Newsletter: Thursday 25th June 2026
- 3 hours ago
- 9 min read
As we come to the end of another school year in Hollypark GNS, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our pupils, parents, and staff for their support, dedication, and hard work throughout the year.
A gentle reminder to our girls to mind their Mums and Dads over the summer and to help out with chores - Mums and Dads deserve a break too!
Play outside in sun and rain and leave those screens alone! This will also help you to sleep well at night and recharge for the year ahead.
Please protect your skin from the sun - wear a hat and sunblock. And please take care near, in and around water. |
I want to thank our hard working and committed PA and Class Reps, led by Chairperson Maryrose McCarthy and Committee, for their tremendous fundraising and school community endeavours this year. Maryrose is 'retiring' from her role and should feel very proud of her achievements as Chair - 'big shoes' to fill for sure - but there are so many capable parents out there! The PA AGM is on 14th September - think about it - it is all set up and you will have a fantastic team to make the magic happen! And such magic - right from the start, commencing with the Junior Infant Welcome Coffee Morning through to the 6th Class Graduation Yearbooks, there is always something happening:
Pre-Loved Uniform Sales
Pre-Loved Jerseys & Hallowe'en Costumes Sales
Christmas Card Fundraiser
Ladies Lunch
6th Class Hoodies
6th Class Movie Night
Dedicated page on our school website
Christmas Wreathes
Feed Our Homeless Christmas Bag Appeal
Santa Visit
No Smartphone Voluntary Code
Tesco Community Fund
Grandparents Day Coffees
Table Quiz Night & Auction
Outdoor Classroom
Mary's Meals Appeal
Sunflower Planting
Golf Classic
Parents' BBQ
Summer Bake Sale & Raffle
Confirmation Party
6th Class Yearbook
Thanks also to the many parents who have helped and supported our team sports and of course to our Library Ladies who bring the joy of reading to our girls.
Thanks also for the many many treats which were delivered to the staffroom over the last number of weeks - not expected - but so very much appreciated.
I want to thank our dedicated Board of Management and Chairperson Arthur Hutchinson for their, often unseen, support of the school. Our Board is responsible for school governance, policy making, ongoing school development and recruitment. My job would be impossible without their work and support.
This summer, thanks to the joint efforts of our PA and BOM together with your Voluntary Contributions and individual donations, our canopy, linking the Purple Building and the original building will be constructed. Thank you. |
A special mention to our wonderful 6th Class – you have been a delight to teach, and we wish you every success and happiness as you begin your journey in post-primary school. And thank you for our Buddy Bench!! (see below). We are also looking forward to welcoming our new Junior Infants on 27th August, as they begin their exciting adventure with us.
A sincere thank you to the Hollypark Team – our teachers, SNAs, secretary, and caretaker – for your commitment and care each day. You ensure that our girls get the finest possible educational experience every day.
This year, as I bow out myself, we also bid farewell to three long-standing members of the Hollypark Team who are retiring; thank you Ms Mulligan, Ms O'Connell and Ms Finan for your many years of service and dedication to Hollypark GNS. Ní bheidh a léithéid arís ann! You will be very missed by our school community.
Congratulations to our new Principal Ms Siobhán de Fréin on her appointment. Ms de Fréin will ensure that our school continues not only to survive, but to thrive and flourish for our girls!
Wishing our pupils, families and staff a safe, restful, and sunny summer break! |
A Message from Our New Principal Ms de Fréin
I am absolutely delighted and truly honoured to have been recently appointed Principal of St. Patrick’s GNS Hollypark. From the day I joined this school community 27 years ago, I have been inspired by the warmth, dedication and sense of belonging that make Hollypark GNS such a very special place. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead a school where children are encouraged to thrive, achieve their potential and develop a lifelong love of learning. I look forward to working alongside our talented staff, wonderful pupils, supportive parents, the parish and the wider school community as we continue to build on Hollypark’s many strengths together. I am excited for this new chapter and deeply grateful for the trust placed in me. I look forward to the years ahead and to supporting every child in Hollypark GNS to flourish and succeed. Wishing you all a very happy summer and looking forward to seeing you all at the end of August. |
School Calendar 2026/2027
Last Day of School Term: Friday 26th June
Staggered Finishing Times:
Junior & Senior Infants & older siblings | 11:30am |
1st & 2nd Class & older siblings | 11:45am |
3rd - 6th Class | 12:00pm |
The last day of the school term, Friday, will be a non-uniform day.
Key Dates: Term Three, Term One 26/27
Friday 26th June | Final Day Term Three | All classes |
Thursday 27th August | School reopens for new school year | All classes |
Friday 18th September | Mandatory Child Safeguarding Training for all Staff: School Closure | All classes |
After School Activities Schedule 2026/2027
6th Class Tea with the Prinicpal
As a thank you to our 6th Class Curricular Teams, the girls were invited to Hot Chocolate with the Principal. Thank you girls for all your work - you are truly great leaders!
6th Class Gift: A Buddy Bench!
Thank you 6th Class and Good Luck!!! We will miss you!
School Choir
We have had a very successful year working with the School Choir. They have entertained, helped celebrate religious ceremonies, raised money for charity, won prizes at competition and more generally contributed to the life and spirit of the school!
School Choir September 2026
We will hold auditions for the School Choir in the first two weeks of September during school hours. All children from 4th - 6th are welcome to audition. Current members do not need to re-audition. Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday 15th September from 2.20-3.20pm in the school hall.
Well done Grace, Ella, Neasa & Sophia!
Well done Sadhbh, Isabelle, Fiadh, Clara & Grace!
Hi our names are Sadhbh, Isabelle, Fiadh, Clara and Grace and two weeks ago we competed in the Mini World Cup.
Sadhbh and Isablle competing as Nauru won the Plate, Grace representing New Zealand won the Shield, Clara as Vanuatu was very close to the Plate and Fiadh, competing as Fiji, won the Cup.
We are very proud of ourselves!Well done Elize, Lily, Caoimhe & Lauren!
Well done Melaniia!
Well done Darcey!
Well done Alice!
Well done to our 2nd & 4th Class Brownies!
Well done at the Mini All Irelands!
2nd Class: Planting in the School Garden!
The girls in 2nd class loved planting parsley in the beautiful new school garden this term.
Thank you so much to Ms O'Shea for all her help with the planting!
4th Class: Mary's Meals Fundraiser!
The children in Ms. O'Shea's 4th class recently organised a wonderful mini market in the school yard to raise money for Mary's Meals. The pupils worked very hard creating their own crafts to sell and setting up fun games for everyone to enjoy.
We were delighted to welcome the children from Second Class and Senior Infants, who visited the fair and supported the fundraiser with great enthusiasm.
Thanks to the fantastic efforts of our pupils and the generosity of our school community, we were thrilled to raise €244.39 for Mary's Meals.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported this worthy cause. Your continued generosity is greatly appreciated and will help make a difference in the lives of children around the world.
A Special Visitor to 2nd Class
Last week a very special visitor came to the school!
Juliette's Autism Assistance Dog, Boo, came to meet the girls in 2nd class.
We learnt all about how Boo and other assistance dogs help to keep children and people safe.
Thank you to Juliette and her Dad Steve for the wonderful, informative presentation.
Thank You for Supporting Trócaire
Voluntary Contributions 2025- 2026
Sincere thanks to the 247 families (that is 63% 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
The school bags are barely in the hall and it’s already started.“I’m bored.” Two words that strike fear into the heart of every Hollypark GNS parent each summer.
A summer spent entirely on tablets, YouTube and smartphones leaves little room for creativity, adventure and imagination. To help, we’ve rounded up 30 simple activities for primary school children, from Junior Infants to Sixth Class.
https://schooldays.ie/articles/article/screen-free-summer-activities-primary-school-ireland/
No expensive equipment. No complicated planning. Just fun ideas to keep children active, engaged and enjoying their summer holidays.
We are also proud of the continuing success of our PA’s No Smartphone Voluntary Code. This year, 95% of our parent community committed to not buying a smartphone for their child during primary school. We have built on this momentum through the success of our Delay Group, which continues to support families in making informed decisions around smartphone use.
In September 2026, we will invite all incoming Junior Infant families to support the code and will share updated participation figures with the school community.
With growing national attention on online safety and smartphone use among children, the tide is beginning to turn. Hollypark GNS is proud to be at the forefront of this important conversation, supporting parents and promoting a childhood that prioritises wellbeing, connection and healthy development.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!
Noelle D'Arcy
Zahra Phipps
Maeve Maloney
Rebecca Byrnes
Kayla Farrell
Emily Murphy
Charlotte Cleary
Ellí Fox
Mia (Jianing) He
Ayah Memon
Maia McKeogh
Amelia Gibbs
Rosie Blake
Jessica O'Hanlon
Zoe Wickham
Ella O'Reilly
Anabel Bailie
Lauren Bartley-Tonge
Elena Holland
July Birthdays!
Anabel Corboy
Ella Montgomery
Kate O'Halloran
Chloe MacGuinness
Eve Cooney
Mary Coyle
Sophia Kelly
Lily O'Hagan
Fiadh Reddington
Amaya Naidoo
Leisha Rathore
Lily McMahon
Izabelle O'Regan
Sadhbh O'Rorke
Sienna Grogan
Hannah Browne
Ava Gallagher
Mishika Gupta
Haniyah Ghariani
Zoe Shanahan
Alexa Power
Juliette Walkin
Lily McCormack
Eva Abdullova
Adeline Meagher
Erica Donnelly
Aoife Plunkett
Hannah Carty
Cara Walsh
Katie Kennedy
Lily Cosgrove
Rachel Brennan
Cayla McGrane
Lauren McGrath
Siún Heraghty
Georgie Chadwick
Holly Dillon
Elsie Wyse
Éabha Whelehan
Erin Duatepe
Celia Byrne
Olivia Mulholland
Fiadh Daly
August Birthdays!
Olivia Buckley
Nicole Merrigan
Lucy O'Sullivan
Ailbhe Powell
Laura Leonard
Anna Murphy
Connie Wickham
Lucy Tierney
Clodagh Maher
Méabh Byrne
Doireann Igoe
Cora Walsh
Paige Dempsey Walsh
Emelie Mathews
Eva Singh
Isabella Chatharoo
Grace Walsh
Emily Lampasi
Elodie Walsh
Clara Kirrane
Jessica Cox
Isabel Leavy
Zoe Close
Lara Mary Gallagher
Alice Fitzpatrick
Keira McDonagh
Sadhbh Sweeney
Anneliese Nolan
Cameron Barron
Aisling Nolan
Anna Wang
Grace Henry
Molly Cunningham
Aoibhinn O'Herlihy
Lauren Collins
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HPGNS
United in Friendship, Together We Strive!
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