Welcome Back!
Welcome back to the new school year in Hollypark.
We are looking forward to a busy year of learning!
Admission to Junior Infants September 2025
The process for admission to Junior Infants 2025 will open on Monday 30th September and will remain open until Friday 25th October.
The school cannot accept applications for Junior Infants 2025 before this process commences.
All details including relevant dates/forms/policy etc are now available on www.hollyparkgns.ie.
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 2024/2025
The 2024/2025 calendar is available on www.hollyparkgns.ie
Key Dates: Term One
Wellbeing Week | Week beg Monday 23rd September | Whole School |
STEM Week | Week beg Monday 14th October | Whole School |
GOAL Jersey Day | Friday 11th October | Whole school |
Hallowe'en Dress Up Day | Friday 25th October | Whole school |
Midterm break | 28th October - 1st November inclusive | Whole School |
PT Meetings | Week beginning Monday 18th November | 1st - 6th Class |
Talk for parents: Fiona Forman | Monday 18th November | All parents (GNS & BNS) welcome |
Christmas Play | Wednesday 11th December | Junior Infants |
Christmas Play | Thursday 12th December | Senior Infants |
Last day of Term One (early finish) | Friday 20th December | Whole school |
First day of Term Two | Monday 6th January | Whole school |
Start & Finish Times
Start Time | Finish Time | |
Senior Infants | 8:30am | 1:10pm |
1st & 2nd Class | 8:30am | 2:10pm |
3rd- 6th Class | 8:40am | 2:20pm |
Independence Day: Thursday 5th September
Well done to our Junior Infants who are already coming into school so independently and cheerfully. Tomorrow - Thursday - marks Independence Day for our Junior Infants when parents 'drop and go'. Their class teacher will be waiting for them.
Good luck for Independence Day tomorrow!
Please note
From Thursday 12th September Junior Infants will attend for the full school day: 8:30am – 1:10pm.
School Uniform
Girls should wear the school tracksuit on PE days only.
For health and safety reasons, girls must wear appropriate sporting footwear in order to avoid injury.
School uniform trousers, as an alternative to the school uniform skirt, are available from our uniform suppliers The Schoolwear House.
For health and safety reasons, stud earrings only are permitted. Dangly earrings (to include hoops) are not permitted.
Nail polish, lip gloss, make-up (including mascara), fake tan, fake eyelashes and fake nails are not allowed. Pupils will be asked to remove make up on arrival in school. Wipes will be supplied.
Smart Phones and Smart Devices
The Hollypark GNS community strives, in line with best practice, to create a calm and safe sanctuary, free from the distractions and potential complications posed by social media and the use of personal smart devices. To this end, Hollypark GNS is a phone/smart phone/smart watch free campus. Children are not permitted to use phones/smartphones or smart watches whilst on school grounds (including the yard and the astro pitch).
We acknowledge that parents/guardians may wish to track their child's journey to and from school. We encourage parents/guardians to explore the wide array of tracking devices on the market at present as a viable alternative to the smartphone/ smart watch.
We also encourage parents to broach the subject of smart device ownership with other parents in the class. It is very important that we, as the adults in our school community, have an open and informed discussion about the children's use of smart devices. The opening paragraphs in Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free (published by the Department of Education) provide a good overview of the situation at present in the Irish context.
5th and 6th Class
Children in 5th and 6th class who need to bring a device to school in order to facilitate their journey to and from school must seek written permission from Ms. Gunning by completing and signing a Phone Request Form. [Please see our school's Acceptable Use Policy, Appendix A (page 16)]. If given permission, children must hand the device to their teacher at the beginning of each day, and they may collect it when they are going home. The school takes no responsibility for these devices during the day.
Homework
Homework should be within the capability of the attentive child, based on work already done. Homework enables parents to follow their daughter’s progress.
Homework should always be checked, and the journal signed daily by parent/guardian.
Homework is assigned for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings and is not generally assigned for the weekend.
Recommended Times for Homework
Junior/Senior Infants: Class Teacher will advise.
1st/2nd Class: 20 – 30 minutes
3rd/4th Class: 30 – 40 minutes
5th/6th Class: 40 – 60 minutes.
These are suggested times. In practice, the time taken will depend on each child.
If parents feel a child is taking an excessive amount of time to complete work, they should discuss this with the Class Teacher.
Please click here for Homework Tips.
Frasaí na Seachtaine
"Dia duit! Dia is Muire duit!"
Labhair Gaeilge linn – sa bhaile agus ar scoil!
Wellbeing Week 23rd - 27th September
We are looking forward to celebrating Wellbeing Week during the last week of September. We will share all details with our parents in the coming weeks.
For now, we are asking that parents send in a plain white t-shirt to the Class Teacher by Wednesday 11th September.
Lego Workshops for 4th Class
Once again we are delighted to introduce Lego Workshops to our 4th Classes. This STEM programme will give our girls the chance to explore aspects of science and engineering outside their normal curriculum-based classroom activities.
There are 12 workshops in total with each session providing theoretical knowledge and practical implementation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through the use of K’nex® and Lego® bricks. This method incorporates stories, experiments and demonstrations that are specially designed to deliver a multi-sensory experience. In this way, the learning experience is enhanced and made more memorable.
Say Yes to Languages!
Our school was once again successful in its application for the Say Yes to Languages initiative. This means that our 3rd and 4th Classes will receive an eight week module of French during this term.
National Children's Choir
We are delighted to once again affiliate with the National Children's Choir (NCC) this year as the NCC celebrates 40 years of choral singing in primary schools. Over the next few months our 5th and 6th Classes will learn a varied repertoire of 15 songs - including Viva la Vida, Ave Maria, Tír na nÓg and many others - culminating in a performance at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght at the end of March.
Violin Lessons
Violin lessons for Senior Infants to 2nd Class will begin on Monday 30th September. Our experienced violin teacher, Martha Bredin, will take the girls as a group for a half hour class in the hall every week. She will focus on aural training, music theory and the basics of violin.
The rationale for this initiative is to give every child in the school the opportunity to experience learning a musical instrument and playing the instrument in a group setting. We have found in the past that many of the girls really enjoyed learning the violin and went on to continue with lessons outside of school after their initial introduction.
The girls will have the use of our school violins. All sheet music, necessary to participate, will also be provided.
Junior Infant Photos
County Photos will be in the school on Thursday 3rd October for Junior Infant Photo Day. Class teachers will send reminders closer to time.
HSE - Vision, MMR, Flu
Vision & Hearing | Junior Infants | 10th - 13th September |
Immunisations | Junior Infants | 24th & 25th September |
Flu Vaccine | Whole School | 17th October |
Consent forms and reminders will issue to classes in advance of above.
Traffic Safety
I am appealing to our parents in the strongest possible terms to put the safety of our children above all else:
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 work with our PA to action the Walking Bus initiative as soon as possible
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.
Post Primary Open Evenings
The Teresian School Thursday 19th September 4:30pm -7:00pm
St Raphaela's Secondary School Thursday 26th September 5pm - 7pm
After School Activities Updated Timetable
Birthdays this week in Hollypark!
Ava O'Brolchain
Ellie Rouse
Angel Luis
Ava Lowey
Lily Cruise
Eibhlin Sweeney
Camilla Maciga
Dáire Kate 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!
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