Newsletter: Wednesday 8th October 2025
- hollyparkwebsite
- Oct 8
- 7 min read
Admission to Junior Infants 2026 is now open
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 |
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*Failure to accept an offer within the prescribed period above may result in the offer being withdrawn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 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
First Holy Communion Information Meeting | 8pm Thursday 2nd October Foxrock Church | 2nd Class Parents/guardians |
Confirmation Information Meeting | 8pm Thursday 9th October Foxrock Church | 6th Class Parents/guardians |
GOAL Jersey Day | Friday 10th October | Whole School |
STEM Week | Week beginning Monday 13th October | Whole School |
Children Online - What's Really Going On | Wednesday 15th October 7:30pm | Parents of GNS & BNS Venue: BNS |
Flu Vaccine | Thursday 16th October | Whole School |
Hallowe'en Dress Up Day | Friday 24th October | Whole school |
Midterm break | 27th October - 31st October | Whole School |
PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 17th November | SI - 6th Class |
No After-School Activities for one week to facilitate PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 17th November | Whole School |
Graffiti Classics | Wednesday 26th November | Whole School |
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.
Sacramental Meetings
Fr Philip invites 6th Class parents/guardians to the following Sacramental Information meeting:
Confirmation (6th Class) Thursday 9th October @ 8pm Foxrock Church
Dates for the ceremony and information regarding registration will be shared at these meetings.
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
School will finish at the normal closing time on Friday 24th October. School will re-open after midterm om Monday 3rd November. |
Flu Vaccine: Thursday 16th October
Hollypark GNS has teamed up with Hiltons Pharmacy this year to provide students with a FREE Flu nasal vaccine. All the experienced vaccinators are qualified pharmacists who have undertaken specialist training. Children are offered a nasal spray as it is quick, painless and is more effective than an injected vaccine.
If you would like your child to avail of the flu nasal vaccine, you will need to complete a Flu Vaccination consent form for your child ahead of the day. Please see link to fill in your child’s consent form:
PLEASE NOTE: For parents with more than one child in the school, you will need to fill in one consent form for each child. The pharmacy cannot vaccinate any child without the online consent being completed in advance. Vaccination will be scheduled over the school day to suit the operational needs of the school.
For information on the vaccine please read the following:
If you have any questions regarding the vaccine, please contact the pharmacy directly on 012898889.
If you need to withdraw consent, please contact the pharmacy directly by email hiltonspharmacy@gmail.com.
Celebrating 60 Years!
As part of our 60th anniversary celebrations, we are creating a special book filled with stories, photos, and achievements from our school community. Do you have:
We would love to include them! Please send your items to AnniversaryBook@hollyparkgns.ie by 17th October to be part of this wonderful keepsake. Every contribution will help us celebrate our proud history and inspire future generations. ‘United in Friendship, Together We Strive.’ |
GOAL Jersey Day: Friday 10th October
We are looking forward to celebrating GOAL Jersey Day in Hollypark on Friday 10th October. Wear your favourite sports jersey and bring in a donation for our bucket collection!
Green Schools
Please find below the October Nature Spotter Sheet, we have also included an Autumn Leaf ID sheet!
Autumn Leaf ID Sheet
Sunflowers
Mrs Perera came in to Ms Codd's 1st Class to show us how tall her sunflowers had grown over the summer. They were VERY tall.... Even taller than the two tallest girls in our class! We remember planting our sunflower seeds with her last year. She must be a very good gardener!
STEM Week: 13th- 17th October
Next week, we’re thrilled to celebrate STEM Week in Hollypark!
Guess the Jellies Jar
Maths Chat Daily Challenges
Competitions
Maths Trails
Loop Games
Principal's Problems
Queen of the Tables
Trath na gCeist
Workshops
6th Class Science Expo
STEM Quiz
Dream Space Coding
Lego Robotics: 4th Class
This week the children in 4th class continued learning with Lego robotics and created a conveyor belt.
Millie McCarthy & DLR Libraries: 4th Class
On Tuesday, Ms. Mannix’s 4th class had an online meeting with Leona Forde and Karen Harte, author and illustrator of the Milly McCarthy books.
We had such fun during the 'draw along and read aloud'. Millie McCarthy books are definitely on our wish list for Christmas!
Hollypark PA Updates
Hollypark GNS & BNS are thrilled to co-host two guest speakers for our October event ‘Your Kids online. What’s really going on?’
The well renowned online safety experts:
Eoghan Cleary (GenFree) will discuss the impact of being online for your child’s personal, social and sexual development and the real risk of your child being online now and
Alex Cooney (Cybersafe Kids) on how to keep them safe while they are online.
This talk is suitable for all classes if you have access to smart devices, gaming or even faced with the pressure of buying a smartphone!
It is a talk every parent needs to hear. Don’t miss out! |
Register using the link
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/your-kids-online-whats-really-going-on-tickets-1710510786809?aff=oddtdtcreator or see above flyer.
Hallowe'en Disco: Thursday 23rd October
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.
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!
Aoibheann McGuinness-Morrissey
Zihan Huang
Emma Whelan
Hannah Weinmann
Carla McGrane
Kristina Shashkova
Andriya Alphonse Sobin
Grace O'Hagan
Chloe Walshe
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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