Newsletter 30th September 2026
Admission to Junior Infants September 2027
Applications for Junior Infants 2027 are now being accepted -
please see link on the website.
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*Failure to accept an offer within the prescribed period above may result in the offer being withdrawn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.
Coming soon!!!
Daly Exercise After-School Club!
We are very excited to announce that....
Daly Exercise will deliver a structured five-day afterschool activity programme for all pupils at St. Patrick’s GNS starting from 1.20pm (Infant Collection Time) – 2.20pm with the option to extend collection until 3.20pm.
This after-school club will start on Monday 2nd November.
Details regarding bookings etc will be released to parents/ guardians in the coming fortnight.
URGENT : Traffic Safety
I am asking everyone to please be mindful of the traffic situation on Foxrock Avenue at both drop off and collection times.
We have had a number of reports of near misses at the entrance to our school.
It seems that bikes and cargo bikes are not following directions from the traffic warden, forcing their way through the junction while children and adults are crossing the road. This is not acceptable. We as a school are engaged with the Safe Routes to School Programme but until they make the necessary changes to the infrastructure and accessibility surrounding the entrance of the school we must all be extremely careful that we prioritise the safety of pedestrians. I have contacted the Garda Station in Cabinteely regarding this issue and will continue to liaise with them.
The realities of children's digital lives: the opportunities and the harms and
what parents can do.
MONDAY 12th OCTOBER
Please remember to book a ticket for Mick Moran's Talk : THE REALITIES OF CHILDREN'S DIGITAL LIVES- THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE HARMS AND WHAT PARENTS CAN DO.
This talk is suitable for parents/ guardians of all children. The evening will provide an opportunity to hear up do date expert advice on children's online experiences, the potential risks they face and importantly the practical steps you can take as parents and guardians to support and protect them. It is also an opportunity to meet and connect with other parents and guardians who share the same concerns and values around keeping children safe online.
Tickets cost €5 and can be purchased by clicking on this link.
SNA / Suzanne / Kevin Appreciation Day!
We had a lovely day in Hollypark GNS last Friday celebrating and appreciating our wonderful SNAs, Suzanne and Kevin! Classes made cards and made sure that these vital members of our team knew how appreciated they are by us all!
As one of our eloquent students put it...S N As Super Nice Adults!!!
Shared Yard Time for our Senior Infants
The girls and boys in Senior Infants gathered together yesterday morning to play in the yard! They had great fun using chalk, playing with bean bags and swapping stories from both schools. This is part of a wider initiative to give children from both schools opportunities to mix socially!
Shared rehearsal for National Children's Choir!
Rang a cúig from HPBNS joined Rang a Cúig agus Rang a Sé in the hall this morning to work on the National Children's Choir repertoire. We all had a great morning of singing!
Gaeilge i Hollypark!
We place a strong emphasis on the learning of Irish in Hollypark. Gaeilge is very much a living language amongst our school community!
The girls in the older classes participate in the Fáinne initiative which focuses on spoken Irish. As well as all of the initiatives which we have embedded over the years we have now been chosen to participate in the CLIL- Content Language Integrated Learning Project. We will be working on completing some orienteering tasks through Irish - very much focused on the language of directions etc. Rang Naíonáin Bheaga (Junior Infants) Rang Naíonáin Mhóra (Senior Infants) Rang a cúig agus a sé (5th and 6th Class) will all be working together on this initiative!
For your interest please see link here to the
Is féidir liom, is féidir linn- Action Plan for Irish in English Medium Schools.
Lego - Brick-wise Workshops
The girls in 4th class are enjoying their Brick-wise engineering workshops! We are continuing to focus on STEM this year in HPGNS. These workshops provide a fantastic opportunity for our girls to engage with all aspects of STEM. We look forward to inviting our parents/guardians in at the end of November to see their creations.
HALLOWEEN COSTUME AND JERSEY SALE
The Halloween Costume and Jersey Sale will took place last Friday 25th September in the school hall. A big thank you to the PA for organising this sustainable event.
The total raised was €435
GOAL JERSEY DAY FRIDAY 2nd OCTOBER!
Goal Jersey Day will take place this Friday 2nd October. Children are welcome to wear a jersey that day and make a donation to GOAL.
Collaborative Art Piece - To Palestine with Love
One of our 6th class girls participated in creating this very special piece of art.
Maith thú- tá sé seo go hálainn ar fad!
OUR SUPER SPONSORED WALK- Siúlóid urraithe! update on money raised!
So far we can confirm that we have raised €20,000!!!
This is an unbelievable amount of money!
Thank you!
Please note the following Catechism Class facilitated by Foxrock Parish.
October Nature Spotter Sheet!
Please take the time to spot some of these signs of nature in our
local parks and green areas.
The hot meals are very popular with our children.
However, please check in often with your child about their lunches and if possible involve them in choosing their hot meals.
Please take the time to chat to your child about their hot meals.
Ask the following:
Are you enjoying your lunch?
Are you eating your lunch?
Would you like to try something else/new/different?
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.
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.
School Calendar / Féilire 2026/2027
The 2026/2027 calendar is available here.
Dates Term One
Please note extra school closure to accommodate
Curricular Area: STEM Training for teachers 8th December.
GOAL Jersey Day | Friday 2nd 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 |
SCHOOL CLOSURE | Tuesday 8th December | 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.
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.
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.
REMINDER!
One Way Traffic System
Well done to these girls on their fabulous achievements!
Maith sibh a chailíní!
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!
Emily Carty
Laoise Mc Crohan
Isla Sheahan
Mia Moorcroft
Orla Flanagan
Emma Scally
Agnes Linu
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!
Comments