Newsletter: Wednesday 22nd October 2025
- hollyparkwebsite
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Pupils, parents and staff are looking forward to a well-deserved midterm break. The girls have worked hard and completed a great half-term's work with lots of fun activities sprinkled throughout.
Wishing all our girls, their parents, our staff and the wider school community a very safe and happy break and looking forward to our return to school on Monday 3rd November.
The Admission Process for Junior Infants 2026 is now open and will close this Friday 24th October.
The following are the dates applicable for admission to Junior Infants 2026/2027
The school will commence accepting applications for admission on | 29th September 2025  |
The school shall cease accepting applications for admission on | 24th October 2025 @ 3:00pm |
The date by which applicants will be notified of the decision on their application is    | 14th November 2025 |
The period within which applicants must confirm acceptance of an offer of admission is* | 28th November 2025 @ 3:00pm |
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Note: the school will consider and issue decisions on late applications in accordance with the school’s Admission Policy.
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*Failure to accept an offer within the prescribed period above may result in the offer being withdrawn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 2025 before this process commences.
Once the admissions process is open, applications may be posted to the school or delivered by hand. As original documents supporting the application must be included, applications cannot be made by email.
School Calendar 2025/2026
The 2025/2026 calendar is available on www.hollyparkgns.ie
Key Dates: Term One
Thursday 23rd October | 3rd,4th & 5th, 6th Classes | |
Halloween Dress Up Day | Friday 24th October | Whole School |
Midterm Break | Monday 27th October - Friday 31st October | Whole School |
First day back after midterm | Monday 3rd November | Whole School |
School Choir Recording Session | Monday 10th November | School Choir |
PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 17th November | Whole School |
No After School Activities for one week to facilitate PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 17th November | Whole School |
Kilcoole Music Festival | Sunday 23rd November | School Choir - 5th & 6th Class choristers |
Graffiti Classics | Friday 28th November | Whole School |
Infant Christmas Plays | Friday 12th December | Junior & Senior Infants |
School Choir Charity Christmas Concert | Monday 15th December | School Choir |
Last Day of Term One (Early Finish) | Friday 19th December | Whole School |
First Day of Term Two | Monday 5th January | Whole School |
Staff Inservice School Closure | Wednesday 11th February | Whole School |
Staff Inservice School Closure | Wednesday 13th May | Whole School |
Please note Hollypark GNS is not a Polling Station
and the school will be open on Friday 24th October.
Dates for First Holy Communion & Confirmation
2nd Class | First Holy Communion | Sunday 10th May |
6th Class | Confirmation | Thursday 28th May |
Well done!
I participated in the Great Britain Irish Dancing Championship in London last week. There were thousands of dancers there from all over the world. I went with lots of my friends from Chaney Farrell Academy. We had lots of fun! I also got to see Big Ben, The London Eye and Buckingham Palace. I got two medals. I loved it!
By Aisling, 3rd Class Ms Cashman
Celebrating 60 Years Our Anniversary Book
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who shared photos, stories, and memories for our 60th anniversary book.
Your contributions have been truly appreciated and will help create a special keepsake that celebrates the rich history and spirit of Hollypark GNS.
United in Friendship, together we strive.
Hallowe'en Dress Up Day: Friday 24th October
Friday 24th October, the last day of this half term will be Hallowe'en Dress Up Day.
Any girl who does not wish to dress up on the day may wear her school tracksuit.
Some practical points re Hallowe'en Dress Up Day in School:
No accessories, i.e. nothing a child needs to hold in their hand or things that can be put down for others to potentially pick up and handle.
Be mindful of the length of the costume - avoid costumes that are too long and may be a tripping hazard - bear in mind we have lots of staircases in our school!
Costumes - including shoes - should be comfortable and practical for sitting in the classroom for the day, and for going out on yard at break times.
Be mindful that the costume isn’t going to scare a younger pupil. If you think a Junior Infant will be frightened, then tone it down or reconsider.
General Hallowe’en Safety Tips for Our Girls
Don’t assume that motorists can see you: cross at traffic lights or pedestrian crossings.
Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
Always walk on foot paths.
Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
An adult should always accompany children under age 12 for trick-or-treating. (Ensure that each child has a parent’s phone number with them in case they are separated from the group)
Avoid dogs, even if you know them, as fireworks can startle even the friendliest dog
Avoid knocking on the doors of elderly neighbours
Costumes for a Safe Halloween
Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colours.
Ensure that fancy dress costumes are flame-resistant (look for the CE mark)
Beware of any small parts on which a child could choke (look for the CE mark)
Make sure that the costume length will not cause the child to trip
Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision. But if choosing a mask double check to ensure that children can see, hear and breath (look for the CE mark)
Have children carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
Bonfires and Fireworks
Keep a safe distance from bonfires at all times
Never approach a firework that has failed to go off
Keep pets indoors to avoid them being injured by fireworks or bonfires
Flu Vaccine: Thursday 16th October
Hollypark GNS teamed up with Hiltons Pharmacy this year to provide students with a FREE Flu nasal vaccine. Almost 300 pupils availed of this opportunity. Well done to all the girls!
Green Schools
Please find below the October Nature Spotter Sheet, we have also included an Autumn Leaf IDÂ sheet!Â
Autumn Leaf ID Sheet
STEM Week: 13th- 17th October
Last week we celebrated STEM Week in Hollypark! We enjoyed many fun maths and science activities and we also had a lot of STEM winners - see below. Congratulations to all our worthy winners!
STEM Week 2025 | Principal’s Problems Winners |
Ms McHale | Starlight Baranek |
Ms Carroll | Lily O’Mahony |
Ms Sweeney | Blaise Crowe |
Ms Conlon | Robyn Lennon Sadie Twomey |
Ms Codd | Alice Cunningham |
Ms Foy | Georgie Lynn |
Ms Duffy | Zoe Wickham Fiadh Daly |
Ms McNulty | Mary Anne O’Shea Méabh Byrne |
Ms Lamont | Olivia Walsh, Alannah McCann, Sophie Hannon |
Ms Cashman | Noelle D’Arcy Sophia Donohue |
Ms O’Sullivan | Connie Wickham Emma Flattery |
Ms McGovern | Ciara Flanagan |
Ms Mannix | Elvina Eldhose Hiu Wai Chau |
Ms O’Shea | Alexa Power |
Ms Henry | Kate Allman |
Ms Scally | Anna Merriman |
Ms Dobey | Sadie Bowen |
Ms deFréin | Lara O’Halloran |
Ms Coll | Eloise Ó’Faoiláin |
Ms O'Connor | Millie O’Malley |
STEM Quiz Winning Team |
Zoe Cahill (4th Class Ms O'Shea) |
Martha Askins (4th Class Ms Henry) |
Ellen Dwyer (5th Class Ms Scally) |
Carrie Molloy (5th Class Ms Dobey) |
Chloe Hsu (6th Class Ms O'Connor) |
Anna Murphy (6th Class Ms Coll) |
Rose Kearney (6th Class Ms de Fréin) |
Queen of the Tables Winners
1st Class | Kasey Hanyi Bang (Ms Codd) |
2nd Class | Katie Flynn (Ms McNulty) |
3rd Class | Erin Mulligan (Ms McGovern) |
4th Class | Holly Flattery (Ms Mannix) |
5th Class | Kate Wang (Ms Dobey) |
6th Class | Lara O'Halloran (Ms de Fréin) |
PT Meetings: Senior Infants to 6th Class
We are looking forward to meeting you at your annual Parent Teacher Meetings which will take place for Senior Infants to 6th Classes during the week beginning Monday 17th November 2025.
Please note, parents who have already met with their daughter’s teacher and support team do not need to schedule a meeting at this time.
PT Meetings for Junior Infants will take place in January/February.
The Aladdin PT Scheduler will open for bookings on Monday 3rd November:
Parents/guardians will be able to book a ten-minute PT Meeting slot via the Aladdin PT Scheduler which will open for bookings on Monday 3rd November. ·        From 3pm on Monday 3rd November - families with three or more siblings ·        From 5pm on Monday 3rd November - families with two or more siblings ·        From 7pm on Monday 3rd November - all families We respectfully advise that parents leave a gap between meetings when booking for siblings to allow for any delays which may inadvertently occur. |
The PT Scheduler will remain open for bookings until 9:00am on Monday 10th November. Parents/guardians will not be able to cancel or change their meeting bookings after this date.
We look forward to meeting you!
Hollypark PA Updates
Parents turned out in force to our PA's October event ‘Your Kids online. What’s really going on?’ Thank you to Eoghan Cleary and Alex Cooney for a very informative presentation. Thanks also to our two PAs for organising this very useful event and to the BNS for hosting on this occasion.
Hallowe'en Disco: Thursday 23rd October
There is great excitment as the girls from 3rd to 6th look forward to this fun evening event organised by our hard-working PA.
Traffic and Safety
One Way Traffic System
Traffic Safety
Please use the church car park at drop off and collection times and walk the last 6 minutes with your child.Â
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.Â
Please ensure that younger children are held by the hand when walking with them to and from school.Â
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 and next in Hollypark!
Anna Ciara Gleeson
Ada Delaney
Eleanor Whelan
Lydia Rhatigan
Anna Rose Marron
Nicola Kelly
Kate McKenna
Isabella Cronin
Johanna McKimm
Matylda Szmagara
Caoimhe Higgins
Grace Russell
Phoebe Barrett
Quinn Murphy
Sarah O'Shea
Lucy O'Shea
Anna Lynn
Amy Tuite
Jiayi Yuan
Charlie Carnus
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!