Newsletter: Wednesday 10th June 2026
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
School Calendar 2026/2027
Key Dates: Term Three
Thursday 11th June | Sports Day | All classes |
Friday 12th June | 60th Fun Day | All classes GNS & BNS |
Tuesday 23rd June | 6th Class Graduation | 6th Classes |
Friday 26th June | Final Day Term Three | All classes |
Thursday 27th August | School reopens for new school year | All classes |
School Tours
Junior Infants | Glenroe Farm | Wednesday 27th May |
Senior Infants | Festina Lente | Monday 15th June |
1st Class | Lullymore | Tuesday 16th June |
2nd Class | Astro Park Tallaght | Thursday 4th June |
3rd Class | Fort Lucan | Wednesday 10th June |
4th Class | Clara Lara | Wednesday 17th June |
5th Class | Russborough House | Tuesday 9th June |
6th Class | Alive Outside | Thursday 18th June |
Hot School Meals
Our Board has been working closely with Nourish + Green to deliver the Hot School Meals initiative to our girls. However, we are disappointed that for various reasons beyond the school’s control, we will not be launching the initiative until September. We understand that this is not ideal for parents with boys and girls. However, we are confident that once we start, we will be delivering quality meals to our girls. Apologies to our 6th Class girls who were so helpful in the early food-tasting stages, but who will not now benefit from their efforts.
Thank You to our PA Chair Maryrose
Our PA Chair, Maryrose McCarthy, will be stepping down at the end of this school year. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to her for the tremendous work she has undertaken on behalf of the school. Under her leadership, the Parents’ Association has achieved outstanding success in fundraising while also fostering a strong sense of community among parents.
Thanks to these efforts, and the support of the wider parent body, we have been able to develop our Outdoor Classroom, enhance and expand classroom resources, and we are delighted that work will soon begin on a canopy linking the Purple Building to the main building. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the PA and the wider parent community under Maryrose’s leadership.
Maryrose, we thank you most sincerely.
Sports Day: Thursday 11th June
We are delighted to invite you to the Hollypark GNS Sports Day 2026. This special day will take place tomorrow, Thursday 11th June. All events will take place on the school astro.
Parents will access Sports Day through the girls’ school pedestrian entrance only. A one-way entry and exit system will be in place. Our Student Council and Active School Flag Team will act as stewards on the day and direct parents as required.
The Astro will be divided into two tracks. Track 1 will be the competitive track with the focus on sprint races, cup races and whole class relay races.
Track 2 will have stations at which the girls will experience fun, collaborative, active activities with the focus on participation and teamwork.
There will also be a designated viewing area for parents.
There will be 4 track sessions with the first session starting at 9am:
Class | Time Slot | |
Session 1 | Junior & Senior Infants | 9:00am - 10:00am |
Session 2 | 1st & 2nd Class | 10:15am - 11:15am |
Session 3 | 3rd & 4th Class | 11:30am - 12:30pm |
Session 4 | 5th & 6th Class | 1:00pm - 2:20pm |
The ice cream van will be stationed in the yard just inside the main gates. These gates will be closed on the day ensuring the area is safe to linger and chat.
Parental cooperation is essential to ensure it is a fun, positive experience for all. Therefore, we would ask that all parents please respect the following requests:
For health and safety reasons no hot drinks please.
No food is permitted on the Astro. This is to protect the surface.
Judge’s decision is final. We are promoting good sportswoman like behaviour among our girls. We can model this too!
A gentle reminder that no dogs are permitted on the school premises.
The podium and medal presentations will be on the Astro too. Please be mindful not all parents have given consent for photos or videos to be taken of their child. We are appealing for parental cooperation regarding camera use. Photos of the day will be shared with parents on the school website and in the newsletter following the event.
Several local sports clubs have been invited to provide coaching sessions for the girls throughout the day.
Parents will not be permitted to take their girls home early on the day as all pupils will return to class for a fun, active day with their friends.
We look forward to seeing you on Sports Day. Let’s hope the sun shines!
Monster Kickabout!
The girls from 5th and 6th Class enjoyed a fantastic Monster Kickabout at Wayside Celtic, organised in partnership with Champion Coaching and Sports Direct.
The event gave children the opportunity to take part in a fun football session where they learned new skills, improved their teamwork, and built their confidence on the pitch.
It was a brilliant day filled with energy, enthusiasm, and plenty of smiles. A big thank you to Stephanie Roche and Dean Zambra at Champion Coaching and Sports Direct for providing such an enjoyable experience for all involved.
Confirmation
Well done to our 6th Class girls who made their Confirmation on Thursday 28th May. Thankfully the sun shone on this milestone celebration.
Thanks as always to Fr Philip and the Parish Sacramental team, and to their teachers Ms de Fréin, Ms Coll and Ms O'Connor for preparing them so well.
And well done to our 4th & 5th Class Choir girls who sang so beautifully at the ceremony.
Violin Concerts: Tuesday 9th June
We were delighted to welcome parents from our Senior Infants to 3rd Class to our Violin Concerts on Tuesday 9th June. Well done to all classes and thank you to Eva our very dedicated Violin Teacher.
Well done Hannah!
My name is Hannah and I play for Mount Merrion Youths Football Club. On Sunday my football coach announced that I was 'Player of the Year' for my football team. I am really proud of this achievement!
Well done Carolyne, Lucy, Lauren & Holly!
Well done Annabel, Sophia, Grace & Neasa!
Well done Alice!
Well done Audrey, Holly, Aoife & Zoe!
The Case of the Missing Parsley Sign!
Three weeks ago, Ms. Lamont’s 2nd class planted parsley in the school garden. A few days later, the parsley sign disappeared. We had no idea where it went!
At the weekend, my sister Nora and I were playing in our back garden, when suddenly we found the missing parsley sign… Mystery solved!
We think the clever foxes that live in our garden might have been involved.
They must be good readers!
By Clare Dockery, 2nd Class.
Cake Sale: Friday 5th June
A huge thank you to our PA for organising yet another brilliant Cake Sale last Friday. This annual highlight on our school calendar proved to be another winning fundraiser - raising almost €3000!! Thank you so much for supporting our school.
Cake Competition Winners:
1st Chloe & Sophia Hsu
2nd Lily Cruise
3rd Aiblín Doherty
Well done girls!
Thank you to all parents for your support throughout the year. To show our appreciation, we held a raffle on Friday with all the girls' names entered into the draw.
60th Fun Day: Friday 12th June: Teddy Bears' PJ Picnic Day
We are looking forward to our 60th Fun Day this Friday!
All classes are invited to wear their PJs (appropriate for school) and bring a teddy bear (one that they can actually carry…!) to school on Friday.
For health and safety reason, girls are required to wear runners (and not slippers) on Friday.
Fun activities will be ongoing throughout the day!
Hoping the girls will enjoy the relaxed vibe especially following directly on from a hectic Sports Day on Thursday 11th!
Voluntary Contributions 2025- 2026
Sincere thanks to the 238 families (that is 61% of all our families) who have already made a Voluntary Contribution to the school for 2025-26.
It may interest our families to know that you can choose to make frequent small payments to your Voluntary Contribution via Aladdin at any time during the school year, up to and including 31st August 2026.
Any and all contributions are very much appreciated and make a real difference to your daughter's learning environment.
PA Update
60th Golf Classic, Raffle & BBQ: Friday 29th May
Huge thanks and well done to our PA for organising yet another fantastic fundraising and parent community event! Over €8000.00 was raised at this fun event and this money (along with other PA fundraising) will contribute to the construction of a canopy from our Purple Building to the main building. Thank you!!
Deansgrange Tidy Towns
Deansgrange Tidy Towns have launched a village raffle. The funds raised are to help permanent mounting of five heritage boards around Deansgrange village.
The prizes are made up of bundles of vouchers for local retailers and are priced at €10 for one ticket and €25 for three, with a prize fund of up to €1400.
Tickets can be bought through idonate.ie ( Deansgrange Village
Safe Routes to School: Drop-in Info Session
Thursday 11th June
Traffic Safety
Please note: It is illegal to park in a way which interferes with traffic flow or obstructs or endangers other road users, for example:
[Dublin Street Parking Services] Once again I am reminding our parents/guardians/minders to drive and park with consideration for our children and our neighbours - many of whom are elderly and vulnerable. |
One Way Traffic System
When travelling to and from the school please use the one way traffic system outlined below to alleviate traffic congestion.
Traffic Safety
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.
Birthdays this week in Hollypark!
Matilda Batt
Alicia Campeáo
Martha Askins
Eva Jean Noonan
Juliet Collins
Mia Akkerman
Lucy Doyle
Milena Gallagher
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.
Advertisements in this newsletter are shared for information purposes only.
Inclusion does not imply endorsement or recommendation by the school.
HPGNS
United in Friendship, Together We Strive!
Comments