SPORTS BLITZ 2023

Due to the bad weather predicted on Friday, the Parents’ Association have adapted some of the outdoor plans for the boys.  With the exception of 6^th class, all other classes will remain at school, and we will work around the weather as best we can.  We advise the boys to bring their rain jackets to school and they are welcome to bring spare socks and footwear.
We have arranged for extra indoor activities to take place at the school.  In between these activities, the boys are also welcome to bring in some board games or card games to play.

The teachers are kindly collecting sponsorship cards in their classrooms every day this week.  All sponsorship cards returned will be entered into a draw with some prizes for the boys to be won!

For those who wish to pay sponsorship money by card payment, members from the PA will be in the school hall between 8.30am – 9.00am on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning this week.

Your support, in any form, is greatly appreciated.  We are looking forward to another memorable day on Friday!

Parents’ Association - Notice of AGM

The AGM of the Parents’ Association will be held on Wednesday 8th November at 7 pm in the school hall. Mr. O' Donovan and Mrs. Lynch will be in the school and will hold an open evening/ tour of the school's facilities. This was done at last year's AGM and proved to be a wonderful part of the evening. All are welcome to attend this evening.
If you are interested in joining the Parents' Association for 2023-24, please get in touch with us at hollyparkboyspa@gmail.com 

MATHS WEEK 

We are celebrating Maths Week Ireland this week. The boys have their maths eyes peeled and are engaged with maths riddles, trails and seeing how mathematics is a major part of our everyday lives. In Hollypark BNS, we promote a positive attitude towards maths to further understand the world around us. 
Pictured above are Mr. Murphy's class completing their Maths challenge and some symmetrical monsters from Ms. Dennan's 1st class. 

Thank you to Ms. Hynes and Mr. Mc Evoy for organising a brilliant week for the boys. 

FLU VACCINE

St. Patrick's BNS, Hollypark have teamed up with Allcare Pharmacy this year to provide students with a FREE Flu nasal vaccine. Allcare Pharmacy are setting up a vaccination centre within the school. All of their 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. We have organised a Flu Clinic onsite in St. Patrick's BNS, Hollypark on Monday, October 23rd.

If you would like your child to avail of the flu nasal vaccine we will need you to complete a Flu Vaccination consent form for your child ahead of the day. a. Please see the link to fill in your child’s consent form here 
and
b. Click yes or no on the Aladdin permission slip that is on your Aladdin Connect app. 

PLEASE NOTE: For parents with more than 1 child in the school, you will need to fill in one consent form for each child. We 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.

HSE Information Leaflets on Children's vaccine: English | Irish | Arabic | French | Polish | Romanian | Russian | Ukrainian | Czech | Slovak

For a fun superhero video on flu vaccination for younger kids click here

PARENT TALK: 
NURTURING SELF-EFFICACY & GROWTH MINDSET IN YOUR CHILD

Fiona Forman, expert on wellbeing, has been invited to talk to the parents of Hollypark BNS & GNS tomorrow, Thursday 19th October @ 7.30pm. Hollypark BNS are hosting the event in our school hall.
Parking is available on the night in the staff car park.

HALLOWE'EN DRESS UP

Halloween is nearly upon us once again and we are looking forward to seeing the boys dressed up for our annual Hallowe'en dress-up day! This year it will take place on Friday 27^th October.
Some boys have already begun their costume planning and we are excited to see the variety they will be dressed as from spooky to silly and everything in between. Please find below guidelines and requirements to follow for the smooth and safe running of the day:

• No accessories, i.e. nothing they need to hold in their hand or things that can be put down for others to potentially pick up and handle.
• No long capes, dangly material or anything that may be a tripping hazard.
• Costumes should be comfortable and practical for sitting in the classroom for the day, i.e. no inflatable costumes.
• Be mindful that the costume isn’t going to scare a younger student. If you think a Junior Infant will be frightened, then tone it down or reconsider.

Less is more when it comes to costumes and keeping it simple can often be the most effective. There will be prizes throughout the school for best dressed and creative costumes. It is a very exciting day for the boys and with your continued support and understanding we hope to make it another success.

CYBERBREAK

Friday, October 20th 2023 is CyberBreak!

We are asking families across Ireland to ditch their smart devices for 24 hrs from 5pm Friday, 20th Oct to 5pm Saturday, 21st Oct, 2023.
CyberBreak is open to families and schools as a fun, interactive way for kids, parents and teachers to reflect on how much time they spend online and to promote a healthy online and offline balance. It's also a good opportunity to just take a break from the online world and 'disconnect to reconnect'!

How can I get involved?

1. Simply sign up by clicking the link attached  https://www.cybersafekids.ie/cyberbreak/
2. See our downloadable resources - activity ideas for families and schools below including talks for primary and secondary school aged kids on the benefits of taking a digital break by author and psychotherapist, Richard Hogan as well as some delicious recipes from Lilly Higgins, food blogger and cookbook author.
3. Encourage your friends and their families to take part!

BEST OF LUCK, KILMACUD

Once more, Kilmacud Crokes are in a County Final! This week, it is the turn of the men. With a team filled with past Hollypark pupils, we wish them well this weekend. A very special Hollypark good luck goes to Fionnán Kennedy, father of Rían in Junior Infants, who is part of the Crokes management team. Bring the cup home Kilmacud!