Newsletter: Wednesday 22nd April 2026
- 21 hours ago
- 7 min read
School Calendar 2026/2027
School Calendar 2025/2026
The 2025/2026 calendar is available on www.hollyparkgns.ie
Key Dates: Term Three
Week beginning Monday 27th April | Standardised Testing | 1st - 6th Classes |
Monday 4th, Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th May | School closure | All classes |
Sunday 10th May | First Holy Communion | 2nd Classes |
Tuesday 12th May | Photos: First Holy Communion | 2nd Classes |
Wednesday 13th May | School closure for staff inservice | All classes |
Week beginning Monday 18th May | Standardised Testing | 1st - 6th Classes |
Monday 18th May | Ceremony of Light | 6th Classes |
Wednesday 20th May | Junior Infant (Sep 2026) Welcome Day | Infant Classes |
Monday 25th May | School Choir Concert | School Choir |
Thursday 28th May | Confirmation | 6th Class |
Thursday 29th May | PA Golf Classic | Parents |
Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd June | School Closure | All classes |
Wednesday 5th June | Photos: Confirmation | 6th Classes |
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 | Blessington | Thursday 18th June |
Hot Meals Update
We are delighted to announce that a hot school meal service is coming to our school! We have partnered with Nourish + Green - an Irish, family-run school meals provider on a mission to redefine what school lunches can be. Their meals are handmade and cooked from scratch using natural, whole ingredients, with no artificial colours or flavours and served in 100% compostable packaging.
Nourish + Green offers an varied menu with something for everyone, with a wide variety of hot dishes changing daily across the week. They cater for a range of dietary needs including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and halal, and operate from a strictly nut-free facility. Every meal is individually labelled with full allergen and nutritional information, giving parents complete peace of mind.
We will be in touch with a confirmed start date once the necessary setup works have been completed, so watch out for further updates.
Green Schools
We received the brilliant news last week that Hollypark GNS were successful in our application for our TENTH Green Flag. This flag recognises and acknowledges the work carried out by the Green School Committee in the area of Biodiversity and Food in the context of Global Citizenship.
We have some fantastic advocates for the environment on our Green School Committee spanning first to sixth class. They have embraced all of the principles of the Green Flag programme and have worked tirelessly throughout the year to educate and create awareness about environmental issues amongst their peers. In a world where climate security is definitely a concerning topic, we are so proud that we, in our school, have students who address these issues with such diligence, care and integrity!! The future of our planet is very safe in the hands of these bright, creative thinkers.
We have been invited to the awards ceremony in DCU in May and look forward to posting some lovely photos of this event. In the meantime, a huge thanks to all the parents and grandparents who have supported all the Green initiatives in the school. We will be looking for more help in the school garden in the coming term!
Mary's Meals: Friday 24th April
Mary's Meals is a school feeding programme which operates in 16 of the world's poorest countries. Olivia's Mum, Orlagh is one of the volunteers.
This Friday, the Dublin Volunteer Group are holding a bucket collection in school to fundraise for their three sponsored schools.
You can also donate directly via this link: https://www.idonate.ie/marysmealsHP2
11cents buys 1 meal and €22 feeds a child for a year. |
More information can be found at www.marysmeals.ie
Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
Well done!
Well done Jiayi!
Well done Sophie & Emma!
Well done Tess, Holly, Kate & Sadhbh!
Over the weekend four girls – Tess, Holly, Kate and Sadhbh - took part in the Hybrid Feis in the Talbot Hotel.The girls took part in multiple events such as Improvisation, Solo Drama, Dualogue and Poetry. In Improvisation they all won silver. In Solo, Sadhbh was awarded bronze and in Duologue, Sadhbh and Holly were Highly Commended. The girls had a great time and won lots of medals and certificates. Their Drama Teacher, Eva Coffey, was in the audience and is very proud of their achievements! The girls are excited for next year and hope to win gold!
By Tess, Holly, Kate & SadhbhWell done Lydia, Eva & Zoe!
Well done Helena, Hannah and Anneliese!
We are Helena, Hannah and Anneliese. Last Sunday, we all played our hockey finals for the B1 Avoca 6th Class hockey team. It was a big achievement to get that far. When we arrived, there was a big crowd waiting to cheer us on. When we set foot onto the pitch, we were nervous, but we didn’t let it get to us.
Before the game started, the captains from each team flipped a coin to decide who received the ball. We decided North Kildare (the team we were playing against) should start with the ball as we were playing in Newpark (our home ground). Our starting positions were Helena and Anneliese in defence and Hannah in mid-field. Twenty minutes in, Helena scored Avoca’s first goal in the finals. The crowd cheered so loudly! Just before halftime, Avoca scored a second goal, giving us a 2-0 lead at halftime. Our coach, Molly, gave a motivational speech to keep us going. As we stepped back onto the pitch, we knew that if North Kildare scored another goal, it would be a close match....
The rest of the match felt like it would go on forever! With 5 minutes left, our team were still two goals ahead.
Finally, at last, the whistle blew. We were all overjoyed! We had come so far and had finally won. We all lined up to collect our medals. As Helena was our captain, she presented everyone on our team with their medals. We took a photo to and to celebrate, we all went to McDonalds as a team.
It truly was a day to remember!
4th Class Scientists!
Trócaire Boxes
You can now return your Trócaire Boxes to the office.
Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
Voluntary Contributions 2025- 2026
Sincere thanks to the 201 families (that is 51% 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
Save the dates!
Friday 29th May: PA Golf Classic: Powerscourt
Friday 5th June: Summer Cake Sale
No Smartphone Voluntary Code
Please see below message from parent advocate Emer Carty, who has done so much to lead this initiative for our school community:
As Confirmation season approaches, here’s a quick update on the true impact of our code. - 95% of parents committed in October 2024 — a strong foundation far exceeding ITAV Greystones uptake of 70% which is hailed as best in class! This school year we reinforced the message through: -Online safety talk (October) 🗣️ -Cybersafe visit (February) ⚠️ -Ongoing periodic communication about delaying smartphone use 📝 The impact is clear: Families are now continuing the approach beyond Hollypark GNS. In one secondary school, most of the year group going in to first year have signed up to delay: - 95% want to stay off social media - 71% opt for safer phone alternatives The tide is turning, delay is the way— and Hollypark GNS is very much leading in this space and we are lucky to have such huge suppprt from PA, school management and above all our parent body. |
To find out more, listen to Emer's recent radio interview on this important topic:
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!
Riley Shelley
Kate Hyland
Claire D'Arcy
Ailbhe Walsh
Genevieve Morris
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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