Wednesday letter April 2nd 2025

SENSORY GARDEN/ QUIET PLAY SPACE

As you know, we are always looking to improve and update our facilities in Hollypark BNS! With the help of the Parents' Association, we plan to create a sensory garden and a quiet play space for our students. A sensory garden and quiet play spaces will offer immense benefits for the Hollypark BNS students, creating a nurturing environment that supports well-being, focus, and emotional regulation. These spaces will provide a calm retreat from the busy school day, helping boys to relax, recharge, and develop mindfulness. The sensory elements—such as textured plants, fragrant flowers, and soothing sounds will encourage exploration and engagement, fostering curiosity and creativity. Quiet play areas also promote social inclusion, allowing children to connect in a more relaxed setting or enjoy peaceful moments of solitude. By integrating nature into daily school life, we will enhance learning, concentration, and overall happiness, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. 

Thank you to parent, Emily Moorecroft and 5th class student Roman Geiger for their incredible garden designs. (See concept pictures above.) We plan to build the sensory garden and quiet play areas on Saturday, May 10th. If you can land a hand, pulling weeds, laying bark, building huts, digging, raking, or making tea and coffee, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch via info@hollyparkbns.ie Subject: Garden Volunteer. We hope to make this a really good school community project and get as many parents/guardians and boys involved as we can. Thank you in advance for your support. 

World Autism Awareness Day

April is World Autism Month, and today, 2^nd April 2025, is World Autism Awareness Day. The day is internationally recognised and designated by the United Nations to encourage people throughout the world to raise awareness about Autism. Thank you for joining us in wearing something blue to mark the day and raise awareness! 
Please note: This is not a fundraising event. 

For more information on Autism, please see As I Am | Ireland's Autism Charity | What is Autism?

Parents’ Association Feedback Survey

The Parents’ Association values your feedback!  We would love to hear your thoughts on better supporting our school community.  Please take just two minutes to complete our short survey.  Your input will help us plan future initiatives and improve our efforts. 

Click here to complete the survey
 
As a token of our appreciation, all participants can enter a raffle to win a €50 One4All Gift Card. If you would like to be included, just leave your contact details at the end of the survey. Your responses will remain anonymous, and your contact information will only be used for the raffle draw.

Thank you for your time and support.
Kind regards,
Sarah Walsh
Hollypark BNS Parents’ Association 

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

The buddy system in Hollypark is a lovely tradition where boys from 5th and 6th buddy up with our Junior and Senior Infant students and meet regularly for games, activities, story time, and much more. Our senior boys are excellent role models for our younger pupils. Pictured below are boys from Ms. Murphy's Junior Infants and Ms. Kearns' 5th class. 
 

SACRAMENTAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY