HALL OF FAME
We are very proud of all our current and past pupils. Some of our past pupils have hit the headlines over the years for various sports including rugby, soccer, hurling, football & golf. Mark Moriarty, TV chef, is past pupil and he is excelling on the world stage with his programme Off- Duty Chef. Alex Dolan is a fashion designer and has worked in some of the most famous fashion houses in Europe. Philip Lane is an Irish economist who has been serving as a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank since 2019 and concurrently as ECB chief economist. He previously served as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland from 2015 to 2019. He too, is a former pupil.
Our Student Council are currently writing to past pupils in the hope of building a 'Hall of Fame'. The Hall of Fame is designed to inspire our current pupils and make them realise they can follow their dreams too.
The first star to make our Hall of Fame is Gavin Thornbury. Standing at 6ft 8, Gavin is a Connacht Rugby Player and has been capped by Ireland A. Gavin received a letter from Christoper Kirwan in 6th class. Christoper invited Gavin back to Hollypark to meet his former teachers and walk the corridors that inspired his love of sport. Gavin was brilliant with his time and answered a multitude of questions from the boys. We thank Gavin for the donation of his Connacht jersey, which will be framed and placed in the 'Hall of Fame'. Tom Dowdall, golf professional, is due in to the school today with many more famous faces coming to see us in the next 2 months. Watch this space!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
School Closures -Term 3
| Monday, May 6th – Friday, May 10th (inclusive) | May Break |
| Thursday, May 30th | Staff Inservice: New Maths curriculum |
| Monday, June 3rd & Tuesday, June 4th | June Bank Holiday |
| Friday, June 7th | Local Elections, polling station |
SPORTS DAY
This years sports day will take place on Thursday, June 13th in Mount Albany. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend. In the event of inclement weather, we will host sports day on Friday, June 14th. Further details will issue closer to the event.
GAEILGE LE CHÉILE!
Building on our very successful and enjoyable Seachtain na Gaeilge this year, we are looking forward to our next Gaeilge le Chéile(Irish Together) where classes will get together to use their Gaeilge in a meaningful and fun way to play and communicate.
This is part of our SSE (School Self Evaluation) target for Gaeilge. SSE is a process where we reflect on our practice, evaluating our strengths and areas for development in teaching and learning in our school. We have identified Gaeilge Teanga ó Bhéal(Oral Language) as our area of focus for Gaeilge. In the coming weeks we will be facilitating activities for the pupils to use their Gaeilge in fun and meaningful ways outside the classroom – Gaeilge le Chéile!
STANDARDISED TESTING MAY 2024
Standardised testing will begin in May for classes 2nd-6th as per the Department of Education’s recent circular to schools. 2nd -6th will have tests in spelling, reading and maths.
1st classes will only have the spelling test, as whole class standardised testing in 1st is not recommended.
These tests are just one method of assessing a pupil’s performance and we know that it is just a snapshot on a particular day that can be affected by numerous circumstances.
Standardised tests will give us information to guide our teaching and learning for the next academic year. It will also help us to identify pupils who may benefit from additional support.
For further information, please check out this link on the NCCA website.
understanding-standardscores_eng.pdf (ncca.ie)
Annette Lynch (Deputy Principal & SEN Coordinator)
TOP CLASS PERFORMANCES
Congratulations to our wonderful Junior A hurling team who got their season off to a great start. A victory over St. Michael's yesterday has set them up well in their group. Thank you to Ms. Costello and Ms. Grennan for giving their free time and expertise to take the teams. We look forward to next week.
Well done to our 6th class soccer team who beat local rivals, Johnstown, 2-1 last week. It was a brilliant team performance and builds our confidence up nicely as we play a 9 player event today. Best of luck boys! (pictured below) Thank you to Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Mc Evoy and Mr. Murphy.
STARS OF THE FUTURE
This week's Stars of the Future section is jam-packed! First up, we have boys from Ms. Flannery's 2nd class successfully passed a Taekwondo belt grading exam on Sunday. Noah, Cian and Nathan are pictured below.
Followed by 3rd, 4th 5th, 6th class pupils and some former past pupils who also successfully passed a Taekwondo belt grading. Congratulations to all.
Richie in Ms. Feighan's 3rd class, played in the Turkish Bowl International Junior Ten Pro Tennis tournament last week and won the 2014 and the 2013 age group. Seriously impressive for a 3rd class pupil. We are not surprised by this in Hollypark as we remember vividly Richie, age 5, in Junior Infants having a tennis rally that lasted over 5 minutes! Well done Richie, you are doing us proud!
And last but not least, Riley, in Ms. Feighan's 3rd class, was a mascot for Blackburn Rovers last weekend. In what was an unforgettable experience, Riley got to walk out with Republic of Ireland and Blackburn star, Sammy Szmodics. Riley didn't look out of place and rumour has it Blackburn manager, John Eustace, is in talks with Hollypark BNS over a six- figure transfer fee for Riley!
We also extend our best wishes to Eoghan Collins (6th class) and Liam Byrne (5th class), competing against each other in this weekend’s u13 rugby Leinster Cup final in the Energia Stadium.
Eoghan plays prop forward for Seapoint A and will be trying to stop winger Liam on the Old Belvedere side from completing the treble having won the League and Metro Cup. We look forward to hearing the full report on Monday!
WHAT IS STEM
STEM is made up of science, technology, engineering and maths. The STEM Education Policy (Department of Education and Skills, 2017, p. 6) summarises the four areas as follows:
Science enables us to develop our interest in, and understanding of, the living, material and physical world and develops the skills of collaboration, research, critical enquiry and experimentation.
Technology covers a range of fields which involve the application of knowledge, skills and computational thinking to extend human capabilities and to help satisfy human needs and wants, operating at the interface of science and society.
Engineering is about the design and creation of products and processes. Drawing on scientific methods to provide the skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems.
Mathematics equips us with the skills needed to interpret and analyse information, simplify and solve problems, assess risk, make informed decisions and further understand the world around us through modelling both abstract and concrete problems.
STEM education in Hollypark BNS is going from strength to strength. Through investment in equipment & technology and activities driven by assistant principal Dearbhla Hynes, we are seeing huge engagement levels in our pupils. Pictured below is a light bulb moment from Mr. Murphy's 2nd class and a brilliant rocket from Scott and Ruan in Ms. Flannery's 2nd class.
DLR Sports Inclusion
Dear Principal,
I would be very grateful if you could share the email below and the attached flyer with parents /children of additional needs classes/ students regarding our upcoming SportsAbility Day event. This free event is a great opportunity to assist children with additional needs to get active within their communities. More details below along with free registration link. Feel free to promote on your social media platforms, website, WhatsApp Groups etc also.
Many thanks for your support,
Gwen O’Looney – DLR Sports Inclusion Disability Officer
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!
This week is a special week for these boys; Rian Kennedy, Samuel Radford, Hugo Doyle, Jamie Walsh, Tom Montayne, Matthew Davy, Calum Hughes, Freddie Maher, Sam Tierney, Roan Smith, Scott Johnston & Joshua Sullivan.
We hope you enjoy the celebrations!
Beir bua agus beannacht,
1.05.2024
THIS WEEK'S ADVERTISEMENTS
Wicklow Animal Welfare animal rescue.
Wicklow Animal Rescue are looking for your help. We need treats, wet food, new or used crates, collars and leads. Please contact Daire Hall (Barnes) on 087 9148923 if you have any items to donate. We thank you in advance for your support.
