Day | Friday 2nd October | Whole school |
Class Photos- County Photos | 12th October | Whole School |
Hallowe'en Disco | Thursday 22nd October | 3rd - 6th class |
Hallowe'en Dress Up Day | Friday 23rd October | Whole school |
Midterm break | 26th October - 30th October | Whole School |
PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 23rd November | SI - 6th Class |
No After School Activities for one week to facilitate PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 23rd November | Whole School |
Last day of Term One (early finish) | Tuesday 22nd December | Whole school |
First day of Term Two | Wednesday 6th January | Whole school |
Start & Finish Times
Start Time | Finish Time | |
Junior Infants until 9th September | 8:40am | 11:30am |
Junior Infants from 10th September | 8:40am | 1:20pm |
Senior Infants | 8:40am | 1:20pm |
1st & 2nd Class | 8:40am | 2:20pm |
3rd- 6th Class | 8:40am | 2:20pm |
FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY REASONS...
NO DOGS ALLOWED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS PLEASE!!
School Uniform
Girls should wear the school tracksuit on PE days only.
For health and safety reasons, girls must wear appropriate sporting footwear in order to avoid injury.
School uniform trousers, as an alternative to the school uniform skirt, are available from our uniform suppliers The Schoolwear House.
For health and safety reasons, stud earrings only are permitted. Dangly earrings (to include hoops) are not permitted.
Nail polish, lip gloss, make-up (including mascara), fake tan, fake eyelashes and fake nails are not allowed. Pupils will be asked to remove make up on arrival in school. Wipes will be supplied.
Hallowe'en Costume and Jersey Collection
The PA will be collecting pre-loved Hallowe'en Costumes and Jerseys on Friday 11th September in advance of GOAL Jersey Day and our Halloween Festivities. Please bring any pre-loved items to the tunnel during drop-off time on Friday 11th September. They will be sold on Friday 25th September.
Parents Association - Smart Phone Voluntary Code
All parents/ guardians in Junior Infants received the Smart Phone Voluntary Code this Monday. This is a fantastic initiative run by the Parents Association. Thank you for your support for this worthwhile initiative.
Smart Phones and Smart Devices
The Hollypark GNS community strives, in line with best practice, to create a calm and safe sanctuary, free from the distractions and potential complications posed by social media and the use of personal smart devices. To this end, Hollypark GNS is a smart device free campus. Children are not permitted to use phones/smartphones or smart watches whilst on school grounds (including the yard and the astro pitch).
We strongly support our PA No Smartphone Voluntary Code.
5th and 6th Class
Children in 5th and 6th class who need to bring a device to school in order to facilitate their journey to and from school must seek written permission from Ms. de Fréin by completing and signing a Phone Request Form. [Please see our school's Acceptable Use Policy, Appendix A (page 16)]. If given permission, children must hand the device to their teacher at the beginning of each day, and they may collect it when they are going home. The school takes no responsibility for these devices during the day.
Homework/ Obair bhaile
Homework should be within the capability of the attentive child, based on work already done. Homework enables parents to follow their daughter’s progress.
Homework should always be checked, and the journal signed daily by parent/guardian.
Homework is assigned for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings and is not assigned for the weekend.
Recommended Times for Homework
Junior/Senior Infants: Class Teacher will advise.
1st/2nd Class: 20 – 30 minutes
3rd/4th Class: 30 – 40 minutes
5th/6th Class: 40 – 60 minutes.
These are suggested times. In practice, the time taken will depend on each child.
If parents feel a child is taking an excessive amount of time to complete work, they should discuss this with the Class Teacher.
Please click here for Homework Tips.
Green Schools
Hollypark GNS is a Green School. We are so proud to have been awarded our TENTH!!! Green Flag last May for our work on Food and Biodiversity in the context of Global Citizenship.
The Green School Committee will reconvene shortly and plans for the year will be published in the newsletter. We are so proud that our girls are such fantastic advocates for our environment.
OUTDOOR LEARNING!
We would like to thank the parents and grandparents who supported us in the creation of an outdoor learning space last year. Research has shown that outdoor learning can have huge benefits for children in terms of wellbeing and academic performance. The children really enjoyed spending time and learning in this outdoor space during the last term. The PA are busy recruiting parents/ guardians/ grandparents who might be able to help develop this space further so that the children can use it throughout the year. Please contact the PA if this is something you could help us with.
The Green School Committee Reps would also like you, the parents/ guardians and grandparents to take a bit of time at weekends or afternoons to help increase your daughters’ awareness of local biodiversity. To help you with this please look at our September’s Nature Spotter Sheet.
This Spotter Sheet includes photographs of the Hawthorn Tree with haws (berries) the Red Admiral Butterfly, Blackberries and Brambles, the Forest Shieldbug, Ash Tree ‘keys’ (seeds) and Ripe Apples. All of these can be spotted in the local parks and green areas. If parents are too busy they might ask grandparents to help!!! Thank you!
Headlice!!
PLEASE KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON YOUR DAUGHTER'S HAIR OVER THE COMING WEEKS.
We have had numerous reports of headlice throughout the school.
Violin Lessons
Violin lessons for Senior Infants to 3rd Class will commence this Tuesday 22nd September. Our Violin Teacher Ms Eva Paturyan will focus on aural training, music theory and the basics of violin.
The rationale for this initiative is to give every child in the school the opportunity to experience learning a musical instrument and playing the instrument in a group setting. We have found in the past that many of the girls really enjoyed learning the violin and went on to continue with lessons outside of school after their initial introduction.
The girls will have the use of our school violins. All sheet music, necessary to participate, will also be provided.
Class Photos
County Photos will be taking photos of all classes on Monday 12th October. Girls are asked to wear school uniform this day. If the class is timetabled for PE on that day, they may bring their tracksuit and change after the photo.
Class teachers will send reminders closer to time.
HSE: Vision & Hearing
Vision & Hearing | Junior Infants | 8th -11th September |
Consent forms and reminders will issue to classes in advance of above.
Traffic and Safety
One Way Traffic System
Traffic Safety
I am appealing to our parents in the strongest possible terms to put the safety of our children above all else:
Please use the church car park at drop off and collection times and walk the last 6 minutes with your child.
80% of our pupils live within 2 kilometres of our school. Please encourage your older children to walk with their pals to and from school.
Please ensure that younger children are held by the hand when walking with them to and from school.
Please do not block the driveways of local residents when parking. Many of our residents – often elderly - are virtual prisoners in their own homes at drop off and collection times. And when they speak up are often subject to abuse.
Please park legally and with care.
As things stand, in the event of an emergency, it is unlikely that a fire tender or ambulance would be able to access the schools, or any homes in the vicinity, at drop off and collection times.
After School Activities 2026/27
Please contact providers directly for all update.
Details can be found here
Birthdays this week in Hollypark!
Lá breithe sona daoibh go léir!
Kelly Gooney
Sophie Falkner
Éabha Lu Farrell
Sofia Moran
Emily Farrell
Chloe Moran
Maria Long
Amelia Duffy
Advertising on our school newsletter
If you would like to place an ad on our school newsletter, please email Suzanne at the office hollyparkgns@gmail.com for further details and pricing.
HPGNS
United in Friendship, Together We Strive!
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